Regent Law News

The Mitchell Report today focuses on the controversy over performance-enhancing drugs. At the behest of Congress, and the request of Major League Baseball, former Senator George Mitchell released his report “exposing a serious drug culture within baseball, from top to bottom.” Sports World Poised for Drug Report, Virginian Pilot at A1, Dec. 13, 2007. (See http://www.pilotonline.com/ ) for the complete report. At a candid discourse with local baseball players, coaches, agents and executives during the recent Virginia Beach Sports Club annual Hot Stove Night event, a Regent Law alum served as the keynote address. Highlighting the positive forward look on baseball having everything to do with the kind of person who plays and does business in the game, “Keynote speaker, local baseball agent and Regent University alum Joe Kohm spoke of the struggle between the major league players’ union and team ownership, how salaries skyrocketed due to free agency, and the relationship between competitiv

The Regent University Law Review recently hosted a symposium in conjunction with the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies on Regent’s campus with more than 100 people in attendance. The theme was “Justiciability After Hein and Massachusetts : Where is the Court Standing?” The symposium convened to examine recent changes in the contours of Article III of the Constitution following the cases of Massachusetts v. EPA and Hein v. Freedom From Religions Foundation, Inc. "We were excited that our symposium could provide a forum for in-depth debate on standing, as it is a cornerstone of our legal system that is often misunderstood and overlooked,” said Jodi Foss, a third year law student and Symposium Editor for the Law Review. “I personally enjoyed that Adler and Eastman took very opposite stands on the issues and both articulated such convincing and entertaining arguments.” John Legg, a third year law student and Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, commented that stude

The Regent Journal of International Law (RJIL) recently hosted the 2007 Fall Symposium on campus themed "Islam, Democracy, and Post-9/11 Nation Building." More than 100 people were in attendance at the event held in the Regent University Library Atrium. According to RJIL's Symposium Director Zack Hofstad , a third year law student, this year's symposium was a historic event bringing three practicing Muslims to campus to debate with other noted scholars on Islam and democracy. The speakers shared their views on reforming Islam in a thought-provoking panel, which also featured spirited debated with a former Muslim who is now a Christian. "We had an overwhelming response from both our attendees and the speakers," said Hofstad. "One of the main goals of this symposium was to get people talking about these issues and I believe we succeeded in doing so." Hofstad also noted that in the days following the event a number of students have remarked about thei

The Regent University Law Review will host its upcoming symposium in conjunction with the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies on the weekend of November 30, 2007. The symposium will consist of a banquet and keynote address on Friday followed by a lecture and panel discussion on Saturday. The topic for this year’s symposium will be the doctrines of justiciability and standing after the recent Supreme Court decisions of Massachusetts v. EPA and Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation, Inc. The keynote speaker will be Professor Jonathan H. Adler. Other speakers include Dr. John C. Eastman, and Professor David Wagner. The banquet and keynote address will be held on Friday, November 30, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. in the Library Atrium. On Saturday, December 1, 2007 the symposium will continue with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in the Robertson Hall atrium, followed by a lecture by Dr. Eastman at 9:30 a.m. and a panel discussion beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the Robertson H

Regent Law School Professor Charles Oates and Regent’s Center for Teaching and Learning were recently selected as a winner of the Silver Davey Award by the International Academy of the Visual Arts for their collaboration in a video titled the Missing Persons Dilemma. The goal of the video case study was to enhance the classroom experience among Regent Law students studying legal ethics. The Missing Persons Dilemma is a dramatic reenactment based partially on an actual case. The video illustrates the conflict two defense lawyers face when confronted with a difficult ethical issue. The lawyers must choose between protecting their client’s confidence or acceding to the public's right to know the status of missing persons. The Missing Persons Dilemma video and Professor Oates’s presentation can be viewed by visiting, Regent Showcase Webpage . The video was created to highlight the benefits of video in the classroom. Video provides an additional dimension that taps into emotions which s

This past weekend a group of Regent law students competed at the Fourteenth Annual Burton D. Wechsler First Amendment Moot Court Competition at American University in Washington D. C. Third-year law students Ashleigh Kingery, Rich Wenner, and Heath Sabin took first place after six rounds of oral argument. Additionally, Rich Wenner received honors for "Third Best Oralist." The Wechsler Competition brought various national and international law schools together to argue a specially formulated problem concerning the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and the right of expressive association. Competitors were required to write an appellate brief that was submitted about a month prior to the competition. Each team was also required to participate in two preliminary rounds of oral argument. The brief score was then calculated into the total score and helped determine which teams would advance. Competitors showcased their oral advocacy skills before venerable judges, promine

Ben Madison, an Associate Professor in the Law School, recently learned he was among the winners of a call for papers on the topic of “New Law Faculty as Catalysts for Change.” This competition was sponsored by the New Law Faculty Section of the American Association of Law Schools. As a result, he has been invited to present his paper at the association’s national meeting to be held in January 2008 in New York City. “One of our primary goals at Regent is to engage the world,” Madison noted, “and I saw this as an opportunity to do that.” The article challenges legal academia to examine its approach to education. “The article seeks to force those involved in legal education to reexamine everything about our approach. Fortunately, I have colleagues at Regent who are not afraid to do that.” Madison acknowledged that the collaborative approach of his colleagues inspires him to write and speak. His scholarship has focused not only on particular legal issues, but has also included work on edu

Regent University School of Law is pleased to announce that Associate Professor and Director of Academic Success, L. O. Natt Gantt, II, has recently been promoted to serve as Associate Dean for Student Affairs. A highly qualified candidate, Dean Gantt began at Regent University in the fall of 2000 when he served as an Academic Assistance Instructor where he focused primarily on helping students develop legal study skills. Shortly thereafter, Dean Gantt began teaching courses in Professional Responsibility and Advanced Legal Reasoning, Analysis, and Writing, while passionately working to further develop the Academic Success Program into a year round component of the student curriculum. As Dean of Students, Dean Gantt will continue teaching courses such as Professional Responsibility, while assuming the various other responsibilities that come with the position. When asked about what he hopes to accomplish in his new role, Dean Gantt stated, “At Regent, we’ve developed a reputation for p

John Legg, a 3L at Regent University School of Law, was named the winner of the 2006-2007 William Pew Religious Freedom Scholarship Competition by Aliance Defense Fund. He will receive a cash award in the amount of $2,500.00. Legg is a Blackstone Fellow (2006) who expects to earn his J.D. from Regent University School of Law in May 2008, where he is Editor-in-Chief of the Regent University Law Review. During law school, he has served as a summer law clerk at the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate Generals Corps. Currently, John is a judicial intern in the chambers of United States District Judge Walter Kelley, Jr., in the Eastern District of Virginia. His wife, Karen, also studies at Regent University as a doctoral student in communication studies. Upon graduation, John plans to be commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps.

Reporting accurately, objectively and ethically should be the goals of all news coverage, and journalists —especially those covering high profile court cases — must work hard to achieve these goals, said Manny Medrano, ABC News legal correspondent, addressing attendees at Regent University's annual Law School for Journalists seminar September 17. Medrano, a federal criminal prosecutor before turning to journalism, shared his insights from both perspectives in the courtroom. "I've been fortunate to have two immensely gratifying careers," he said. "At times, there's friction between the fourth estate and the legal system, but I think we can dissipate some of that by understanding each other and working together." Following "Manny's Rules" for covering court cases will help reporters achieve the goals of news coverage, Medrano asserted. Some of his maxims include: "Follow the rules of the court" "Treat court personnel with respe

The Regent University Library is excited to announce alumni access to three library databases: Academic OneFile, Business Source alumni, and InfoTrack OneFile. These databases offer access to in excess of 21,000 full-text journals in an array of subject areas. To access the databases, visit the University Library website. You will be asked to register for the service, and once your alumni status is verified, the databases will be available for unlimited use. If these databases prove to be popular, more databases in specific areas may be added in the future as they become available. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact the Regent Library reference desk by phone (1.888.249.1822), by e-mail (reference@regent.edu), or through IM via all major instant messaging services (screen name RegentULibrary).

It's a combination of fire and spirit of cooperation among lawyers that allows a successful distribution of food to the community, according to Virginia Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell. In a recent award ceremony for the First Annual Statewide Legal Food Frenzy, McDonnell awarded Regent University Law School representatives with the mini Attorney General's cup for collecting the most total pounds and most per capita of food for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia (FSEVA).The school's achievement resulted in 4,231 pounds of food. The award ceremony, held at FSEVA, celebrated the success of over 169 competing law firms, organizations and law school teams that raised 678,686 pounds of food, exceeding the goal of 500,000 pounds. McDonnell, a Regent Law School alumnus, said lawyers are a great facet for community service: "Combine [their] generosity with competition and you have the first Attorney General's Cup Awards," he said. Dean Jeffery Brauch of Regent

It is a significant achievement to have a scholarly article published during a person’s three years as a law student. Not only has Regent 3L Leo Lestino published two articles during his tenure as a law student, but he also has won a nationwide writing contest in the process. When asked about his recent writing success, Lestino said, “It’s been such a blessing and a great experience.” One of Lestino’s articles titled, “A Mutated Standard of Review: the Not-So-Strict Deferential Scrutiny in Grutter v. Bollinger and Extending its Flawed Application to K-12 Schools,” won first place in the Pacific Legal Foundation’s 2008 Program for Judicial Awareness Writing Competition. The article discusses the standard of review for race-based admissions that the Supreme Court used in deciding Grutter v. Bollinger and its extension to the K-12 context. Lestino addresses the error in the Grutter standard and why deferential scrutiny should not be allowed in university admissions or student assignment i

Students from Regent School of Law who are in Strasbourg, France for a unique human rights program sponsored by the Law School were recently invited to observe the oral arguments in a high profile terrorism case. The invitation was issued by the President of the European Court of Human Rights (the equivalent of the Chief Justice), which is headquartered in Strasbourg. Strasbourg is also the home of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), a public interest law firm dedicated to the protection of religious freedom and human rights. According to Jeffrey Brauch, dean of Regent School of Law, European Parliament members from Ireland, Romania, Netherlands and Finland and the former Justice Minister of Slovakia also visited the students. "Our students are not only learning about human rights law and European law," Brauch says, "but they are experiencing it." The Strasbourg program concludes on August 5.

Jason Swango '06 (Law) and Jim Breckinridge '05 (Law) are helping to answer the question asked by attorneys just out of law school: How can I get leads for my law practice? Swango, who is headquartered in Virginia Beach, and Breckinridge, headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., are launching InjuryLawLitigators.com, the only lead generation company of its kind on the Internet today that is owned and operated by attorneys for attorneys. Currently in its pre-launch stage, the company is now marketing its services to attorneys across the country. According to Swango, there are "nine pillars" of law that will ultimately be rolled out: a) Injury Law - including medical malpractice and workers compensation; b) Family Law; c) Bankruptcy; d) Immigration; e) Criminal; f) Patent / Intellectual Property; g) Business; h) Wills, Trusts, & Estates; i) Employment / Labor.

When Regent University Chancellor and President Dr. Pat Robertson introduced Rudy Giuliani to the 600+ Executive Leadership Series audience members on June 26th, he cited the Mayor’s remarkable career of public service: his tenure as Associate Attorney General under President Ronald Reagan; his service to the city of New York – cutting crime, reducing taxes and encouraging tremendous growth and economic development. He reflected on the Mayor’s legendary performance after the tragic events of September 11th, citing the world’s recognition of his extraordinary leadership in a time of unthinkable crisis. With his trademark good humor, Dr. Robertson related the story of their shared prior cancer diagnoses, and his hospital-room call from the Mayor to offer words of encouragement. Dr. Robertson assured the audience that Mayor Giuliani would not be delivering a political speech – and then with exquisite timing, said, “But we’d be remiss to forget that he does seem to be running for President

On June 7, 2007, Regent Law School’s Office of Career & Alumni Services sponsored the 3rd Annual Judicial Internship Banquet. The Judicial Internship Program allows first year law students an opportunity to intern with local courts. Each year a dinner is held to honor the judges and courts who participate in the program, thus making the entire program possible. This year marks the largest participation rate for the Judicial Intern Program which began in 1998. Fifteen local courts participated accommodating thirty-one student volunteers. Students volunteer for a minimum of eight weeks for twenty hours a week. Darius Davenport, Director of Regent Law Career & Alumni Services, introduced the night’s four speakers. Emily Sheets, a participant in the program and a rising 2L, commented how valuable the integration of education with legal experience is for law students. She said that through the program, students learn the real importance of courtroom clerks to their future success in

Regent Law has won the Law School division of the first annual Virginia “Legal Food Frenzy,” organized by the office of the State Attorney General, Bob McDonnell. McDonnell, a Regent Law alum, spearheaded the campaign to help Virginia’s hungry by calling on the legal community in the state to donate food throughout the spring. A number of categories and sub-categories were recognized, including law firms of various sizes and law schools, with winners being announced based on the total weight of food donated as well as pounds of food donated per capita. Regent Law won both law school categories, donating 4,231 pounds of food, which worked out to 10.07 pounds per person. The program overall was judged a success by McDonnell. The original goal was 500,000 pounds of food; however, over 637,000 pounds were donated, which equals 530,000 meals for Virginian’s in need. 

In full regalia and smiling broadly, the largest graduating class in the history of Regent University—1,005 strong—processed to their seats on the plaza in front of the university's library and joined an audience of more than 5,000 assembled friends, family and other guests. Thomas M. Saltsgiver, chairman of Regent's Board of Trustees, extended greetings from the board and then introduced Regent Chancellor and President Dr. M. G. "Pat" Robertson. After adding his warm welcome, Dr. Robertson began his introduction of the Honorable Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts. "He is a person of great distinction," Dr. Robertson said, highlighting Gov. Romney's proven leadership in business, government and repairing the 2002 Winter Olympics. "He is an outstanding American." Before beginning his official remarks, Gov. Romney applauded Dr. Robertson for building a center of excellence at Regent University. He then turned to the graduates and began

Over the past few years, Regent University School of Law students have reached out to the surrounding community by offering free tax assistance through the Internal Revenue Service's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The VITA Program offers free tax preparation for low to moderate income families and individuals who cannot prepare their own tax returns. Student volunteers must complete a rigorous training program which details the IRS tax code and provides students with hands on tax assistance training. After completing each of the two separate training modules, students must pass a post-test with an 80% or higher proficiency before the IRS will issue a certificate of completion. After receiving certificates of completion, students are able to volunteer their time as tax preparers for would be tax payers. This year the VITA workshops will be conducted on Saturdays from 8am to 4pm in the Regent University Communications Building. The first workshop was held on February

Judges, professors, students and hundreds more from Virginia and beyond gathered to celebrate the founding of Jamestown at the "Liberty Under Law: 400 Years of Freedom" symposium held at Regent University April 12-13, 2007 and sponsored by Regent's School of Law. The event began with a dinner and reception at Founder's Inn where guests were treated to a preview of "First Landing," a film jointly produced by Regent University and CBN that will premiere on the ABC Family Channel on April 30 after a screening on campus the night before. The film tells the story of the founding of Virginia with a focus on the perspective of Robert Hunt, the Virginia Company's chaplain. Following the preview, the night's keynote speaker, the Honorable Chief Justice Leroy Hassell of the Virginia Supreme Court, spoke on the evolution and history of Virginia's many constitutions. "State constitutions are often overlooked by historians and lawyers," Hassell said

Professor Thomas Folsom, who specializes in intellectual property, contracts and corporate law, took home a third place award today for his article “Defining Cyberspace: Finding Real Virtue in the Place of Virtual Reality." The International Trademark Association (INTA) holds an annual competition for both students and professors through its “Ladas Memorial Award,” the goal of which is to develop interest and further discipline in the field of trademarks. The INTA is comprised of more than 5,000 trademark owners and professionals from more than 190 countries.

Regent University Professor Brad Jacob has been asked to participate in a discussion of the Constitution and the separation of church and state at Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. The discussion will be hosted by the American Constitution Society (ACS) and will take place on Tuesday, March 27th. The discussion will last approximately one hour and will take place in the conventional debate format. Professor Jacob will debate Edwin F. Kagin, a constitutional attorney and founder/director of Camp Quest, a summer camp for children of Atheists and other nonbelievers. Kagin also serves as the National Legal Director of the American Atheists. Kagin believes that many hold an incorrect belief that the Ten Commandments form the basis of the law of our nation. On his web site, www.edwinkagin.com, Kagin states that “there is a great pooling of ignorance just now over the so-called ‘Ten Commandments,” found in the ‘Holy Bible,’ with many holding the incorrect belief that the

Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft is more than just a political figure; to Regent Law Students, Ashcroft is also an entertainer. Since joining Regent University in 2005 as a distinguished professor of law and government, Ashcroft has hosted an ice cream social at his beach home on 4 separate occasions. Each semester students hasten to sign up for the event as participation is limited to a first come, first serve basis. On Tuesday, January 23rd, students were invited by General Ashcroft and his wife Janet to join them at their beach home for their most recent ice cream social. After Ashcroft had scooped ice cream for each of the 55 student participants, everyone headed to a large dining room table for casual conversation and fellowship with the General and his wife. Student Joshua Bachman stated that “personally interacting with the great men of our age such as General Ashcroft is truly what a University education is all about and Regent answers the call.” When everyone’s b