Professor Charles Norchi, Director of the Marine Law Institute chairs Conference on 25th Anniversary of Gulf of Maine Maritime Boundary case

Associate Professor Charles Norchi, Director of the Marine Law Institute, with Research Professor and Director of the Center for Law and Innovation, Rita Heimes, organized a Symposium commemorating the 25th anniversary of the International Court of Justice Case Concerning Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary in the Gulf of Maine Area (Canada/United States of America), on November 13 and 14. It was a collaboration between the Marine Law Institute and the Marine & Environmental Law Institute at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. The symposium began with a panel of lawyers that appeared before the World Court twenty-five years ago this Fall, and the remaining Judge who co-authored the opinion. That panel was followed by sessions addressing the significance of the Gulf of Maine case for international maritime boundary law, marine resource management, and ocean energy development. Participants came from Korea, Hawaii, Boston, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Washington DC and Portland, Maine, and included a range of academics, officials, researchers, and others. Judge Stephen Schwebel, former President of the World Court, delivered the dinner address: “The Establishment of the Court's Chamber: a Close Call." The proceedings and selected conference papers will be published in the Spring 2010 Symposium issue of the Maine Law's Ocean and Coastal Law Journal.

Visiting Professor Lateef Mtima Chairs Intellectual Property Program at Maine Law

Visiting Professor of Law Lateef Mtima, Director of the Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice at Howard University, chaired the two-hour program “Intellectual Property: Legal Issues and Social Justice Impact in the Information Age” on November 12. The program, organized with the assistance of Rita Heimes, Research Professor and Director of the Center for Law and Innovation, explored how patent, copyright and trademark law can be instruments of social justice and social engineering. Trademark and patent experts Phillip G. Hampton II (partner at Dickstein, Shapiro, Morin & Ochinsky, LLP, in Washington, D. C.; PTO Assistant Commissioner for Trademarks, 1994-98) and Thomas L. Irving (partner at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP, in Washington, D. C.) discussed how intellectual property law and lawyers can be agents for the socio-economic advancement of marginalized communities.

Professor Christopher Northrop speaks on Juvenile Clinics at Denver Conference

Associate Clinical Professor Christopher Northrop gave a presentation in Denver Colorado at the National Juvenile Defenders Summit on October 17 entitled “Juvenile Clinics: The Next Generation.”

Professor Christine Galbraith makes presentation on technology, privacy and genetics at DePaul University in Chicago

Associate Professor Christine D. Galbraith on October 15 made a presentation at DePaul University College of Law in Chicago entitled “Genetic Information: Delineating the Technology and Privacy Intersection” at the DePaul Annual Symposium of the Center for Intellectual Property Law and Information Technology. This presentation will result in publication in a symposium issue of the DePaul Law Review.

Professor and Director of the Marine Law Institute Charles Norchi speaks on Maritime Boundary Delimitation

Associate Professor and Director of the Marine Law Institute Charles H. Norchi on October 23 made a presentation on “The Law, Science and Policy of Maritime Boundary Delimitation” at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Policy Sciences in Boulder, Colorado, where he also served as panel chair.

Professor Lois Lupica speaks on Government’s Role in Automaker Bankruptcies in Conference of Municipal Analysts

Maine Law Foundation Professor Lois R. Lupica made a presentation in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 15 at an ‘Advanced Seminar on Bankruptcy and Workouts’ held by the National Federation of Municipal Analysts. Her presentation was on the topic of “The Government’s Role in the GM and Chrysler Bankruptcies,” and was part of a panel entitled: “The Automaker Bankruptcies: What Happened to Bondholders Once the Government Stepped In? Could Municipal Bondholders Suffer a Similar Fate?”

Professor Christine Galbraith publishes article on access to clinical trials data

Associate Professor Christine D. Galbraith recently published Dying to Know: A Demand for Genuine Public Access to Clinical Trial Results in 78 Mississippi L J. 705 (2009)(lead article). This article was also the basis for a recent article in Health Law Week.

French Program Newsletter #2

The French Law Program newsletter, edited by Maine Law Foundation Professor Martin Rogoff, has just been published. Read about this program and the newsletter.

Professor Charles Norchi gives endowed lecture at Sarah Lawrence College on ‘Understanding Afghanistan.’

Associate Professor and Director of the Marine Law Institute Charles H. Norchi on October 12 gave the endowed Annual Adda B. Bozeman lecture in International Affairs at Sarah Lawrence College in New York on the topic of “Understanding Afghanistan.”

Professor Thomas M. Ward publishes new edition of his Intellectual Property Treatise

Professor Thomas M. Ward recently published the 2009 revised edition of his treatise, Intellectual Property in Commerce (Thomson West 2009). The treatise is now a database on Westlaw [IPCOMM].

Professor Lois Lupica gives presentations on mortgages to ‘Maine Attorneys Savings Homes.’

Maine Law Foundation Professor Lois R. Lupica gave presentations on three different topics related to mortgages and securitization at a program entitled Defending Homes Threatened by Foreclosure which was held on September 22, 2009 in Hallowell, Maine. The program was sponsored by ‘Maine Attorneys Savings Homes’ (MASH), which is a joint project of Pine Tree Legal Assistance and the Volunteer Lawyers Project. The group ‘MASH’ is organized to help homeowners who are at risk of losing their homes due to the foreclosure crisis. Prof. Lupica gave an "Overview of Mortgage Securitization and the Secondary Market,” a presentation on "Mortgages, Notes, and UCC Concepts” and co-presented with Attorney Chet Randall on the topic of "Introduction to Key Mortgage Documents and Hypothetical Materials."

Law School Co-Sponsors Successful Conference on ‘Expanding Justice in Maine’:

The Law School (in particular Dean Peter Pitegoff, Professor David Cluchey, and Associate Professor and Director of the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic Deirdre Smith (Chair, Conference Committee)) and with the help of many staff, on October 2 co-sponsored a very successful conference entitled “Expanding Justice in Maine: Upstream Solutions to Downstream Problems,” in Portland Maine at the Abromson Center. Here are links to several articles about the conference. October 2 Bangor Daily News and the October 3 Portland Press Herald.

Professor Nancy Wanderer gives presentation to Probate Judges

Director of the Legal Research and Writing Program Nancy Wanderer gave a presentation on October 2 on “Ethical Issues and Probate Opinion Writing" at the Fall Conference of the National College of Probate Judges on October 2 in Rockport, Maine.

Professor Mel Zarr gives Constitution Day Lecture on Search and Seizure Jurisprudence.

On September 17, 2009 Professor Mel Zarr gave a public lecture at the Law School in recognition of Constitution Day, entitled “Thoughts About Interpreting Our Constitution: Lessons from the Fourth Amendment,” which dealt with the history and possible future of judicial interpretation of the fourth amendment.

Professor Martin A. Rogoff publishes book review of recent book on fishery sustainability

Professor Martin A. Rogoff, Maine Law Foundation Professor, recently published a book review entitled Overfishing and Sustainable Fisheries: A Program for Political Action, reviewing Marcel-Pierre Cleach’s ‘Maree Amere: Pour Une Gestion Durable de la Peche.’ The citation is 14 Ocean & Coastal L. J. 335 (2009).

Professor Charles Norchi publishes article on the public order of maritime ports

Charles H. Norchi, Associate Professor and Director of the Marine Law Institute, recently published an article, The Public Order of Ports, as an introduction to the recent Symposium issue of Maine Law’s Ocean and Coastal Law Journal, which is on the topic of ‘Maritime Ports.’ The symposium contains contributions from Professor Robert Beckham, Dr. Z. Oya Ozcayir, Dr. Kirongozi Ichilanga, and Attorney Robert S. Schuda, as well as student scholarship and a book review by Maine Law’s Professor Rogoff. The citation to Prof. Norchi’s article is 14 Ocean & Coastal L.J. 155 (2009).

Professor Lois Lupica speaks at University of Denver-Sturm College of Law on the Consumer Debt Crisis.

Maine Law Foundation Professor Lois R. Lupica on September 10 gave a presentation at the University of Denver-Sturm College of Law of her recent article “The Consumer Debt Crisis and the Reinforcement of Class Position" (40 Loyola U. Chicago L. J. 225 (2009)) as part of their Faculty Speaker Series.

Professor Christopher A. Knott Publishes Article on Teaching Advanced Legal Research in Legal Reference Services Quarterly

Professor Christopher A. Knott, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of the Garbrecht Law Library, recently published an article entitled "On Teaching Advanced Legal Research" in the Legal Reference Services Quarterly. The article is part of a symposium issue on teaching legal research and is guest edited by Barbara Bintliff and Duncan Alford. (The citation is 28 Legal Reference Services Quarterly 101 (2009)): SSRN Abstract

Professor James Friedman Publishes as Guest Columnist in Jurist

Professor James Friedman on August 13, 2009 published an op-ed as a Guest Columnist in Jurist, entitled "Nuremberg and the Torture Memos: an American Dilemma." Here is a link to the op-ed: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/2009/08/nuremberg-and-torture-memos-american.php. Also, Professor Friedman in November 2006 published an op-ed entitled “Secrecy, Interrogation and the Rule of Law” as a Guest Columnist for Jurist. The link to that piece is this: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/2006/11/secrecy-interrogation-and-rule-of-law.php

Professor Lois R. Lupica Gives Presentation on Maine Professional Responsibility Rules

Maine Bar Foundation Professor Lois R. Lupica recently gave a Continuing Legal Education Presentation, together with Attorney Paul Chaiken and other members of the Task Force on Ethics 2000 concerning the work of the Task Force and changes in the Maine Rules of Professional Conduct. Professor Lois R. Lupica has been the Reporter on the revision of the Maine Rules of Professional Conduct (the Maine Bar Rules) for the last four years. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has enacted the revision, which will be effective on August 1, 2009. The revision more closely aligns the Maine Bar Rules with the format and substance of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct.

Professor Rita Heimes co-authors article on Systems for Sharing Patented Mice in Academic Research

Research Professor and Director of the Center for Law and Innovation Prof. Rita Heimes recently had a short piece she co-authored with David Einhorn of The Jackson Laboratory (of Bar Harbor, Maine), based on empirical research they did two summers ago selected for publication in the journal Nature Biotechnology. It was peer-reviewed by 5 outside reviewers and selected to run in their correspondence section, possibly in September. The article is titled: "Creating a Mouse Academic Research Commons."

Professor Lois R. Lupica appointed Lead Researcher on National Study of the Consumer Bankruptcy System

Maine Law Foundation Professor Lois R. Lupica in early June was appointed Lead Researcher on a multi-year, multi-district study commissioned by the American Bankruptcy Institute designed to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of the 2005 Amendments to the Consumer Bankruptcy Code. Professor Lupica's study will examine thousands of consumer bankruptcy filings from thirty-three judicial districts in an effort to evaluate and analyze the effects of the 2005 Amendments. Anecdotal evidence has supported the conclusion that the bankruptcy system has become far more expensive and unwieldy for consumers and has adversely impacted creditor recoveries. The data gathered in connection with this study will test these hypotheses and provide insights with respect to the effects of the 2005 legislation on the integrity of the consumer bankruptcy system. Results of the Pilot Study, currently underway, will be reported at the ABI Winter Leadership Conference in December 2009. It is expected that the Final Report will be published and presented, to a wide variety of audiences, in 2011.

Prof. Dave Owen and colleagues receive environmental sustainability grant from the National Science Foundation

Associate Prof. Dave Owen is one of the authors of an environmental sustainability grant received by the University of Maine system and USM which was announced in the Portland Press Herald on July 14, 2009. The grant was made by the National Science Foundation and (at $20M) is apparently the largest grant ever received by the University of Maine. The purpose of the broadly-phrased grant is to develop ways to promote environmentally sustainable economic growth. The Portland Press Herald article describes the project as follows: "The funding will pay for new faculty positions, research projects and a variety of academic courses focused on understanding environmental threats and how to make the transition to a more sustainable society. Ultimately, the initiative could help make the transitions to renewable energy, alternative transportation and improved water management."

Dean Peter Pitegoff named co-Chair of Juvenile Justice Task Force

Dean Peter Pitegoff was recently named co-Chair, with Chief Justice Leigh Saufley, of a state-wide, mulitidisciplinary Juvenile Justice Task Force. Because "Maine can not afford to lose one more youth to prison, to homelessness, or to helplessness," Co-Chairs Chief Justice Saufley, First Lady Karen Baldacci, and Dean Pitegoff have convened a collaborative task force to ensure that resources are directed in constructive and cost-effective ways, thereby reducing crime and the number of youth housed in Maine's correctional facilities. The Task Force includes individuals from the executive, legilsative, and judicial branches of state government, and representatives from a range of organizations concerned with these important issues. The Task Force will meet and develop recommendations over the next year.

Professor Jennifer Wriggins publishes chapter on race and racism in tort law in new book

Associate Dean for Research and Sumner T. Bernstein Professor of Law Jennifer Wriggins just published a chapter entitled Whiteness, Equal Treatment, and the Valuation of Injury in Torts in a book published by Stanford University Press entitled "Fault Lines: Tort Law as Cultural Practice." Professor Wriggins' chapter examined ways that race and racism have influenced tort law (tort law, generally speaking, is the law of personal injuries). Professor Wriggins' scholarship has made ground-breaking contributions to the study of race and tort law, and she is currently at work on a book which deals with the subject. "Fault Lines" was edited by Professors David Engel and Michael McCann and contains contributions by prominent scholars such as Marc Galanter and David Nelken. The book has an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural focus. Here is a link to more information about the book: http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?id=11374

Prof. Lois Lupica Publishes article on the current Consumer Debt Crisis

Maine Law Foundation Professor Lois Lupica's article, The Consumer Debt Crisis and the Reinforcement of Class Position, has just been published at 40 Loyola U. Chicago L. Jnl. 557 (2009). To read the article click here. The article analyzes the incentives that led to the current consumer debt crisis and explores contemporary dynamics of class creation, reinforcement, and mobility. Prof. Lupica has written extensively and presciently about the closely related subjects of asset securitization and bankruptcy.

Maine Law School Rises to Top 100 in U.S. News Rankings

The University of Maine School of Law is listed in the top 100 law schools in the 2010 edition of the US News & World Report national ranking of law schools. Maine Law School’s climb into the top 100 reflects advances in our program of legal education, robust diversity initiatives, our 92.5% bar exam pass rate, centers of excellence (including marine and environmental law, intellectual property, corporate governance and ethics, clinical programs, trial practice, and more), and our heightened national identity and reputation.

“We are pleased with this rise in the University of Maine School of Law national ranking,” said Dean Peter Pitegoff. “More and more people nationally and globally are discovering this hidden gem of a law school.”

For the last several years, Maine Law has been ranked in the U.S. News third tier, which extends from 103rd to 139th in the rankings. This year’s ranking is a tie with two other schools at the 100 spot. We will build on our momentum and anticipate our continued rise among the top 100 in the coming years.

Assoc. Professor David Owen Co-authors Environmental Law Brief

Associate Professor David Owen co-authored a brief in the case of Casitas Municipal Water District v. U.S., in December 2008. The friend-of-the-court brief was signed by many law professors from around the U.S., and was submitted in an important environmental case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington D.C. The brief concerned the traditional application of the takings clause to restrictions on water use. Professor Owen has published scholarship in the area of the law concerning water use. To see the brief, click here

Assoc. Clinical Professor James Burke Facilitates Workgroup for New Clinicians

Clinical legal eduction: Associate Clinical Professor James Burke just returned from a national conference on Clinical Legal Education held in Cleveland, Ohio from May 6-9 during which he was a Group Leader/Facilitator for a breakout workgroup which met three times during the conference. The workgroup was intended to introduce new clinical instructors to teaching clinical legal education. Professor Burke, who is both an experienced clinical professor and an experienced attorney, shared his expertise with new clinical teachers from around the United States.

Professor Martin Rogoff led a delegation of Law Students to France for Comparative International Law Study

International and Comparative Law: Maine Law Foundation Professor Martin Rogoff led a delegation of eight law students from the University of Maine School of Law on a trip to France from March 7 to March 15, 2009. The trip, part of the 2009 Franco-American Legal Seminar taught by Professor Rogoff, included Professors Charles Norchi and Sarah Schindler, who will be joining the Maine law faculty in the fall. The Maine law students and faculty joined eighteen French law students along with several faculty members from the University of Le Mans in France. The theme was a comparison of French and American conceptions of equality with an emphasis on the role of women and minorities in the electoral and legal process.
By all accounts it was an exceptionally successful and intellectually stimulating endeavor. To read Professor Rogoff's report, click here.

Professor Jennifer Wriggins Testifies Before State Judiciary Committee

Professor Jennifer Wriggins, together with Attorney Michael Levey, in March 2009 wrote a memo at the request of the League of Women Voters concerning marriage law in Maine. On April 22, 2009, Professor Wriggins testified before the State Judiciary Committee in Augusta Maine and also submitted written testimony. (See her testimony on YouTube.)

Professor Jennifer Wriggins presented a Lecture at Suffolk Law School

In January, Professor Jennifer Wriggins presented a lecture at Suffolk Law School as part of its 'Comparative Law & Society Speaker Series' on 'Torts, Race, and Inequality: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.' Professor Wriggins also continues to serve on the Executive Board of the AALS Torts and Compensation Section, which met in January in San Diego.

Professor Tom Ward Published Revised Edition of His Book

A newly revised edition of Professor Tom Ward’s book, Intellectual Property in Commerce was published in October.

Professor Deb Tuerkheimer Presented at Symposium Sponsored by the Lewis and Clark Law Review

In January, Professor Deb Tuerkheimer presented "Forfeiture after Giles: The Relevance of 'Domestic Violence Context,'" at a symposium on the Confrontation Clause sponsored by the Lewis and Clark Law Review, which will be publishing a symposium issue later this year. In March, the Texas Law Review's on-line edition will be publishing Professor Tuerkheimer’s piece about the confrontation rights of defendants charged with domestic violence homicide.

Associate Professor Deirdre Smith’s Article Published in the DePaul Law Review

Associate Professor Deirdre Smith’s article, “An Uncertain Privilege: Implied Waiver and the Evisceration of the Psychotherapist-Patient Privilege in the Federal Courts” was published in the DePaul Law Review.

Dean Peter Pitegoff is an invited contributor to the Tellus Institute and Ford Foundation Workshop

Dean Peter Pitegoff is an invited contributor to the Tellus Institute and Ford Foundation workshop on “Keeping Wealth Local: Alternative Ownership and Control Designs for Rural Communities,” which will be held in Boston in March. Also in March, Dean Pitegoff will moderate a panel discussion during “The Courts, the Economy, and the Way Forward,” a symposium on the future of Maine’s courts which is being co-sponsored by the Law School and the Maine Trial Lawyers Association.

Associate Professor Dave Owen’s Article Published in Environmental Science and Policy

Associate Professor Dave Owen’s article "Legal Constraints, Environmental Variability, and the Limits of Innovative Environmental Governance" was published in Environmental Science and Policy. Another article, "Water War: Explaining the Klamath Controversy" (book review of Holly Doremus and A. Dan Tarlock, Water War in the Klamath Basin: Macho Law, Combat Biology, and Dirty Politics) was published in Conservation Biology. Professor Owen also co-authored (with Joseph Sax) a law professors' amicus brief in Casitas Municipal Water District v. United States, a takings case before the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.

Associate Clinical Professor Chris Northrop on Behalf of the National Juvenile Defender Center in Washington, D.C

Associate Clinical Professor Chris Northrop conducted site visits last summer in Raleigh County, West Virginia, on behalf of the National Juvenile Defender Center in Washington, D.C. His research is part of a statewide assessment project intended to help West Virginia identify systemic and institutional barriers that prevent children from receiving effective representation in juvenile courts. The final report will be published in March.

Associate Professor Charles Norchi participated in the program sponsored by the Naval-Postgraduate School in Honolulu, Hawaii

Associate Professor Charles Norchi participated in the program “Leader Development for Sustainable Peace”. This program, held in January, was sponsored by the Naval-Postgraduate School in Honolulu, Hawaii. He delivered a lecture entitled “Afghanistan: History, Law and Humanitarian Imperatives” to an audience of academics and military personnel. Professor Norchi was also recently elected Treasurer of the Admiralty and Maritime Law Section of the AALS.

Professor Jeffrey Maine Presented at Franklin Pierce Law Center

In January, Professor Jeffrey Maine presented at the 17th Annual Advanced Licensing Institute at Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire. His talk focused on tax issues in IP development and technology transfers.

Associate Professor Christine Galbraith Presents Her Article at Havard School of Public Health

In November, Associate Professor Christine Galbraith presented her article "Dying to Know: A Demand for Genuine Public Access to Clinical Trial Results Data" at the Harvard School of Public Health's "Cancer Clinical Trials Symposium." This article will soon be published in the Mississippi Law Journal.

Emeritus Professor Orlando Delogu Moderator and Speaker

Emeritus Professor Orlando Delogu will be a moderator and speaker this March at the 18th Annual Rocky Mountain Land Use Conference, a program sponsored by the University of Denver School of Law.

Maine Law Faculty Update

Dear Students, Staff, and Faculty --

As you may have heard, Maine Law Professor Deborah Tuerkheimer has been appointed Professor of Law beginning next academic year at the DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. It is with mixed feelings that I share this news with you. This move presents an exciting opportunity for Professor Tuerkheimer and her family, while we sincerely will miss her vibrant presence here at Maine Law in the coming years. We wish the best for Professor Tuerkheimer, who certainly will remain an active and valued member of the extended Maine Law School community.

Joining Maine Law next fall as a new full-time faculty member is Sarah Schindler. Currently a visiting professor at the University of Georgia School of Law, Professor Schindler previously practiced land use and environmental law at the San Francisco firm of Morrison and Foerster, clerked for U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Will Garwood in Austin, Texas, and worked as a television actor in Los Angeles. We look forward to welcoming Professor Schindler to Maine Law, where her research and teaching will include property law, land use regulation, administrative law, and environmental and marine law.

Additionally, Professor Lateef Mtima will join Maine Law next summer and fall as a distinguished Libra Visiting Professor. A faculty member at the Howard University School of Law for over a decade, Professor Mtima is Founder and Director of the Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice in Washington, D.C. After graduating in 1985 from Harvard Law School, he was in private law practice with Coudert Brothers in New York and San Francisco and with Klehr Harrison in Philadelphia. In addition to intellectual property, he teaches and writes in the areas of bankruptcy, debtors and creditors' rights, commercial law, contracts, torts, and social justice. Professor Mtima's visit helps launch Maine Law's anticipated faculty and student exchange program with Howard Law School.

-- Peter Pitegoff, Dean