Regent Law News

Teaching has always been on the horizon for Regent University School of Law professor Caleb Griffin. He joined LAW faculty Fall Semester 2016, after receiving a phone call from professor and associate dean, Natt Gantt, who was seeking interested candidates for the position. “I was at work one evening and he called and asked if I was interested in being a law professor, and I really was,” said Griffin. “I was literally called to work here.” Griffin came to Regent after graduating from Harvard Law School in 2014, and a stint of practicing corporate law at the firm of Vinson & Elkins, representing organizations such as banks and oil companies. “Practicing law is great, and I learned a lot, but I find it so rewarding to be able to work with students and examine deeper questions about the law," he said. His true passion lies in helping students conduct research and think about the “bigger issues” of law. He explained that those who practice law for a living don’t always have the pr...

Named after the late former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., the Moot Court Board hosted its 16th annual constitutional law competition on October 14-15, 2016. Directed by Samuel Walsh, the competition hosted 24 teams from across the nation—only one team short from becoming a tier two competition for the very first time. Not only is this an unprecedented amount, but it's also the furthest reaching with new and returning schools coming from as far as Florida, Texas, and California. Moreover, the final panel of judges was graced by the presence of 4 State Supreme Court Justices from Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Lucille Wall, this year's Chairwoman, said, "Regent Law's Moot Court Board was honored to host such a talented group of oral advocates at this year's Hassell National Moot Court Competition. Not only was the group of students participating diverse and well prepared, they were also excellent advocates who argued ...

Competition: National Pretrial Competition Oct. 13-16, 2016 Stetson University College of Law Florida The competition involved an indictment of a sitting member of Congress on charges of conspiracy to defraud the IRS through the use of stolen personal information to file fraudulent claims for income tax refunds, 18 USC 371, and ten counts of identity fraud, 18 USC 1028(a)(7). The indictment also charged 11 members of a violent gang with the conspiracy and theft of public money charges and various members of the gang with allegedly related Hobbs Act, Use of Interstate Facilities in Commission of Murder for Hire, and felon in possession of firearms charges. The pretrial motions were to suppress evidence obtained from a private "cloud" account, to prevent two expert witnesses from testifying, and for a change in venue or in the alternative, severance of the member of Congress's charges for a separate trial. Each side called two witnesses at the hearing. Team: Team:  Daniel W...

On Tuesday, October 4, Regent University School of Law students had the opportunity to connect with Delegate Ron Villanueva, who represents the 21st District in Virginia's House of Delegates. The event was sponsored by Regent's Asian Pacific Law Student Association (APLSA). Ron Villanueva. Villanueva has held an elected office for 15 years, and currently represents portions of the cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, all-the-while balancing the demands of a family and his small business ownership. “As an elected official, you want to make a difference,” said Villanueva. “You want to enjoy what you’re doing.” Villanueva was a graduate student in the mid-1990s at Regent’s Robertson School of Government (RSG) and also worked on campus in the development office. His time learning on campus was “transformational,” helping him grow out of a season of doubting ...

Regent University School of Law (LAW) holds fast to its traditions and values stemming from the biblical mandate in Isaiah 1:17: seeking justice and encouraging the oppressed. Justice Daniel Kelly. This October, however, LAW paid tribute to another tradition: the Regent University Law Review . In partnership with the Regent Law Federalist Society, on October 1 LAW hosted the 2016 Regent University Law Review Symposium, titled “First Amendment post-Obergefell: the Clash of Enumerated & Unenumerated Rights.” The symposium's first panel was on education and the effect of the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges opinion on religious universities and law schools. Participation in the panel included LAW dean, Michael Hernandez; Canadian Counsel of Christian Charities’ Barry Bussey; professor at Duquesne Law, Bruce Ledewitz; and professor at St. Mary’s Law, Bil...

This fall, Regent University’s School of Law hosted the 2016 Conference of Religiously Affiliated Law Schools (RALS). The biennial symposium provides law professors with an opportunity to address issues of particular relevance to faith-based law institutions. Photo courtesy of the School of Law. This year’s conference – titled “Changes and Challenges for Faith Based Legal Education” – attracted panelists from institutions such as, St. Mary’s School of Law, University of Illinois College of Law, University of Houston Law Center and Florida Coastal School of Law. “We were honored to host the 2016 Religiously Affiliated Law Schools (RALS) Conference,” said LAW Dean Michael Hernandez . “The conference provides an excellent opportunity for our faculty to host and engage professors from other law schools and to showcase Regent Law’s Christian mission and commitment to aca...

History has its eyes on former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. U.S. Attorney General Ashcroft at Regent University School of Law. Photo courtesy of Alex Perry. Thanks to his longstanding role as a Distinguished Professor for Regent University’s School of Law (LAW) and the Robertson School of Government (RSG), his students get a first-hand look at the laws and policies Ashcroft was instrumental in developing and, at times, challenging. For example, on Friday, September 30, during his and Law Professor Craig Stern’s Case Studies in the Development and Implementation of National Legal Policy class, the General spoke about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) and its impact on the war against terrorist groups and security of United States citizens. In fact, Ashcroft dealt extensively with FISA while he was serving as the 79th U.S. Attorney Gene...