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Regent Named Top Master's in Legal Studies Programs for 2019

In a recent ranking by OnlineMasters.com, Regent Law was identified as one of the 15 best online Masters in Legal Studies programs. Regent was named for Best Faculty: "Regent University's faculty members rank highly every year for their academic and professional accomplishments." said the summary about Regent. "They are still active in their own legal professions while delivering the program coursework and sharing their expertise with students, developing them into successful graduates with the skills to excel in the American legal system." View the complete ranking at https://www.onlinemasters.com/best-degree-programs/legal-studies/ .

Regent Law Rises to Top 20% on SSRN Law Scholarship Rankings

Regent University School of Law is producing some of the most-viewed legal scholarship in the nation. The Social Science Research Network (SSRN) ranks Regent Law in the top 20% of U.S. Law Schools for total new downloads . That ranking has been climbing steadily since 2016 and shows no sign of slowing down. As of December 1, Regent Law is ranked 67/350. SSRN is a worldwide collaborative network that is devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of scholarly research. The eLibrary currently contains more than 826,000 downloadable electronic documents in Adobe Acrobat PDF format from over 400,000 authors. SSRN states that its objective is “ to provide rapid worldwide distribution of research to authors and their readers and to facilitate communication among them at the lowest possible cost.” Any author may upload papers for free, and most papers can be downloaded without charge. Judge Patricia West (Ret.) , interim dean, is proud of the Regent Law faculty. “It’s ex

Regent Law Named as a 2019 "Best" Law School by the Princeton Review

Regent University School of Law is one of 165 outstanding law schools profiled in The Princeton Review's  Best Law Schools 2019 list.  The Princeton Review's survey asked students about their school's academics, student body, and campus life as well as about themselves and their career plans. The student surveys that were used for this edition were collected during the 2017-18, 2016-17, and 2015-16 academic years. Regent Law ranked as follows: #6 Most Chosen By Older Students  Based on the average age of entry of law school students and student reports of how many years they spent out of college before enrolling in law school. #3 Most Conservative Students Based on student answers to a survey question concerning the political bent of the student body at large. The survey question was "If there is a prevailing political bent among students at your school, how would you characterize it?" Answer choices were: "Very Liberal, Liberal, Middle of the Road, So

Regent University Law Review Hosts Annual Symposium: Mental Health Within the Law

On Friday, November 2, 2018, Regent University Law Review held its 31st Annual Symposium, which addressed mental health within the law. Three panels discussed Mental Health Within the Legal Profession , Mental Health Within the Court System , and Mental Health Within Juvenile/Family Law . PANEL 1: John Berry, Esq., Florida Bar’s Legal Division Director Leonard Heath, Esq., President of the Virginia State Bar James Leffler, MS LPC, Clinical Director of Lawyers Helping Lawyers Mark C. Palmer, Esq., Professionalism Counsel for the Illinois Supreme Court PANEL 2: The Hon. John R. Doyle III, Presiding Judge Norfolk Circuit Court Emily Hedrick, Esq., Ethics Counsel for the Virginia State Bar Dr. Kristen Hudacek, Psy. D., Director of Psychology and Pretrial Forensic Services at Eastern State Hospital The Hon. Joseph A. Migliozzi Jr., Presiding Judge Norfolk Circuit Court The Hon. Jacqueline F. Ward Talevi, Chief Judge Roanoke City General District Court PANEL 3: The Hon. T

Government Mandated Abortions; A Modern Adaption of an Old Testament Warning

My name is Jordan Ordway and I am a 3L at Regent Law. This semester I have had the privilege to work with the Center for Global Justice student staff, working on a research project for ADF International Asia. My research includes studying the abortion polices of Asian nations. While there are many approaches to regulating abortion and family planning around the world, China in particular has a policy unlike any other. In the Bible, when the Israelites asked for a King, God issued a warning through the prophet Samuel. Samuel warned that earthly rulers tend to claim rights over citizens: over citizens’ crops, supplies, and—worst of all—over citizens’ own children . This warning is embodied today within China’s population planning policies. Under the guise of preserving economic and natural resources, the Chinese government launched an approach to curbing population growth in the 1970’s. The “Late, Long, and Few” program was meant to be temporary, giving incentives and rewa

Regent Law Federalist Society Hosts Nadine Strossen

On Monday, October 29, 2018, The Regent Student chapter of the Federalist Society hosted a question and answer forum with Nadine Strossen, Professor at NYU, Former Youngest and First Woman President of the ACLU. Federalist Society President Brandan Goodwin (’18) introduced Ms. Strossen, who then answered questions presented by Regent Law Professor Brad Jacob, and then took questions from the audience.    Following the forum, Ms. Strossen graciously signed copies of her new book, Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship, in which she explores how speech is protected under the constitution and how free speech can be used to counter hate speech.

Regent Law Library Welcomes Audrey Lynn to Faculty

Regent University Law Library welcomes Audrey Lynn to its faculty as Head of Electronic Resources and Digital Initiatives. Audrey is responsible for managing the Law Library’s electronic collections and materials, providing a strategic vision for digital initiatives designed to facilitate the use of law library resources, increase student research competency, and support faculty scholarship, and providing research and outreach services to law school faculty and students. Audrey received her JD  cum laude  from Regent University School of Law in 2018 and her B.S. in Mathematics  summa cum laude  from Georgia Gwinnett College in 2015. While a student at Regent Law, Audrey was a member of the Law Review and the Honor Council and was the recipient of the National Association of Women Lawyers Outstanding Female Graduate Award. She served as a law clerk at the American Center for Law and Justice and was a judicial intern for the Hon. Glenn A. Huff, Chief Judge of the Court of A

Regent Law Professor and Students File Brief with U.S. Supreme Court

On Wednesday, October 17, 2018, Regent Law Professor Bruce Cameron filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court involving Patterson v. Walgreens, a case about religious accommodation in the workplace. Professor Bruce Cameron Professor Cameron served as counsel for Robert P. Roesser. Roesser, a client who won the main issue in Patterson before a U.S. Court of Appeals about 20 years ago, wanted to preserve his victory.  As part of Regent Law's Right to Work Practicum, two Regent students, 3L Diane Hess-Hernandez and 3L Brandan Goodwin, helped Professor Cameron write the brief in support of Patterson's petition for the Supreme Court to review the case. "Regent University School of Law is exceptional in providing law students real-world opportunities to become practice-ready," said Hess-Hernandez.  "I have learned so much working with an experienced legal advocate such as Professor Cameron, who leads the Right to Work Practicum. The opportunity to work on a

Regent Law Hosts 18th Annual LeRoy R. Hassell Sr. National Constitutional Law

From October 4-5, 2018, Regent University School of Law hosted the 18th Annual LeRoy R. Hassell Sr. National Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition. The competition is in honor of the late Chief Justice LeRoy R. Hassell Sr., the first African American chief justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Hassell was a respected member of the Regent community, and even served on the Law School Board of Visitors as well as a distinguished Jurist-in-Residence. “The Law School was honored to host the 18th Annual LeRoy R. Hassell Sr. National Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition this past weekend; we had many esteemed local jurists and practicing attorneys participate in judging the preliminary rounds and we thank them for their time and commitment to Regent Law,” said Judge Patricia West (Ret.), LAW interim dean. “The panel judging the final round of the competition consisted of prominent judges and justices from both federal and state courts throughout the U.S. We are honored that t

Regent Law Trial Team Named 2018 Stetson Pretrial National Champions

Congratulations to Regent Law's trial team of Michael Sylvester, Arielle Poe, Molly Banas, and Marcus Mitchell, who won the National Pretrial Competition at Stetson University School of Law. Out of 15 teams from across the country, the team ended 5-0. Regent Law alum Drew Page ('10), who serves as an Adjunct Professor for trial practice at Regent, coached this team of talented advocates. L to R:  Michael Sylvester, Molly Banas, Coach Drew Page, Arielle Poe, and Marcus Mitchell The National Pretrial Competition captures what attorneys do every day in offices and courtrooms across the nation. This year's problem involved a motion to dismiss and motion to suppress in a criminal matter before a fictional federal district court. The motion to dismiss was a moot court style argument while the motion to suppress required an evidentiary hearing with witnesses and closing argument. “I am moved by the reports I received as to how well they represented the very essence o

Regent Law Celebrates Ronald L. Fick Book Awards for Spring/Summer 2018 Courses

The Ronald L. Fick Book Award Ceremony, which honors Law students who have received the highest marks in their classes, was held on Thursday, October 4, 2018. Book awards, a time-honored tradition amongst law schools, is relatively new to the LAW community. “I’m happy to see this turnout,” said interim LAW dean, Judge Patricia West (Ret.). “It’s a great honor to receive a book award.” Believing an institution should honor its students who achieve academic excellence, and desiring to see Regent’s mission furthered, Ronald Fick — father of Allison Fick ’14  — helped in getting the tradition started only a few years ago. “[Ronald Fick] fell in love with the mission of this school … with this place and our students,” said Professor Jeffrey Brauch, LL.M. program director. “Fick believed that when we’re getting ready for class every day, when we’re getting ready for exams, we’re actually doing this for the honor of the Lord,” said Brauch. “We’re to pursue excellence because

Regent Law Alumni Board honors more than $170,000 in alumni donations

Regent University School of Law alumni seize every opportunity they can to give back to their school. Farnaz Thompson. When Regent’s Office of Alumni Relations & Special Events initiated the “Carpe Diem” challenge last fall, a fundraising initiative that invited classes of alumni to donate the most money to their school — it’s no surprise that the results were notable. So notable, in fact, that Regent’s Law Alumni Board gathered the winning classes together for a special luncheon honoring the success of the campaign on Friday, September 21. The luncheon welcomed class members graduating in the years 1987-89, 1990 and 2009. Members of these classes raised nearly $170,000 in the school’s Carpe Diem initiative from November to December 2017. Keynoting the luncheon was Regent LAW alumna Farnaz Thompson* ’07, associate university counsel of the University of Virginia and president-elect of the Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Conference Board of Governors. Thompso

Regent Law Career Services Hosts 10th Annual Community Service Day

On Saturday, August 21, 2018, students, their families, faculty, staff and alumni participated in the 10th Annual Law Community Service Day hosted by Regent Law’s Career and Alumni Services and the Center for Ethical Formation and Legal Education Reform. After a humorous welcome by Judge West, a few encouraging words from Dean Gantt and an inspiring send-off prayer by Prof. Jeff Brauch, the group of 140 broke into separate teams to tackle tasks for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, The Union Mission, and The Bridge Christian Fellowship Church. Rebecca Garcia ('19), participates in Law Community Service Day every year, yet this was her first year serving at the Union Mission: "was so impressed by all the programs offered, and by how the organization not only reveals God's love to the homeless but helps them get back up on their feet," said Rebecca. "It's so important for students to serve because a couple of hours from our day can accomplish

Professor Brad Jacob Presents to Mexican Naval Officers at Old Dominion University

On August 8, Associate Professor Brad Jacob presented a lecture and answered questions from a group of Mexican naval officers on the history, interpretation, and meaning of the United States Constitution, as part of a program at the Old Dominion University English Language Center.

Associate Dean Natt Gantt Interviewed on CBN News

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Natt Gantt recently appeared on CBN News to discuss the ramifications of Omarosa Manigault Newman's secretly recording White House conversations. Although her actions may have legal, there "may be specific ethical implications given her particular role in the White House," noted Gantt. Gantt is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and a Professor at Regent University School of Law, as well as Co-Director of the Center for Ethical Formation & Legal Education Reform (CEFLER). Gantt was also a Co-Founder of CEFLER in 2012 after he and fellow Regent Law Professor Ben Madison were influenced by a landmark report published by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The report, titled "Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Practice of Law," contends that law schools need to place greater emphasis on offering an integrated curriculum that cultivates students’ moral formation and understanding of what

Professor Brad Jacob Interviews with Mark Elfstrand

Brad Jacob, associate professor in the School of Law, was a guest on Let's Talk With Mark Elfstrand (1160 AM in Chicago) on Monday, August 6, to discuss Judge Kavanaugh and the judicial confirmation process. Listen to an mp3 file of Prof. Jacob's interview below.

Professor Eric DeGroff Reappointed to Virginia Waste Management Board

Congratulations to Regent Law Professor Eric DeGroff, who just received reappointment for another four-year term to the Virginia Waste Management Board. Read the full announcement at https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2018/august/headline-828326-en.html .

Professor Brad Jacob Interviewed on The Tony Macrini Radio Show

Brad Jacob, associate professor in the School of Law, was a guest on The Tony Macrini Radio Show (WNIS Norfolk) on July 18, to discuss Judge Kavanaugh, executive power, and the future of the Supreme Court. Listen to an mp3 file of Prof. Jacob's interview at the link below.

Law Career and Alumni Services Hosts Judicial Internship Banquet

On Thursday, June 21, Regent Law Career & Alumni Services hosted a banquet to thank participating judges and court personnel who work with the law students throughout their summer internship. The opportunity for interns to network with judges and their administrative staff is invaluable as they prepare for their future careers as attorneys. This was the 21st anniversary of this event. The Judicial Internship Program currently has 21 first and second-year law students who commit to serving at least 20 hours per week for a minimum of 8 weeks during the summer. The students provide local courts with research and administrative support and in return get experience in the courtroom. During the event, Judge Patricia L. West ( Ret .), School of Law Interim Dean and Associate Dean of Career & Alumni Services, presented Norfolk Circuit Court Judge David Lannetti the 2018 Judicial Internship Program Judge of the Year Award. “I greatly value the relationship Regent has with the lo

Regent Law Secures Victory at 12th Annual Statewide Legal Food Frenzy for Third Year Running

Regent University School of Law students, faculty,  and staff contributed to the 1.5 million pounds of food collected by the local legal community in the 12th Annual Legal Food Frenzy. Each year the competition comprises 170 participating law firms, legal departments, government offices and law schools across Virginia. Regent LAW secured the victory in the Law School Winner of Attorney General’s Cup­ for the third year running – and boasts donating an average of 82 pounds of food per participant – the most from any law school in Virginia. “I am thrilled that, for the third consecutive year, Regent Law finished first among all Virginia law schools in the Legal Food Frenzy fundraiser sponsored by the Attorney General of Virginia, the Young Lawyers Division of The Virginia Bar Association, and the Federation of Virginia Food Banks,” said Michael Hernandez. “Our best in state ranking reflects our Christian mission and commitment to public service and to supporting those in need. 

Alumni Profile: Tom Fast (Class of 1993)

Delegate Tom Fast (Law ’93) has been representing the 32nd District of West Virginia in the West Virginia House of Delegates since 2015. Against towering odds, Fast was elected in 2014 as the first Republican representative in Fayette County in 86 years and was reelected to a second term in 2016. Since 2015, Tom has served on multiple committees in the State House, starting in the Judicial Committee and being promoted to Chairman of the Industry and Labor Committee and Co-Chairman of the Jails and Prisons Committee. He has been proud to be a co-sponsor on a number of successful bills, including a few pro-life bills that passed despite significant opposition. His current success in office has been the result of many years of perseverance. He ran for State Senate in 1998 and State House in 2000 and 2002 without success. But, this time, he could feel things would be different. Despite the adversity that he knew running again could bring, Tom remembers it hitting him when he woke up on

Faculty Scholarly Updates - 6.11.18

Dean Michael Hernandez appeared on CBN Newswatch discussing the Masterpiece Cakeshop victory at the Supreme Court, where the lead attorneys were Regent Law alumni.  See http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2018/june/supreme-court-colorado-ridiculed-jack-phillips-faith .  Professor James Davids just posted The Role of Worldview in the Judicial Decisions of Justice John Paul Stevens , 11 Liberty U. L. Rev. 723 (2017) on SSRN.com.  * Professor Tom Folsom was in the top 10% of downloads on SSRN for the month of May.  Download his papers at http://bitly.com/folsompublications . * _______________________________________________ *  Publications available to view and download for free.

Regent Law Faculty Scholarly Updates - 6.4.18

Prof. Jeffrey Brauch just uploaded new pieces to SSRN: ·        The Dean and Family Life . *   ·        The Law School Special Event: Lessons Learned in our 20th Year . *   ·        Commemorative Address: Celebrating 25 Years of God’s Faithfulness , 25 Regent L. Rev. 109 (2011-12). *   ·        The Student-Faculty Retreat , 35 U. Toledo L. Rev. (2003). ·        Why the Journal of International Law at Regent University?   *   ·        Why I Must Teach , 34 U. Toledo L. Rev. (2002). *   The Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy is now on SSRN! ·        Prof. Jeffrey Brauch’s Introduction to the Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy , 1 J. Global Justice & Pub. Pol’y 1 (2014). *   ·        Stay tuned for articles written by current students and Regent Law alumni. Prof. Harry Hutchison just uploaded a new piece to SSRN: ·        Chasing Shadows: the Economic and Noneconomic Thrust of BDS , published in Cardozo Law’s 1 Int’l. Comparative, Pol’y