|
Dear alumni and friends:
On August 14, we welcomed 168 students to the J.D. Class of 2026 and 27 students to the LL.M. Class of 2024. Students in our incoming 1L class hail from 37 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada, and incoming LL.M. students represent 7 foreign nations. They benefitted from our unique one-week Orientation class, The Life of the Law, taught this year by a team led by Lisa Bressman and Jennifer Swezey, and learned about the broad array of student services, support, and volunteer opportunities available to them throughout their time in law school. The pleasure of meeting and coming to know each new class of bright, well-qualified, and motivated students never gets old.
| |
|
I’m also excited to announce four additions to our faculty:
Lauren Sudeall, who studies constitutional and criminal law, will direct a new Access to Justice Initiative as part of our George Barrett Social Justice Program.
Farhang Heydari, whose work focuses on policing, is an assistant professor of law.
Jennifer Safstrom directs the Stanton Foundation First Amendment Clinic, for which we received additional funding.
We are also welcoming Jim Cooper, who represented Nashville's District 5 in the House of Representatives for more than 30 years, as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence this year. Jim will teach a class on Congress and guest-lecture in other classes.
I look forward to the contributions these new faculty members will make as teachers and mentors to our students and as legal scholars and advocates.
We have an exciting year ahead. The Law School is celebrating our sesquicentennial together with Vanderbilt University. In recognition of our sesquicentennial, we have launched our Dare to Grow campaign with the important goal of securing the future of Vanderbilt University and our Law School for the next 150 years. Reunion this fall is scheduled on Nov. 3-4 for Quinqs and classes ending in 3 or 8. Our alumni volunteers are working hard to make this a fun weekend for everyone, and we all hope you'll join us! The University will also host Dare to Grow events this year in cities throughout the nation. I hope to see you at some of these events and encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to hear from Vanderbilt leaders and connect with alumni from all Vanderbilt schools.
Thank you for all you do to support our Law School. Please know our doors are always open when you’re in Nashville.
Sincerely yours,
| |
Chris Guthrie
Dean and John Wade-Kent Syverud Professor of Law
| |
Celebrating Firms & Firm Reps for 100% Alumni Giving at All Locations!
Alston & Bird-Charles Morgan '88; Hahn Loeser & Parks-Jeff Brauer '94; Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh-volunteer needed; Hunton Andrews Kurth-Tonya Gray ‘99; Lightfoot Franklin & White-James Gibson '09; Martin Tate Morrow & Marston-Lee Piovarcy '66; McCarter & English-Lanny Kurzweil '78; Mitchell Williams Selig Gates & Woodyard-volunteer needed; Morrison & Foerster-J. Alexander Lawrence '96; Quarles & Brady-Joel Tragesser ’97; Robinson Bradshaw-Patrick Scott Bryant '89 (BA'85).
| |
2023 Giving Day a VLS Success
Our sincere thanks to everyone who participated in this year's Giving Day! VLS received gifts totaling over $600,000 from more than 350 donors on April 27. We extend special thanks to these supporters who issued donor challenges totaling $90,000:
- Zach Fardon ’92 (BA’88) & Rachel Fardon ’94
- Mitch Glazier ’91 & Carly Glazier
- Dean Chris Guthrie & Vice Provost Tracey George
- Anonymous Donor '02
| |
|
| Lauryn Wedgeworth Named Class of 2025 Garrison Scholar
Wedgeworth was a law clerk at Legal Services Alabama in Anniston during summer 2023. The Garrison Social Justice Scholarship supports students who will use their legal training to advance social justice and is endowed through the Amy and Frank Garrison Social Justice Fund.
| |
Introducing the Climate at Vanderbilt Podcast, Hosted by J.B. Ruhl
A new podcast series luanched by J.B. Ruhl, Co-Director of the Energy, Environment, and Land Use Program, spotlights people, research, and program focused on climate change.
| |
| New Research from Yesha Yadav Identifies Overlooked Vulnerability in America's Financial System
U.S. Treasury bills are supposed to be risk-free, but Yadav and co-author Pradeep K. Yadav of the University of Oklahoma discovered an overlooked vulnerability.
| |
Lisa Bressman's Work with Abbe Gluck Cited in Biden v. Nebraska
Bressman and Gluck's study, "Statutory Interpretation from the Inside: An Empirical Study of Congressional Drafting, Delegation, and the Canons: Part I," was cited by Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett in her concurrent opinion.
| |
Amicus Brief Co-authored by Ingrid Brunk Cited in Halkbank v. U.S.
The brief, based on an article Brunk wrote in which she argues against executive control over foreign sovereign immunity, was cited by Justice Neil Gorsuch in his concurring opinion.
| |
Mark Williams and Cat Moon Lead Summer Faculty AI Bootcamp
Faculty learned how Generative Artificial Intelligence, including Large Language Models such as ChatGPT and Casetext's Co-Counsel, could be used to develop syllibi and class materials and support research. They are co-teaching a new upper-level course, AI in Legal Practice, this fall. Read more.
| |
Jim Bradford '73, Dean Emeritus of Owen School, Dead at 76
Bradford joined the faculty of the Owen Graduate School of Management after a successful career as a corporate CEO and general counsel and was Owen's Dean from 2005 to 2013.
| |
2023 VLS Grads Serve in 21 Clerkships in 2023-24 and Future Years
Nineteen members of the Class of 2023 secured 21 clerkships with judges on the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, and D.C. Circuits; U.S. District Courts in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Utah; the Court of International Trade; and state courts in New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennesseee, and Washington, D.C. Read more.
| |
Jorge Salles Diaz '24 and Krishna Ammisetty '24 Serve as 2023 Peggy Browning Fellows
Salles Diaz, an aspiring labor lawyer, worked at the Satter Ruhlen Law Firm, a workers' rights firm, in Syracuse, New York. Ammisetty worked for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union in Washington, D.C. Read more.
| |
71 VLS Students Worked as Interns for Government and Nonprofit Legal Employers in Summer 2023
Students gained legal experience through summer internships with federal and state agencies, courts, and law offices and by working for prosecutors, public defenders, legal nonprofits, and corporate legal departments. Read more.
| |
Mark Your Calendars for Reunion Weekend Nov. 3-4!
Register here to join classmates and guests for a weekend of fun-filled events.
Questions? Call us at 615.322.2606 or email us at:
Reunion.vuls@vanderbilt.edu.
| |
|
|
|
