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.)