Regent Law News

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...