Johnson will help to develop and implement the Center’s initiatives, which include
offering specialized courses and training for students and creating a concentration
in litigation and advocacy. She will collaborate with
Jessica Haught, director of the Fitzsimmons Center, teaching professor
and interim associate dean of administration.
“We are so excited to have Andrea on board as the inaugural fellow for the Fitzsimmons
Center for Litigation and Advocacy,” Haught said. “Her exceptional advocacy skills
and 10 years of litigation experience will assist the Center as we develop opportunities
for our students to advance their litigation and advocacy training as they prepare
for practice.”
Johnson earned her J.D. from WVU Law in 2010 and she clerked for Judge Victoria
Roberts in the U.S. District Court in Detroit after graduation. She has practiced
civil rights and employment law at global and regional law firms in Michigan,
Pennsylvania and West Virginia. She most recently worked as an attorney
in the Pittsburgh office of Ogletree Deakins.
MORGANTOWN,
W.Va. — In the final round of WVU Law’s Lugar Cup trial competition last month,
3L Austin Tomlinson found himself in a tricky situation: he was without a teammate.
To
win the prized trophy, Tomlinson would have to argue alone against classmates
Jenni Kenel and Tori Rinaldi before federal judges John Preston Bailey and
Thomas S. Kleeh.
Tomlinson
competed alone against the team of two — and he won the 45-year old in-house competition.
This
year, 11 teams competed virtually for the Lugar Cup. The case involved a murder
and whether it should be classified as first-degree or voluntary manslaughter committed
in the “heat of passion.” Tomlinson argued successfully for the lesser charge.
UPDATE 3/12/21: Congratulations to the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College
of Law (Natalie Beal and Stephanie Hanawalt, coached by Nate Mitchell) for winning
the 11th annual National Energy and Sustainability Moot Court Competition. The
runner-up was St. John’s University School of Law (Molly Sheehan and Stephanie
Lamerce, coached by Ashley Williams and Danielle Ullo). This was the first
all-woman final in the competition's history.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The annual auction at the West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law that supports students who work in the public interest is online this year
due to the pandemic.
The Public Interest Advocates Spring Auction begins on March 15 at 9 a.m. and ends
on March 19 at 5 p.m. Proceeds help pay for students who work for low-income and
at-risk clients at legal agencies in West Virginia.
Last year’s PIA auction helped fund 28 law students working at organizations such
as Legal Aid of West Virginia, ChildLaw Services, Senior Legal Aid and Mountain
State Justice.
Artificial Intelligence and the Law starts at 10 a.m. on February 25 and 9:30
a.m. on February 26. Panelists and speakers will explore AI in legal ethics, intellectual
property, access to justice, consumer protection, technology and social media.
Admission is free for the public and $125 for attorneys seeking continuing legal
education credit. All symposium attendees must register at
West Virginia Continuing Legal Education.
The Bar Foundation recently raised the funds at its annual Lunch and Laughs with
Legal Legends. The virtual event honored Edwin (J.D. ’54) and Ellie Flowers (’54).
Ed is a former WVU vice president, federal bankruptcy judge and justice on the Supreme
Court of Appeals of West Virginia. Ellie is a former journalist and higher education
administrator who led the career services office at WVU Law for 20 years.
The Flowers selected the gift recipients, who will share the funds equally.
Cyphert
received the Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award from the Future of Privacy
Forum for “Tinker-ing with Machine Learning: The Legality and Consequences of Online
Surveillance of Students,” which was published in the Nevada Law Journal in 2020.
In her article, Cyphert discusses what First and Fourth Amendment legal challenges
to third-party surveillance might look like, as well as the likelihood of success
of those arguments.
The Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award recognizes research relevant to Congress, federal agencies and data protection authorities around the world.
Recommended to policymakers as the “must-read” privacy scholarship of the year,
winning papers highlight work that analyzes current and emerging privacy issues
and proposes solutions that could lead to real-world policy solutions.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Every spring semester, a group of WVU Law students
face each other in the George C. Baker Cup Moot Court Competition. Their goal:
reach the final round argued before the Justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals
of West Virginia and hoist the Baker Cup trophy in victory.
Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Blake Humphrey and Makeia Jonese from
competing in the Baker Cup final round. On their way to the final, however,
Humphrey won Best Brief and Jonese earned Best Oralist honors.
And while they were to be rivals in the Baker Cup final, Humphrey and Jonese were
also teammates on WVU Law's 2020 National Moot Court Team, which advanced to the
regional competition final rounds.
These were extraordinary circumstance in the history of the Baker Cup, which dates
to 1968. Because of their performance as teammates on the national team and their
individual success in reaching the final round, Humphrey and Jonese are
being recognized as Baker Cup “co-champions” for 2020. They will split the winnings and
their names will be engraved on the trophy.
MORGTANTOWN, W.Va.—
West Virginia University alumnus George R. Farmer Jr. was a successful
attorney who devoted his career to carrying on the giving tradition of one of West
Virginia’s most celebrated benefactors. In doing so, he helped transform his alma
mater and the Morgantown community through impactful philanthropic giving that
will be remembered long beyond his passing Monday, at the age of 92.
Farmer was a longtime attorney, advisor and friend of Hazel Ruby McQuain, who
donated millions of dollars to WVU and other charitable causes in the greater Morgantown
area during her lifetime. Following her death in 2002, he continued to build upon
her legacy as chairman of the board for the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust
and J.W. Ruby Foundation. Largely via the Trust, Farmer provided many generous
gifts to support education, healthcare, athletics and more at WVU.
A native of Morgantown, Farmer earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration
from WVU’s
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences in 1953 and his J.D. from the
College of Law in 1956. He practiced law with the Morgantown firms Farmer
& Farmer – founded by his late father – and Jackson Kelly, specializing in
litigation, banking, business and corporate law, real estate and estate planning.
“George Farmer has been a dear friend of mine for more than 40 years,” WVU
President E. Gordon Gee said. “I met him when I was the dean of the College
of Law, and we became fast friends. He was always a strong advocate of the University,
as well as the College of Law, and I respected and admired him immensely. He
and his beloved family have continued to support the University with both time
and treasure. His vision for our University and the State of West Virginia was
always forward thinking and his love for both ran deep. He had a great wisdom
about him, and I will deeply miss my friend.”
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - An experienced academic leader and patent law expert has been selected as the next William J. Maier, Jr. Dean of the West Virginia University College of Law.
Amelia Smith Rinehart’s appointment was announced today (January 12) by Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Maryanne Reed.
Rinehart currently serves as associate dean of academic affairs and professor at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. Her appointment at WVU Law will begin June 30.
“From her childhood in rural Louisiana to her role as a problem solver and innovator at the University of Utah, Amelia Smith Rinehart has honed the ideal vision to make our College of Law a leader in 21st century legal education and an engine for progress and equity throughout West Virginia,” WVU President Gordon Gee said.
