News

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — WVU Law is hosting “The Defamation Experience,” an interactive live performance dealing with diversity issues and the law, on Monday, October 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. Due to limited seating, a free e-ticket must be downloaded at http://bit.ly/defexpwvu.

An old fashion courtroom drama, “The Defamation Experience” addresses issue of race, class, religion, gender and the law. It focuses on a legal case in which an African-American woman sues a Jewish real estate developer who has accused her of theft.

Through polls, deliberations and post-show discussions, the play’s audience serves as the jury, determines the outcome of the case, and engages in a civil discourse that challenges preconceived notions and promotes self-examination. Written by Todd Logan, “Defamation” premiered in 2010.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Professor Alison Peck has been appointed director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the West Virginia University College of Law.

“Alison has the background and the passion to ensure that our immigration clinic continues to serve clients in need and provide our students with valuable legal experience,” said Gregory Bowman , dean of the College of Law.

The Immigration Law Clinic serves foreign citizens who are facing deportation, seeking asylum, or need help on other immigration proceedings. Legal services are provided for free by student attorneys working under faculty supervision.

Recent clients of the Immigration Law Clinic include asylum seekers from Honduras, Iraq, Kenya and Libya who faced discrimination or violent persecution for their religious and political beliefs or sexual orientation.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — A new scholarship established at West Virginia University by the West Virginia State Bar is designed to increase legal services in rural communities across the Mountain State.

The Rural Practice Scholarship at the WVU College of Law will be awarded to two members of the Class of 2020 who commit to practicing law in under-served areas.

In exchange for a student’s commitment to three years of post-graduate practice in a rural county, the scholarship will pay tuition and fees for three years of law school at WVU. The scholarship will match in-state tuition and fees and be given in the form of a forgivable loan. At current tuition levels, each scholarship is worth more than $22,000 a year.

One year of loans will be forgiven for each year of qualifying post-graduate rural practice. If the recipient chooses to stop practicing in a rural community, he or she will be required to pay back the outstanding scholarship amount.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — A top attorney for New Orleans will discuss the city’s removal of Confederate monuments for the annual Charles L. Ihlenfeld Lecture on Public Policy and Ethics on Monday, October 2 at 5 p.m. in the event hall at WVU Law.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

Adam Swensek is the chief deputy city attorney for the City of New Orleans. From 2015-17, he successfully argued the city’s case in both the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Louisiana Supreme Court for removing four Confederate monuments.

Swensek oversees the appellate division of the City of New Orleans and serves as lead trial counsel in many of the city’s highest-profile civil disputes.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — West Virginia University’s annual observance of Constitution Day this year will focus on the role of a free press in a democratic society.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist will join WVU communications, journalism and law professors to address the erosion of the First Amendment, fake news, and why a free press is necessary for a strong democracy.

“Freedom of the Press: Constitutionally Enshrined Guardians of Democracy” takes place September 18 at 4 p.m. in the Event Hall at the WVU Law.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.