MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — An innovative program at the
West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law exposes students to real-world experiences in the court system
while earning course credit.
Elizabeth Walker, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, is
one of several female judges across the state who helped develop the summer externship
program.
“We came up with this idea to expose students directly to the important work in state
courts and to pair our state’s female judges with law students,” she said. “We
were thrilled with the opportunity to work with the College of Law on this initiative
and look forward to offering similar programs in the future.”
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law is one of the best
schools in the country for students interested in public service, according to
preLaw Magazine.
The national magazine places WVU Law at no. 11 for public interest law and no. 23
for federal clerkships.
“Public service is a cornerstone of WVU’s land-grant mission and our legal program,”
said Amelia Rinehart, dean of the College of Law. “It’s exceptionally rewarding
to be recognized at the highest levels for providing students with fulfilling opportunities
in public service.”
The preLaw ranking is based on graduate employment rate, courses, clinics, externships,
faculty, student groups, and student debt. The magazine analyzed data from the
American Bar Association, U.S. News & World Report and the individual law schools.
MORGANTOWN, W. Va.— Analysis from the
Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at the
West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law has determined that energy infrastructure incentives proposed
in complementary plans from President Joe Biden and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)
will benefit the Mountain State in job creation, energy costs and emissions reduction.
“West Virginia’s Energy Future: Built Back Better,”
an update to a report released last year, illustrates how a dramatic increase in
renewable energy production over the next decade could be feasible, notwithstanding
electric utilities’ current dependence on coal.
“Built Back Better” finds the rapid expansion of renewable energy enabled by the
energy infrastructure incentives in the American Jobs Plan would create 3,508 full-time
jobs in West Virginia, while also reducing costs by $855 million through 2040.
It would also allow electric utilities to achieve 79.4% emission-free electricity
generation in 2030.
“Last year we showed how a major increase of wind and solar could be cost-effective
even without any policy changes,” said
James Van Nostrand, director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development.
“Now we’re showing how the Biden and Manchin plans would enable a swifter buildout
of renewable energy while simultaneously creating thousands of jobs and significantly
reducing energy costs in our state.”
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s nearly 170,000 veterans, many with unique legal needs related to their service or return to civilian life, will benefit from the regional office West Virginia University’s Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic has opened in The Equities House in Charleston.
“The state’s veterans who need legal assistance have a new resource in the capital,” said Amelia Rinehart, dean of the WVU College of Law. “This additional clinical law office will allow us to better serve our veterans in the central and southern part of the state.”
Under faculty supervision, law students in the clinic represent West Virginia veterans for free in litigation before administrative agencies and courts on benefits, discharge upgrades, employment claims and other civil matters. The clinic also works with U.S. Attorneys’ offices in the state to provide representation for veterans with petty offenses.
Attorney Jed Nolan is the program director of the Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic. He will split his time between the Charleston office and the main clinic at the WVU College of Law in Morgantown. Student attorneys in the clinic will continue to work out of the College of Law and travel to Charleston as needed.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Incoming
student Kinsey Novak is the recipient of a $1500 book stipend from the Black Law Students Association at the West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law.
Applicants for the stipend submitted
an essay discussing a court opinion written by
the late Franklin
D. Cleckley, the first
African-American justice on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
Cleckley, a longtime WVU law professor, served on the state’s Supreme Court from
1994 to 1996 and authored more than 100 majority opinions. He passed away in
August 2017.
Novak,
who begins her 1L year at WVU Law this month, won for her essay examining Cleckley’s
1996 decision in State ex rel. Suriano v. Gaughan (198 W. Va. 339, 480 S.E.2d 548).
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A group of WVU Law students has spent their summer working alongside
practicing attorneys and judges, gaining real-world legal training.
The summer externship course at WVU Law allows law students to earn credit
for 10 weeks of work in a variety of legal settings across the state. As they provide
support to the legal offices in which they work, students apply what they learn
in the classroom to hone valuable lawyering skills.
“Externships are an excellent way for students to work on real cases and get relevant
legal training in a government, judicial or public interest setting,” said
Jennifer Powell, externship course instructor and director of the
Center for Law and Public Service. “Students say their legal research and writing
skills improve and that they get a chance to build their professional networks.”
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. —
A West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law student is working in Pittsburgh this
summer helping defend and advance the rights of women, girls and LGBTQ+ people
in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Aliah Hasan, a rising 3L, is a legal intern at the Women's
Law Project as a recipient of a Peggy Browning Fellowship. The highly competitive
national fellowship provides law students with unique, diverse and challenging
work experiences fighting for social and economic justice.
Peggy Browning Fellows are distinguished
students who excel in law school and have demonstrated a commitment to workers’
rights through their previous educational, work, volunteer and personal
experiences. This year, the fellowship received almost 700 applications for about
80 positions nationwide.
Hasan grew up watching her mother work multiple low-wage
retail jobs with little time to think about “justice.” As a child of
immigrants, Hasan aspires to use her law degree to aid marginalized people in
understanding and exercising their rights. Before law school, Hasan worked at
the International Institute of Buffalo, where she advocated for foreign-born
survivors of domestic violence and forced labor.
Two West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law students are helping increase access
to justice for clients in need while adding valuable work experience to their credentials.
As recipients of WVU Law’s Sprouse Fellowship, rising third-year students Ashley
Brash and Rayann Yocum are working for 10 weeks this summer in public defender offices.
The Sprouse Fellowship is a competitive opportunity that allows students to obtain
their Rule 10 law practice certifications and appear in court under the supervision
of a licensed attorney. Recipients receive a $5,500 stipend.
“These fellowships provide important support and staffing to busy public defender
offices and their clients while giving WVU Law students practical, hands-on learning
experiences,” said Jennifer Powell, director of the Center for Law and Public Service.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A rising third-year student at the West Virginia UniversityCollege of Law is spending her summer helping give the state’s children
a stronger voice in the justice system.
Zoey Vilasuso is working in the Princeton, West Virginia, office
of ChildLaw Services as the 2021 recipient of the Regina Charon Fellowship. The
fellowship is paying Vilasuso a stipend of $5500 for 10 weeks of valuable work experience.
ChildLaw is the only non-profit law firm in the Mountain
State that represents children exclusively. Its mission is to advocate for the
well-being of children through legal representation, policy development, and
coordinated planning.
“ChildLaw Services was my first choice for this fellowship
because I have always been drawn towards working with kids,” Vilasuso said. “I
worked full-time at a daycare in Morgantown before going to law school, and my
mom is a middle school teacher in Morgantown.”