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.
MORGANTOWN,
W.Va. — A team of researchers from the West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law,
WVU’s Energy Institute and the University of Wyoming have completed the first
phase of a policy study for the United States Energy Association.
The study examines
the regulatory environment in 12 states regarding the use of using CO2 (carbon dioxide) to
extract additional oil from depleted reservoirs, a practice known as enhanced
oil recovery. This method can extend an oil reservoir’s production by an
additional 20%to 40%.
The principal authors of the study are Professor Jesse Richardson of
WVU Law; Dr. Sam Taylor of the WVU Energy Institute; Kris Koski of the
University of Wyoming; and Professor Tara Righetti of the UW College of Law. Students
at both institutions provided crucial research support on the project.
In the U.S,
active commercial EOR projects inject over two billion cubic feet of CO2
into oil reservoirs. There is very little CO2-EOR activity in West
Virginia but there is tremendous potential, according to Richardson, and the
study could help promote oil production in the Mountain State.
Morgantown, W.Va. — WVU Law and
West Virginia Executive magazine are pleased to announced the
exceptional legal professionals who have been named to the Lawyers & Leaders
Class of 2020.
Founded in 2017, the Lawyers & Leaders program recognizes the accomplishments
of legal professionals who have made a positive impact on the state and the nation
and have dedicated their careers to serving others and their communities. Nominees
are required to either be practicing law in West Virginia or be a graduate of WVU
Law.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Investing in renewable energy is a viable solution to diversifying
and strengthening West Virginia’s economy. And according to a new report issued
by the
Center for Energy and Sustainable Development
at the
West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law, the switch to renewable energy would be cost-effective and
can be done in a way that creates thousands of jobs — and may even save consumers
money.
Titled “
West Virginia’s Energy Future,” the report shows West Virginia can dramatically
increase renewable energy production over the next 15 years, generating over 70%
of the state’s electricity from wind and solar by 2035. Currently, less than 5%
of the state’s electricity comes from those sources.
“West Virginia’s electric utilities are already planning to retire their coal-fired
power plants by 2050 at the latest,” said
James Van Nostrand, director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development.
“The question we need to confront today is whether we want the electric utilities
to continue tacking costs onto customer’s bills over the next few decades to keep
those plants afloat, or do we want them to invest now to create local jobs in the
growing renewable energy economy and reduce our exposure to downswings in the coal
industry.”
The report compares the current trajectory of West Virginia’s electric utilities
— estimated to maintain 84% coal-fired generation in 2035 — against an alternative
future of more energy efficiency, solar energy, and wind energy. The result is
78% emission-free energy generation by 2035.
The publication awarded the college’s business law program a grade of A- based on
opportunities for students, including courses, clinics, externships and co-curricular
activities. Those opportunities include a J.D./Online MBA dual degree offered in
collaboration with WVU's John Chambers College of Business and Economics.
“We are proud to be recognized for our business law program,” said John Taylor, interim
dean. “This honor speaks to the excellence of our faculty in the areas of
corporate and commercial law, our strong experiential learning opportunities in
these areas, and our close relationship with the Chambers College of Business and
Economics.”
The list of Top Laws Schools for Business Law appears in the current issue of
preLaw Magazine.
MORGANTOWN,
W.Va. — A pioneering Supreme Court justice is leaving a legacy at West
Virginia UniversityCollege of Law that will benefit the
state’s children and families.
Margaret
Workman, the first woman elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West
Virginia, has given $50,000 to establish an endowment for the Child and Family
Advocacy Law Clinic.
The Justice
Margaret Workman Child Advocacy Endowment is in memory of her late
children, Lindsay Gardner and Ted Gardner. The gift will help support the
operation of the law clinic, which provides practical training for law students
serving those in need.
“A
major focus of my judicial career has been to shape a court system more
protective of children’s rights and more effective in helping families in
crisis,” Workman said. “This gift will support the Child and Family Advocacy Law
Clinic in its work on these same goals. I owe the WVU College of Law a debt of
gratitude for my legal education and the opportunity it has provided me for a
very satisfying career.”
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The
West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law
is offering a free webinar on understanding the Electoral College on November 3,
Election Day, at noon.
The presenter is Keith Hoover, administrative counsel for the Supreme Court of Appeals
of West Virginia. He will discuss what a vote for president means, the history
of the Electoral College, how it works, criticisms and possible reforms.
WHEELING, W. Va. – U.S. Attorney Bill Powell has hired four new Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Northern District of West Virginia.
Christopher L. Bauer, Eleanor F. Hurney, Maximilian F. Nogay, and Clayton J. Reid, all recent graduates of WVU Law, were sworn in over the past few months.
“A position as an Assistant United States Attorney is a coveted one. We receive dozens of applications for every one opening, and many of the applicants are highly qualified. Ultimately, we hire the best person for the position, and we have done so again. I am very proud of our team in this district, and I am confident that our new Assistant United States Attorneys will continue the great work our district is recognized for,” said Powell, a 1985 WVU Law graduate.
Christopher L. Bauer is working in the criminal division in the District’s Clarksburg, West Virginia, office. He received his bachelor's degree in legal studies and political science from William Paterson University in New Jersey. In 2016, he received his J.D./M.B.A from WVU, where he served on the West Virginia Law Review and the U.S. Supreme Court Clinic. From 2016 to 2017, Bauer worked as a litigation associate in the Bridgeport, West Virginia, office of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. From 2017 to 2018, he served as a term law clerk for the Honorable Robert W. Trumble (WVU Law '84), U.S. Magistrate Judge. From 2018 to 2020, he served as a term law clerk for the Honorable Irene M. Keeley (WVU Law '80), Senior U.S. District Judge.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. —
West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law students are working with the state’s American Civil Liberties
Union to staff its 2020 Election Protection Hotline.
The hotline is helping citizens overcome roadblocks they may encounter as they exercise
their fundamental civil right to vote.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Amidst the global pandemic, the Class of 2023 at WVU Law
has begun its legal education with a combination of online and in-person courses.
There are 111 students in the 1L class with a median entering GPA of 3.45 and a median
LSAT score of 154, which is the same as last year. Approximately 38% of the
class is from out-of-state.
Women make up 43% of the class. Eight percent of the 1Ls self-identify as a minority.
The average age is 24, with an age range of 21 to 38. Almost 27% of the class is
a first-generation college student.
Students in the Class of 2023 graduated from 41 colleges and universities. Some
of the out-of-state schools represented are Baylor, Brown, Colorado State, George
Mason, James Madison, Miami University of Ohio, Penn State, Temple, Texas A&M and the University of Virginia.
