News

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.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Professors Shine “Sean” Tu and Elaine Waterhouse Wilson have been appointed to three-year terms as associate deans at the West Virginia University College of Law.

Wilson is the associate dean for academic affairs. She is responsible for curricular oversight and development, student academic achievement, and the college’s compliance with American Bar Association standards.

Tu is the associate dean for faculty research and development. His duties include supporting and increasing faculty scholarship, coordinating guest speakers, endowed lectures and workshops, and leading technology innovation in academics.

“Elaine and Sean are wonderful colleagues, and I am so pleased that they are now on the leadership team at WVU Law,” said Gregory Bowman, dean of the College of Law. "They have distinguished themselves through the excellence of their teaching, service and scholarship. They’ll be fantastic associate deans who will serve the law school, university and legal profession with integrity.”

(THE CONVERSATION) President Donald Trump recently ordered Energy Secretary Rick Perry to take "immediate steps" to stop the closure of coal and nuclear power plants.

And according to a draft memo that surfaced the same day, the federal government may establish a "Strategic Electric Generation Reserve" to purchase electricity from coal and nuclear plants for two years.

Both proposals, which have garnered little support, are premised on these power plants being essential to national security. If implemented, the government would be activating emergency powers rarely tapped before for any purpose.

Based on my four decades of experience as a utility regulatory attorney and law professor, I can see why this proposal has caused much controversy, partly because of how energy markets work.

The opioid epidemic received a lot of attention at the 2018 Mountain State Land Use Academy, hosted recently by WVU’s Land Use and Sustainable Development (LUSD) Law Clinic.

Held this year at Adventures of the Gorge in Fayette County, the MSLUA is an annual gathering to discuss issues that are critical to developing West Virginia communities. Participants include certified planners, legal experts, members of local governments, and other community leaders.

“The purpose of the academy is to empower citizen planners by giving them the knowledge and resources needed to address land use issues at the local level,” said Jesse Richardson, a land use attorney with the law clinic. “We focus on current land use issues that are most prominent and pressing in West Virginia.”

Anne Hazlett, assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), was the 2018 MSLUA keynote speaker. She spoke about ways the USDA is working with communities to help residents combat the opioid crisis in their own neighborhoods.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — WVU Law awarded degrees to the Class of 2018 at Commencement on May 11 at the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre at the WVU Creative Arts Center.

“You have mastered the academic challenges of law school. And now you take your rightful place in the world as lawyers fighting for justice. That is a noble cause and you should be proud; we are certainly proud of you,” Gregory Bowman, dean of the College of Law, told the graduates.

Jennifer Oliva, associate professor of law and public health, delivered the Commencement address. She was selected Professor of the Year by the Class of the 2018.

Oliva, director of the Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic, praised the graduates for their accomplishments in and out of the classroom, including providing much-need legal services to West Virginians.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — The employment rate for WVU Law 2017 graduates is higher than the national average.

According to data gathered by the American Bar Association (ABA), 82 percent of the WVU Law Class of 2017 secured full-time, long-term jobs that require passing the bar exam or where a J.D. is an advantage. The national average is 75.3 percent.

WVU Law’s 2017 employment rate places it in the top 60 of the 203 law schools in the country approved by the ABA.

“It is a clear sign that employers value a law degree from WVU,” said Gregory W. Bowman, dean of the College of Law. “We work hard to prepare our students to succeed in a very competitive job market.”

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Judge Michael J. Aloi and attorney Bruce E. Stanley are the recipients of the 2018 Justitia Officium Award presented by the WVU Law faculty

The Justitia Officium recognizes outstanding contributions and service to the legal profession. Founded in 1978, it is the highest award presented by the law faculty. Aloi and Stanley will receive their award at the College of Law’s Commencement on May 11.

Aloi is the United States Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of West Virginia in Clarksburg.

He serves on the board of the West Virginia State Bar’s Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program and he is a member of the bar’s Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. He is also an Instructing Judge for Basic Criminal Advocacy at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, and a faculty member at the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, DC.