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December 2017

Planet Lex Podcast: The Best Episodes of 2017
Whether you’re on the road, in flight, or simply hiding from the seasonal chaos, there’s no better time than the holidays to catch up on your podcast listening. These four episodes of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Planet Lex have something for everyone – the political junkie, the book lover, the aspiring entrepreneur, even the budding cannabis attorney.

Eleanor Kittilstad (JD ’18) Receives Prestigious Skadden Fellowship to Protect Rights of Chicago Students with Disabilities
Eleanor Kittilstad (JD ’18) has been chosen as a 2018 Skadden Fellow. Upon graduation, she will work for Equip for Equality, a Chicago-based advocacy organization providing legal services to people with disabilities in Illinois.

Northwestern Law Launches Online Master of Science in Law Degree
The new online Master of Science in Law (MSL) degree will launch in the fall of 2018. The online classes are a more accessible option for STEM professionals around the world who wish to deepen their understanding of law and business within the STEM context.

Center on Wrongful Convictions Client Raymond McCann II Exonerated
Christmas came two weeks early for Raymond McCann II when St. Joseph County, Michigan Circuit Court Judge Paul E. Stutesman signed an order today granting McCann’s motion to vacate his 2012 perjury conviction. The motion was filed by the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern Law and the Michigan Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School and was joined by St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough who stipulated that the motion should be granted and the charges dropped.

November 2017

Northwestern Law Announces New Campaign Goal
Goals are meant to be exceeded. Today, we are proud to share that we have exceeded our participation goal — more than 10,000 donors have shown their support since the start of the Motion to Lead campaign in 2012. Now, we aim to reach higher — and call on our alumni and friends to meet us there.

Alumni Help Alton Mills Secure Clemency from Obama Administration
In 1994, 25-year-old Alton Mills was sentenced to life in federal prison without parole by a judge who had no choice. More than two decades later, after all his appeals had failed, he was given a second chance.

50 Years Later: Members of the Class of '67 Look Back
It can be hard to imagine, upon graduating law school, that you might still be connected with your fellow classmates 50 years later. Yet, as decades of alumni reunions have shown, being a Northwestern Law alum uniquely bonds people, and perhaps no graduating class has demonstrated that as clearly as the class of 1967, many of whom gathered at the Law School in October for their 50th reunion.

Andrew Arruda, CEO of Ross Intelligence, Discusses AI in the Legal Profession
On November 6, Dean Daniel B. Rodriguez hosted Andrew Arruda, CEO of Ross Intelligence, at a packed fireside chat in Aspen Hall. The presentation was part of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s recently announced partnership with Ross Intelligence. At the event, Arruda shared his thoughts on how technology can further the goals of the legal industry, what AI can do for legal services, and also provided a demonstration of ROSS’s cutting-edge technology.

Center on Wrongful Convictions Client Kerry Masterson Acquitted of 2009 Murder
After spending more than eight years in prison, Kerry Masterson, a joint client of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Center on Wrongful Convictions and Neal Gerber Eisenberg, is free following a jury’s not-guilty verdict in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Bartlit Center Trial Team Wins ABA Labor Law Competition
For the second year in a row, Northwestern Law trial teams captured the top two spots in the American Bar Association’s Midwest Regional Labor Law Competition.

Northwestern Law Ranks at Top of New Law School Innovation Index
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law is ranked at the top of a new Law School Innovation Index that aims to measure the extent to which law schools prepare students to deliver legal services in the 21st Century.

Northwestern Law to Host 2017 Forum on Legal Evolution Recognizing Leading Lawyer Innovators
The Forum on Legal Evolution announced today that it will award Mark Chandler, General Counsel of Cisco Systems, Inc. and Paul Lippe, Founder of Legal OnRamp, Lifetime Achievement Awards for their tremendous contributions to innovation within the legal industry. The presentation of the awards will take place on Thursday, November 9 at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, which is serving as host to the 2017 Forum.

Northwestern Law and ROSS Intelligence Partner to Address Access-to-Justice through AI
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law is proud to announce a new partnership with ROSS Intelligence, the leading provider of artificial intelligence-based research tools. The partnership is focused on teaching Northwestern Law students how legal technology can facilitate the provision of legal services and address widespread access-to-justice issues.

Former U.S. Attorney Zach Fardon Joins Law School as Visiting Distinguished Scholar
Former U.S. Attorney Zach Fardon will be joining Northwestern Pritzker School of Law as a visiting distinguished scholar for the 2017-18 academic year.

October 2017

Legal Mosaic CEO Mark Cohen Named CPEI Distinguished Fellow
Mark Cohen, CEO and founder of Legal Mosaic, has been appointed as a distinguished fellow of the Law School’s Center for Practice Engagement and Innovation (CPEI).

Northwestern Law to Accelerate GRE Acceptance for Admissions
Earlier this year, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law announced its intention to begin accepting the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) for admission in fall 2019. Upon further consideration and based on newly proposed ABA policies, we have decided to accelerate our acceptance of the GRE to the current admissions cycle, meaning Northwestern Law will immediately allow applicants to submit either the GRE or the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) for admission in fall 2018.

Northwestern Law, Kellogg to Partner on San Francisco Immersion Program
The San Francisco Immersion Program is open to Northwestern Law JD students and is tailored toward students interested in understanding the legal and business environment of growth-stage start-up firms, venture capital firms and high-tech companies.

Northwestern Law Hosts Techstars Chicago Demo Day
Over four hundred people gathered at Thorne Auditorium to watch 10 startup founders pitch their companies to mentors, colleagues and other members of the tech community. As first-time hosts of the event, Demo Day gave the Law School the opportunity to showcase some exciting developments in technology and continue its commitment to advancing the law-tech space.

Tina Tchen and Neil Eggleston Share White House Wisdom
On Friday, October 6, Tina Tchen and Neil Eggleston — alumni of Northwestern Law and the Obama Administration — shared candid reflections from their time in the White House at an Alumni Weekend and Reunion event moderated by Dean Daniel B. Rodriguez.

Five Faculty Members Appointed to Rotating Chairs for 2017-18
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law congratulates Peter DiCola, Julie Biehl, Robert Wootton, David Schwartz, and Deborah Tuerkheimer, who were named to rotating chair appointments at the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year.

Professor Thomas Geraghty Retires After 41 Years as Bluhm Legal Clinic Director
In 1967, Tom Geraghty (JD ’69) was one of a small group of students who, concerned about the state of legal services for the poor, approached Professors Jack Beckstrom and Tom Eovaldi about creating an in-house legal clinic. Five decades later, as Geraghty retires from the directorship he’s held since 1976, the Bluhm Legal Clinic is one of the premier clinical programs in the country, housing more than 20 clinics in 14 centers.

Bartlit Center Trial Team Wins Summit Cup
A team from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Bartlit Center for Trial Advocacy — Emily Halter (JD’18), Brendan Gerdes (JD’18), Garrett Fields (JD’18), and Argie Mina (JD’19) — won the Summit Cup championship, held at the University of Denver September 28-30.

CFJC Announces Immigration Law Fellowship Beginning in 2018
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law is pleased to announce the creation of a new, two-year Immigration Law Fellowship in the Bluhm Legal Clinic’s Children and Family Justice Center (CFJC).

September 2017

New Bluhm Legal Clinic Advisory Board Members
Five new alumni joined the Bluhm Legal Clinic Advisory Board this fall - Stuart Chanen (JD ’85), Kelly Deere (JD ’92), Melody Dernocoeur (JD LLM-IHR ’16), Christina Egan (JD ’95), and Carl P. Evans III (JD-MBA ’11).

Former NFL Players Tony Pashos (JD ’19) and Quincy Black (JD ’17) Talk Player Safety, CTE, and Football’s Legal Hurdles
Concerns over football players’ long-term health is at an all-time high, and both the NFL and its players are rethinking what it means to get their head in the game. So what is a team’s legal obligation when it comes to protecting its players? And how can athletes (and their reps) advocate for their futures? A Northwestern Law student and a recent grad — both former pros — weigh in.

Kamau Murray Inaugurates This Year's DPELC-MSL Speaker Series
Kamau Murray, coach of U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, shared his triumphant story of the XS Tennis and Education Foundation during the inaugural talk of the DPELC-MSL Speakers Series.

Obama Alums Neil Eggleston (JD '78) and Tina Tchen (JD '84) to Speak at Alumni Weekend
On Friday, October 6, Dean Daniel B. Rodriguez will sit down with Neil Eggleston (JD ’78), partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and former White House Counsel, and Tina Tchen (JD ’84), partner at Buckley Sandler LLP and former Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady, for a retrospective of the Obama years.

Law Profs Experiment with EdTech at New Event
Dean Daniel B. Rodriguez welcomed the faculty members of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law to TEaCH LAW. The new event was designed to encourage the use of technology tools to help increase engagement and understanding, assess student and class performance, and create a more collaborative environment reflective of today’s legal practice.

Clinic Secures Reversed Attempted Murder Conviction for 14-Year-Old Client
Professors Maria Hawilo and Thomas Geraghty of Northwestern Pritzker Law's Bluhm Legal Clinic, former clinical fellow Gregor Calhan, and students Megan Richard, Brooke Troutman, Irene Wilburn, Sarah Lewis, Jessica Dent, Christina Messerschmidt, and Tonie Oglesby successfully persuaded an Illinois appellate court to reverse their 14-year-old client’s attempted murder conviction on "sufficiency of the evidence" grounds.

August 2017

Law Student Survival Guide: Streeterville
Welcome to Chicago! You can probably tell you’re going to love it here, but the city is big and you may not know where to start. Let us help—here’s a quick guide to your new home-base: Streeterville. Just steps from the Law School is everything you need to study, relax, grab a bite, and start taking advantage of the Windy City. (And don’t forget to bring your WildCard along for discounts at plenty of neighborhood spots!)

Jamie Lynn Crofts (JD ’13) Goes Viral with Satirical Defense of John Oliver and the First Amendment
In a June episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the HBO host took on the coal industry and President Trump’s promise to bring back more coal jobs. The segment featured coal mining executive and Trump supporter Bob Murray, but when Oliver’s staff contacted Murray Energy in advance of the episode, they received a cease and desist letter in response. The episode resulted in the “immediate litigation” that Murray Energy promised, which is how Northwestern Law alumna Jamie Lynn Crofts (JD ’13), legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of West Virginia, found her words splashed across the pages of The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair, and The New York Post.

Professor Marshall Shapo Receives 2018 Prosser Award from AALS
Marshall S. Shapo, Frederic P. Vose Professor of Law, was named the recipient of the 2018 William L. Prosser Award by the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Torts and Compensation Systems.

Northwestern Law to Accept GRE Beginning Next Year
Starting in Fall 2018, Northwestern Law will allow JD applicants to submit either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) for admission the following year.

July 2017

A Conversation with Professor James Pfander on 'Constitutional Torts and the War on Terror'
In his new book, James E. Pfander, Owen L. Coon Professor of Law, examines the judicial response to human rights claims arising from the Bush Administration’s war on terror. Despite widespread agreement that the program of extraordinary rendition, prolonged detention, and “enhanced” interrogation was torture by another name, not a single federal appellate court has confirmed an award of damages to the program’s victims.

June 2017

Five Kellogg Courses Available to Law Students This Fall
Starting in Fall 2017, JD and LLM students will have the opportunity to take a suite of five core Kellogg courses taught by full-time Kellogg professors, devoted solely to law students.

CWCY Client Brendan Dassey Wins at Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld the district court’s August 2016 decision granting Brendan Dassey’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

#WithRefugees: Professor Uzoamaka Nzelibe Helps Asylum Seekers Build a New Life
In an unprecedented year of contentious politics, immigration has been one of the most high-profile, and controversial, topics to make headlines. But the issues at play are ones that Uzoamaka Nzelibe, clinical associate professor of law and a staff attorney with the Children and Family Justice Center, deals with every day as she fights for youth who have been forced to flee their home countries due to violence and threats on their lives.

LearnLeo Looks to Improve Law School and Beyond
The online platform created by Wilson Tsu (JD-MBA ’08) uses technology to save time and enhance learning.

May 2017

Four Post-Graduate Public Interest Fellows Named
Four 2017 graduates of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law have been named Post-Graduate Fellows: Heather Bowen, Omar Delgadillo, Arnav Dutt, and Kathryn Hogg. These fellowships are intended to help talented recent Northwestern Law alumni launch public interest careers. Each Post-Graduate Fellow receives a grant in the amount of $50,000, plus medical insurance coverage, to support one year of full-time service as a lawyer at a nonprofit or government agency.

Convocation Honors Northwestern Law Class of 2017
On Friday, May 12, over 500 graduates, along with their families and friends, filled the historic Chicago Theatre for the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s 2017 convocation ceremony.

April 2017

Northwestern Law Alumni Take Action in Wake of Executive Orders
Several Northwestern Law alumni shared their experiences volunteering in airports in the wake of President Trump's executive order, and their hopes moving forward.

CPEI Pilots Attorney-Client Entrepreneurship Simulation Program
In the first week of the new year, before classes had resumed, thirty dedicated students could be found collaborating, brainstorming, and problem-solving as part of the Client Strategies pilot program. This intensive, one-week program is a key initiative to come out of the Center for Practice Engagement and Innovation (CPEI), which was launched in 2015 as an incubator for ideas about how legal education can best prepare new lawyers for the rigors of practice in a rapidly changing legal marketplace.

March 2017

Northwestern Law Team Wins Inaugural Startup LawMeet Competition
A Northwestern Pritzker School of Law team won the inaugural Startup LawMeet, an interdisciplinary competition for students interested in a transactional practice specifically involving entrepreneurial companies.

Bartlit Center Team Wins National Trial Competition
A Northwestern Pritzker School of Law team won the national championship in the National Trial Competition held in Fort Worth, Texas, March 23 to 25.

Professor Juliet Sorensen Named New Bluhm Legal Clinic Director
Professor Juliet Sorensen will be the director of the Bluhm Legal Clinic, effective at the start of the 2017-18 academic year.

Northwestern Law Ranks #10 in U.S. News
Northwestern Law ranks #10 up from #12 in U.S. News and World Report's "Best Graduate Schools 2018 Rankings".

Luncheon Brings Scholarship Recipients and Donors Together
Nearly 130 scholarship donors, recipients and alumni attended the Inaugural Scholarship Donor Appreciation Luncheon at the Law School on March 2. The event celebrated donors and students alike and gave scholarship recipients the opportunity to meet and thank their benefactors.

Celebrating International Women's Day
International Women’s Day on Wednesday, March 8th celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Northwestern Law is thrilled to take part by featuring inspiring stories from twelve women within our community through the #NLawProud campaign.

Liani Balasuriya (JD '17) Honored by Ms. JD
Liani Balasuriya (JD '17) was recently awarded the "Student of Inspiration" award by Ms. JD, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to the success of aspiring and early career women lawyers. The “Student of Inspiration” award recognizes a male or female law student who inspires others through their commitment and passion to their legal studies, extracurricular activities or to a particular cause.

February 2017

Judge Gerard Lynch Will Speak to Northwestern Law Community as Trienens Scholar
The Honorable Gerard E. Lynch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit will participate in a moderated conversation with Dean Daniel B. Rodriguez at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8.

Valerie Brummel (JD '17) Awarded Federal Bar Association Scholarship
Congratulations to Valerie Brummel (JD ’17) who was recently selected as the recipient of the Federal Bar Association's Robert A. McNew Law Student Scholarship.

Northwestern Law Ranked #2 for BigLaw Job Placement
In Vault’s 2016 survey of over 15,000 BigLaw associates, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law ranked #2 as a "feeder" school for BigLaw firms (defined as firms with 150 or more associates), after accounting for school size.

CWC Client Exonerated on Charges from 1995 Double Murder
On February 15, the State of Illinois dropped all charges against the Bluhm Legal Clinic’s Center on Wrongful Convictions (CWC) client Charles Johnson and three other men—Larod Styles, LaShawn Ezell, and Troshawn McCoy—known as the “Marquette Park Four,” who were only teenagers when they confessed to a 1995 double murder.

Northwestern Law and IE Madrid to Offer New Joint LLB/JD Program
This program will enable select students who begin an LLB degree at IE Law School to continue their studies at Northwestern Law, in its two-year JD program for international lawyers.

Justice Richard Bernstein (JD ’99) to Address Law School Class of 2017
Northwestern Law is thrilled to welcome Justice Richard Bernstein (JD '99) of the Michigan Supreme Court, to deliver the main convocation address to the Class of 2017 on Friday, May 12.

A Conversation with Professor Stephen Presser on “Law Professors: Three Centuries of Shaping American Law”
Stephen Presser, Raoul Berger Professor of Law Emeritus, argues in his new book, "Law Professors: Three Centuries of Shaping American Law" (West Academic, 2017), that there is no country in the world where law professors have had more of an influence on shaping the law than in the United States.

Northwestern Law JD Team Wins National ABA Tax Competition
A Northwestern Pritzker School of Law team won first place in the JD division of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) 16th Annual Law Student Tax Challenge held last month in Orlando, Florida.

Around the World Without Leaving the Atrium: 12th Annual Global Village Set for February 17
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law will celebrate the wide array of cultural traditions across our community with food, performances, and music from around the globe at the 12th annual Global Village celebration on Friday, February 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Law School Atrium.

January 2017

Bartlit Center Trial Teams Excel in ABA Labor Law and National Trial Competitions
A team from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Bartlit Center for Trial Advocacy captured first place at the National Trial Competition regional event held at Valparaiso University Law School, January 26-29. Stacy Kapustina (JD ‘17), Douglas Bates (JD ‘17), and Garrett Fields (JD ‘18) defeated teams from the University of Illinois, Indiana-Indianapolis, and Loyola Chicago to win the tournament. They will compete for the national championship in Ft. Worth, Texas in March.

A Response to Immigration Orders from Dean Rodriguez
Northwestern Law will stand in solidarity with our students and their families from the affected countries on the administration’s ban list, and also with individuals and families affected by the putative border wall. And, too, we will stand in solidarity with our foreign students from every country across the world, without prejudice and with understanding and compassion.

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commissioner Sharon Bowen (JD, MBA ’82) to Deliver Brodsky Lecture
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law is thrilled to welcome Sharon Y. Bowen (JD '82, MBA '82), U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commissioner, for the 2017 Brodsky Family Northwestern JD-MBA Lecture on Monday, February 13. Bowen’s lecture, “Undercurrents of Disruption to Our Markets and Societies: How We Can Respond,” will be followed by a Q and A session with Paul A. Meister, (JD '87), vice chairman and managing director at Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.

DACA Recipients at Northwestern Law Face Uncertain Future Under Trump Administration
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law students Karen Villagomez (JD ’18) and Cem Uyar (JD ’18), both recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), share their stories in hopes of raising awareness among the Law School community.

Cass Sunstein Will Give Lectures on ‘Divided States of America’ for Rosenthal Series, January 18-19 and March 3
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law is proud to welcome Professor Cass R. Sunstein as the speaker for the 2017 Julius Rosenthal Foundation Lecture Series, held January 18-19 and March 3 2017.

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