MORGANTOWN, W.Va.— Across the United States, municipalities are responding on their
own to pressing issues such as anti-discrimination, the environment, gun regulation
and consumer protection. In West Virginia, the Home Rule Pilot Program was launched
in 2007 and made permanent in 2019.
At a symposium on February 27 and 28, the
West Virginia Law Review will explore home rule topics and challenges with
a range of national experts.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.—The
West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law
recently received a gift from attorney Douglas Kilmer '76 that will help prepare future
bankruptcy lawyers.
The Douglas Kilmer Bankruptcy Law Fund will cover costs associated with establishing
an advanced bankruptcy course at WVU Law. The fund will also provide a scholarship
each year to a student who demonstrates excellence in bankruptcy law, either by
receiving the American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of Excellence or by excelling
in bankruptcy-related classwork and extra-curricular activities.
“It is an honor to be able to provide this opportunity to encourage and reward
students who may be interested in the practice of bankruptcy law,” Kilmer said. “It is my hope that this program will enhance the practice
of bankruptcy law in West Virginia and inspire students to participate in this
challenging but rewarding area of the law.”
Based in Charleston, West Virginia, Kilmer specializes in bankruptcy law. He is also
a certified mediator in bankruptcy and debtor-creditor disputes.
PreLaw Magazine named WVU Law among the 2020 Best Schools for Public Service: Public
Interest. Lawyers who practice public interest law help those who cannot afford
legal services and the underrepresented, including the poor, the elderly, children
and victims of domestic violence.
WVU Law has a long history of commitment to public interest law. It offers a concentration
in the field and, every year, students are funded to work in public interest agencies,
including Legal Aid of West Virginia, Mountain State Justice and ChildLaw Services.
The college’s
clinical law program provides more than 40,000 hours of pro bono legal
services a year to those in need. Since 2009, the college has operated a Center for Law in Public Service.
“Excellence in public service is in our DNA, and it’s an integral part of our mission
as a land-grant law school,” said
Gregory Bowman, dean of the College of Law. “We are committed to helping our students excel
in public interest law while providing a much-needed service to our state and nation.”
The book launch for “Mountaineers Are Always Free: Heritage, Dissent, and a West
Virginia Icon” (
WVU Press, 2020) will be held in the Event Hall at the WVU
College of Law on February 24 at 4 p.m. Admission is free and the public is
invited to attend.
Hathaway, an associate professor of English, will lead a discussion about the Mountaineer
with
Travis Stimeling, associate professor of music, and Emily Hilliard of the West
Virginia Folklife Program.
For more than 80 years, the WVU Mountaineer has been alternately a rabble-rouser
and a romantic embodiment of the state’s history. While being the subject of ongoing
reinterpretation, the Mountaineer has consistently conveyed the value of independence.
McCartney will develop and implement seminars for the professional development of
lawyers who practice in the Mountain State. She will also lead strategic planning,
assessment and evaluation of WVCLE initiatives in alignment with the college's
strategic plan.
“I look forward to serving the members of West Virginia’s Bar in designing a curriculum
of timely topics and engaging speakers to help each of them move forward with their
professional goals,” McCartney said. “Legal professionals hold themselves to the
highest standards of integrity and professional responsibility, and the Bar self-regulates
through the fulfillment of continuing legal education requirements.”
McCartney has worked as an attorney with Jackson Kelly PLLC and Huddleston Bolen,
now Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The
West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law is hosting an admissions open house aimed at increasing diversity
in the classroom and the legal profession.
WVU Law’s inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Day will be held on February 22 from
9:00 a.m. (check-in) to 1 p.m. on Law School Hill. It is free and lunch will be
served. To register, visit
bit.ly/wvulaw-diversity-day.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m., guests will hear from law students and alumni about how WVU Law set them up for success
in law school and their careers. Members of the College’s Diversity and Inclusion
Committee will also highlight programs and opportunities offered to diverse law
students to help them get the most out of their legal education.
“Diversity is important in law school and the legal profession because it leads
to better representation for all members of society,” said
Beth Pierpont, assistant dean for
Enrollment Management.
“We are committed to inclusive excellence at the WVU College of Law because
it will ultimately ensure greater access to justice.”
The award is given annually to an organization in recognition of International Human
Rights Day on December 10.
Marjorie McDiarmid, director of the clinical law program, and
Melissa Giggenbach, director of the West Virginia Innocence Project, accepted
the award from Jacob Powers, chair of the Morgantown Human Rights Commission.
“It requires painstaking work on the part of the students first to identify and then
to advocate for clients who have been wrongfully convicted. This award goes
to those students and the faculty and staff who work with them,” McDiarmid said.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.— A free public education workshop to be held in Charleston, West
Virginia, will explore how the state’s communities can respond to the world’s transition
to new energy sources and technology.
“Leaving No One Behind: Ensuring a Fair Transition for Workers and Communities” will
be held on February 5 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Charleston Coliseum and Convention
Center. Admission is free, but registration is required for seating. Please visit
energy.law.wvu.edu/transition
for more information.
“The nation’s energy industry is undergoing a major transition, and West Virginia is bearing the brunt of it through the loss of coal jobs and the adverse economic impacts in the southern part of the state,“ said James Van Nostrand, director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development. “This program will give attendees the chance to learn from top national experts about the economic and political opportunities and obstacles for creating a fair transition for all.”
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.—WVU Law has
nominated 3L Amanda Demmerle for the prestigious Burton Distinguished Legal
Writing Award for Law Schools.
Demmerle was
chosen for her Note, “Pain in the Ash: How Coal-Fired Power Plants are
Polluting Our Nation’s Waters Without Consequences,” which was published in the
December 2019 West Virginia Law Review (122 W. Va. L. Rev. 289).
A Note is a student-authored academic article that discusses and analyzes a
legal issue.
In her Note, Demmerle
argues that the Clean Water Act is currently the best way to regulate water
pollution caused by coal ash impoundments in the United States. She discusses
options within the Clean Water Act, and each option's likelihood of success, to
hold coal ash impoundment operators liable and reduce water pollution.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.—A team from WVU Law has advanced to the national round of the American
Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Trial Advocacy Competition.
Michael Hicks, Lauren Mahaney, Kenshandra Mitchell and Holly Netz, all third-year
law students in WVU Law’s Marlyn E. Lugar Trial Association, recently competed
in the competition’s regional round in New York City. They won three trials in
a row to reach the regional final before falling to St. John’s University School
of Law.
As a New York finalist, WVU Law will now compete against seven other law schools
in the national Labor and Employment Trial Advocacy Competition to be held in January
in New Orleans.
