Duquesne Lawyer magazine - Fall 2015/Winter 2016

THE

The Duquesne University School of Law Magazine for Alumni and FriendsFALL/WINTER 2015

SPECIAL FOCUS:

In-HouseCounsel

ALSO INSIDE:

Gandhi: The Lawyer

John Rago and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts

Young Alumni Profile: Christy M. Gamble, L’13

Rick Roda, L’01:A Foundation of Integrity

is published semi-annually by Duquesne University Office of Public Affairs

DuquesneLawyerTHE

DEAN

Ken Gormley

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND DIRECTOR OF

LAW ALUMNI RELATIONS AND DEVELOPMENTJeanine L. DeBor

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Colleen Derda

CONTRIBUTORS

Justin BernardThomas CocchiMeghan CollinsMaria Comas

Robin ConnorsJeanine DeBorColleen Derda

Christopher DriscollJamie Inferrera

Margaret McGannonMary OlsonRose Ravasio

Phil RiceAnn Schiavone

DESIGN

Miller Creative Group

CONTACT USwww.duq.edu/law

[email protected]

© 2015 by the Duquesne University School of LawReproduction in whole or in part, without permission

of the publisher, is prohibited.

C O N T E N T S

FEATURES

Gandhi: The Lawyer 8

Special Focus: In-House Counsel 12

“Here, There, and Everywhere” John Rago’s Passionate Support for the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts 18

An Introduction to the New Juris 22

Solving Problems outside the Courtroom 24

Young Alumni Profile: Christy M. Gamble, L’13 29

DEPARTMENTS

News from The Bluff 4

Commencement 10

Faculty Achievements 25

DLAA Updates 30

Class Actions 32

In Memoriam 36

Clinics 37

Student Briefs 39

Career Services 40

S T AY I N F O R M E D

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

Although I hadn’t expected

to be writing these words, this

will be my last dean’s message.

As this magazine was going to

print, the board of directors

announced that it had selected me

to serve as the next president of

Duquesne University—an exciting

opportunity. My new duties will

begin on July 1, 2016. During

the winter semester, I will be on

sabbatical wrapping up projects

and beginning the transition

process.

While leaving my post as

dean will be a bittersweet experience, I’m thrilled to let you

know that President Charles Dougherty—with my strong

support—has appointed Professor Nancy Perkins to serve as

interim dean next semester while the University launches a

nationwide search for a new permanent Law School dean. As you

know, Prof. Perkins served as my associate dean for five years;

there is nobody more qualified or

better suited for this position. She

will do a fabulous job.

Throughout the winter

semester, I will be working out

of my old faculty office on the

third floor of the Law School—

so I won’t go far. I’ve promised

Interim Dean Perkins that I

will help in any way. Likewise,

I’m committed to working with

President Dougherty and the

Search Committee to ensure that

we find the best possible candidate

in the nation for the Law School

deanship. President Dougherty’s goal is the same as mine: To

identify a new dean who will work energetically to continue

the recent successes and upward trajectory of Duquesne

University School of Law. I know that we will succeed, through

the dedication of the Law School faculty, the University Search

Committee and all of those engaged in this important process.

Credit: The Philadelphia Lawyer

It Has Been an Honor beyond Words

Editor’s note:On Nov. 4, Dean Ken Gormley was named 13th president of Duquesne University, effective July 1, 2016. More about President-elect Gormley in the Spring issue of Duquesne Lawyer.

2 T H E D U Q U E S N E L A W Y E R

Having the opportunity to serve as the next president

of Duquesne University is the greatest honor imaginable. At

the same time, serving as dean of the School of Law has been

one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Seven years

ago this month (December 2008), I was appointed to serve as

interim dean during a difficult period for the Law School. It was

only through the encouragement, support and friendship of

hundreds of supportive alumni that we were able to implement

changes and get the School of Law pointed on a new path to

excellence.

There are more great things ahead for Duquesne Law.

We’ve launched an important Call to Excellence initiative that

has already raised over $1.3 million. My final request while

seated in the dean’s chair is this: Please answer that call and be

more generous than ever. This initiative is our secret weapon; it

will allow us to surmount the challenges that are crippling many

law schools in the country. I’m convinced that Duquesne School

of Law, thanks to our amazingly loyal alumni, will emerge even

stronger than ever. I’ve already allocated a portion of these Call

to Excellence funds to assist our alumni who did not succeed

on the July bar exam this year. Due to changes on the exam and

other factors, the multistate scores were the lowest the country

has seen in a quarter century. Yet we are committed to making

sure that our Duquesne Law graduates who had difficulty in July

come out strong and pass the exam in February. This is what

makes Duquesne different: We are resourceful, resilient, and we

care deeply about our students and graduates because they are

part of our family.

I look forward to working with each of you in the years

ahead, as we pave the way for an exciting new era at Duquesne

University of the Holy Spirit. Together, we will continue to serve

God by serving our students, so that they, in turn, may serve

others for many, many generations.

It has been an honor beyond words to serve as dean of this

special Law School, working with the most talented, devoted,

caring and impressive group of alums anywhere in the United

States. Thank you for this gift. I will never forget it.

Ken Gormley

Dean and Professor of Law

Professor Nancy

Perkins has been named

interim dean of the School

of Law by President

Charles Dougherty,

effective Jan. 1, 2016.

Perkins is the first female

to be appointed dean

in the school’s 105-year

history.

A member of the

Duquesne Law faculty

since 1993, Perkins teaches

property and environmental law. Her scholarship

explores the intersection of these two areas with a

special focus on sustainability, equity and feminism.

Perkins served as associate dean of academic affairs

at the Law School from 2009-2014, and she has

served as a member of the executive committee

of the advisory council of the Pennsylvania

Department of Environmental Protection.

Perkins recently published The Dialects

and Dimensions of Sustainability, 21 J. Envtl. &

SuStainability l. 33 (2015). She spoke on this

article at the Mon River Colloquium at Duquesne

University on April 17, 2015.

Perkins was recently appointed The Noble J.

Dick Endowed Chair in Academic Leadership. This

chair, established through the estate of contractor,

banker and bus line operator Noble J. Dick,

recognizes a faculty member from any discipline

who demonstrates exceptional leadership in

scholarship, teaching or service.

Perkins is Named Interim Dean

Having the opportunity to serve as the next president of Duquesne University

is the greatest honor imaginable. At the same time, serving as dean of the

School of Law has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 3

NEWS FROM THE BLUFF

The last three years have seen an explosive growth in improvements and initiatives in technology at the School of Law. Walking in the front door of Hanley Hall, guests are greeted with a large, digital sign listing the events for the week, our Twitter feed (@DuquesneLaw) and special announcements. Long gone is the row of printed posters on easels.

A significant investment in technology has allowed for the installation of state-of-the-art A/V technology throughout the classrooms, library and Tribone Center. This past summer, video recording and conferencing capabilities were installed, allowing lectures to be captured and played back, as well as allowing faculty to invite guest lecturers and experts from across the globe in real-time to our students. In the three courtrooms, students now have the ability to record their own practice sessions for playback and critique. The School’s flagship McArdle Courtroom is modeled after the technology found in the federal courtrooms of downtown Pittsburgh.

Duquesne Law successfully launched a new website via www.duq.edu/law last December, allowing us to more effectively present our online presence to alumni, current students and, of course, prospective students. The website is also responsive,

The Duquesne University Board of Directors Chair Marie Milie Jones, L’87, announced that School of Law Dean Ken Gormley has been chosen as the 13th president of the University. Gormley will succeed Dr. Charles J. Dougherty, who will retire on June 30, 2016, after a 15-year tenure.

“Dean Gormley has outstanding academic credentials, built an extensive network of local, state and national relationships, and has a proven track record of fundraising,” says Milie Jones. “He is well-positioned to continue the academic excellence of Duquesne, to maintain the solid financial management of the University and to position Duquesne for significant growth in its endowment through extensive community and national engagement.”

Gormley will be the third lay president in the University’s 137-year history.

“Ken Gormley is deeply committed to our Spiritan mission. For the past two decades he has exemplified the mission through his interactions with students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the University,” says the Rev. Jeffrey T. Duaime, C.S.Sp., provincial of

the Congregation of the Holy Spirit Province of the United States and chair of the Duquesne University Corporation.

Gormley, who came to Duquesne in 1994 after teaching at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and engaging in private practice, is a nationally known lawyer, scholar, teacher and author.

“It is the greatest honor imaginable to be selected to lead this special academic institution—Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit—to the next level of success and excellence,” says Gormley. “My wife, Laura, joins me in expressing our deep gratitude to the Board for the faith and confidence it has placed in me in making this important appointment. For someone who grew up in Pittsburgh and continues to be in awe of the talented faculty, students, staff and alumni of this incredible University that has been an anchor of the region for over 130 years, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

Dean Gormley Named 13th President of Duquesne University

Technology UpdatesChristopher Driscoll, Director of Information Technology

automatically providing a customized experience for mobile and tablet devices.

In the library, a print center has been created, which allows students to print, scan and copy in one central location. Students can also print from their own personal devices at three separate locations in the School of Law. The computer lab was renovated with a more flexible room design, allowing the space to be more multipurpose and easier to provide computer-based instruction. Additionally, all of the study rooms have large TVs, allowing students to work collaboratively on projects and documents directly from their laptops, tablets or smartphones.

Behind the scenes, a number of organizational and staff changes have allowed the Law IT Department to more effectively support and advance technology initiatives such as distance learning, providing technical training and implementing continuous process improvement. A Student IT Advisory Committee was formed, allowing students the opportunity to formally suggest improvements and provide feedback on future technology initiatives and projects. Learn more at www.duq.edu/law/it.


Duquesne University signed an academic cooperation agreement with Universidad Escuela Libre de Derecho, a law school located in the capital of Costa Rica, San José. The agreement establishes a framework for professional and academic cooperation for lectures, classes, research and exchange programs between the two institutions. It is being signed for a term of five years, renewable for additional five-year periods.

The agreement strengthens the ties between Duquesne University and legal scholars in Costa Rica. The University’s School of Law and the Supreme Court of Costa Rica’s Judicial School began working together more than 20 years ago, through the work of Distinguished Law Professor Robert S. Barker, to develop opportunities for legal research and exchange programs for faculty and students. In the summer of 2015, a Duquesne law student traveled to Costa Rica for an internship with the Supreme Court, the second law student to take advantage of the program. Faculty and administrators have served as visiting professors at both institutions, and the president of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solís, came to Pittsburgh in September 2014 to accept an honorary law degree from Duquesne.

Duquesne Signs Cooperation Agreement with Costa Rican Law School

Law School Hosts Pa. Appellate Rules Anniversary Program

Duquesne marked the 40th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure with a CLE on Oct. 8 that included panel discussions and presentations on the history and the future of the rules and appellate practice in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure: Appreciating the Past and Anticipating the Future featured keynote speaker Bryan A. Garner, editor-in-chief of Black’s Law Dictionary and author of more than 20 books on legal writing. Garner presented “The Future of Appellate Advocacy: Three Concrete Steps for Improvement.”

Members of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court who participated were Chief Justice Thomas G. Saylor, Justice Max Baer, L’75, Justice J. Michael Eakin and Justice Debra

Todd. Additional speakers and moderators included Judge D. Brooks Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; the Honorable Maureen Lally-Green, L’74, former Pennsylvania Superior Court judge and current Duquesne Law adjunct professor; the Honorable Renée Cohn Jubelirer of Commonwealth Court; Ken Gormley, constitutional law scholar and dean of Duquesne Law; Jane Campbell Moriarty, Carol Los Mansmann Chair in Faculty Scholarship at Duquesne Law; Attorneys Charles L. Becker, Kristen W. Brown, David R. Fine, Frederick Frank and D. Alicia Hickok; and Duquesne Law Professors Steven Baicker-McKee and Tracey McCants Lewis, L’00.

Keynote Bryan Garner (center) flanked by Chief Justice Saylor (left) and Justice Todd and panelists.

Participating in the signing were (L-R) Dean Ken Gormley; President Charles J. Dougherty; Ricardo Guerrero Portilla, Rector of the Universidad Escuela Libre de Derecho; Prof. Robert S. Barker; and Prof. Jacob H. Rooksby (not pic-tured: Justice Fernando Castillo Víquez, Supreme Court of Costa Rica and Member of the Board of Directors of the Universidad Escuela Libre de Derecho).

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 5

NEWS FROM THE BLUFF

Laura A. DellAntonio is the new associate director of bar services and assistant professor of clinical legal skills. During the academic year, she assists and teaches in the bar preparation courses, Core Competencies for Legal Practice and Applied Competencies, and offers all students individual assistance and counseling related to bar examinations. During the summer,

DellAntonio assists in the School of Law’s bar preparation programs, Kickstart and Intensive Prep, and works with the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Bar Buddies Program. Prior

to joining Duquesne Law, DellAntonio served as the assistant director of academic support at Ohio Northern University College of Law, where she managed the first- and second-year academic support program and taught Advanced Legal Analysis: Evidence, Attorney Advocacy Seminar, Business Organizations I; Civil Practice: Introduction, Criminal Procedure, Legal Problem Solving and Analysis, and Writing for Legal Practice.

DellAntonio received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Ohio Northern University College of Law, where she was managing editor of the Ohio Northern Law Review, and a Bachelor of Arts in history, cum laude, from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa.

Visiting Professor of Law Howard E. Katz has taught at law schools at Tulane, George Washington, George Mason, Howard, Cleveland-Marshall and, most recently, Elon. He is the co-author of Strategies and Techniques of Law School Teaching (A Primer for New and Not-So-New Professors), with Kevin O’Neill, and a co-author of Constitutional Law: Cases in Context (2d. ed.) with Randy Barnett.

Katz is also the co-author of Starting Off Right in Contracts and Starting Off Right in Torts, with volumes on Criminal Law and Property forthcoming. He has made presentations on teaching

methods for law professors at conferences sponsored by the Association of American Law Schools, the Southeastern Association of Law Schools and the Southeast/Southwest People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference, among others.

Katz holds a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School. He earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude (in political science) from Case Western Reserve University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Katz helped develop and is the series editor for the new Focus line of casebooks to be published by Wolters Kluwer.

Katz teaches contracts and torts at Duquesne University School of Law.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Law Rhonda Gay Hartman has taught at the School of Law as an adjunct for many years, specializing in health law and policy and children’s rights. She received her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and served as a law clerk for Judge Alan N. Bloch of the United States District Court of the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Hartman has been a visiting scholar at a number of institutions, including Georgetown University and the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine and School of Law. She has published Face Value: Challenges of Transplant Technology, 31 American Journal of Law & Medicine 7 and The Face of Dignity: Principled Oversight of Biomedical Innovation, 47 Santa Clara Law Review 55, which examine composite tissue allograft transplant (reconstructive transplant surgery) and particularly face and hand transplant. She also authored the chapter about ethical and policy concerns of hand and face transplantation in the field’s seminal medical treatise, Transplantation of Composite Tissue

Allografts (Springer Science + Business Media, LLC, publisher). In addition to publishing, her expertise led to collaborations with leading surgical teams at Johns Hopkins and UPMC, which established standards and protocols for reconstructive transplantation.

Hartman presented most recently at Hofstra University School of Law, addressing the Affordable Care Act’s impact on caring for children and adolescents, and at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, addressing patient awareness and education in reconstructive transplantation (hand/face transplants). Hartman’s scholarship appears in numerous law and medical journals, and leading law textbooks discuss and reprint her contributions. She serves as a peer-reviewer (referee) for the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and JAMA Pediatrics. She also co-chaired and wrote the report for the Subcommittee on Medical Ethics of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Task Force for Pediatric Palliative and Hospice Care.

Hartman teaches Children and the Law, Health Care Law, Health Care and Fraud Abuse, Law and Medical Ethics, and Public Health Law and Policy.

Duquesne Law Welcomes New Faculty


Assistant Clinical Professor Tiffany Sizemore-Thompson joined Duquesne to launch and supervise the Juvenile Defender Clinic and the Education Law Clinic. She comes to Duquesne after serving for more than two years as the Deputy Director for the Juvenile Division at the Office of the Public Defender in Allegheny County. As deputy director, Sizemore-Thompson

managed 11 full-time juvenile defense practitioners who appeared before approximately a dozen family court judges. She also wrote and implemented new practice standards across the Juvenile Division and was appointed to the Juvenile Court Procedural Rules Committee in 2014. Prior to her work in Allegheny County, Sizemore-Thompson was at the Public Defender Service for

the District of Columbia (PDS) where she served as both a staff attorney and a supervisor in the trial division. PDS is widely regarded as the premier public defender organization in the country. As a litigator, her work included complex criminal defense litigation and representing witnesses to crimes, targets of grand jury investigations, and defendants in diversionary courts, e.g., mental health court or drug court.

Sizemore-Thompson graduated from Howard University School of Law, cum laude, and attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where she received her bachelor’s degree in education. “My hope is that students will leave my classes with an understanding of the importance of the zealous, client-centered advocacy,” she says. “I hope they will become lawyers who are concerned with the importance of solving society’s problems in a holistic way that elevates the voices of those who are so often unheard in our courts.”

Director of Academic Excellence and Assistant Professor of Clinical Legal Skills Maryann Herman served as the director of academic success and bar preparation studies at the Appalachian School of Law, where she also taught Business Associations. She formerly

worked at BarBri Bar Review and The Chicago Legal Clinic. Herman received her J.D. from Wayne State University in Detroit, where she was the editor-in-chief of the Wayne Law Review.

In addition to holding academic excellence workshops and providing individual academic counseling at Duquesne Law, Herman teaches the Advanced Legal Reasoning course.

Duquesne Law Welcomes New Faculty

Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett is now a distinguished lecturer at the School of Law, co-teaching with Professors Joseph Sabino Mistick and John Rago the new course Law, Public Service and the Executive Branch. The course fulfills an elective requirement for the Government and Public Interest Law concentration.

Through weekly lectures by Corbett, Mistick and Rago, the class provides an understanding of the complexity of government and policy making. It is uniquely poised to examine the art of government through the lens of the chief executive, and will address the roles of the legislature, courts and citizenry at large. Issues examined include education, health care, environment, transportation, and contemporary social issues such as voting rights and lobbying.

“This is one of those rare law and public policy courses taught by lawyers who were in the room when policy was made,” says Mistick.

Visit triblive.com/news/westmoreland for more coverage.

Corbett co-teaches a new course on public interest law

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 7

On Nov. 5, Duquesne University School of Law in association with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presented an insightful panel discussion on Gandhi: The Lawyer. The Power Center ballroom was near capacity with students, faculty, community members and many local dignitaries. Dean Ken Gormley moderated the panel discussion between Rajmohan Gandhi and Charles R. DiSalvo.

Rajmohan Gandhi is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and a well-known historical scholar and humanitarian. In his career, he has written extensively on South Asian history with a special focus on dialogue and reconciliation between divided communities, including between Hindus and Muslims in South Asia. He has been involved with many humanitarian efforts and won numerous awards for his writings. He is the Visiting Hannah Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University for fall 2015.

Charles R. DiSalvo is the award-winning author of M.K. Gandhi, Attorney at Law: The Man before the Mahatma (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013). He holds the Woodrow A. Potesta Professorship at the West Virginia University College of Law, where he teaches a course on civil disobedience. He has been actively involved in the subject of civil disobedience, writing and lecturing on the topic, as well as representing civil disobedients in state and federal trial and appellate courts.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was one of the greatest figures of peace in the 20th century. He inspired great thinkers and activists such as Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King Jr. One of four children, Gandhi was born in 1869 to a local politician and a deeply religious mother who often fasted.

What most people do not know is that Gandhi was formally trained as an attorney in London, and worked as an attorney for nearly 20 years. It was during his time as a lawyer that he began to find his calling as a civil rights leader for the people of India.

The panelists introduced interesting insights into Gandhi’s journey and who he was as a man rather than just as a political figure. Dean Gormley started the discussion by asking about Gandhi’s background and what Rajmohan remembered most about his grandfather. Rajmohan commented that when he would bow to his grandfather out of respect, Gandhi, instead of patting him on the head like most grandparents, “would thump you on the back.” He was very loving toward his 15 grandchildren.

Gandhi’s transformative experience was being forcibly thrown off a first class train car South Africa because he was not white. DiSalvo noted that it was this moment, coupled with a courtroom incident where Gandhi was told to remove his turban but refused, which inspired Gandhi to do something about the way Indians were treated.

Dean Ken Gormley, Rajmohan Gandhi, Charles DiSalvo

Gandhi: The LawyerPanel discussion with Rajmohan Gandhi and Charles R. DiSalvo Meghan Collins, Juris Editor-in-Chief


“In South Africa, when he found his purpose, he found his voice,” said Rajmohan.

Gormley then asked how fasting became a method for Gandhi to further the cause. Rajmohan said, “Gandhi felt responsible for the (Indian Relief Bill) marches and the deaths of the miners who were killed marching. How do we show a sense of solidarity with those who have died?”

Gandhi, who was already accustomed to fasting from his mother, fasted in solidarity.

In 1922, Gandhi was tried for sedition. He pled guilty and reportedly stated to the judge presiding over the trial that “if you feel the law is unjust your only option is to resign.”

The “Great Trial” and Gandhi’s acceptance of the charges against him inspired other Indians to openly defy the law and accept punishment. Following the lead that Gandhi set in the Great Trial, hundreds and thousands of Indian people openly defied a tax on salt during the Great Salt March of 1930.

Rajmohan said of Gandhi and the event, “His genius was finding a way to involve millions of people while pointing out the absurdity of British rule.”

The Great Salt March made the world take notice. Shortly thereafter, Gandhi was invited to England to discuss the new Indian constitution. He was accepted with praise and criticism. When asked if he was appropriately dressed for meetings with the king, Gandhi said “the king has on enough clothes for the both of us.”

When the “British realized that India was more trouble than it was worth,” as DiSalvo put it, India was granted independence from British rule. Rajmohan said that because of the violence that followed the independence, it was a “dream come true, but also a nightmare coming true.”

Gormley ended the discussion by asking how Gandhi’s training and experiences as a lawyer helped shape the person he was, and ultimately what his legacy is today. Said DiSalvo, “the most important thing (that he took from being a lawyer) was that he was turned into a public person; he learned to think, speak and act in public. He could speak to crowds of thousands of people for hours without notes.” Ultimately, Gandhi’s legacy is “whether the work we are doing reaches our deepest moral and political values.”

Rajmohan said that Gandhi taught us to “live for something much more than for ourselves.”

M.K. Gandhi during his law practice days.Rajmohan Gandhi

Charles DiSalvoInternational Foundation for the Performing Arts performed Vande Mataram, the Indian national anthem, in Kuchipudi style of Indian classical dance. F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 9

Dean Gormley with Tim Murray, son of the late Dr. John E. Murray Jr.

U.S. Senator Mark Warner

Russell Bopp receives the Murray Award.

On June 7, 145 students were conferred the degree of

Juris Doctor with five receiving the degree of Master of Laws

for Foreign Lawyers. Keynote speaker Senator Mark R. Warner

(D-Va.) urged the students to “never be afraid to fail.” The

family of Dr. John E. Murray Jr. was in attendance to participate

in a touching tribute to the late Chancellor and professor of

contracts. Additionally, the Dr. John and Liz Murray Excellence in

Scholarship Award was presented to Wesley M. Oliver, professor

of law, and Russell Bopp, L’15.

101st Commencement Ceremonies

COMMENCEMENT


Duquesne University School of LawClass of 2015

Meghan K. AdkinsJoshua Joseph AffagatoHillary Rachel AhlquistMatthew Bruce AndersenSpencer Aaron AndersonMichael Anthony ArabiaCory Roger BarackSamantha Lynn BarclayJock McCormick BeachlerKyle Patrick Sebastian BeauregardJosé Rafael Benítez TorresBrandon Arthur BettsEmily Celeste BittleSalah Eddine BlaikMadi BobbZachary D. BombatchRussell BoppNathaniel James BoringAlexandra K. BottRyan W. BrodeZachary CecchettiGina Domenica CerilliMichelle Elizabeth CiceroNicholas M. ClarkVincent R. CoccoTheo Axel CollinsRuben CruzAshley Marianne DeloshBiannely DiazElizabeth DiNardoSean Joseph DonoghueBlair Nicole DroskeyAndrew W. DunlevyKrystal Tiffany EdwardsJessica L. FarmerKacie Lynn FarmerStephen A. FernandoJames Allen FlinchumLindsay Sherwood FouseDavid Alfred Frantz

Ellen May FreemanEric Warfield FrelingMichelle Elaine GannonDouglas James GlosserJillian GodlaAllison B. GordonJennifer Suzanne GräbGrahm GrabiecIan Patrick HaleyMary HancockAnnemarie Kennedy HarrMichael Dean HartmanAsra HashmiMark Andrew HowellKristin L. HravnakMadison Nicole HunkeleAlexander C. HyderAnthony JacksonNicholas R. JimenezRobert F. JonesBrandi Alyse KellyBenjamin L. KendallMichael Joseph Kenney Jr.Jenna Marie KlingenbergAmanda Diane KnorrCassandra Blair KosmalBrian William KreitBrittany Elizabeth KriebelMark Steven KrumanPaul Alexander KushMaura Francis LallyKara Ashlee LattanzioKatrina Sue LawrenceKelsey Trey LeonardBrendan Jacob MakarewiczChristopher Joseph MarsiliZachary Mastren-WilliamsSydney Marie MaurerColin MayBrian Patrick McCann

Jonathan Robert McCloskeyJacqueline Claire McGeeMartin Hayes McKownChelsey Nicole MecklerJeffrey Dennis MenoskiCaitlin Elizabeth MillerMary Margaret MillerStephen R. MirosChelsey Inez MitchellMorgan M. MundroGrant Paul NagyLindsay Ann NemitMark Davis NolfiDeclan J. O’GradyRyan Michael O’ShaughnessyBrittany Elizabeth OsterwiseMichael J. PaichMallory Olivia PetersonCara Mia PintoLaura Diane PitchfordAlexander Timothy PoormanAllyshea Puchi-CortezAngela May Reed StrathmanEmilia RinaldiDavid Anthony RocchiniRebecca Alyse RoseBrandon Thomas RyanMax A. SchmiererEmma Elizabeth SchoedelKenneth N. Schott IIIWarren Michael SchultzKevin Ferrall ShawRebecca Lynn SilinskiStacey Rose SindlingerTiffany Jo SismondoKevin SlatteryAubrey Therese SmithJonathan Felipe SmithGregory D. SobolDaniel P. Sodroski

Robert J. SoveskyFrank Spinelli IIIGregory F. SteinRebecca Catherine SteinConnor James StewartAndrew Michael StokesAnna C. SulanowskiDouglas H. SullivanThomas Watson SummersJoshua Marvin SuterTiffany Renee TemasLynda M. ThorneAnnamarie Philomena TruckleyBrandon Tully UramLaura K. VeithCaitlin VileScott Chip WallaceWilliam C. WallanderAaron Hillel WeissRyan William WeldRichard Paul WhiteAshley Leona WilkinsonEmerald Nicole WilliamsMichael David WinskoNicholas Stanley Yovich

LL.M.Norah Al-OhaliXinyu WuYe XuJie ZhangYiming Zhou

Certificate – Bar Track Shang Deng

The Law Registrar’s office is no longer processing Unofficial Transcript Requests. The University has partnered with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to provide enhanced and improved transcript processing for students and alumni. All transcript requests are now accepted online through the NSC’s Transcript Ordering Service. There are fees associated with the new transcript processing service. The electronic PDF is $4.00. A paper transcript is $5.00 if picked up in our office or $5.50 if mailed. Express mail delivery is available, although the PDF assures fast electronic delivery of your transcript provided your financial obligations have been met. Credit card payment is made at the time the transcript is ordered, but charges are not applied until or unless the transcript is released.

Check the University Registrar’s website, duq.edu/transcripts, for details.

Update from the Registrar’s Office Concerning Transcripts

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 11

A company’s in-house counsel typically reports to a senior leader, such as the chief legal officer, chief financial officer or directly to the owner or CEO. Their duties generally involve overseeing and identifying the legal issues for all departments as well as corporate governance and business policy. The responsibilities may also encompass crisis management, compliance reporting management and public policy advocacy. They are by definition involved with delicate and confidential matters, and as such are considered top-level trusted advisers in addition to their role as senior executives. Lawyers find themselves arriving at in-house counsel positions via a wide variety of avenues, and the individual job descriptions are as distinct as the individual companies they represent, but they all share a common reality: Being the in-house counsel for a company or corporation is a demanding position that requires a multitude of talents.

Rick Roda, Madelyn Reilly, Mike Cetra, John McElroy and Lauren Wylie are living examples of how, to borrow from the poet Robert Frost, taking the road less traveled can make all the difference. We will periodically feature other in-house alumni in future issues.

In 2015, the ninth year of the Ethisphere Institute’s annual list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, 132 honorees representing 21 countries, five continents and over 50 industries were named. Among those on the list is MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA), a global manufacturing company based in Pittsburgh. A key figure in that organization is in-house counsel Rick Roda, L’01, whose full title is associate general counsel, assistant secretary and chief compliance officer. Although he would resist such an accolade, Roda played a leading role in his company’s making the Ethisphere Institute’s prestigious list. “Being recognized as a 2015 World’s Most Ethical Company is a great honor for the company, and more importantly, for the 4,500-plus MSA associates across the world who personify integrity in their work each day. It’s nice for MSA to be recognized,” Roda affirms. “But we are not driven by the award. We have the same goals and expectations as always.”

Dedicated to defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices as demonstrated by corporate character, marketplace trust and business success, Ethisphere Magazine first entered circulation in November 2006. The following May, the first edition of the World’s Most Ethical Companies (WME) list was published. The standards used in the process for determining the WME list are designed to be an objective measurement of business protocol and stakeholder interaction. For the experts involved in the vetting process, integrity and transparency are the bottom line.

The WME assessment is based on the Ethisphere Institute’s Ethics Quotient, which is a thoroughly researched framework for providing a means for objectively assessing an organization’s performance. The scores are generated in five key categories of core competencies: ethics and compliance program; corporate citizenship and responsibility; culture of ethics; governance and leadership; innovation and reputation. The WME designation recognizes companies that consistently put these ideals into action while exceeding legal compliance minimums and introducing best practices along the way. These are the companies who use ethical leadership as a profit driver, and these are the companies that successfully demonstrate the essence of Ethisphere’s credo, “Good. Smart. Business. Profit.”

Not surprisingly, the criteria for the WME list matches up closely with the content of the MSA Global Code of Business Conduct, the company’s foundational policy governing its core value of integrity. The unifying bond for the WME list and the MSA code can be narrowed down to one primary focus: integrity, which is the company’s longstanding foundational value. In the words of MSA chairman, president and CEO William M. Lambert, “We run our business first and foremost with a clear understanding of integrity—doing what is right. It is critical to our relationships with our end-user customers, our business partners, our communities, our shareholders and each other that we act with nothing less than full integrity.”

“The award signifies what we already know about ourselves,” Roda says. “We deal with lifesaving equipment, and consequently, our key stakeholders place a great deal of trust in us. Our customers have to trust that the company’s products will work as intended. Our shareholders place a great deal of trust in us when investing in MSA. And our 4,500-plus associates trust that the company will conduct its affairs in an honorable and ethical manner. Integrity is the foundation upon which that trust—and our reputation—are built.” After a slight pause for pondering, he adds, “We have been at it for 100 years, and that trust has not been earned easily. In fact, we are still building it every day.”

MSA, the worldwide leader in worker protection and safety product innovation, was born in the wake of a horrific explosion that occurred at the Jed Mine in West Virginia on the morning of March 26, 1912. More than 80 miners were killed in the ghastly accident. The tragedy had a profound impact on mine engineer John T. Ryan Sr., who subsequently vowed, “If I could spend my life doing what I can to lessen the likelihood of the occurrence of such terrible disasters, I shall feel in the end that my life had been well spent.”

Ryan and colleague George H. Deike joined forces to initiate Ryan’s vision for a new company dedicated to safety. With dependable, safe mining equipment as their starting point, they enlisted the help of master inventor and American icon Thomas Edison. The collaboration resulted in the electric cap lamp, an invention that reduced mine explosions by an extraordinary

IN-HOUSE COUNSELSPECIAL FOCUS:

Rick Roda, L’01: A Foundation of IntegrityIn-house counsel helps make MSA a 2015 World’s Most Ethical Company

Phil Rice, Contributing Writer


75 percent over the next 25 years. Edison would later proclaim this invention as the one that did the most for humanity.

Since that noble beginning, MSA has introduced an array of safety products. Today, the company’s core products include self-contained breathing apparatus, fixed gas and flame detection systems, portable gas detection instruments, industrial head protection, fire and rescue helmets, and fall protection devices. These products serve a broad range of markets, including the oil, gas and petrochemical industry, the fire service, the construction industry, mining, and the military. In keeping with the vision of founders Ryan and Deike, the company’s stated mission is “to see to it that men and women may work in safety and that they, their families and their communities may live in health throughout the world.”

Roda started with MSA in 1995 as a customer service specialist. His income from that position enabled him to pursue his degree from the Law School as a student in the Evening Program. “Being married and working full time, the night school option at Duquesne was vital,” he remembers. “My professional and family responsibilities meant that my extracurricular law school activities were somewhat limited, but it was a tradeoff I was willing to accept to earn my degree.” A strong work ethic, clear priorities, and support from family and coworkers were mandatory. His schedule was tight and inflexible; there simply was no wiggle room. “Naturally, I am a strong advocate for the Evening Program, which provides full-time professionals the opportunity to better themselves without sacrificing existing professional responsibilities. Students who finish that program must be absolutely committed to their pursuit of a degree, and my experience shows that employers recognize the unique value of that education.”

He completed his J.D. in 2001. “I was looking at an in-house counsel or corporate law position, but looking back, I was probably a bit naïve given the job market at the time. After I graduated, Doug McClaine, who is currently general counsel for MSA, offered me a full-time position.” Roda knew and understood the company, and clearly the company considered him a solid investment. While he sometimes wonders if he missed out on the rigorous law firm training ground, he looks back with few regrets—it was a good fit.

“My mentor early on was Doug, who was the strongest professional influence in my career,” Roda remembers. “He helped me understand quickly that an in-house counsel for a company like MSA may not litigate cases or become a subject matter expert, but instead must be adaptable problem solvers who wear many hats and can make an ongoing day-to-day impact on a variety of company affairs. More importantly, he helped me understand the value of relationships and of being part of a team.”

In his present in-house counsel position—associate general counsel, assistant secretary and chief compliance officer—Roda does indeed wear a number of hats. Among other duties, he oversees the company’s commercial legal activities, such as mergers and acquisitions, and other strategic transactions. He also manages the day-to-day corporate governance function for the company at the direction of the General Counsel, and supports compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission rules and stock exchange listing requirements. And he oversees global ethics and legal compliance for the company and its affiliates, which are scattered in 40-plus countries with associates speaking more than 15 languages. As he says, “Adaptability and relying on a strong legal team are keys to success as in-house counsel. Our General Counsel has put together a great team of legal professionals, and I am glad just to be part of that team.”

With 20 years at MSA under his belt, Roda is an experienced veteran who strives to attain the ideals of the company he represents. For Roda, “honesty, trust, professionalism and the highest levels of ethical behavior” are not ethereal concepts; they are part of the foundation he acquired during his years in the Evening Program at the Duquesne School of Law. With his commitment to integrity, he is a natural representative for MSA Safety Incorporated—a 2015 World’s Most Ethical Company.

“The unifying bond for the

WME list and the MSA Code

can be narrowed down to one

primary focus: integrity.”

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 13

In a sense, Madelyn Reilly’s journey to her present position as vice president for legal affairs and general counsel at Duquesne University began during chats with her grandfather, a judge and graduate of the School of Law. “I still recall my childhood and his many stories of life on the Bluff. When I was accepted, my grandfather was so proud he gave me his Duquesne class ring, which I still keep in my desk drawer to remind me of my roots,” says Reilly.

Her own time on the Bluff was, not surprisingly, a profound experience. Singling out specific professors or classes is a daunting task, no doubt for diplomatic as well as sentimental reasons, but upon reflection, some highlights come to her mind. “I really loved Legal History with Prof. Sam Astorino. The course provided context for all of the other courses in a way that made everything make more sense and re-energized my love of law,” Reilly says. “The most valuable skill that we learned in law school was how to think like a lawyer—how to assess situations and documents critically. That analytical approach to situations is helpful for any career path, not just the legal field, but it is an especially useful tool for my present position.”

An in-house counsel must have the capacity to work with a diverse assortment of people and be able to effectively respond to a wide range of legal topics. Leadership skills and a willingness to learn are vital tools for responding to the unpredictable situations that the job brings on a regular basis.

Besides a solid foundation from her time at the law school, Reilly’s background is impressively eclectic. She taught high school for five years prior to law school and, immediately after receiving her J.D., she spent three years as a litigation associate at Eckert Seamans in Pittsburgh. This was followed by 15 years as in-house counsel for PPG Industries, a global manufacturer of chemicals, coatings and glass. “Just prior to finding my way home

to Duquesne, I worked for a short time with Ron Petnuch, who was a law school classmate, and his security company Intertech,” Reilly recalls. “I never dreamed that I would come full circle back to Duquesne as vice president and general counsel. For much of my in-house corporate practice I focused on the area of environmental law and litigation, then added compliance, ethics and risk management. Those years provided a very strong foundation for my current role. Nonetheless, I have found that the practice of higher education law, for me, is absolutely the most personally rewarding, the most challenging and the most fun of the legal areas in which I have been privileged to practice.”

Reilly is very quick to place her individual role in context with the greater whole, fully recognizing that the success of a university is a multifaceted accomplishment. “We have an incredibly accomplished, engaged and dedicated faculty with whom I get to interact regularly, and the president, the Spiritans and my colleagues on the cabinet provide a source of strength and inspiration every day,” she explains. “And another highlight of my role is simply the privilege of having such a beautiful work environment. There is so much beauty in the work of the grounds crew and in the significant art that adorns many campus buildings and public areas which reflect our Catholic Spiritan identity.”

Serving Duquesne is foremost in her vision of the future, and her dedication stretches far beyond sentimental attachment. “Higher education has faced a sea change in the last decade. The degree of scrutiny and demand for accountability from the public, government agencies, the press, parents and students is enormous and unprecedented. We need to respond to those challenges in a strong, positive and transparent manner, and that will take the ongoing dedication and cooperation of the entire University community.”

Madelyn Reilly: Coming Home to Duquesne


Michael Cetra, L’04, spent three years in the litigation department of Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney’s Pittsburgh office before accepting a position as associate counsel for the Port Authority of Allegheny County in 2007. He progressed quickly, being promoted to acting director of the legal department and named the Open Records Officer in 2008 before becoming the full-time General Counsel and Assistant General Manager of Legal and Corporate Services in 2009.

The Port Authority is the primary provider of public transportation for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Created in 1959 when the Pennsylvania Legislature authorized the consolidation of the Pittsburgh Railways Company with 32 independent bus and inclined plane companies, Port Authority was the first—and thus far only—unified transit system in Allegheny County. The agency requires 2,600 employees in order to operate and maintain bus, light rail, incline and paratransit services for about 200,000 passengers per day. In addition to more than 700 buses and more than 80 light rail vehicles, Port Authority owns two inclines: the Monongahela Incline and the Duquesne Incline. And in keeping with the need to show an awareness of environmental issues, the Authority also operates 32 hybrid diesel-electric buses and is exploring other options (such as compressed natural gas) to further diversify its bus fleet.

The board governing Port Authority consists of unpaid volunteer government appointees, and the budget is funded by a mix of state, federal and local funding, along with revenues generated from fares and advertising. Because of its being a publicly supported service, the Authority’s finances are closely linked to statutory funding sources at the state, local and federal levels of government. This is understandably the source of much concern, a good deal of which falls on the in-house counsel.

“I think the biggest issue for me, both as general counsel and as a senior manager at Port Authority, was the funding uncertainty that Port Authority faced over the past several years,” Cetra says.

“It led to some very tough decisions for Port Authority that adversely impacted both Authority employees and the patrons we serve, including layoffs, route reductions and fare increases. With the passage of the transportation bill, Act 89 of 2013, by the Pennsylvania Legislature, Port Authority has been able to stabilize its services and financial condition and begin to focus on improving the customer experience.”

The challenges of the job are predictably numerous, and a business that provides a public service virtually 24 hours a day, seven days a week, can be especially demanding. According to Cetra, “With in-house counsel, the office door is never truly closed, and the phone can ring at any time, any day.” The responsibilities require the ability to quickly recognize issues, intuitively prioritize and formulate the strongest legal opinion for a given situation. Fortunately, Cetra feels that he entered the position well prepared.

“My time at Duquesne was a true life changer. The Clinical Legal Education programs were particularly helpful in preparing me for ‘real world’ legal work.” Cetra’s solid academic foundation has many notable supports, including the present dean of the Law School. “(Then professor) Gormley was instrumental in sharpening my ability to spot the vital issues; he was a great resource to me throughout law school and greatly improved my writing and analytical abilities.”

Cetra’s law career has rapidly met with intriguing twists and turns, and his vision for the future is pragmatic and goal-oriented. “I don’t anticipate a time when I would completely step away from the legal profession, but my time at the Port Authority has inspired me to envision career goals beyond the legal aspects. Being involved with the leadership of a public transit agency at an executive director level is very appealing.”

The views expressed by Cetra in this interview are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Port Authority of Allegheny County.

“With in-house counsel, the

office door is never truly

closed, and the phone can

ring at any time, any day.”

Mike Cetra: The Wheels of Success

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 15

Career opportunities sometimes arrive in expected fashion and follow a logical progression, such as Mike Cetra’s working his way up the ladder at Port Authority of Allegheny County. His hard work and dedication were recognized by the company, and he made the most of every opportunity. But sometimes the opportunities can come from an unexpected source. For instance, John McElroy, L’01, had a significant door in the legal profession opened while he was pursuing another passion: music.

“A recruiting agency contacted me and said that C.F. Martin & Co., Inc. was looking for in-house legal counsel. The company wanted a lawyer who had the right legal and professional experience—and was also a guitar player. The recruiter had found me through my participation in the 2013 Allegheny County Bar Foundation ‘Pro Bono Rocks!—Battle of the Attorney Bands,’” McElroy explains, adding “I never would have imagined that playing a music gig could lead to such a dramatic change in my legal career. But that’s exactly what happened.”

Since the 1830s, C.F. Martin & Co. has been continuously producing acoustic instruments that are universally considered to be among the very finest in the world. No serious guitar player would ever pass up a chance to play a Martin guitar, and actually owning one can represent the pinnacle of success for a working musician. As with Stradivarius violins and Steinway pianos, the craftsmanship of Martin guitars represents the standard for excellence to guitar players.

McElroy had been an avid guitar player for nearly 25 years before he received that unexpected job opportunity, so he certainly met the experienced musician requirement. “Since the late 1990s, I played with my band, The Inconsiderate Few, all over the Pittsburgh area. In fact, while I was a student at Duquesne Law School, many of my classmates would come to our shows at venues like the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern.”

In addition to actively participating in the Pittsburgh music scene, McElroy became acquainted with the intricacies of the music industry, including the luthier field and other manufacturing aspects of the business. “I learned so much

about the industry generally and guitar making specifically that my background, along with my commercial law experience, was a good fit for the position with Martin Guitar.”

McElroy keeps his Duquesne education close at hand as well. “Professor Robert Taylor was one of my favorite teachers. I had several of his classes, including Philosophy of Law and Law and Religion. I always enjoyed the fact that he really pushed his students to think about things differently. He reminded us that, as lawyers, we should strive to behave like true professionals and not ‘hired guns.’”

In-house counsel must have a working knowledge of all legal and regulatory areas that might impact the company. At Martin Guitar, most of the equipment and software purchases, artist endorsements, festival and intellectual property contracts pass through McElroy’s office along the way. He also delegates and coordinates any issues sent to outside legal counsel. “At a company this size, one lawyer cannot have the sufficient expertise or time to handle every matter, so at times we rely on various outside lawyers who specialize in the specific practice areas with which we need assistance.”

Even though the door opened unexpectedly through what seemed like unrelated circumstances, McElroy knows that there is a “dream come true” element to his present position. “Being able to work for a company like Martin—which I’ve respected as a fan for many years—and being able to combine my passion for music and guitars with my profession is something I never take for granted. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity, and my goal is to continue to play a role in the 182-year storied history of C.F. Martin & Co.”

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John McElroy and Martin Guitars: Best of Both Worlds

“I never would have imagined that playing a

music gig could lead to such a dramatic change in

my legal career. But that’s exactly what happened.”


After earning her J.D. from the Law School in 1999, Lauren Wylie launched her career as a commercial trial lawyer with tremendous energy and great expectations. She brought a strict work ethic and a sharp mind to the legal profession, and her ambitions were being quickly realized. Her journey took a slight diversion when she was presented with in-house counsel opportunities, and in the process she discovered a particularly good fit for her talents. After gaining valuable experience in several in-house counsel roles for United Technologies, Cubic Corporation and Express Scripts, she accepted a position as general counsel and secretary for MOX Services in 2012.

“I wanted to expand my areas of specialty in the federal regulatory world when the position with MOX became available,” Wylie explains. “I knew there was a great management team already in place, which was a vital aspect for me. Simply stated, it was an incredible opportunity to surround myself with very smart people and confront new legal challenges. Who would say no to that?”

MOX Services is a unique operation with an intriguing history. In 1999, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) signed a contract with a consortium, now called CB&I AREVA MOX Services, LLC, to design, build and operate a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility near Aiken, S.C. The facility takes surplus weapon-grade plutonium, removes impurities and mixes it with uranium oxide to form MOX fuel pellets for reactor fuel assemblies. A single MOX fuel assembly can provide enough electricity to power 9,000 homes for one year. To the layman this sounds like dangerous work, and it certainly requires extreme caution, but thus far the project has worked more than 23 million safe work hours without a lost time incident.

Not surprisingly, the in-house counsel position is as complex and unique as the company premise. Each day brings new obstacles and challenges. Always on the alert for the unforeseen, Wylie engages with senior management in strategic initiatives and manages the legal group. She also works with her government counterparts to tackle challenges facing both the government and its corporate partners. These responsibilities require talents for collaboration, leadership, problem solving, thoroughness and time management—in addition to many other skills.

As with her fellow in-house counsel alumni, the years spent at Duquesne have proven to be a solid foundation for successfully navigating the intricate legal waters of her profession. Among the classes that she finds herself referencing in her present duties are Properties with Kenneth Gray and Constitutional Law with Ken Gormley. “Professor Gray taught me to be creative and thorough.

Lauren Wylie: When Paths Diverge

“I expected to be a commercial

trial lawyer, but I really enjoy the

diversity and constant challenge

of my current position... .”

He also reminded me that a sense of humor is critical in the legal profession,” Wylie says, “and I appreciate how Dean Gormley taught me to cut through complex legal issues.”

Being flexible and in tune with the next opportunity is a trait that Wylie continues to use to full advantage. “I expected to be a commercial trial lawyer, but I really enjoy the diversity and constant challenge of my current position, and I couldn’t ask for a better senior management team in which to be a member.” Her experiences have provided her with a friendly dictum for law students and recent graduates: “Don’t be afraid to look around the next corner and have an open mind when it comes to your legal career.”

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 17

“Here, There, and Everywhere”

John Rago’s Passionate Support for the Liverpool Institute for Performing ArtsPhil Rice, Contributing Writer

As a law professor, John Rago, L’87, concentrates on the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure and wrongful convictions. In the classroom and in his work, he stresses the need to preserve the rights of the accused while providing law enforcement with the best available means for separating those who are guilty from those who are not. He is known for his students-first approach to teaching, and that includes instilling in his students the concept of influencing positive change in the world. “I tell students that truth is a difficult conquest in any setting and that despite our best intentions, truth is not always achieved in the criminal justice system,” he says. “It is one thing to say that we make mistakes, but to countenance them, to fail to try to do our best as fully as lies within our means—that is just plain wrong.”

Beyond the classroom, Rago’s work on wrongful convictions and conviction integrity locally has significantly influenced criminal justice reform throughout Pennsylvania. In recent years he has joined forces with Allegheny County District Attorney Steve Zappala, L’84; the county court system, led by President Judge Jeffrey A. Manning, L’72; and the local law enforcement community to spearhead a conviction integrity initiative in Allegheny County. “We all recognize that the integrity of the

criminal justice system requires us to develop policies and best practices that serve the interests of law enforcement, victims and the accused—with equal vigor,” Rago asserts.

Rago is a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, and he and his wife, Ann, have raised their children Annie, Emily and John Henry, within the Steel City limits. With undergraduate and graduate degrees from Duquesne—the same grounds he currently patrols as an associate professor—it makes sense that the majority of his service work is centered on the needs of his hometown and home state. But Rago is also a citizen of the world, and his vision expands well beyond geopolitical boundaries. For instance, one of his most stringent passions resides with a special school in the United Kingdom: the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in the port city of Liverpool, England.

LIPA is a relatively young school, but one with fascinating links to history. A university-level institution dedicated to developing a unique blending of specialist and generic skills within the performing arts, LIPA was founded in 1996, and since that time has become firmly established as a leader among the U.K.’s higher education performing arts academies. Celebrity performing artists are part of the school’s landscape, but this is

L-R: Ann and John Rago, Sir Paul McCartney, and Rago’s children, Emily and John Henry. Missing from the photo is daughter Annie.


nobody’s personal showpiece; it’s a serious institution absolutely committed to using the performing arts as motivation for cultivating attributes and skills aimed at breathing life into the world.

LIPA was founded by current principal Mark Featherstone-Witty, OBE, with considerable help from the Institute’s lead patron, Sir Paul McCartney. McCartney’s initial interest was in restoring the building that once housed the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys. His motivation was partly sentimental. He had attended the school as a youth, as had his friend George Harrison. They would go on to gain a certain measure of success during the 1960s as members of a rock ’n’ roll band called the Beatles. When the soon-to-be-knighted McCartney casually visited the original school building a few years after the Institute had officially closed in 1985, he was troubled by its dilapidated condition. Ever the artist, he began envisioning ways to refurbish and restore the site. As rain falling through the ceiling interrupted his visionary wandering, he determined then and there that he would find a way to fix the holes.

Featherstone-Witty came to the project from a different direction. His own eclectic background included time spent as an accountant, an educator, a writer, an editor, a theater director and an actor. During the 1980s he founded or assisted with the founding of three colleges: Capital College, the London School of Insurance and the London School of Publishing. After absorbing the blockbuster movie Fame, a 1980 film directed by fellow Londoner Alan Parker, Featherstone-Witty was inspired to work toward establishing a performing arts school as his next educational project.

Interested contributors, including Alan Parker and entrepreneur Richard Branson, began coming on board, but the project would require a number of miniscule pieces to come together in a particular manner in order to be realized. Making it happen would not be easy, but one vital personality emerged as a unifying force in the form of Sir George Martin, the multi-talented icon of the London music scene. Martin was an accomplished musician, arranger, composer, conductor and audio engineer—though he was primarily known as the producer of the Beatles. He had a knack for turning ingenious ideas into reality. Among other connections, Martin put the word in Featherstone-Witty’s ear that a certain Liverpudlian bass player might have a useful idea to contribute to the performing arts school project.

This meeting of the two minds, Featherstone-Witty and McCartney, was the starting point of several difficult years of planning, fundraising and building, but the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts officially opened its doors to students in January 1996. With a royal flourish but with predictably few words, the

Backstage at Wembley Arena (London, England): Ann and John Rago interviewing Paul McCartney for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 24, 1990.

historic building was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen in June of the same year. LIPA was a reality.

Founded in 1825, the Institute where future Beatles George and Paul attended school was first known as the Liverpool Mechanics’ School of

Arts. In 1856 a new name was bestowed upon the evolving school: The Liverpool Institute and School of Art. In the 1880s, a new building next to the principal building on Mount Street was opened to house the School of Art, and the two academies would officially separate in

1905. Among those who were admitted to the art college in the late 1950s were John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe, two rebellious artists who would in time hook up with Paul McCartney and George Harrison from the Institute in the aforementioned rock ’n’ roll band. After the School of Art was relocated to the new Art & Design Academy, LIPA purchased the original building in March 2012, thus reuniting the two buildings as well as the collaborative energies of the famous pupils who had passed through the halls on their way to altering the course of music history.

Because of its famous lead patron, LIPA is popularly associated with music, but as its name suggests, it is indeed devoted to the performing arts. This includes courses in acting, applied theater, community drama, dance, management, sound technology, and theater performance design and technology. Almost a third of the undergraduate students come from countries outside of the United Kingdom, with more than 40 different nationalities represented. Only 250 of over 4,500 applicants are accepted each year for LIPA’s three-year BA (Honours) degree programs and one-year Foundation Certificate programs. Although competition for acceptance is high, the academic programs emphasize collaboration rather than competition between students, thus encouraging students from different disciplines to work alongside each other during course work just as they will when they enter the performing arts industries.

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 19

The connection between the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and Professor John Rago of the Duquesne School of Law began when LIPA was still just an idea in the heads of its co-founders. Rago had an affinity for London, and he would come to think of the English city as a second home. He and his wife Ann were married in London, with their wedding reception being held in the canteen of Abbey Road Studios—the same studio where the Beatles had recorded much of their classic work. For Beatles fans such as the Ragos, celebrating their marriage in such a hallowed place was the stuff of fantasy. But their personal magical mystery tour had barely begun.

In 1989, John and Ann Rago were expecting their first child. John had graduated from the Law School just two years previous, and they were living on a shoestring budget. Still, when they heard that Paul McCartney was planning a concert tour of the U.S.—his first since 1976—they were intent on scrounging enough cash for a couple of tickets. But getting tickets to see a McCartney show required more than money; it required luck and timing. The shows sold out as soon as they were announced. John tried Chicago, New York and other cities, but the answer was the same for each city: sold out. But this was in the days before the internet, and he was searching for the tickets via telephone, which is where he ran into timing and luck. While he was on the phone trying to purchase tickets, three new shows were announced in Los Angeles. Before he even had a chance to think about it, he bought two tickets for each of the three shows. He would soon add two more tickets for a show at Wembley Stadium in London. Their savings were depleted, but this was for Paul McCartney. One day their baby would understand why those first few months were a little spare of luxuries.

Ann Rago worked as director of public relations at Duquesne University, and as such she was able to get press credentials for both Ragos, which would at least make sure they were going to get their money’s worth. They soon found

themselves at the L.A. Forum attending a press conference for their favorite Beatle. At Ann’s suggestion, John approached one of the tour coordinators with the intention of inquiring about the possibility of press passes for the London show. The man turned out to be publicist Geoff Baker, and when he heard that the Ragos were from Pittsburgh, he assumed John was looking to write a preview for a show in Pittsburgh that had been scheduled but not announced. “Oh, do you want a one-on-one with Paul?” Timing and luck once again shined on the Ragos. The interview was lined up to coincide with their London trip, and the Post-Gazette was pleased to be getting such a scoop in advance of the Pittsburgh show.

The big day in London finally arrived, and with Ann’s skills leading the way, the interview began. Early in the meeting, a very nervous John blurted out his first question: “Why do you have mud all over your shoes?” Before he could take the question back, the music icon responded, “Because I was dipping sheep this morning.” A 45-minute casual and friendly conversation followed, with Paul McCartney asking as many questions as he answered. The shows that followed were wonderful and the Post-Gazette article was well-received. The Ragos had experienced a storybook encounter with a legend—one who, for their generation, could be called THE legend—just as an even more profound chapter of their life was beginning—their family.

But as it turned out, the Beatle story wasn’t over. A few months later, John received a phone call from London. Paul and Linda McCartney were sending their compliments for a fine article, and they had a request. Paul was at that moment trying to get LIPA off the ground, and he was wondering if the Ragos had any thoughts about how to get publicity going from the States’ point of view. The answer was yes.

John became passionately involved from that point on. He helped create a nonprofit for LIPA in the U.S. and organized various fundraising events and other means for bringing in

Sir Paul McCartney, front row center, with newly named fellow companions: Back row (L-R): Scott Rodger, John Rago, Mark Featherstone-Witty, Conor Murphy and Hugh Padgham; and, front row (L-R): Sharon Watson, Noddy Hodder, Gemma Bodinetz, Fran Healy and James Thompson, ahead of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts graduation ceremony at the Echo Arena, Liverpool.

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funds for the school. Whenever McCartney toured, the Ragos were in charge of the “LIPA Ticket” for each show, a $1,000 ticket that included special seating, meeting the band and other perks, with all of the money going to the nonprofit. Over the years, there have been various charity events and special concerts internationally, and John Rago has been there, continuing to represent the States’ point of view. In the process, he has brought scores of interested donors into the project, not because of Paul McCartney’s name, but because of a genuine dedication to the mission of LIPA.

When the subject is broached, John treads carefully. He wants it understood that his involvement with LIPA comes from a much higher calling than Beatlemania. “I have a passionate love for the arts,” he explains. “The highest form of human expression is not the law; it’s not accountants; it’s not engineers; it’s not even physicists or the natural scientists. The highest form of human expression is through the arts—man and woman’s ability to create beauty. (Professor Robert) Taylor, my colleague on the faculty, now retired, introduced me to this concept of beauty, the hierarchy of creation: When people create beauty in any artistic form it’s pleasing to God. That inspires me.”

Nourishing the arts, working toward providing the means for passing on artistic talent from generation to generation, is the motivation. For John Rago, art transcends the earthly struggles. “When Paul McCartney performs, there’s a spiritual dimension to it. Life is suspended. I’m a lawyer, not an artist, but anything I can do to aid that process, I’ll do it. The point of service is to help people who need the help. That includes people who have been wrongly convicted, police who need evidenced-based practices to earn the public confidence, or someone who needs direction for artistic expression. Helping is the key.”

But at no point does Professor Rago lose sight of his own professional calling. “The message for the story, particularly for people considering whether or not they want to pursue a legal education, or even for lawyers who are in their profession and looking for other ways to be fulfilled, is that the ability to do good things is all around us. We have to be mindful of the opportunities. God opens up these little portals for us all the time. The opportunity to interview Paul McCartney in 1989 was such a portal, and it was opened by something simple my wife said to me in passing.”

Much has happened for the Ragos since that day in L.A. Not only are both widely recognized for accomplishments in their fields, they have seen their family blossom. “My life has been blessed with a wonderful family. Anything good that comes out of me is a product of my faith, a product of my family, and a product of the people in my life who I love and who love me. That naturally includes the people of Duquesne University. Many friends have come through Duquesne, a place that I love. And I especially have to give my wife a lot of credit. Aside from her talents, her heart and her spirit are much sharper and much better than my own.”

The spiritual concept of service through the arts is also being strongly displayed by the younger generation of Ragos.

“Our daughter Annie studied opera and was graduated from Northwestern University and the Royal Academy of Music at London; she’s a first class artist,” John explains. “My daughter Emily, currently studying in London, is an exceptional film artist. Our son John Henry, the youngest at 15, is studying Production Technology at a performing arts high school and is a very talented self-taught guitarist, and like me he’s still searching. But when it comes to the arts, they all ‘get’ it. My three kids are all better than me, and I’m thrilled to be able to say that.”

In July of 2015, the Ragos returned to England, this time to attend the LIPA graduation ceremony and to witness Sir Paul McCartney’s bestowing of the annual LIPA Companionships. LIPA Companions are individuals in the midst of outstanding careers within the performing arts who share their experience and expertise directly with LIPA students. Over the years the list has included Giles Martin, Billy Ocean, John Hurt, Robin Gibb and many other notable artists and people from the business of performance art. Each year an Honoured Friend, someone who is not directly involved in the performing arts but who has had a positive influence on the school, is included among the Companions. The Honoured Friend for 2015 was American law professor John T. Rago.

“My passion for the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts has everything to do about the honesty and the integrity of LIPA, its people and their program. Whether we teach lawyers, or artists, or history majors, we have a fundamental duty to our students to do our best and to be faithful to our mission. LIPA does this and so much more. To be an Honoured Friend with such a distinguished group is something that never would have crossed my mind under my wildest imagination. The attraction was and remains the honesty I saw in Mark Featherstone-Witty, Paul McCartney and the folks at LIPA.”

Trying to put his experience with LIPA in context is important to John. He recognizes that selflessness is important, that the ego needs to be quieted in the act of true giving, yet he also realizes that carrying the message is a vital part of service. “If you are an honest broker of ideas, if you are a passionate person, if you are truthful with your feelings to yourself and others, in the end good things will happen,” he muses, adding, “Being a lawyer helped me to do certain things that I might not have otherwise been able to do. But without the Lord, without Jesus Christ, I don’t have hope for doing anything right.”

The LIPA Ticket

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 21

As the Pa. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Expungement Case, Recommendations for the Legislature Thomas Cocchi, Executive Editor

Juris—The Duquesne Law Magazine is an ABA award-winning student-run publication with a long history. The first issue was released in 1967 in traditional newspaper format. Over the years, the publication has evolved from a newspaper to a semi-journal to a newsmagazine. Through this rich history Juris has developed into a publication that incorporates traditional citation standards and unique graphics for substantial legal news articles. Juris also now has a full blog, featuring timely posts about current legal issues, and Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.

This year, Juris has over 45 student writers contributing to the blog and magazine. We will be launching an archive section of our website that will allow visitors to view all of our past issues, and this will be our first year going fully digital. We will not be printing a hard copy of the magazine. We hope you will enjoy the following article excerpts and will read the full versions along with other excellent student pieces on the Juris website.

Meghan Collins, 3L, is the editor-in-chief and graphic designer of Juris. She is the student articles editor of the Duquesne Business Law Journal and president of both Duquesne Intellectual Property Law Association and Corporate Law Society. She is also pursuing an M.B.A. at the Palumbo Donahue School of Business. She can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].

Under Pennsylvania law, a citizen may have a summary offense expunged provided that person “has been free of arrest or prosecution for five years following the conviction for that offense.” Until recently, the Pennsylvania statute allowing for the expungement of summary offenses was understood to operate

to expunge any summary offense on a person’s record, so long as that person had been arrest and prosecution free for five years prior to filing the expungement petition. Early in 2015, however, the Superior Court limited the expungements available to Pennsylvania citizens in Commonwealth v. Giulian. In that

An Introduction to the New Juris Format

Watch for these Juris stories in January

• The Reality of Daily Fantasy Sports

• E- Discovery Ethics: Emerging Standards of Technological Competence

• As the Pa. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Expungement Case, Recommendations for the Legislature

• That’s No Moon…It’s a Lawsuit!

• Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Credibility of Drug-Detection Dogs in the Courtroom

• Gender Identity: A Survey of Laws

@jurisduqlaw Juris Magazine

Juris Magazine – The Duquesne Law School Magazine

Contact us [email protected]

jurismagazine.com


Barking up the Wrong Tree: The Reliability and Accuracy of Drug-Detection Dogs in the CourtroomJustin Bernard, Associate Editor

case, a woman attempted to have two summary offenses, one from 1997 and one from 1998, expunged from her record. The Superior Court considered the language of the relevant statute, and concluded that the phrase “following the conviction for that offense” meant that each expungable summary offense must be followed by five years in which the person is free of arrest and prosecution. In the Giulian case, the court’s ruling meant that her 1997 summary offense did not qualify for an expungement, while her 1998 summary offense did. The obvious effect of this ruling, to those who work or have worked on expungement petitions, is to cut off expungement as a potential source of relief to Pennsylvania citizens who may have multiple offenses over a short period of time on their record.

Since the Giulian ruling, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has decided that it will hear an appeal on the case which essentially amounts to a statutory interpretation matter. The statutory language which struck the Superior Court was the phrase “following the conviction for that offense,” and this

“Every dog has its day.” With the April 21, 2015 ruling in Rodriguez v. U.S., this idiom proved true for privacy activists as an officer’s ability to extend traffic stops in order to conduct a drug sniff has come to an end.

In Rodriguez, the U.S. Supreme Court held police officers, absent a reasonable suspicion, can no longer prolong a traffic stop to bring on a K-9 unit to continue the investigation, which would violate the Constitution’s protection against unreasonable seizures. Although Rodriguez is deemed a success for privacy advocates, other recent cases involving K-9 drug-detection units present troubling results regarding unreasonable and unwarranted searches and the credibility of these canines.

In Florida v. Harris, the Supreme Court held evidence of a dog’s satisfactory performance in a certification or training program can provide a sufficient basis to trust his alert and help establish probable cause. In disagreeing with the Florida Supreme Court, SCOTUS held the State need not present the dog’s training and certification records, an explanation of the specific training received, and evidence concerning the officer’s experience and training in handling the dog.

Regarding the key factor to the Florida Supreme Court, the court sought the requirement of field performance records including records showing how often the dog has alerted in the field without illegal contraband having been found. Besides the performance of the dog, the court also was concerned about a handler’s tendency to “cue an alert” and a dog’s inability to distinguish between “residual odors and actual drugs.”

SCOTUS, however, declared these requirements too rigid and instead instructed future judges to hold a probable-cause hearing where if the “State has produced proof from controlled settings that a dog performs

language will likely cause the Supreme Court to rule in the same way. The issues preventing the fair application of expungement law are not of unfair or improper judicial interpretation, but are of a basic and systemic nature. The expungement statute, as it is written, would seem to lead to the result for which Superior Court arrived.

The changes that must be made to lead to a more fair result for expungement petitioners in Pennsylvania are changes that can only be made by the legislature, not by the courts. The Pennsylvania legislature must strike the last phrase from 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(b)(2)(i) in order to allow citizens like Giulian to take advantage of the expungement remedy. Additionally, the Pennsylvania legislature should make statutory amendments to expungement laws to attempt to standardize expungement costs across the several counties, consider expanding the types of offenses for which expungement can be a remedy, and make expungement automatic and mandatory for non-convictions.

reliably in detecting drugs, and the defendant has not contested that showing, then the court should find probable cause.” The defendant can challenge the reliability of the dog and, in this case, the court would “weigh the competing evidence.”

U.S. v. Bentley is another recent SCOTUS ruling that attempted to challenge the evidentiary standards and reliability of drug-sniffing dogs. In this case, Larry Bentley challenged the use of the drug-sniffing dog, Lex, whose indicating sniff was used to establish probable cause to search Bentley’s car. Although the court looked at the totality of the circumstances and did not rely specifically on Lex’s drug sniff alone, there were still some troubling results that arose from the reliability of Lex—especially with her past performances.

For instance, in past cases Lex alerted to her handler that there were drugs 93 percent of the time, although Lex’s overall accuracy rate is right around 59.9 percent—not much better than a coin flip. As a result, the false indications led to a number of warrantless searches that came up empty and invaded the privacy of innocent citizens.

Despite concerns regarding the accuracy and procedural steps of implementing drug-sniffing dogs, it is tough to argue against the invaluable traits that canines can provide in an ongoing criminal investigation. Statistics show that it would take officers 10 times longer to cover a given area during an investigation without the use

of canines. Regarding a dog’s sense of smell, James Walker, the former director of the Sensory Research Institute at Florida State University, revealed that a dog’s sense of smell compared to humans is 10,000 to 100,000 times as acute.

Simply put, it would be a foolish argument to undermine the qualities these dogs can provide for justice departments and the military in ongoing criminal

investigations. F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 23

Solving Problems outside the Courtroom: New Course in Pennsylvania Legislative Process Gives Students Opportunities to Help Local NonprofitsAnn Marie Schiavone, Assistant Professor of Law

This past spring, I had the opportunity to teach a new course at Duquesne titled Pennsylvania Legislative Process and Drafting. The primary goals of the course were to give students an understanding of the Pennsylvania legislative process, to show them how the process can be used by lawyers to help clients solve a variety of legal problems, and to help them develop good drafting skills that are transferable outside the realm of legislation to other forms of legal drafting.

The course incorporated two unique experiential learning facets designed to advance student learning. The first facet was a “mock legislature,” where students had the opportunity to take on the role of a legislator in a legislative simulation. The second facet was community engagement, allowing students to work for a nonprofit in the community and to draft a legislative solution to a real-world problem.

The mock legislature simulation allowed students to experience the legislative process first-hand, as opposed to learning techniques within a vacuum. Students researched and drafted bills, presented them before a “committee” of colleagues, answered questions, defended their drafting choices and considered amendments to their bills. Eventually, the legislative body (the entire class) voted on the final versions of the bills. Legislative drafting is generally considered the most difficult form of drafting, because the clients and the audiences are the most varied. Competing interests of public policy, politics, special interests and other variables go into drafting a good piece of legislation. After taking this course, students walked away with a deeper appreciation for and understanding of the legislative process and gained drafting skills that transfer to any legal practice.

The most exciting part of the course for the students was the community engagement component. With the help of the University’s Center for Community-Engaged Teaching and Research, my students partnered with local nonprofits that were seeking legislative solutions for issues. Specifically, they worked with: Casa San Jose, an organization dedicated to helping immigrant populations in Pittsburgh; Community Human Services (CHS), a community group involved in issues of homelessness in our region; and FluffyJean’s Fund for Felines (FFF), a nonprofit focused on welfare of feral cat populations in western Pennsylvania. Students divided themselves into groups and chose the nonprofit with whom they wished to work. Each group had an initial client meeting to determine the problem to be addressed with legislation. The initial meeting was followed by researching the problem, drafting the legislation, presenting the legislation to the community group and making changes or additions based on that meeting. As a final step, each group lobbied a member of the Pennsylvania legislature about the issue.

Because this was the first time a course like this was taught at Duquesne, at the end of the semester I solicited feedback, beyond the standard student evaluations, regarding course design. Members of the inaugural class candidly shared their thoughts, both anonymously and in-person, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. One student commented, “The class offered me a chance to polish research and writing skills, and, at the same time, develop a new skill set centered around negotiation, strategy and client counseling. My favorite aspect of the class was the collaboration with the community group. My team had to pool

together our resources and knowledge to draft legislation to meet the goals of our client.”

Another student said, “Pennsylvania Legislative Process and Drafting was the most practical class I have taken in law school. The course taught students the basics of how to become policymakers. Even though some students may not want to pursue a career in policy, the skills learned in this class are easily transferable to any area of the practice of law.”

Overall feedback from students was positive. Several of them noted that working with real-life clients forced them to step outside their comfort zones, and represent people very different from themselves. They felt the pull of competing interests of drafting a bill that would meet client needs, but, at the same time, have a good chance of passing. The students also learned quickly that they needed to be both a student and a teacher, learning from their client about the issue, while educating the client about the legislative process. The students’ suggestions for improvement included allowing more opportunities to meet with nonprofit clients throughout the semester and altering the timeline of the assignments so students had even more opportunity to lobby for their legislation and see it move farther along in the legislative process. I intend to incorporate these changes next time I teach the course.

My students gained insight to the true complexities of the process. They learned to work with clients, compromise on issues and advocate for positions, and even counsel clients about expectations. Most especially, I was struck by the sense of accomplishment the students achieved from producing work actually utilized by a real-world client.

Despite the fact that the lawmaking function of our government resides with legislatures, lawyers all too often focus on the court system as the primary means of solving client problems. It was eye-opening for the students to experience other means of helping clients outside the courtroom. In this course, students gained a greater understanding of the legislative process and how it can be used to help clients in various ways. I look forward to teaching this course again in 2017.


FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS

Steven Baicker-McKee PUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Federal Litigator (March-August 2015).

• A student’s guide to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Nineteenth edition. St. Paul, Minn.: West Academic (2015).

• Learning Civil Procedure, 2nd Edition (with Jeffrey W. Stempel, Brooke D. Coleman, David F. Herr, and Michael J. Kaufman). St. Paul, Minn.: West Academic (2015).

• The Award of E-Discovery Costs to the Prevailing Party: An Analog Solution in a Digital World, thE ClEvEland StatE law REviEw, Volume 63, Number 2, 397-427 (2015).

PRESENTATIONS

• It wasn’t my fault! Academic conference presentation about the excited utterance exception to the hearsay rule. Central State Law School Association. University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio (Oct. 9, 2015).

• May it Please the Court or Not, Judges Should Manage Their Cases. Mon River Colloquium. Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pa. (April 17, 2015).

Robert S. Barker

PUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• La Tradición del Common Law, el Concepto de ‘Precedente’, y el Derecho Constitucional de los Estados Unidos. Derecho Constitucional Contemporáneo 515 San José, Costa Rica: Investigaciones Jurídicas, S.A. (2015).

PRESENTATIONS

• Professor Barker delivered a series of lectures on the United States Constitution at the Institute of United States Law at the University of Cologne and the Law School of the University of Düsseldorf, Germany (June 11-19, 2015).

• International Law and the Local Practitioner (with Cafardi, N. and Lordi, A). Dean John J. Sciullo CLE Series, Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pa. (March 28, 2015).

Nicholas P. CafardiPRESENTATIONS

• Religious Freedom and Its Intersection with the 14th Amendment. Duquesne University Christian-Muslim Dialogue Committee Lecture Series, inaugural lecture (Sept. 16, 2015).

• International Law and the Local Practitioner (with Barker, R. and Lordi, A). Dean John J. Sciullo CLE Series, Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pa. (March 28, 2015).

PUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Review of the book God’s Bankers, by G. Posner. America, Vol. 213, No. 2 (July 20-27, 2015).

• “A pope for the periphery,” Los Angeles Times op-ed (Sept. 22 2015).

Julia M. GlencerPRESENTATIONS

• Communicating Effectively with Screen Readers: An Ethical Obligation Rooted in Competence. Dean John J. Sciullo CLE Series, Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pa. (April 25, 2015).

Ken Gormley PUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Foreword. Introduction: The Legacy of Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille. A Tribute to Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille and State Constitutional Law. duquESnE law REviEw, 53, 305-309 (Summer 2015).

PRESENTATIONS

• The Future of Legal Education Parts I & II. Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Philadelphia, Pa. (Oct. 13 and May 6, 2015).

• First Constitution Day Program (organizer and moderator). U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Sept. 18, 2015).

• Constitution Day Celebration (moderator), Duquesne University School of Law and McAnulty College, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Sept. 17, 2015).

• Universities and Free Speech. Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, Pittsburgh, Pa. (May 12, 2015).

• President Ford’s Pardon of Richard M. Nixon. Montgomery County Bench Bar Conference, Bedford Springs, Pa, (Sept. 26), Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa. (April 21), Chatham University, Department of History, Pittsburgh, Pa. (April 8).

Rhonda Gay HartmanPRESENTATIONS

• Children and public health law: Vaccination and decision making—who should call the shots? Grand Rounds Lecture, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Mass. (Sept. 21, 2015).

• About face: Changing course for law and policy governing donor tissue for restorative surgery (facial transplant). Grand Rounds Lecture, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Mass. (Sept. 18, 2015).

Gathered in Cologne, Germany, on June 19, 2015 are (L-R)Margaret McGannon (3L); Kirk W. Junker, L’84, Director of the Institute of United States Law at the University of Cologne; Ryan Kraski, L’14, a member of the faculty of the Institute; Robert S. Barker, L’66, Duquesne University Distinguished Professor of Law and Visiting Professor at the University of Cologne; and P. Matthew Roy, L’07, a member of the Institute’s faculty.

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 25

Martha W. JordanPRESENTATIONS

• Charitable Contribution Primer: Protecting Your Charity in Charitable Giving. PBI Nonprofit Series, Harrisburg, Pa. (March 2015).

Howard KatzPUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Constitutional Rights: Cases in Context, Constitutional Structure, Cases in Context (with Barnett, R.E.). New York: Aspen/Wolters Kluwer (2015 Supplement).

PRESENTATIONS

• Designing effective first-year and “core” upper-level elective courses. New Law Professors Workshop, Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) annual meeting, Boca Raton Resort and Beach Club, Boca Raton, Fla. (July 30, 2015).

• Design thinking and the Stanford d-school. (Invited participant and co-convener of session). Wolters Kluwer Leading Edge Conference on the Future of Legal Education, Wolters Kluwer Meeting Facility, Chicago, Ill. (July 16, 2015).

Rona Kaufman KitchenPUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Constrained Choice: Mothers, the State, and Domestic Violence. 24 tEmplE pol. & Civ. RtS. l. REv. 375 (2015).

• Holistic Pregnancy: Rejecting the Theory of the Adversarial Mother. 26 haStingS womEn’S law JouRnal 207 (2015).

PRESENTATIONS

• Holistic Pregnancy: Rejecting the Theory of the Adversarial Mother, Twenty-Second Annual Update for Feminist Law Professors Conference, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, Pa. (March 21, 2015).

Bruce LedewitzPUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Beyond Edmunds: The State Constitutional Legacy of Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille. 53 duq. l. REv. 371 (Summer 2015).

• An Addendum in Light of Recent Developments. 53 duq. l. REv. 561 (Summer 2015).

• “Protect the court from the influence of donations.” Philadelphia Inquirer (May 18, 2015).

• “Defeating the super PACs that distort our political process.” Cleveland Plain Dealer (April 17, 2015).

PRESENTATIONS

• What Exactly is the Problem of Money in American Politics—and what is the Solution. Symposium on Campaign Finance Reform, Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland, Ohio (April 17, 2015).

Jan LevinePUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Designing Spaces: Planning the Physical Space for a Legal Writing Program, 23 pERSpECtivES: tEaChing lEg. RES. & wRiting 158 (August 2015).

• Foreword: Teaching the Academically Underprepared Law Student, 53 duq. l. REv. 1 (Spring 2015).

PRESENTATIONS

• Levine, J. M. (2015, June). ALWD Conference, Leading a Successful Law School Curriculum Reform Effort. Memphis, Tenn.

• Leading with Style: Administrative Choices with Institutional and Faculty Consequences (with Leimer, S., Rowe, S., and Soonpaa, N.). Panel presentation and discussion, ALWD Conference, Memphis, Tenn. (June 2015).

Tracey McCants Lewis

PRESENTATION

• Restorative Justice Services. Continuing Legal Education presentation, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Champion, Pa. (Aug. 6, 2015).

• Examining Your Criminal Record. Southwestern Pennsylvania Re-Entry Coalition Life without Bars Conference, Homestead, Pa. (July 31, 2015).

• Practice Before the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. PA PBI Training Center, Pittsburgh, Pa. (June 16, 2016).

HONORS

• Allegheny County Bar Foundation’s 2015 Pro Bono Achievement Award: Lorraine M. Bittner Public Interest Attorney.

• 2015 Who’s Who in Black Pittsburgh, inaugural list.

Joseph Sabino MistickPUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Ongoing weekly opinion column in Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, including “Archie Bunker rides again” (Aug. 15, 2015).


Prof. McCants Lewis (center) at the ACBF Pro-Bono Awards with Kelly Cheponis, L’12, left, and Krista Barton, L’12. Chaponis and Barton accepted awards on behalf of BNY Mellon and Reed Smith LLP.


Jane Campbell MoriartyPUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Became series editor: Blitz, Bublitz, and Moriarty, Neuroscience, Law, and Human Behavior (Palgrave MacMillan, 2015- ___)(multi-volume series).

PRESENTATIONS

• Introduced keynote speaker and moderator. Conference on the 40th Anniversary of the Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure, Duquesne University School of Law academic conference and continuing legal education program, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Oct. 8, 2015).

• Moderator and Conference Facilitator. Annual Presidential Conference on the Integrity of Creation: Climate Change, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Sept. 30- Oct. 2, 2015).

• Neuroscience evidence in criminal cases. Continuing Legal Education Program, Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Conference, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Sept. 25, 2015).

• A True History of Detecting Deception in Criminal Cases: Past as Prologue for the Future of Neuroscience Lie Detection. Faculty Roundtable on Criminal Justices Ethics Presentation, Fordham Law School, New York, N.Y. (June 8-9, 2015).

• Judicial Decisions about Forensic Science Evidence: Contributing to the Concerns About the Death Penalty. Symposium on Criminal Sentencing and Death Penalty Reform, Widener University School of Law, Harrisburg, Pa. (April 20, 2015).

• Mon River Colloquium. Organizer. Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pa. (April 17, 2015).

• Preliminary Thoughts on the Effects of Heuristics and Cognitive Bias in Judicial Decisions about Forensic Science Evidence. Presentation by videoconference at “Can the Gate-keeping Function of the Court Improve the Quality of Forensic Science?” Event sponsored by Judicial Division of the American Bar Association, Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago, Ill. (April 10, 2015).

• Forensic Science Evidence Five Years after the NAS Report: Legal and Ethical Considerations, Is Forensics Getting Fixed? Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law Conference, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa. (March 6, 2015).

MEDIA

• James Curtis discusses The Insanity Defense: A Broken Idea? MindSet: Mental Health News & Information, iHeartRadio telephone interview (March 5, 2015).

Katherine L. W. NortonHONORS/APPOINTMENTS

• Named Of Counsel to the family law practice group of Voelker & Colton, LLC.

Wesley M. OliverPUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Standards of Legitimacy in Criminal Negotiations (with Rishi Batra). 20 haRvaRd nEgotiation law REviEw 61 (2015).

• Amnesty International Report on Police Use of Force. Jurist.org. [Op-ed; Academic commentary] (July 2, 2015).

• Experiencing criminal law (with Chin, G. J.). St. Paul, Minn: West Academic Publishing (2015).

• Charles Lindbergh, Caryl Chessman, and the exception proving the (potentially waning) broad rule of prosecutorial discretion. 20 bERkElEy JouRnal of CRiminal law, 1 (2015).

PRESENTATIONS

• Prohibition & Police: America’s noble experiment and the lingering mis-regulation of police. Academic conference, Central State Law School Association, University of Toledo, Ohio (Oct. 9, 2015).

• The Rapidly Expanding Good Faith Exception. Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Annual Meeting, Harraseeket Inn, Freeport, Maine (June 20, 2015).

• How Prohibition Impacts Criminal Justice Law Today. Dean John J. Sciullo CLE Series, Duquesne University School of Law (May 16, 2015).

HONORS/PROMOTIONS

• Dr. John and Liz Murray Excellence in Scholarship Award, Duquesne University School of Law (June 7, 2015).

• Appointed Associate Dean for Faculty Scholarship.

John T. RagoPUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Conviction integrity for Pennsylvania begins in Allegheny County, TribLIVE. [Opinion/featured commentary] (June 13, 2015).

PRESENTATIONS

• Testified before the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee on best practices in law enforcement (May 6, 2015).

HONORS/AWARDS

• Recognized at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) graduation ceremony, where he was named an “Honoured Friend” of LIPA by Sir Paul McCartney (see story on p. 18).

Jacob H. RooksbyPUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Defining Domain: Higher Education’s Battles for Cyberspace. 80(3) bRooklyn l. REv. 857 (2015).

PRESENTATIONS

• A Fresh Look at Copyright on Campus (paper presented). Duquesne University School of Law Academic Symposium, Pittsburgh, Pa. (April 20, 2015).

HONORS/APPOINTMENTS

• Co-recipient of Challenge Grant Award from the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for project titled “Big-Time Sports and Big-Time Research: A Comparison of Commercialization Across the Academy” (May 2015).

• Referee of scholarly paper submissions for the 40th Annual Meeting of the Association of the Study of Higher Education.

• Named Of Counsel to the intellectual property group at Cohen & Grigsby, P.C.

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 27

Brandiez Rudolf is the accounting administrative assistant for the Duquesne Center for Legal Information. Rudolf comes to Duquesne from La Roche College’s accounts payable department, and has experience in many different industries working in human resources, payroll and accounts payable. She graduated with honors from Kaplan University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Ann Marie SchiavonePRESENTATIONS

• Barking up the Wrong Tree: Regulating Risk, Not Fear. 2015 Law & Society Meeting, Seattle, Wash. (May 31, 2015).

Laurie SerafinoPRESENTATIONS

• A dialogue between law schools and legal aid providers. Continuing Legal Education Program, Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Convention, Harrisburg, Pa. (Oct. 2, 2015).

Tiffany Sizemore-ThompsonPRESENTATIONS

• Effective client interviewing & dispositional advocacy. Continuing Legal Education Program, Juvenile Defender Boot Camp—Back to basics: Stages in representing juvenile clients, Juvenile Defender Association of Pennsylvania. Erie, Pa. (Oct. 13, 2015).

• Is there room for social justice in Mandatory Experiential Education? Continuing Legal Education Program, Midwest Clinical Conference, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Cleveland, Ohio (Oct. 2-4, 2015).

Tara L. WillkePRESENTATIONS

• Ethical Legal Writing, Including the Ghostwritten E-Mail and Other Such Things. Dean John J. Sciullo CLE Series, Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pa. (April 25, 2015).

• The Educational Benefits Provided by the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008: Illusion or Reality? Junior Faculty Exchange Program, University of Akron School of Law, Akron, Ohio (April 14, 2015).

Center for Legal Information Faculty

Joel Fishman, Ph.D.PUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES

• Index to the Pennsylvania Family Lawyer Volumes 1-36 (1980-2014). Pennsylvania Bar Association publication (2015).

• R. Stanton Wettick, Jr. Allegheny County Discovery Opinions (with Lemon, P. & Nigra, P.) Volume 8 (2010-2015). Pittsburgh, Pa.: Allegheny County Law Library.

Law School Professionals UpdateS. Beth Licciardello is the new office manager and administrative assistant for Clinical Legal Education. Licciardello’s work experience includes over 20 years as legal secretary, personal assistant and office manager at the Litman Law Firm. She also worked for Smith Helms in Raleigh, N.C., as the administrative assistant for the Honorable James L. Gale. Licciardello’s work experience also includes serving as an administrative assistant at Meyer Darragh Buckler Bebenek & Eck in Pittsburgh. She earned her B.S. in business management from Robert Morris University.

Sherri Snyder is the new business office administrative assistant. Snyder has been employed at Duquesne University for 15 years, previously in the controller’s office. She received her associate’s degree from the Bradford School of Business. She lives in Oakdale with her husband and three children.


Sarah Rethage, assistant dean and executive director of admissions, visited China University of Political Science & Law in Beijing; Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing; and Beijing Foreign Studies University in November to speak with law students about our LL.M. degree. Learn more about LL.M. for Foreign Lawyer degrees at www.duq.edu/law/admissions/ international-students.


Home: Washington, D.C. Education: Dr.P.H. epidemiology from University of Pittsburgh, M.P.H. epidemiology and biostatistics from Eastern Virginia Medical School, B.S. microbiology from North Carolina State University

Current Job: Health Counsel, Oversight & Government Reform Committee—Democratic Staff (U.S. House of Representatives) Past Experience: Legislative Counsel (U.S. House of Representatives); Health Legislative Fellow (U.S. Senate); Epidemiologist (U.S. Navy and Marine Corps) Honors: Featured in Lawyers of Color & On Being A Black Lawyer 2nd Annual Caucus Issue (Black Attorneys on The Hill—Rising Stars); The National Black Lawyers—Top 40 under 40

While a law student, Gamble was a Schweitzer Environmental Fellow and a member of the Louis Manderino Honor Society. She was also named Best Oral Advocate on the 2013 Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition—2013 Mid-Atlantic Regional Champion team.

Passions: Advocating for access to quality, affordable health care for all and the elimination of health disparities. “I believe in paying it forward, so that’s why I am dedicated to mentoring young people who aspire to make a difference. I don’t want to be remembered for the accolades and positions I have held but for leaving a legacy of hope and pioneering social change.”

Why did you choose your career path? “I knew I wanted to be in a place where I could advocate for populations whose needs were often ignored, and what better place than Congress! As a congressional staffer, I have the ability to advocate for and create policies that can change people’s lives. My background in health care is very extensive, and I knew that working for Congress would be the best opportunity to combine my passion for policy with my experience to hopefully make a meaningful impact on

Young Alumni Profile:Christy M. Gamble, L’13

the health care legislation introduced. As counsel for a House committee, I must know health care news before or as soon as it happens. I prepare my boss, as well as the other Democratic members, for the health care investigations and legislation that come before the committee. It’s challenging, fast paced, exhilarating and different every day.”

What advice would you give a student or alumnus who wants to practice in Washington, D.C.? “NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK! I took every opportunity that the Law School provided to connect to alumni and companies in D.C. (Director of Career Services) Maria Comas is a gift to the Law School. I made it a point to read every email that she sent, attend CSO sessions and regularly seek career advice from her. I never thought I was at a disadvantage because I lived in Pittsburgh and wanted to come back to D.C. to work after graduation. You must become your own walking business card. No one cares about your career like you do, so make it your job to get the career you want.” What is the value of your Duquesne Law education? “Duquesne provided me with a top-notch education that has helped me excel in every position that I have had since I began law school. Being a counsel for Congress requires excellent communication skills, attention to detail and the ability to synthesize complex information. Duquesne provided me with the opportunities to hone these skills in a positive learning environment. The Legal Research and Writing Program at the Law School prepared me for the real world by challenging me to perform at the highest level, whether I was writing my first appellate brief or delivering my first oral argument before a panel of judges. In addition, I learned to effectively communicate difficult information—sometimes in minutes—by analyzing cases and delivering my case briefs in classes like Torts and Property. There were certain professors like Michael Streib, Martha Jordan, Robert Barker and Al Peláez who impressed upon every student to be a detailed reader and to look for the relevant facts in every case. I wasn’t aware back then, but Duquesne was preparing me for success on the Hill.”

“It doesn’t matter what you do ... so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands away.” — Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 29

Board Members Ted Trbovich (left) and Garry Nelson at the DU Law Get Involved Day.

DLAA UPDATES

Dear Friends,

Duquesne University School of

Law offers its students not only the

highest quality of legal education and

scholarship but also a network of alumni

that is unmatched in its commitment to

supporting each other. The often-quoted

phrase on our school’s coat of arms, Salus

Populi Suprema Lex—“The Welfare of the

People is the Highest Law”—resonates with

all of us.

I have been a member of the

Duquesne Law Alumni Association’s Board

of Governors for the past eight years, and

am honored to serve as your President

this year. Our Law School emphasizes

how important its alumni network is to

its students and its overall success as a law

school. The alumni association’s mission is to strengthen and

expand that network.

The DLAA is a proud supporter of our Law School, its

alumni and students. We seek to help the school by providing

financial support through our endowed scholarship and other

programs such as the Public Interest Law summer fellowship,

and more recently the Call to Excellence campaign. We also strive

to assist the school in recruiting a diverse student body with

impeccable credentials. Other efforts we support include the bar

preparation program and career services initiatives. Our alumni

never hesitate to volunteer their time to speak at the Law School

to offer advice to students about topics ranging from interview

skills to networking.

We also have created several new committees in the DLAA

over the past few years to engage young and diverse alumni and

to help graduates (including new and even more experienced

Message from the DLAA President

L-R: Anthony Marmo, Hon. Mike McCarthy, Jessica Jurasko and Hon. Jay Costa at Pittsburgh Fall Reception.

practitioners) meet the challenges facing them with job

placement and career paths. And the commitment does not stop

there—we are always seeking new ways to serve our alumni.

All recommendations to improve and enhance our mission

are welcome, and I urge you to contact me directly with any

suggestions you would like to offer.

The members of the DLAA Board of Governors and I hope

you will join our association if you are not already a member

to ensure we maintain our current path to excellence. If you are

a member, please become more involved. There are so many

ways you can strengthen the ties that unite us as part of the

Duquesne family. Alumni are always needed to serve as panelists

for our programs, attend and encourage participation in alumni

receptions in your area, and, of course, join us for the annual

Reunion Dinner on April 15, 2016, in the Power Center.

Also, stay connected with the Law School and the DLAA by

visiting our Facebook page and join our LinkedIn group. This is a

great way to learn about upcoming events and keep in touch with

classmates.

I truly believe that the DLAA has enriched my experience

as a graduate of Duquesne’s Law School. I am so proud to be

a Duquesne lawyer and to play a small part in such a superb

community of law alumni. Thank you for your role in our

continued success!

Most sincerely,

Jessica M. Jurasko, L’04


Officers

Jessica M. Jurasko, L’04 President

Garry A. Nelson, L’82 President-Elect

Rebecca J. Gruen, L’92 Treasurer

Theodore M. Trbovich, L’72 Secretary

P. Brennan Hart, L’73 Immediate Past-President

Board of Governors

Hon. Gary P. Caruso, L’73Kathleen M. Charlton, L’08Hon. Jay Costa, L’89Joseph P. Covelli, L’80Christina H. Duty, L’10Aubrey H. Glover, L’03Dodi Walker Gross, L’82Robert J. Marino, L’79Bradley A. Matta, L’10

Hon. Michael E. McCarthy, L’84Amie M. Mihalko, L’08Michael J. Moyer, L’08Hon. Brandon P. Neuman, L’09Hon. James J. Panchik, L’82Scott T. Redman, L’82Melissa Ruefle Spencer, L’03Kimberly S. Tague, L’04Joseph R. Williams, L’09

Scholarship Fund Trustees

Prof. Robert S. Barker, L’66Andrea Geraghty, L’83Dean Ken GormleyJessica M. Jurasko, L’04Jon R. Perry, L’91Jennifer Fox Rabold, L’81Eric J. Zagrocki, L’92

Duquesne Law Alumni Association 2015-2016 Board of Governors.

The DLAA honored its members practicing 45-plus years at a luncheon this spring at Reed Smith. L-R: Ed O’Connor, Pete King, Arnie Gefsky, Dean Gormley, Raymond Hasley, Hon. Donetta Ambrose, Hon. Terrence McVerry, Jack McGinley, Mike Reilly, Paul Beck, Hon. Robert E. Colville.

This year’s Excellence in Legal Writing recipients. This fund was endowed through the DLAA’s annual fundraising efforts, and recognizes the students who received “best brief” designations in their first year LRW sections. L-R: Nicole King, Anthony Gestrich, Fayezeh Haji Hassan, Cynthia Howell, Chalyn Kaufman, Beth Walker, Robert Clark, Rebecca Traylor, Rachel Blistan.

Join the DLAA today! www.duq.edu/law/alumni/alumni-association

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 31

CLASS ACTIONS

1974John A. Knorr has been named Principal at Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote PC.

1975Hon. Max Baer was inducted into the Century Club by Duquesne University. The Century Club honors a small number of alumni with exemplary records of professional achievement and service to the University and their communities. Baer was selected in part for his focus on children and families, which has been recognized across the nation.

1976Ronald S. Cusano, partner at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, was named a winner of the Pittsburgh Business Times 2015 Energy Leadership Award in the Service Provider category.

1978Thomas R. Kline was elected to the American Law Institute, a prestigious organization that produces scholarly works.

1979James R. Antoniono was named to the Pennsylvania Bar Association Board of Governors.

Joseph F. Messina has been awarded the Joseph I. Mulligan, Jr. Distinguished Public Service Award by the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA).

1980Hon. Cynthia A. Baldwin was chosen as Practitioner-in-Residence for National Education for Women’s (NEW) Leadership Pennsylvania 2015 at Chatham University.

Kate J. Fagan was elected to the Board of Governors of the Allegheny County Bar Association.

1981Cynthia Danel Frankovitch, a partner of Edgar Snyder & Associates, has achieved recertification with the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a civil, criminal, family law and Social Security disability trial advocate.

Patricia L. Dodge has been elected Vice President of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation.

1982James W. Saxton is co-founder of Saxton & Stump, a firm focused on defending doctors, hospitals and nursing homes in medical professional liability claims.

1983Hon. Kim Berkeley Clark has been inducted into the PNC Legacy Project, honoring 13 remarkable Pittsburgh women.

1984Bernard J. Bercik has been selected for the Chief of Plans Team in the U.S. Army Reserve Component, 353rd Civil Affairs Command.

James Lange has released the third edition of his book, Retire Secure!: A Guide to Getting the Most Out of What You’ve Got.

Melaine Shannon Rothey has been elected as President-elect of the Allegheny County Bar Association. She has also been reappointed to the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board Hearing Committee for District IV.

1985Paul J. Gitnik has been elected Treasurer of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation.

1986William McKendree was awarded the 2015 BRAVO Innovation Award by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.

David C. Schanbacher was admitted as a Fellow to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML).

Michael T. Victor has been named president of Mercyhurst University.

1987Thomas C. Gricks has joined Catalyst as managing director of professional services. Gricks will focus on advising corporations and law firms on best practices for applying Catalyst’s TAR technology, Insight Predict, to reduce time and cost of discovery.

Lange ’84

Dodge ’81

Schanbacher ’86Saxton ’82

Antoniono ’79

Members of the Class of 1965 celebrated their 50th anniversary this year. Standing L-R: George Hallal, Irwin Wedner, Al Maiello, Hon. Joe DelSole, Ed O’Connor, Bernie Markovitz, Jake Meyers, John McGonigle. Seated L-R: Ray Sekula, Jim Simmons, Jim Lynn, Mike Kaleugher.


Bernard ’93

Lawton ’98

Bennington ’00Smith ’99

Roberts ’93

Colville ’92

Nicola Y. Henry-Taylor was elected Treasurer of the Allegheny County Bar Association and reappointed to the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board Hearing Committee for District IV.

William B. Pentecost has joined Cipriani & Werner, PC as a partner.

1997Andrea M. Bartko has joined BBL Fleet as general counsel.

Jay E. McBride was appointed as Vice President, U.S. Tax Operations for Bayer Corporation.

1998Brian A. Lawton has joined Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC as a partner.

Mauri A. Thomas is a shareholder at Quarrey and Harrow in Chicago, Il.

1999Matthew H. Smith has been named president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, the largest chamber of commerce in the Pittsburgh region.

2000Elisabeth M. Bennington has been appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to the Domestic Relations Rules Committee for a three-year term.

1988R. Douglas DeNardo is a member of the Chair’s Ambassador Council at Animal Friends.

P.J. Murray has been reappointed to the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board Hearing Committee for District IV.

David J. Owens joined Winstead PC as of counsel.

1990John F. Morris has merged his practice with the Beroes Law Center. The firm will now maintain two locations—the main office in Lawrenceville and the South Hills office in Carnegie.

1991Jane M. Carlonas has been reappointed to the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board Hearing Committee for District III.

Colleen Ramage Johnston was nominated for a two-year term on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County.

1992Hon. Robert J. Colville was nominated by President Barack Obama to the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

1993 Jackie Atherton Bernard, First Assistant District Attorney of Blair County and associate with Grappone Law Offices, was named one of 2015’s Women Making a Difference by the Pennsylvania Business Central and St. Francis University.

Raymond M. Roberts was promoted to partner at Rothman Gordon, P.C.

1995Robert J. Burnett has been appointed to serve on the “Siting and Routing” Workgroup of the Governor’s Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force (PITF).

1996Kristen Del Sole-Eberle has been appointed a board member at Every Child Inc., a nonprofit family support agency.

2015 ACBA Pro Bono Achievement AwardsKathryn M. Kenyon, L’98, was named the first recipient of the Kathryn M. Kenyon Leadership Award.

Tracey McCants Lewis, L’00, was awarded the Lorraine M. Bittner Public Interest Attorney Award, which recognizes an outstanding and dedicated attorney who is employed by an entity or program whose primary function is the delivery of civil legal services to low-income individuals or organizations that serve the poor or disadvantaged.

Kathryn Harrison, L’08, was awarded the Jane F. Hepting Individual Attorney Award, which recognizes an attorney who has shown exemplary commitment to or made substantial achievements in pro bono legal services.

Joseph Balestrino, L’10, received the Young Lawyer Award.

Balestrino, L’10, and Kenyon, L’98

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 33

CLASS ACTIONS

Garraux ’06 Seelye ’06

2001Philip J. Foret has joined Stradley Ronon as a partner in its Malvern, Pa. office.

Jan F. Jumet opened an office in Boston, Mass. for the investment management and advisory firm, Allocated Financial Planning, that he co-founded. Jumet is also the co-founder, along with his wife Julie, of the Jumet Charitable Foundation, which primarily supports college students with financial assistance and mentoring.

Janet K. Meub has been elected partner at Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP. She has also been elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of Focus on Renewal, a nonprofit organization providing hunger services and community based family and emergency support in the Sto-Rox community.

2002Gregg D. Bernaciak is now senior counsel at Cohen & Grigsby, P.C.

Toby L. Buterbaugh joined A&S Kinard as general counsel.

Scott R. Eberle joined Burns White LLC as a member.

Courtney C. Murray was named a 2015 Fast Tracker by the Pittsburgh Business Times, recognizing up and coming Pittsburgh leaders.

2003Benjamin J. Ciocco has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Every Child Inc., a Pittsburgh-based human services nonprofit that provides family permanency services.

Robert F. Kravetz Jr. is President of the Delaware Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Marla N. Presley has been named one of the 2015 Lawyers on the Fast Track by The Legal Intelligencer.

Melissa R. Ruggiero has joined the Allegheny County Office of Conflict Counsel.

2004Renee Anderson was named a 2015 Fast Tracker by the Pittsburgh Business Times, recognizing up and coming Pittsburgh leaders.

Gina M. Berardinelli is senior counsel at Gemondo & McQuiggan, LLP.

Rochelle M. Breier has been named member at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC.

Bernard C. John has been named assistant district attorney of Fayette County.

2005Elliott J. Ehrenreich has been named one of the 2015 Lawyers on the Fast Track by The Legal Intelligencer.

Chad T. Gill is now the manager of regulatory engineering with Gogo, a provider of in-flight internet.

D. Todd Seitz and his wife, Aimee, welcomed their daughter, Bailee Patricia, on Sept. 10, 2015. Bailee joins brother Zachary and sister Caisee.

2006Jill Lipman Beck was awarded the 2015 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award by the ACBA Young Lawyers Division.

David J. Garraux was promoted to partner at Fox Rothschild LLP.

Michelle A. Mantine and her husband, Dr. Brian Johnson, welcomed son Henry.

Harry A. Readshaw has been named member at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC.

Jill Beck, L’06, with Joe Williams, L’09, (YLD Immediate Past-Chair) and Michaelene Weimer, L’10, (YLD Chair).

Ciocco ’03

Foret ’01 Jumet ’01

Meub ’01


Biedinger ’07 Sutphen ’10

Platt ’11 Guzzetti ’12

Joel C. Seelye has been named chair-elect of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.

2007Kristin A. Biedinger has been named to the board of directors of the Western Pennsylvania Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

Elizabeth A. Chiappetta has been named a principal at Robert Peirce & Associates, P.C.

Katherine E. Koop is a member of the Partners Board for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Thomas E. Zahn has joined McGuireWoods LLP’s mergers and acquisitions practice in the firm’s Pittsburgh office.

2008

Elaine and Michael J. Moyer welcomed a son, John Francis, on Sept. 30, 2015 weighing 6 lbs., 13 oz. In addition, Mike is now an associate in the tax and personal planning department at Herrick, Feinstein LLP based in Newark and New York.

Anthony M. Marmo has joined PNC Bank as Vice President, Data Protection/Information Security.

Erin E. McCurdy is assistant general counsel for American Eagle Outfitters.

2009Devon A. Kinnard is a shareholder at Davis, Malm & D’Agostine, P.C. in Boston, Mass.

Timothy D. Kravetz joined Metz Lewis Brodman Must O’Keefe LLC as an associate.

James P. McGraw III has joined Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC as an associate, focusing his practice on construction, labor and employment, and commercial litigation.

Hon. Brandon Neuman and his wife, Carrie, welcomed daughter Josephine Jane in October 2015.

2010Christopher W. Capcara has joined McDonald Hopkins LLC’s energy and natural resource practice.

Emilie B. Delo is now an associate at Cohen & Grigsby, P.C.

Christina E. and Ryan J. Duty welcomed their first child, Luke Andrew, born on Sept. 26, 2014, and weighing 8 lbs., 15 oz.

Eileen M. Fairlie is now an associate at Burns White in the energy group.

Ashley M. Lypson is now an associate at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC.

Matthew S. Sutphen is an associate at Cohen & Grigsby, P.C. focusing his practice on federal, state and local tax issues for public and private companies.

2011Colleen Baird is an associate at the newly formed Saxton & Stump LLC.

Joshua R. Lamm has joined Feldstein Grinberg Lang & McKee, P.C. as an associate.

Catherine Spafford Loeffler has joined Houston Harbaugh, P.C. as an associate.

Catrina A. Melograna works at Paramount Law Group, LLC in Seattle, Wash..

Katharine L. Platt has joined Thomas Thomas & Hafer as an associate.

David E. Renner has joined the Pittsburgh office of Jackson Lewis P.C. as an associate.

2012Jessel A. Costa III has joined the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General as Deputy Attorney General.

William Dane Fennell has been named staff attorney at Babst Calland in the firm’s business services group.

Jeffrey D. Fromknecht and Professor Mark Yochum co-authored an article, Positional Conflicts and Pro Bono Publico, which examines the ethical impact of pro bono work at large law firms. It has been published in the Winter 2015 edition of the floRida CoaStal law REviEw.

Stephen L. Guzzetti joined Burns White LLC as an associate in the litigation group.

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 35

CLASS ACTIONS

Andrew Banyas III, L’68

Roy F. Buchman, L’55

Chris G. Copetas, L’69

Dr. Loren A. Detamore, L’64

Richard Cook Gaffney L’60

Gerard H. Hamilton, L’62

Alida J. Kornreich, L’82

Thomas F. Lamb, L’52

Tommaso V. Lonardo, L’91

Aloysius F. Mahler, L’53

Robert P. Petyak, L’75

Ramen A. Raak, L’74

David L. Schwartz, L’75

Richard J. Seidel, L’76

Patty G. Selker, L’84

Carl O. Smith, L’75

Jay H. Spiegel, L’77

Gary B. Zimmerman, L’75

This list is provided through Duquesne University’s Advancement Records Office and

may not be complete. If you have information about an alumnus who passed away this

past year and is not listed, please contact the Law Alumni Office at 412.396.5215 so we

may update our records.

In MemoriamIt is with deep sadness that we list the following School of Law alumni who passed away:

2015 Who’s Who in Black Pittsburgh Honorees Hon. Cynthia A. Baldwin, L’80

Nicola Henry-Taylor, L’96

Tracey McCants Lewis, L’00

Charlene McAbee, L’83

Kimberly Moses, L’94

Hon. Dwayne D. Woodruff, L’88

Kate M. Lewis and Frank H. Stoy IV married on Oct. 10, 2015.

Kiran K. Patel is now an associate at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP.

Gabriela Steier is now an LLM Fellow in Food and Agriculture Law at the Vermont Law School.

Lauren N. Woleslagle has been named an associate at Tucker Arensberg PC.

2013Steven T. Auerbach was recognized in Billy Penn’s list of Who’s Next, which recognized young leaders making a difference in the Philadelphia legal community.

Christopher S. Bradley joined Duvall, Reuter & Pruyne in Bradford County, Pa.

Jennifer S. Dickquist is an associate at Notaro Gordon & Associates.

Jessica M. Ebert is an associate at Brian J. Cali & Associates.

Clement Gigliotti Jr. has been named staff attorney at Babst Calland in the firm’s business services group.

Elizabeth R. Hall is an associate in the subrogation department at White and Williams LLP in Philadelphia.

Edward “Ted” Knafelc joined Strassburger, McKenna, Gutnick & Gefsky as an associate.

Aaron J. Mazza has joined BRUSH Group as General Counsel.

Linda M. Postol has joined Matis Baum O’Connor as an associate, focusing her practice on health care litigation.

Jessica L. Seeley has joined Babst Calland as a staff attorney in the firm’s mineral title services and energy and natural resources groups.

Andrew V. Terranova has been named staff attorney at Babst Calland in the firm’s business services group.

2014Amie Courtney has joined Babst Calland as an associate.

Sean Peter Hvizdzak is a founding partner of Lang & Hvizdzak in Bradford, Pa.

Brandon Michael Kern joined Eckert Seamans Cherin Mellott, LLC.

Charles P. Sapienza III has joined Robb Leonard Mulvihill LLP as an associate.

Brandon M. Spleen is now an associate at Burns White in the energy group.

Cara N. Stazenski founded CNS-Logistics, LLC, a full-service advertising agency.

David Valenti joined K&L Gates as an associate.

2015David A. Frantz is a judicial law clerk for the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

Emilia Rinaldi has joined K&L Gates as an associate.

Kenneth N. Schott has joined Burns White LLC as an associate.

Ryan W. Weld works in the Brooke County Courthouse as a legal assistant. He also serves as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates.


Professor Tiffany Sizemore-Thompson joined Duquesne

Law this summer, and by fall, launched a new Juvenile Defender

Clinic. The full-year clinical program represents children in

Allegheny County’s juvenile delinquency court and provides law

students with the opportunity to advocate for children in every

aspect of a delinquency case, including pretrial motions and

litigation, investigation, admission or trial, disposition, and

post-disposition motions and hearings.

“The clinic provides holistic representation to children,”

says Laurie Serafino, director of clinical legal education. “It is a

great fit for our service to the general public and Pittsburgh-area

families in particular. In addition to the direct representation

by our student lawyers working under Professor Sizemore-

Thompson’s supervision, the clinic offers the assistance of

master-level social work students and, where appropriate, mental

health professionals.”

In addition to traditional defense representation, the clinic

provides expungement of juvenile records, regardless of a client’s

current age (but with individuals over age 18 subject to income

guidelines), and defense for juveniles with protection from abuse

(PFA) orders filed against them.

“The clinic immediately became Allegheny County’s only

no-cost provider of PFA defense representation for juveniles,

and one of the few no-cost providers for juvenile expungement

representation” says Sizemore-Thompson.

The assistant professor targeted social service organizations

in specific neighborhoods to promote the clinic’s work. In

addition, she is hosting a series of events in which residents come

to the Tribone Center for Clinical Legal Education to discuss their

expungement cases. The first sessions were held in October and

November, and another is scheduled in January.

With the start of the fall 2016 semester, Duquesne Law will

welcome another new clinical program. The Education Law

Clinic will provide local families with representation to navigate

school disciplinary, suspension and expulsion hearings as well as

alternative education placements.

Clinical Legal Education Updates

CLINICS

During the 2014-2015 academic year, Duquesne Law’s

clinical legal education provided:

16,500+ hours

of legal service to the public through the clinics;

7,600+ hours

of legal service to the public through externships; and

2,800+ hours

of legal service to the public through pro bono programs.

Prof. Sizemore-Thompson with students.

Externship NewsProfessor Kate Norton, who supervises the Family Law

Clinic and all externship programs, recently announced a new

externship placement opportunity with ACHIEVA Family

Trust. Duquesne Law’s Clinical Legal Education program

works with more than 200 externship partners, including

Duquesne Law launches Juvenile Defender Clinic, plans Education Law Clinic

Clinical Legal Education by the Numbers

“The two new clinics work in synergy,” says Sizemore-

Thompson. “Referrals for the Education Law Clinic come

not only from Family Court, but also from our own Juvenile

Defender Clinic.”

To learn more, visit duq.edu/law/clinics.

county, state and federal judicial offices; city, state and

federal government agencies; and legal aid and nonprofit

organizations to place students in one-semester and summer

externship locations. Learn more at duq.edu/law/externships.

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 37

Theo Collins, L’15, Veterans Clinic alum and a veteran himself, is sworn into the Pennsylvania Bar by Allegheny Court of Common Pleas Veterans Clinic Judge John Zottola.

Prof. McCants Lewis and NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks with Civil Rights Clinic students (L-R) Kaitlyn Burns, Megan Carben, Jacqueline Russel, Meghan Matscherz and Ann Ultsch.

Family Law Clinic Students Join Inn of Court

The Matrimonial Inn of Court Pittsburgh chapter has invited

Family Law Clinic students to join the prestigious organization. A

member of the national American Inns of Court, the local chapter

promotes legal excellence, civility, professionalism and ethics within

the family law bar. Students will participate in select meetings

and participate in educational programs and discussions with Inn

members over dinner. The opportunity brings students together

with family division judges, hearing officers, long-time family law

practitioners, attorneys whose practice includes some family law

work and new attorneys.

Federal Litigation Clinic Charles Lipp, 2L

As a clinical student, I can attest to the truly remarkable

opportunities Duquesne University School of Law offers to the

public and its students through the Tribone Center for Clinical

Legal Education. And when a federal court comments on

Duquesne law students’ representation of an indigent client, it

makes the experience particularly rewarding.

Last year, the Federal Litigation Clinic represented an inmate

in a proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 in which the inmate

ultimately prevailed as the federal government agreed that the case

should be remanded to the district court for further proceedings.

This year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

issued a precedent decision in Washington v. Pennsylvania

Department of Corrections, ___ F.3d ___, 2015 W.L. 5103330 (3d

Cir. Sept. 1, 2015) on remand from the U.S. Supreme Court. The

Court reaffirmed its prior decision in favor of the prisoner and in

the process issued in an important decision regarding the scope of

federal habeas corpus review.

The Court of Appeals concluded its opinion by noting, “The

Duquesne Law School Federal Practice Clinic ably represented

Washington in this appeal. We thank the students and the law

school for their service.”

During the 2014-2015 academic year, in another prisoner civil

rights project, the Federal Litigation Clinic resolved a case through

a confidential settlement. While all cases are different, for the

students serving in the Federal Litigation Clinic and the more than

a dozen other Duquesne Law clinics, practicums and programs, the

hands-on training provides vital experience to help us prepare to

become practice-ready attorneys.

Journey for JusticeOn Sept. 15, students from the Civil Rights Clinic, along with

Professor Tracey McCants Lewis, traveled to Washington, D.C. to

participate in the closing ceremony of the NAACP’s “America’s

Journey for Justice.” The NAACP commenced a 1,000-mile march

from Selma, Ala. to Washington, D.C. from Aug. 1 to Sept. 16 to

advance its national advocacy agenda that protects the right of

every American to a fair criminal justice system, uncorrupted and

unfettered access to the ballot box, sustainable jobs with a living

wage, and equitable public education.

Students in the clinic had the opportunity to meet with

NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks to discuss

the clinic’s work with the NAACP Pittsburgh Unit. The students

attend monthly meetings at the local NAACP office and meet with

individuals who present with legal issues dealing with employment,

housing and public accommodation discrimination.

CLINICS


This summer, Barbara Carlin, L’82, adjunct professor of international criminal law and a former prosecutor with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, aided Duquesne by organizing summer internships for six students in the Balkans.

Kaitlyn Burns and Patrick Macaluso worked in Maribor and Ljubljana, Slovenia with European legal scholars and local lawyers. In addition to assisting with academic and international legal research, Burns and Macaluso observed and learned about local court proceedings and practice. These interns also assisted Deloitte’s law office in Slovenia, analyzing and editing a beer distribution contract and providing their American legal perspective.

Four other students, Jeffrey Childs, Kyle Fiesler, Maggie McGannon and Jennifer Vogel, were placed at the Sarajevo Municipal Court in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they learned about the legal system and legal reform since the implementation of the Dayton Accord in 1995. Both Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina received assistance from U.S. officials to reform their legal systems over the past two decades. However, unlike the 10-day revolution for independence in Slovenia following the fall of Yugoslavia, Sarajevo was under siege for 46 months, and death camps and genocide occurred elsewhere in the country. The interns visited the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo and learned about ongoing prosecution of war criminals and the country’s efforts to combat terrorism.

The interns also visited with Mirna Milanović-Lalić, L’99, at her firm, Karanovic & Nikolic, in Sarajevo. Enrolling in Duquesne University in the middle of the Bosnian War, Milanović-Lalić double majored in philosophy and political science and decided to pursue a legal education at Duquesne because of the kindness of other students and her understanding undergraduate professors.

New Internships in the Balkans: International Criminal Law, Judicial Reform and a Duquesne Alumna Margaret McGannon, 3D

In addition to a dictionary and a lot of hard work, her friends at Duquesne were essential to her law school survival.

Milanović-Lalić persevered through grit and tears, earned her J.D. and has had a very successful career. After graduation, she served as legal counsel for the defense in a case before the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia. Ultimately, she resolved to pass the bar examination in Bosnia and is now an established attorney in Sarajevo, working primarily in matters related to corporate law and intellectual property.

The students experienced a unique perspective of another legal system and of world affairs that will be invaluable for both their lives and careers. Duquesne law students will return in the summer of 2016.

Mirna Milanovic-Lalic, L’99, (left) with Adela Bejtovic, Chief of Staff at the Municipal Court in Sarajevo.

In Mostar, B-H, L-R: Adela Bejtovic, Chief of Staff at the Municipal Court in Sarajevo; students Maggie McGannon, Jeffrey Childs, Jennifer Vogel and Kyle Fiesler and Medina Džerahović, Legal Adviser at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

STUDENT BRIEFS

An Important Tradition: Katie Westbrook 5KThis year’s 14th Annual Katie Westbrook 5K & Dog Walk

celebrated Katie’s memory in the true tradition of the race. Hosted annually by the Duquesne University School of Law Student Bar Association and the Student Organizations Office, the race is dedicated to the memory of Katie Westbrook, whose dream at age 13 was to become a lawyer. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with a

rare cancer that took her life at age 15, just before she was to receive an honorary degree from Duquesne University School of Law. Rice Energy once again generously agreed to be our race sponsor, and many of its employees attended the race, along with 110 walkers and runners and over 40 furry friends. Proceeds benefit the SBA Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Beth Westbrook, Katie’s mom, and her family were in attendance. Beth spoke about Katie and her spirit as a young child; she knew that Katie was destined to be a lawyer. She told our current students, “If you really want to know who Katie was, you just need to look at each other. Every time I come here, I see her in each one of you, your compassion, your caring, your dedication, your perseverance, and belief in the underdog. It is everything she believed in and so from the bottom of my heart, from the bottom of my family’s heart, thank you for keeping her spirit alive.”

F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 39

STUDENT BRIEFS

Career Services UpdateMaria D. Comas, Director of Career Services

Coaching Future Women Lawyers: Women in the Law Advise a New Generation

On Nov. 3, the inaugural Coaching Future Women Lawyers: Women in the Law Advise a New Generation was held in the Power Center Ballroom. An idea that surfaced between the Law Alumni Relations, Student Organizations and Career Services Office this summer resulted in a program that received tremendous response from our students when we announced it to them. As evidenced by numerous articles and bar association program offerings at the local and national levels, many women encounter different issues than their male counterparts do in the legal marketplace. Coaching Future Women Lawyers was presented in a way that allowed our female students to think about issues and ideas so that they may be better prepared to address them when they graduate in a few short

months or years. Topics included the importance of finding a mentor, the junior lawyer’s perspective and negotiation skills. The students who attended the program found it to be among the best programs they have attended during law school—an opinion shared by first-year day students to fourth-year evening students. Our students appreciated the kind, honest and helpful ways in which our panelists addressed their given topics, and we plan to repeat the program again next year so these dialogues may continue.

We thank our panelists for making this a successful event:• Julianne Cutruzzula Beil, L’13, Junior Lawyer’s Perspective • Kathryn L. Harrison, L’08, Networking• Nicola Y. Henry-Taylor, L’96, Small Firm Perspective• Alysia M. Keating, Gender Equality• Hon. Maureen P. Kelly, L’87, Finding a Mentor• Cynthia E. Kernick, L’85, Larger Firm Perspective• Jennifer L. McDonough, L’01, In-House Counsel Perspective • Kimberly D. Moses, L’94, Pro Bono Involvement• Jana Palko, Leadership• Stephanie L. Sciullo, Negotiation• Michaelene E. Weimer, L’10, In-House Counsel Perspective • Tracy L. Zihmer, L’12, Junior Lawyer’s Perspective

For more about CSO events and opportunities, visit duq.edu/law/career-services.

On Monday, Oct. 12, the Federalist Society, along with the American Constitution Society and the Criminal Law Society, hosted a debate titled “Does Increased Gun Ownership Reduce Crime?” Representing both sides of the issue were Dr. John R. Lott Jr. and Shira Goodman. Lott is the founder and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, a “research and education organization dedicated to conducting academic quality research on the relationship between laws regulating the ownership or use of guns, crime, and public safety.” Goodman is the executive director of CeaseFirePA, an organization working to reduce gun violence in communities, stop the flow of illegal guns in the streets and keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them. The debate was moderated by Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Bruce Ledewitz.

Lott discussed the differences between the U.S. Supreme Court’s two major recent decisions relating to the right to personally own firearms, in District of Columbia v. Heller (554 U.S. 570) and McDonald v. City of Chicago (561 U.S. 742). “In Heller, the Supreme Court struck down the gun lock laws,” he said. “And the Supreme Court said, ‘Look, we can say you have a right to own a gun for self-defense, but if it’s a felony to put a bullet in the gun, that kind of negates it’. And so, they struck down all of the gun lock

laws.” Regarding Heller, Goodman noted that “Justice Scalia was very clear that just like our other rights, (the Second Amendment) is not an unlimited right. The Second Amendment is subject to reasonable regulation.”

At least 70 students, faculty and staff were in attendance. Students were particularly interested in learning more about the current status of Pennsylvania Act 192 of 2014, which prohibited local municipalities from passing its own ordinances relating to firearms. This act is currently being challenged.

Jamie L. Inferrera, 3E

Student Orgs Host Gun Law Debate

L-R: Zachary Fleming, Danielle Champ, Brooke Blackman, John Lott, Bruce Ledewitz, Shira Goodman, Jamie Inferrera, Meredith Risati.


Admission to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States

50 spaces are available to Duquesne Law alumni.

Each person being may bring one guest into the Supreme Court to witness the swearing-in. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Schedule of EventsSunday, March 6, 20165:30 - 7:30 p.m.Cocktail reception with fellow alumni

Monday, March 7, 20168 - 8:30 a.m.• Arrive at the U.S. Supreme Court• Group photo• Continental breakfast

10:00 a.m. • The Court convenes

Cost$200 check made payable to “U.S. Supreme Court” to cover the admission fee

AccommodationsDuquesne Law has a reserved blocks of rooms

ApplyReview requirements for admission and complete instructions and submit your paperwork and payment to the Duquesne Law Alumni Office no later than Friday, January 8, 2016

duq.edu/law/SCOTUSadmission

Join Dean Ken Gormley in Washington, D.C. for a special admission ceremony

Monday, March 7, 2016

School of Law600 Forbes AvenuePittsburgh, PA 15282

Donating to the Call to Excellence fund helps expand and intensify our Bar Exam Preparation programs to give every student the chance to excel.

Won’t you answer the call today?

Please send donations to the Call to Excellence Fund to:

Duquesne University School of Lawc/o Jeanine DeBor, Director of Law Alumni Relations600 Forbes AvenuePittsburgh, PA 15282

Donate online at duq.edu/law/alumni/support-duquesne-law

The Call to Excellence Fund

Members of the Class of 2015 at this year’s Pennsylvania Bar Admissions Ceremony

http://law.duq.edu/alumni/support-duquesne-law

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