Holiday Toy Drive Reaches New Heights
 For the third year, Southwestern’s
Latino Law Students Association (with the help of the SBA) inspired
contributions of toys
from donors throughout the campus and beyond to fulfill the Christmas
dreams of young children. Pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first-grade
students at Southwestern’s adopted school, Hoover Elementary,
wrote letters to Santa requesting specific toys.
 Nearly
1,000 gifts were distributed to all the classes in the three levels.
In addition, toys, school supplies and athletic equipment were
handed out to children at other grade levels based on need and academic
achievement, purchased through generous monetary contributions. Santa
and his helpers made the deliveries to the children, who eagerly shook
his mittens and entertained him with songs in English and Spanish before
unwrapping their gifts.
In addition to Southwestern students, faculty,
and staff, participants included members of the Latino Professional Network,
the Mexican American
Bar Foundation,
the Mexican American Legal Defense and
Education Fund, the Latina Lawyers Bar Association, el Comision Femenil de
Los Angeles, the La Raza student groups at USC and UCLA Law Schools, PCMall
Inc., NBC Universal/Telemundo, Fox Cable Networks, Corpinfo Services, Luxury
Link and many individuals, businesses and firms. Click here to see more photos.
Student
Earns LGLA Scholarship
Congratulations go to Keya Koul, who was awarded $2,500
Donald L. Snow Scholarship from the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association
for demonstrating
an ongoing commitment to the promotion of the civil rights of lesbian,
gay, bisexual, or transgender persons. Assemblyman Mark Leno presented
her with the award at a dinner to celebrate the group’s 25th
anniversary and remember its founders.
Summer Abroad Information Sessions Set
Informational briefings on Southwestern’s Summer Abroad Programs
are commencing this month as follows:
Mexico – January
18 and January 21, BW370*
Vancouver – January
25, BW370
Argentina – January 27, W311
London – February 2, W229
All sessions
are held at 12:30 and 5 pm (*with the exception of the Mexico
sessions, which are at 5pm on 1/18 and 12:30pm on 1/21). Additional
information sessions will be held in the coming months, and more
information
is also available
online or
from the Student
Affairs Office.
 Blood Donors Needed
The Annual Blood Drive will be held on January 26 from 10 am to 4 pm
in the Salle Moderne on the fifth floor of the Bullocks Wilshire
building.
It’s easy, convenient, and important. The sign-up sheet is
on the SBA bulletin board on the second floor of the Westmoreland
building and further information is available from the SBA
Office or Student
Affairs.
More
Summer Job Opportunities
Additional interview and networking events for students seeking summer employment
will be held during the spring semester. The Career Services Office encourages
students to take advantage of a number of programs and services, including:
• The Spring On-Campus Interview Program
(OCIP), February 17-28, 2005, features
a number of small to mid-size employers
• The Spring Job Fair on
April 14 provides a great way to network with local law firms who may be hiring
for the summer.
• Job and volunteer listings compiled
in April by the Southwestern Alumni Association, in conjunction with the Career
Services Office, includes alumni who offer paid and volunteer positions available
from the CSO. Last year, over 100 positions were listed. Binders in the CSO and
the website, LawMatch.com, offer updated job listings year-round.
To
prepare for all of these opportunities, students are encouraged to
attend the upcoming workshops offered by the Career Services Office,
including:
• “Resume and Cover Letter Preparation,” January
13 at 5 pm and January 14 at 12:30 pm
• “Effective Interviewing Techniques,” January
25
• “Researching and Applying to Small
and Medium Sized Firms,” February 1
• “Interviewing with Small and Medium
Sized Firms,” February 10
In addition, students are always welcome to submit a resume to the Career
Services Office for review.
Cap & Gown
Distribution
April 26 & 27
12 – 2 pm & 5 – 6:30 pm
Location TBA
Questions? Contact Administrative
Services
 Don't Miss Your Chance to Order a Yearbook
January
is the last month to order yearbooks - go online to
order yours today or visit the table on the Westmoreland Steps
on January 25 between 11am and 2pm. And, don't forget to tell your
family and friends that they can order special
ads (with pictures or without) as well
as
personal
messages for graduates. You may also email candid pictures to Jessica
Lundby or bring them by the Student
Affairs
Office.
Health & Safety
Focus of Spring Security Workshops
During the Spring Semester, Administrative Services will conduct several workshops
to help members of the Southwestern Community implement sound health and safety
practices. The monthly events will take place on the following Wednesdays from
12 – 1 pm and 5-6 pm on the steps of the Westmoreland building. Dates on
topics include:
• January 19 – Apartment and Residential Safety
• February 16 – Drug and Alcohol Abuse
• March 2 – Sexual Assault and Prevention
• April 13 – Fraud and Identity Theft
• May 18 – Personal Safety
• June 8 – Keeping Kids Safe
Informative
flyers and free candy will be available. Participants will also be
eligible to win a highly desirable prize in a raffle drawing. Further
information is available from Administrative
Services.
Don’t
Forget!
The deadlines for Externship applications are
FEBRUARY 1 for SUMMER
and MARCH 1 for FALL
For a
list of recent faculty activities, click
here.
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 LGBT and Civil Rights Issues Focus of Law Review Symposium
The Southwestern
University Law Review is sponsoring “Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual & Transgendered Issues and the Civil Rights Agenda,” a
symposium to discuss the on-going discrimination faced by LGBT people
in their everyday lives, LGBT issues within the larger framework of
the civil rights agenda, and other important issues affecting LGBT
people and society as a whole. Co-sponsored by the Lesbian and Gay
Lawyers of Los Angeles (LGLA), the Native American Law Student Association
(NALSA) and OUTlaw, the event will take place on Friday, February 4
from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on the Southwestern campus. In addition to
members of the Southwestern faculty, the symposium will feature experts
in civil rights, family law and other related areas from universities
and organizations focused on LGBT issues.
A
brochure with registration form is available online or from the Student
Affairs or Law Review Offices. The symposium offers 5.75 hours of CLE
credit,
including one hour for Elimination of Bias.
Registration is free to Southwestern students, $40 to attendees not
seeking CLE credit, $100 to Southwestern Alumni and LGLA members and
$150 to others.
Articles written in coordination with the symposium will be published
in the Law Review; copies of the issue will be sent to participants.
They will also be available for purchase from the Law Review office.
Subscriptions to Law Review may be ordered via the symposium registration
form at a cost of $34 for domestic and $38 for foreign addresses or
online.
For further information, contact Meghan
Blanco in the Law
Review Office or Tamara
Stoffels in the Student
Affairs Office.
Externship Open Forum Gives Students a Great Opportunity
The
14th Annual Externship Open Forum
will be held in the Central Hall of the Bullocks Wilshire building
at 12:30 p.m.
on Wednesday and Thursday, January 19
and 20. The event provides an opportunity for students to gain insight
into various judicial, government, public interest and entertainment
agencies throughout
the greater Los Angeles area. Students benefit greatly from being able
to talk one-on-one with representatives in
a relaxed atmosphere; and in turn, each placement representative benefits
from getting to know Southwestern’s students. Participants include
representatives from the California Attorney General’s Office,
California Court of Appeal, City of Los Angeles Housing Department, Los
Angeles City Attorney’s
Office, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles
County Public Defender’s Office, Ventura
County District Attorney’s Office, The Alliance for Children’s
Rights, California Women’s
Law Center, CAL/OSHA, Harriet
Buhai Center for Family Law, HIV & AIDS Legal Services, Legal Aid,
Mental Health Advocacy, Public Counsel, Body Glove
International, Comedy Central/MTV Networks, First Look Media, Inc., Fox
Cable Networks,
among others.
Inn of St. Ives to discuss Cameras in the Courtroom
Heidi Yoshioka '89 and Donald Forgey '77, both with the law firm of
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, will lead a discussion on “Cameras
in the Courtroom – Good or Bad?” at the Inn of St. Ives
meeting on January 20. Attendance is by invitation only. Interested
students may contact the Development
Office.
Great
Opportunity!
Students are encouraged to come by the Dixon Center when it
is used to hear oral arguments for the California Court of Appeal,
Second Appellate District, Division 4 on Tuesday, February 15, and
the U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) for the 9th Circuit on Wednesday,
February
23. For more information, contact the Development
Office.
Law Firms/Government/Public Service Employers to Participate in Career
Day
Public Interest Career Day, sponsored by Southwestern and other
area law schools, will be held at UCLA Law School on Saturday,
February
5, 2005. Featuring private law firms, public interest and government
employers from throughout California, the event is a learning and
networking opportunity for all students considering careers in
those fields. In
addition to interviewing selected students for summer and post-graduate
jobs, employers will be available for panel discussions, informational
tables, and networking. For
further information, including attendance requirements, contact
the Career Services
Office.
 Bar Fair Offers Networking Opportunity
Southwestern’s Tenth Annual Bar Association Fair, one of
the only programs of its kind at a California law school, will
take place on Tuesday,
February 8 at 12:15 p.m. on the Westmoreland Promenade. The event offers
students an important opportunity to network with lawyer-members about
their practice areas and to learn about the benefits of bar association
membership. Representatives from the various Sections of the Los Angeles
County Bar Association and other local bar associations will be available
to talk with students.
Most bar associations have programs designed specifically for current law students,
including scholarship programs and steeply discounted student memberships. Membership
in bar associations allows students to attend meetings, participate in events,
and interact with members of the legal profession. Students who do not join bar
associations while in law school are often precluded from joining until they
have passed the bar
exam.
The event will conclude with a drawing for prizes; all attending students
will be eligible. For further information, please contact the Career
Services Office or the Student
Affairs Office.
Upcoming Institute Events
Southwestern/MLRC
Conference: I’m A Lawyer, Help Me Out Here!
Key Issues In Entertainment and Media Law
Thursday, January 27, 2005, 3 p.m. -7:15 p.m., Southwestern Campus,
Students $25
IP/Patent
Attorney Joins Adjunct Faculty
 Stefan J. Kirchanski,
senior counsel in the law firm of Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine & Regenstreif LLP, has joined Southwestern’s
adjunct faculty to teach Patent Application Drafting in Spring
2005. His current
areas of practice include intellectual property law, patent and trademark
prosecution, and licensing and development, among other matters.
Professor
Kirchanski was previously of counsel at Crosby Heafey Roach & May
and later, Reed Smith, when the two firms combined. His focus has been
on patent prosecution and licensing for clients in the biochemical,
biotechnology, and medical fields – particularly medical devices
and diagnostics. Professor Kirchanski, who is registered to practice
before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, has drafted patent
specifications covering a wide range of technologies, development and
licensing agreements, IP due diligence analyses, and opinion letters
on patentability, infringement and validity issues. He has managed
the prosecution of chemically related cases for Kyocera Corporation,
and has worked on patent matters for the University of California,
C.R. Bard, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as well as a number of
successful sole inventors and start-up companies. A past president
of the Orange County Patent Law Association, he has authored over a
dozen articles and abstracts in the fields of biochemistry, botany,
and photosynthesis, and has six patents to his name.
Professor Kirchanski has served as an assistant professor at the University
of Texas at Austin, a research fellow at Harvard University, and a
research and development scientist with both Ortho Diagnostic Systems
and Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems. He earned his B.A. and
Ph.D. degrees in botany from the University of California, Berkeley
and his J.D. degree from Loyola Law School.
|
 A
dozen questions for: Professor Myrna Raeder
Q: What is your greatest accomplishment?
A: I think that is probably for others to say, but I am delighted that
the policies that I have recently been working on for the Criminal
Justice Section of the American Bar Association to strengthen the
criminal justice system in light of the DNA exonerations are nearing
completion. My committee has submitted five policies recommendations
and reports, which have already been adopted by the ABA, and are
in the process of finishing another four proposals. Adopted policies
concern eyewitness testimony, videotaping confessions, scientific
evidence, law enforcement practices and best practices for prosecutors.
Remaining proposals will address testimony of informants, defense
practices, compensation for individuals wrongfully convicted, and
systemic remedies.
Q: If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?
A: I would lobby Congress for more rational sentencing policy for nonviolent
offenders and particularly to create alternative sentencing policies
to benefit women offenders who care for their minor children.
Q: Who do you admire?
A: I admire people who are self-sacrificing. For example, those who
devote themselves to the poor, the sick and the cause of human rights
in the world, even though this may result in their own lives being
dramatically impacted or cut short.
Q: What is your car radio programmed to?
A: KUSC, KCRW, KPCC, KMOZART, KNX and KZLA.
Q: When you were in grade school, what did you want to be when you
grew up?
A: I always wanted to be a lawyer, which was quite unusual for girls
growing up when I did. When I entered law school in 1968, women were
a very small percentage of the class. I remember being told that I
would either be very happy or very miserable given my single-mindedness.
Q: What have you gained by being a law school professor?
A: For me, it is the perfect career. It allows me to interact with
students, while researching, writing and advocating about subjects
I feel passionate about. It is particularly rewarding when former
students visit or send a note indicating that I had some impact on
their careers.
Q: Why did you decide to teach instead of practice?
A: Like being a lawyer, I came early to wanting to teach law. Even as a student
at NYU Law School, I taught law to students at Bronx High School of Science,
and at my Georgetown fellowship, I taught classes in the DC Jail. I wanted to
combine the skills and strategies that were learned in practice with the theory
that lawyers need to understand. Thus, evidence and federal pretrial practice
were natural courses for me to teach.
Professor
Raeder continued in the next column...
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Helpful
hints for students from Southwestern Staff
 Tamara
says: Students
should always strive to attend speaker events and conferences hosted
on campus. It's an excellent resource for industry networking.
Tamara
Moore is an Administrative Assistant in the Biederman Institute.
She completed her B.S. degree in Business Management at the University
of Phoenix and her M.A. degree in Organizational Management at
Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management.
She joined Southwestern in 1997.
Professor
Raeder continued ...
Q:
How do you think your real life experience as a former litigator helps
you in the classroom?
A: I believe everyone who teaches practice-based courses should have spent some
time as a litigator. Lawyers must understand context to be effective.
Q:
Looking back on your days in practice, can you name one time that you
were happy to be an attorney?
A: I was extremely lucky to practice in some marvelous places: I spent a summer
at Paul, Weiss in New York, nearly a year as a Special United States Attorney
in Washington DC and about four years at O’Melveny & Myers.
Q:
Why did you choose to teach at Southwestern?
A: Southwestern has always fostered an innovative approach to teaching and was
practice oriented. It was clear that the school had a congenial faculty and an
engaged student body.
Q: What is most rewarding about your career?
A: I really enjoy most of what I do, and hope that whatever careers my students
may choose, that after 30 years they can say the same.
Q:
What would you like to be known for?
A: Fairness. More specifically, my attempts to facilitate compromise on difficult
policy issues that typically divide the criminal justice community.
"Getting to Know You" Interviews
by Allison Cole, 2nd-year Evening Student
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