Regent Law News

Regent University School of Law is proud that another of its graduates has been named to Inside Business’ “Top 40 Under 40.” Each year since 1999, the journal highlights the Hampton Roads’ talent making significant contributions to their career fields and to the community. This year Brett Thompson (’01) was recognized for his strong leadership and professional growth as an attorney and business owner. Thompson practices real estate and corporate law and made partner at Kellam, Pickrell, Cox & Tayloe, P.C. after only five years with the firm. Strongly motivated by his wife, Tiffany, and two children, Thompson strives to maintain a healthy balance between his work and professional responsibilities. “There is no higher level of achievement or greater satisfaction at the end of the day than to come home to a loving family,” he said. “I try to keep in mind that if I deprive my family then that will weaken my ability to be productive in all other aspects of my life.” He serves

According to TaxProf blogger Paul L. Caron, Regent’s law professors rank among the top ten most interesting and most accessible law faculties in the nation. TaxProf blog culled data directly from the Princeton Review’s 2010 edition of “The Best 172 Law Schools” to generate its rankings. Caron’s blog is one of the most visited law blogs edited by a single law professor, and the American Bar Association has honored it as one of its “Top 100 Blawgs.” Get to know Regent’s nationally recognized professors here , and visit our Regent Law Faculty blog here .

First-time test takers from Regent University School of Law's class of 2009 passed the February and July Virginia Bar Exams at an overall rate of 77.8 percent, exceeding the statewide average of 76.4 percent for all first time takers. "I am encouraged with these results and believe we will continue to see improvement in our pass rate as we implement some of our new bar preparation initiatives in the coming months and years," Regent Law Dean Jeffrey A. Brauch said. "I praise God for his blessing on our graduates and the school." Click here to receive a free Regent Law admission view book, and here to receive news updates from the school delivered straight to your inbox.

Second year law student Sarah Hajovsky wants to use her J.D. in the field of international human rights. She doesn’t have to go overseas, however, to gain the necessary legal experience. Instead, she only has to travel ten miles from the Regent University campus to gain exposure to some of the most important international humanitarian work being done today. Since September, Hajovsky has been externing 12-15 hours a week with the Civil Military Fusion Centre (CFC) at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Supreme Allied Command Headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. Her projects support CFC’s goal of “creating an environment where information can flow freely between civilian and military actors engaged in complex crises, with the intent to ultimately help those in need.” “I thoroughly enjoy participating in projects that have international significance,” said Hajovsky. “And CFC is designed to facilitate communication between non-government organizations and the military when hand

Third year law student Melissa Hudgins recognizes that her hands-on work with Regent’s Civil Litigation clinic will improve her career prospects. For her, however, Regent’s Clinic is about much more than personal gain. “The beauty of the Clinic is not only the practical experience it offers students,” she said, “but that it allows clients to have a hand in changing students’ perceptions about those who depend on government aid to survive.” This semester, Hudgins has been working on behalf of a single mother of three whose food stamp and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits had been terminated. The client received this sanction because she was alleged to have intentionally violated the program’s requirements. In order to properly defend her client’s cause, Hudgins took the time to get to know her. She discovered that in addition to a lack of education, her client experienced difficulty finding adequate child care and transportation, all of which prevented her fr

Just when does government regulation of the media go too far? Or, does it ever not go far enough? Even if a particular regulatory act is constitutional, is it prudent? The 2009 Law Review Symposium attempted to answer these questions October 9 – 10, 2009. Regent Law Review Editor in Chief, Benjamin Eastburn, commented on the forum topic’s timeliness. “We chose ‘Media and the Law’ because of its seemingly universal presence in political discussions and news stories over the past year,” he said. “People have heard a lot about the Fairness Doctrine, television and internet regulation, et cetera. Discussing these topics was a necessary step towards informing the legal community on the difficult questions our symposium posed.” The weekend started on Friday with a kick-off banquet featuring special guest Judge Andrew P. Napolitano. He entertained and challenged guests with a lively look at the foundations of 1st amendment freedoms. Judge Napolitano, former New Jersey Superior Court

Sentara Healthcare was founded in Norfolk, VA in 1888 and now is the largest integrated health care provider in southeastern Virginia and North Carolina, serving more than 2 million residents. Still headquartered in Norfolk, Sentara often recruits Regent Law students for internships, externships, and possible job opportunities within the corporation. Two students, Michael Deering (2L) and Erica Pero (3L), are currently enjoying the rigors of an externship with Sentara’s legal department. Both students praise the experience for adding to their studies a depth of skills not gained in the classroom. “I was treated as a young attorney and was expected to produce results equivalent to the work of a young attorney,” said Deering of his externship experience. “The practice of law is not law school. The drudgery of reading for class and writing memos morphs into an excitement about producing the best work product possible.” Pero agrees. “The legal department at Sentara Healthcare is a

Regent University School of Law Professor Kathleen McKee recently presented a specialized seminar on Clinical Legal Education at the English for Human Rights Attorneys Conference in Galway, Ireland, August 7 – 21. The conference and seminar, attended primarily by human rights attorneys from Iran, was held under the auspices of Johns Hopkins University’s Protection Project . “I was pleased to see that seminar attendees understood the importance of clinical education as providing access to justice for people who are not able to retain an attorney,” McKee said. “They seemed very committed to this issue.” In preparation for the seminar, McKee analyzed Iran’s constitution and civil code, and also conducted background research in family law, labor law, and other areas likely to be engaged within the scope of clinical education. McKee looks forward to future work in social justice and human rights issues with foundations like the Protection Project. “I’m hopeful that there will be opportuni

Regent University School of Law’s Trial Advocacy Board is busy making a name for itself. After being awarded “Best Brief” last year at the invitation-only National Pretrial Competition hosted by Stetson University, the team was ready for more. And this year, they got exactly what they aimed for. The team of Lu Aloupas, Jerry Harris, Kate Hart, and David Johnson were named Overall 1st Place Team and National Pretrial Champions at the competition held October 3-4, in Gulfport, Florida. In addition to this honorable achievement, the team was recognized for Overall Best Brief once again, teammate Hart was given Best Oral Advocate in the Semi-Final Round, and teammate Harris was given Best Oral Advocate in the Final Round. The team did not lose a round during the entire competition, even when slated against Chicago-Kent, a traditional top-ten Trial Advocacy powerhouse. To compete, the team submitted written briefs on a pretrial motion and presented oral arguments and evidence on the