News

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — The Honorable Richard A. Robinson, the first African-American Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, will deliver the 2018 Ihlenfeld Lecture at WVU Law on Nov. 7 at 12 p.m. in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom

A 1984 graduate of the WVU College of Law, Robinson will discuss the judiciary in a multicultural world. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

Robinson was appointed as Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2018 after serving five years on the court. Before that, he was a judge on the Connecticut Appellate Court and a Connecticut Superior Court judge. He has also served as presiding civil judge for the New Britain, Ansonia/Milford, and Stamford judicial districts in Connecticut.

Throughout his legal career, Robinson has served in human rights and educational organizations, including the NAACP, the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, and the Connecticut Judicial Education Curriculum Committee. His work in human rights has been recognized by the Connecticut State Bar Association, the NAACP, and the Connecticut Bar Foundation.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA - WVU Law professor Matthew Titolo has been awarded a Fulbright Senior Scholar grant for the spring 2019 semester.

As a Fulbright Senior Scholar, Titolo will teach and study at the University of La Laguna in Tenerife, Spain, focusing on international commercial law and European Union law. He will also lecture on his forthcoming book, “Privatization and Its Discontents: Infrastructure, Law and American Democracy”, to be published by Cambridge University Press.

“The Fulbright grant is a great opportunity for me to work with scholars in interdisciplinary groups and deepen my knowledge,” said Titolo. “I look forward to continued collaboration with colleagues across the Atlantic in the coming years. The work I do in Tenerife and the working relationships I will make there will help enrich my teaching and scholarship when I return to WVU.”

Titolo teaches legal history, contracts, international commercial law and remedies at WVU Law. He earned his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and holds a master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Texas, Austin, and a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. Titolo earned his B.A. in English from Baruch College. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in American and European History at West Virginia University.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA— WVU Law and the West Virginia Securities Commission are hosting a free workshop to help new and existing entrepreneurs in the Mountain State grow their business.

The Raising Capital Workshop takes place on October 4 from 5:30 -7:30 p.m. at the Clubhouse at Coonskin Park in Charleston, West Virginia.

“There is a lot of opportunity for growth in West Virginia, but with that opportunity comes important legal and business considerations,” said Priya Baskaran , director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Law Clinic at WVU. “We’ve designed this workshop to help entrepreneurs succeed.”

Participants in the Raising Capital Workshop will learn about the legal options for funding their West Virginia-based business and how to meet regulatory requirements. They will also learn more about crowdfunding and free legal services and resources.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The House of Delegates elected Roger Hanshaw '12 (R-Clay) as the 58th Speaker of the West Virginia House on August 29.

Speaker Hanshaw succeeds former Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, who resigned last week. He becomes just the second Republican to serve as leader of the House of Delegates since the current state Capitol was built in the 1930s.

“With great humility, I accept this opportunity to help make West Virginia a better place to live, work and raise a family,” Hanshaw said. “We have made great strides in the past four years under Speaker Armstead’s leadership, and I hope to build on that foundation so we can continue to improve our economy, inspire business investment and help create jobs for all West Virginians.”

Hanshaw, 38, is currently serving in his second term in the House of Delegates. The Vice-Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he also serves as Chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Flooding.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — A new class of West Virginia Lawyers and Leaders has been recognized at WVU Law.

WVU Law and West Virginia Executive magazine established the Lawyers and Leaders Awards in 2017 to recognize lawyers who have made a positive impact on the state and the nation.

Award winners have dedicated their career to serving others and their communities. Recipients must practice in West Virginia and/or be graduates of WVU Law.

“The professionals chosen for these awards demonstrate exemplary leadership, a commitment to service and, of course, an unbreakable bond with the state of West Virginia. We are proud to showcase them and their wonderful accomplishments,” said   Gregory Bowman, dean of the College of Law.  

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — With classes underway, first-year students at the West Virginia University College of Law have officially begun their legal careers.  

There are 113 students in the WVU Law Class of 2021, which is an increase of almost four percent over last year. First generation college students make up one-third of the class.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – The West Virginia Innocence Project Law Clinic at WVU Law has helped free a client from prison after proving he was convicted of a crime he did not commit.

The Circuit Court for Tyler County, West Virginia, recently vacated the conviction of Christopher Dodrill. In 2016, Dodrill was found guilty of child abuse with serious bodily injury and unlawful assault after a child under his care became injured. He was sentenced to 3-15 years in prison.

Dodrill consistently testified that the child fell and hit her head, and that he took her to the hospital. The child fully recovered, but because she had brain swelling and a subdural hematoma, the hospital diagnosed her with Shaken Baby Syndrome without eliminating other possible causes of her injuries.

At his trial, Dodrill had no doctors or expert witnesses to consult or testify on his behalf, making it his word against the hospital’s diagnosis. 

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — A West Virginia University graduate is one the top lawyers in the U.S. military.

Lieutenant General Jeffrey A. Rockwell was recently sworn in as the 18th Judge Advocate General for the U.S. Air Force. He earned his law degree from WVU in 1987 and his bachelor’s degree in accounting from WVU in 1984.

Based at the Pentagon, Rockwell oversees military justice, operational and international law, and civil law functions at every level of command. He is responsible for the oversight of more than 4,400 judge advocates (lawyers), civilian attorneys, enlisted paralegals and civilians in the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps worldwide. He also serves as the legal advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force and all officers and agencies of the Department of the Air Force.

Rockwell previously served four years as the Deputy Judge Advocate General. He joined the Air Force as a first lieutenant staff judge advocate (lawyer) in 1987 and is now the service’s 39th three-star general.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Two librarians have joined the George R. Farmer, Jr. Law Library at the West Virginia University College of Law.

Caroline Osborne is the new director of the law library and associate professor of law. Stephanie Miller is the library’s first head of outreach, attorney services and digital initiatives. Both come to WVU from the Washington & Lee University law library.

“Caroline and Stephanie are wonderful additions to the WVU Law community. They have deep expertise because of their previous leadership at Washington and Lee University and other law school libraries,” said Gregory Bowman , dean of the College of Law. “Our faculty and students and the practicing bar are really going to benefit from their knowledge and experience. We’re very excited about the bright future of our law library.”

Osborne served in a range of key law librarian roles at Washington and Lee for more than a decade. Most recently, she was the assistant dean for legal information services. She has also been a professor of legal research and senior associate law librarian. Osborn earned her bachelor’s degree and Master of Science in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a law degree from the University of Richmond and a Master of Laws from Emory University.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – Students at WVU Law are winning benefits for the state’s veterans.

Recently, student attorneys in the Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic successfully appealed two denial of claim decisions by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The first case involved Steven McCloud of Clarksburg (left). McCloud served in the United States Navy from 1999 to 2006 and was on active duty in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2006 before being honorably discharged.

In 2016, McCloud underwent sleep studies that concluded he suffered from sleep apnea. When he applied to the VA with a service-connected disability claim and associated benefits, McCord was turned down. That’s when he reached out the Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic.