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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University College of Law is among the top schools in the country for practical training and environmental law, according to preLaw Magazine.

The national publication ranks WVU Law No. 27 in the country for practical training and gives the College a grade of A in environmental/natural resources law.

For practical training, preLaw considered WVU Law’s opportunities in clinics, externships, simulation courses, pro bono work and moot court. For environmental law, the magazine looked at the range of relevant courses and programs, including the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development.

The Best Laws Schools for Practical Training and the Top Law Schools for Environmental/Natural Resources Law appear in the current issue of  preLaw Magazine. 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University College of Law student Caroline Leadmon is spending her summer working in two very different legal settings: a patent law firm and a federal judge’s chambers.

Leadmon, a rising 2L, is one of three WVU Law students opting for a “split summer” work experience in 2021. The others are Ryaan Ibtisam and Karli Celestin.

For eight weeks, Leadmon will be a summer associate for the firm Dority & Manning in Greenville, South Carolina. Then, she will return to the Mountain State to spend a month as an intern for Senior Judge Irene Keeley in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia in Clarksburg.

“I am interested in a career as a patent attorney because I have a technical background, and I am patent-bar eligible. I applied to Dority & Manning after reviewing the work they did with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies,” said Leadmon. “However, part of me wanted a more broad, comprehensive summer legal experience. I applied to intern with Judge Keeley after hearing from past interns what a great educational experience being in chambers provides. I am so grateful that both offices were flexible and allowed me to split my summer.”

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Ryaan Ibtisam is spending his first law school summer working with three national legal and financial institutions.

“I do not like to waste time,” said the West Virginia University College of Law student. “I am very passionate about the law and I wanted to learn as much as I could by spending every second of my summer doing something law-related.”

Ibtisam, a rising 2L, is one of three WVU Law students opting for a “split summer” work experience in 2021. The others are Caroline Leadmon and Karli Celestin.

Ibtisam starts his summer work experience in mid-May, traveling between the Jackson Kelly offices in Morgantown, Charleston and Pittsburgh. Afterward, he will work remotely for seven weeks for the New York office of Riemer and Braunstein, a boutique finance and full-service law firm that represents international clients. Then, Ibtisam will work in person for three weeks at PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh.

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. —  Attorney Michael J. Moore has been named the Young Lawyer of the Year by the Young Lawyer Section of the West Virginia State Bar.  

Moore is 2012 graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law. He has been practicing labor and employment law at Steptoe & Johnson since 2015. 

Moore advises clients in the courtroom and at the negotiating table in labor and employment disputes. He counsels clients on unionization efforts and defends them before administrative bodies including the National Labor Relations Board. He has successfully argued before the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

Moore is an active volunteer in his community, serving in leadership positions with the United Way of Harrison and Doddridge Counties and with the Salvation Army of Clarksburg. He provides pro bono legal services to the Salvation Army while helping to raise funds for the organization’s most crucial programs. He is also a member of the Harrison County Student Achievement Board, which awards scholarships to college-bound high school seniors.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The fundamental flaw of the U.S. immigration courts is that they are part of the nation’s top law enforcement department.

That is the argument made by Alison Peck, a West Virginia University College of Law professor, in a new book that's out in May.

In The Accidental History of the U.S. Immigration Courts: War, Fear, and the Roots of Dysfunction (University of California Press, 2021), Peck discusses how immigration courts became part of the U.S. Department of Justice, which is in the executive branch of government.

To create a more impartial system, Peck proposes that immigration courts become independent. She uses unstudied legal decisions from the Franklin Roosevelt and George W. Bush administrations to outline humanitarian crises that led to the modern immigration court system. She also offers a perspective on how to evaluate reform efforts.  

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Karli Celestin, a West Virginia University College of Law student, has been named a 1L Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Scholar.

The 1L LCLD Scholars Program is designed to strengthen the legal pipeline by expanding the number of opportunities for diverse first-year law students.

As an LCLD Scholar, Celestin will work 10 weeks this summer at two companies in the Pittsburgh area. The opportunity will expose her to various legal issues while building her professional network. 

Celestin will first work in-person at the international law firm of McGuireWoods, and then she will work virtually with lawyers for FedEx Ground.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Two West Virginia University College of Law students recently argued at the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

Brooke Alexander and Dan Granfield were finalists in the College's George C. Baker Cup Moot Court Competition on March 23. 

They had traveled to the Supreme Court in Charleston, West Virginia, due to the pandemic. Traditionally, the final round of the Baker Cup is argued before the Justices in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom at WVU Law.

Alexander and Granfield argued whether an ordinance against female toplessness violates the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution. In the end, the Justices awarded the Baker Cup trophy to Granfield, who argued to uphold the ordinance.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Kaitlyn Akers, a rising third-year student at the West Virginia University  College of Law, has been elected by her peers to serve as the next editor-in-chief of the West Virginia Law Review. 

The WVLR is a professional legal journal that publishes practical and theoretical articles for legal scholars, students, legislators and lawyers. Founded in 1894, it is the fourth oldest student-governed law review in the country.  

Akers will lead the team that will publish three issues of Volume 124 of the WVLR in 2021-22. She will also oversee the law review’s annual symposium, website and online edition. 

“Being selected as editor-in-chief for Volume 124 is a great honor,” Akers said. “While I am so proud to serve, I first want to thank my team. Our work is already underway, and I cannot thank them enough for how intelligent, hardworking, and insightful every single member of this team has been and will continue to be.” 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The family of Vincent P. Cardi, the long-time  West Virginia University  College of Law professor, has established a scholarship fund in his honor.

The scholarship will be used for a law student in need who has grown up in West Virginia and demonstrates a commitment to public service.

Cardi, the Bowles Rice Professor of Law at WVU, joined the faculty in 1967. His teaching expertise includes bankruptcy law, commercial law and contracts. He was selected Professor of the Year in 2019 and 2012 by the graduating classes. He was also a recipient of the WVU Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching in 1992 and 2020.

Michael Moore, a 2012 WVU Law graduate, is a former student of Cardi’s and now practices labor and employment law with Steptoe & Johnson.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Center for Consumer Law and Education at the West Virginia University College of Law presents its third Consumer Law Summit on March 26 beginning at noon.

The summit explores the latest developments in consumer law in West Virginia and surrounding states. Due to the pandemic, it is being held online.

Co-hosted by West Virginia Continuing Legal Education, the Consumer Law Summit is open to lawyers and law students. Cost for attendance is $10 for students and $75 for attorneys seeking CLE credit. Registration is required with WVCLE at https://wvcle.org/product/consumer-law/.

A cornerstone of the summit is the state and federal Regulator Panel.