Faculty News
The American Constitution Society Publishes Prof. Anne Lofaso’s
Issue Brief on the Destruction of Union Rights
The American Constitution Society just published an important Issue Brief by Anne Marie Lofaso about the destruction of union rights. The Brief, “September Massacre: The Latest Battle in the War on Workers? Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act,” describes, and then puts into historical context, a collection of National Labor Relations Board case decisions issued in September 2007 that weaken the ability of unions to organize, further undermine the already limited right to strike, and exclude workers from the rights and protections of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which governs bargaining rights and unionization in the private sector. more...
Professor Michael V. Risch Speaks at Homeland security Conference
Associate Professor Michael V. Risch, speaks on June 2, 2008 at the 3rd West Virginia Summit on Homeland Security in Morgantown. The two-day summit ? hosted by West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia University, the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, and the Discover the REAL West Virginia Foundation ? will welcome first responders, school officials, scientists, health experts, private sector security experts, and government officials from the Mountain State and beyond. more...
The Idea’s the Thing Prof. Michael V. Risch in Legal Times
From the Legal Times May 12, 2008 online edition:
If the Federal Circuit rules against the inventors on the subject-matter question in In re Bilski, it could rule out not just one weak application, but some—or even all—business method patents, seriously undermining incentives for inventors, entrepreneurs, and investors, writes Michael Risch. more...
McDiarmid wins WVU Buswell Award for women’s advocacy
‘In Marjorie, students see a role model—tough, dignified, committed‘
Marjorie McDiarmid’s hard work and commitment don’t stop on the steps of the West Virginia University College of Law, where sheâ??s taught for the past two decades.
If she isn’t in the classroom, she’s in the community. She gives her time as a volunteer and board member of the Morgantown-based Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center Inc., the organization she joined almost immediately after her arrival at WVU in 1986. more...
WVU College of Law 2008 Professor of the Year
The honor of Professor of the Year goes to andré douglas pond cummings. Prof. cummings is an Associate Professor of Law at the West Virginia University College of Law. Prior to joining the WVU Law faculty, Professor cummings worked as a judicial law clerk for Associate Chief Justice Christine M. Durham of the Utah Supreme Court and for Chief Judge Joseph W. Hatchett of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
In addition, he worked at the Chicago, IL based law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, focusing his practice on complex business transactions including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and securities offerings of publicly traded corporations. Prof. cummings also represented clients in the Sports and Entertainment industries, including athletes in the National Football League, record labels, and a variety of authors, including Hollywood screenwriters and novelists. more...
Professor Patrick McGinley to Speak at University of Tennessee
Energy & Responsibility Conference
Prof. Patrick C. McGinley will speak in April on a panel at an event titled Energy & Responsibility: A Conference on Ethics and the Environment, hosted by the University of Tennessee. Conflicts and controversies about energy have become familiar features of the political and economic landscape around the globe. The environmental consequences of energy production, distribution and consumption and energy policy invite consideration of the ethical implications of both practice and policy. What are our ethical obligations to manage the earth’s resources and natural environment in a “sustainable” manner? How should these obligations be enacted, institutionalized and implemented? more...
Grace Wigal Re-elected as Treasurer of
the Association of Legal Writing Directors
Grace Wigal, Director of the Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing Program, was recently re-elected to a three-year term as Treasurer of the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD). ALWD is a national non-profit professional organization that advocates for the improvement of legal writing programs and supports legal writing professionals in scholarship and leadership activities. In December, Grace attended a yearly retreat of officers and board members in Phoenix, Arizona. more...
Tom Patrick to Return as Lead Trainer for Indiana Supreme Court
2008 Pro Bono Domestic Relations Mediation Program
As part of a continuing effort to promote pro bono legal services and increase the availability and affordability of mediation, the Indiana Supreme Court sponsors a Pro Bono Domestic Relations Mediation Training to be held in April and May of this year. Tom Patrick, who previously served as Lead Trainer in 2005 has been invited again by the Indiana Supreme Court to serve in that capacity and provide training for mediators in family law cases. Patrick was instrumental in developing the subsidized family law mediation program used in the West Virginia Courts. more...
Professor Patrick McGinley to Speak at the 2008
Vermont Law Review Climate Change Symposium
Professor Patrick C. McGinley will present on a panel at the 2008 Symposium of the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law and the Vermont Law Review entitled Confronting Global Climate Change: Using the Law to Protect Future Generations on February, 22-23, 2008 at the Vermont Law School in South Royalton, VT. more...
Hollee Temple to Deliver Keynote Address
at Legal Writing Institute Conference
Hollee Temple, of the West Virginia University College of Law will serve as one of three keynote speakers delivering the plenary address at the Legal Writing Institutes’s biennial conference in Indianapolis this summer. The Legal Writing Institute’s The 13th Biennial Conference will take place on July 14-17, 2008 in Indianapolis, Indiana, at Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis. The Legal Writing Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving legal writing by providing a forum for discussion and scholarship about legal writing, analysis, and research and promotes these activities through its publications and its Summer Conferences, held every two years. more...