News

Three clients of the  Clinical Law Program at the WVU College of Law are waiting to hear if they will be granted clemency by President Barack Obama before he leaves office on January 20.

The president has granted clemency to more than 1,000 non-violent, low-level drug offenders, including three clients of the Clinical Law Program who were released earlier this year.

However, three remaining clients of the law clinic are still waiting review by the Office of the Pardon Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice. The cases are being handled by student lawyers with faculty supervision.

Inmates Bryant Cook, Andre Scales, and Nathaniel Law meet the federal clemency criteria, according to  Valena Beety, associate professor of law.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Some families who lost their homes in the flooding that devastated southern West Virginia last summer are facing another housing disaster: rent-to-own scams.

In an effort to rebuild their lives, many flood victims are being enticed to rent houses that have a purchase option at the end of the lease, according to Priya Baskaran , director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Law Clinic (EILC) at the West Virginia University College of Law.

“Rent-to-own situations have been cheating families into believing they are buying their home,” she said.

According to Baskaran, rent-to-own agreements are marketed to families who do not qualify for traditional home loans because of income requirements, poor credit or because they can’t afford the down payment.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — In the days leading up to and following the 2016 Presidential Election, regional and national media outlets have sought insight and analysis from several WVU College of Law professors:

Valarie Blake , associate professor of law

James Van Nostrand , Professor of Law

Anne Marie Lofaso , Arthur B. Hodges Professor of Law

Scholarship by 3L Jennifer L. Bauer has been published by an international human rights organization.

The Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) published Bauer’s “ Data Brokers and Human Rights – Big Data, Big Business” in November as part of its Occasional Paper Series.

In the article, Bauer explores the impact personal data collection and the responsibilities of firms that collect, store, process and share that data.

Bauer, who is earning a JD with an international law concentration, became interested in data privacy issues after working on an article for the West Virginia Law Review . 

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA—The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Law Clinic (EILC) at the West Virginia University College of Law is going to provide legal support and educational services in Charleston, West Virginia. 

The EILC recently signed an agreement with Legal Aid of West Virginia to collaborate on the West Side Economic Development Project (WSEDP) in the state capital.

WSEDP is designed to increase the capabilities of local businesses, community organizations, nonprofit organizations, and entrepreneurs.  Law students in the EILC will produce legal education materials to assist WSEDP’s economic development efforts.

“Small businesses and community organizations are an important part of the economic backbone of the state,” said Priya Baskaran , director of the EILC. “Our plan for this pilot project is to create a healthy system of legal services to support entrepreneurs and organizations, helping communities build wealth from within.”

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — A new edition of a labor law casebook co-authored by Anne Marie Lofaso, the Arthur B. Hodges Professor of Law at West Virginia University, has been published.

The 2016 second edition of “Modern Labor Law in the Private and Public Sectors” (Carolina Academic Press) reflects recent changes in labor laws in several states and new debates over policy.

The book focuses on two modern trends in labor law: the shift of union density from the private-sector to the public-sector and the growth of organizing outside of the National Labor Relations Act process.

The casebook’s other authors are Seth Harris of Cornell University, Joseph E. Slater of the University of Toledo, and Charlotte Garden of the University of Seattle.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Veterans throughout the state will benefit from a $10,000 donation to the West Virginia University College of Law from a veterans legal organization based in Washington, DC.

Dave Meyers (right), director of case evaluation and placement for the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, presented the check to Gregory Bowman, dean of the College of Law, during the Veterans Stand Down held recently at the Morgantown National Guard Armory.

The money will be used by the Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic at the College of Law to provide outreach and legal services throughout the state, according to clinic director Jennifer Oliva.

“We have a large veteran population in the southern part of the state, an area that has a high unemployment rate and a high rate of drug use,” explained Oliva. “As part of our land-grant mission and as the only veterans clinic in the state, it’s very important for us to be able to provide our services.”

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — WVU law professor James Van Nostrand told a U.S. Senate subcommittee on October 5 that the state could benefit economically from the EPA Clean Power Plan.

The plan seeks to curb greenhouse gas emissions from coal-powered utility plants that contribute to global climate change. It is being contested by West Virginia and 23 other states.

Van Nostrand testified at a field hearing of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety in Logan, West Virginia, hosted by Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Congressman Evan Jenkins (R-WV).

“We have the resources and the people to succeed in this new energy game,” said Van Nostrand, director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at WVU Law.  “There is a revolution underway in the energy industry and, in West Virginia, we are getting killed by friendly fire.”

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA—The West Virginia University College of Law is hosting “Voices Behind the Bars,” a dramatic reading of four stories from Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” on October 10 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in Room 154.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

The program is part of WVU’s 2016-17 Campus Read of “Just Mercy,” in which Stevenson explores the moral implications of the American justice system.

The readers for “Voices Behind the Bars” will be graduate fellows Imani Berry, Oluremi Famodu, Quinn Jones and Phillip Zapkin with honors student Emma Harrison and first-year law student Stephen Scott.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Amber Brugnoli has been appointed assistant dean for West Virginia Continuing Legal Education (WVCLE) at the West Virginia University College of Law.

She will start March 2017 following the retirement of Jessica Justice Stolarik, who has led the program for 36 years. Brugnoli is working closely with Stolarik this fall as part of the leadership transition.

“Amber is uniquely qualified to direct WVCLE,” said Gregory W. Bowman, dean of the College of Law. “I am confident that she will run and grow a successful program that continues to meet the professional needs of attorneys who practice in our state.”

Since 2013, Brugnoli has been the assistant dean for Career Services at the College of Law. She has also been involved with the Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic and the International Moot Court Team.