Regent Law News

Facebook news feeds have been filled with videos of mostly individuals doing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. But, at Regent University, doing things in community means a lot. That's why about 250 people came out Thursday, Aug. 21, for a "mass" ice bucket challenge. "We believe in serving together and this is a prime example," said Dr. Paul Bonicelli, Regent's executive vice president. "We came together for a great purpose, to help raise awareness and support a cause that has affected people in the Regent community. So many of us know family and friends diagnosed with this devastating disease. Today, we helped change the world just a little through our effort and our donations." Bonicelli announced that Regent was making a generous donation, along with the participants' donations, to the John Paul II Medical Research Institute. "We chose the John Paul II Medical Research Institute for several reasons," Bonicelli said. "First...

 As the summer days begin to dwindle, many students focus on purchasing books, gearing up for their new class schedules and settle in for the fall semester. But on Friday, August 15, 150 Regent University School of Law students turned their focus toward the needs of the Hampton Roads community during the sixth-annual Community Service Day. Students dispersed to various service locations in the area such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children, Union Mission, the Society of St. Andrew and the Bridge Christian Fellowship Swap & Shop. There, students volunteered for a variety of activities, including sorting food and clothing donations, facilities work, gleaning and oyster restoration. Jeffrey Brauch, dean of the School of Law, explained that students' participation in these different community service projects is a simple reflection that Regent students' priorities are in the right place. "They come to thi...

Professor  Kenneth Ching 's paper " What We Consent to When We Consent to Form Contracts " is currently the most downloaded recent contracts paper on SSRN. Professor  Scott Pryor 's paper,  "Municipal Bankruptcy: When Doing Less is Doing Best ", was recently listed on SSRN's Top Ten download list for the topic of Political Institutions: Federalism & Sub-National Politics. Professor  Scott Pryor 's paper,  Who Bears the Cost? The Necessity of Taxpayer Participation in Chapter 9 , was recently listed on SSRN's Top Ten download list for the topic of Bankruptcy/Debtor-Creditor.

Professor  Eric DeGroff  and alumnus Steven Fitschen ('99) received an offer from the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal to publish their article entitled " Is It Time for the Court to Accept the O.F.F.E.R.? Applying Smith v. Organization of Foster Families for Equality and Reform to Promote Clarity, Consistency, and Federalism in the World of De Facto Parenthood. " The article discusses parental rights and same-sex unions.

Students in Regent University School of Law's two-year juris doctorate (J.D.) program may benefit in more ways than just receiving quality legal education in less time. The program also gets them into court sooner. During their summer month of legal training, students in the Federal Laws of Evidence class witnessed the tools they've learned in the classroom unfold in the Federal Court in Norfolk, Va. In July, Regent Law professor James Duane (pictured)  was appointed by the court to represent a defendant in an alleged drug trafficking case. Since many aspects of the case directly related to what Duane has been teaching his students throughout the summer, he invited them to watch the arguments unfold outside of the context of books. "The students benefited from the opportunity to see these classroom concepts being actually argued, considered and decided by the judge in real time," said Duane. "It gave them an available opportunity to see these issues fleshed...

Andrew Esposito   ('07)  is now a research assistant at the University of Hong Kong. Steven Fitschen  ('99), president of the National Legal Foundation, was a guest blogger for  Family Restoration . He writes about his participation in a marriage debate at the Virginia State Bar's annual meeting in June. Terah Gaertner  ('11) is now a public defender in Delaware County, Pa. In addition to her work with the criminal justice system, she was recently hired to co-teach a class at the University of Pennsylvania. The course is designed to help international students learn how to adjust to the American legal education system. Terah will teach skills such as briefing cases, outlining, and taking exams using IRAC. The course is very similar to Dean Gantt's Academic Success Program, which Terah took. Terah feels confident in her ability to transfer her knowledge to the incoming international students because of the education she received from Regent Law professors. ...

Dean  Jeffrey Brauch 's article, "Human Rights Protections in the Post-9/11 World," is now available to download on  SSRN . Professor  James Davids , director of Regent Law's LLM and MA programs, is quoted in  this piece  about online education in the legal industry. Professor  Lynne Marie Kohm  received an offer to publish her article, " A Brief Assessment of the 25-Year Effect of the Convention on the Rights of the Child " from the Editorial Board of the Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law. Professor  Scott Pryor 's article, " Who Bears the Cost? The Necessity of Taxpayer Participation in Chapter 9 ," made the top Ten List in the following category: Bankruptcy/Debtor-Creditor.