News

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia will convene at WVU Law on February 28 to hear arguments in three cases.

The session begins at 10 a.m. in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom. Admission is free and open to the public. Seating begins at 9 a.m.

Morgantown, West Virginia — Elaine Wilson, associate professor of law, is the 2016-17 president of the West Virginia Tax Institute.

The West Virginia Tax Institute is the state’s largest collection of attorneys and accountants and educators. Its goals are to improve the level of tax knowledge and practice in West Virginia and to promote cooperation among attorneys, accountants and other groups.

“The institute works with state revenue agencies, so it serves as a way to bring together government regulators, the State Bar and the accounting community,” Wilson said. “It’s great for educators to continue to be in touch with both the government and practicing tax community so we stay up-to-date on relevant topics and can provide updated, quality education for our students.”

As president, Wilson will organize the 2017 West Virginia Tax Institute meeting, a continuing legal education event for attorneys and accountants. She will also lead board meetings and handle administrative duties for the Board of Directors.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Health care legal scholar Mary Crossley will deliver the annual  John W. Fisher II Lecture in Law and Medicine at WVU Law on February 10 at 12 p.m. in the college’s Event Hall.

A law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Crossley will discuss “Ending-Life Medical Decisions: Some Disability Perspectives and Parallels to Black Lives Matter.”

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

Crossley’s legal scholarship focuses on issues of inequality in health care financing and delivery. Her teaching includes courses in health care law and policy and family law.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — A WVU Law clinic received $843,500 to support affordable housing and community revitalization efforts in the state.

The Land Use and Sustainable Development (LUSD) Law Clinic was awarded the grant by the West Virginia State Bar’s Interest On Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Legal Assistance Grants Committee. 

The IOLTA funds come from a $16.6 billion settlement in 2014 between Bank of America and the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve claims of toxic mortgage practices. A portion of the settlement provides funds for civil legal services.

The LUSD Law Clinic will use the grant to help non-profit organizations and local governments provide affordable housing, fight poverty, and rebuild communities, according to Katherine Garvey, director of the clinic. 

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA —An ineffective “top-down patchwork” of regulations will not save the United States economy from the next big and inevitable financial crisis.

That’s the premise of a new book by West Virginia University professors Karen Kunz and Jena Martin.

Kunz is a public administration professor who specializes in financial market regulation and fiscal policy. Martin is a law professor with expertise in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where she has worked, and business and securities regulation.

In “ When the Levees Break: Re-Visioning Regulation of the Securities Markets” (Lexington Books, 2017), Kunz and Martin call for building an entirely new, mostly automated, system to govern the stock market and prevent future crashes.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Criminal justice system expert Ann Jacobs will deliver the 24th annual Charles L. Ihlenfeld Lecture on Public Policy and Ethics on February 3 at 12 p.m. in the Marilyn E. Lugar Courtroom at the WVU College of Law.

Jacobs will examine prisoner reentry into society through the lens of justice and poverty. 

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. A reception will follow the lecture.

Jacobs is the director of the Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Founded in 2005, PRI aims to improve prisoner reintegration into society through policy advocacy, direct service practice, and collaborative partnerships.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — The National Jurist has given special recognition to the WVU College of Law for its work in public service. 

In its winter issue, the magazine awarded WVU Law second place on a national honor roll of law schools with the greatest community impact. The honor roll is based on data of the free legal services provided by law school clinics in 2015-16.

Last year, WVU Law’s nine clinics provided 40,200 hours of pro bono legal services for more than 500 clients throughout the state.

Legal work in the clinics is conducted by law students and supervised by law professors. The students gain valuable lawyering experience while providing a service to those in need.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — International criminal lawyer Susan Lamb will deliver the annual C. Edwin Baker Lecture for Liberty, Equality and Democracy at the West Virginia University College of Law.

Lamb will address “International Criminal Justice and Notions of Equality and Liberty” on January 30 at 12 p.m. in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. A reception will follow.

Lamb has spent 17 years with the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals, including the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (1997-2005), the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (2005-2008), and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (2009-2013).

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — WVU Law is hosting its next Experience WVU Law Day admissions open house on Saturday, January 28.

The program is designed for anyone interested in pursuing a legal education. 

Informative sessions focus on the law school application process, academic offerings and career opportunities. Participants can also sit in on a class, learn more about financial aid and tour WVU Law's newly renovated and expanded facilities. Lunch is provided.

For more information and to register, visit Experience WVU Law Day.