June 2005 News

Professor Victoria Sutton was a speaker at several conferences the month of June, including: University of Minnesota School of Law Conference: Where are Law, Ethics and Life Sciences Headed? "The Culture of Science and the Regulation of Biodefense Research;" American Society for Law, Medicine and Ethics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. "A Multidisciplinary Ethic of Biodefense;" and Dialogue on Pacific Experiences & Perspectives on the Use and Ownership Of Genes, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji, "Tourism and Bioterrorism in the South Pacific"

Associate Dean Brian Shannon will speak on two panels at the NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) Annual Convention in Austin on June 20, 2005. The panels are:

Navigating the Criminal Justice Maze - Training Lawyers to More Effectively Represent People with Mental Illnesses
Criminal defense attorneys frequently represent people with mental illnesses in the course of the day-to-day work. Unfortunately, many of these attorneys lack the knowledge necessary to carry out these responsibilities effectively. In an effort to bridge this knowledge gap, NAMI Texas has worked collaboratively with Texas Tech University's Law School and the Texas Appleseed Foundation to develop a series of resource materials to better prepare criminal defense attorneys to represent defendants with mental illnesses. This session will feature presentations about these materials and how they can be used as a training tool.

and

The Insanity Defense: Is It Time for a New Model?
Speakers include George Parnham, who is the attorney for Andrea Yates, David Kaczynski, a New York attorney whose brother was the Uni-bomber, Brian Shannon, Associate Dean Texas Tech Law School, and others including a prosecutor, Minnesota state legislator, psychiatrists.

For more information, go here.

Professor Vaughn James will make two presentations at the Religious Liberty Institute to be held at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI, on June 26 and 27. Professor James's first presentation, "Religious Freedom in the Workplace," will focus on the history of religious freedom in American places of employment and the current state of religious freedom for America's employees with an emphasis on American workers' abilities to practice their religious beliefs without having to sacrifice their jobs in the process. In his second presentation to the conference, Professor James will share his views on the two Ten Commandments cases recently heard by the Supreme Court and will answer questions thereon.

Texas Tech Law students Joy Gibbs and Mandy Gundlach, who earlier this year placed second in the American Bar Association's National Negotiation Competitions, have been invited to be one of two teams to represent the United States in the 2005 International Negotiation Competition in Dublin, Ireland. The team is coached by Associate Deans Brian Shannon and Nancy Soonpaa. The International Negotiation Competition 2005 is hosted by the Law School, Law Society of Ireland and the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Dublin Ireland. The Competition will take place in the Education Centre, Law School, Law Society of Ireland, Blackhall Place from Monday 4 to Friday 8 July 2005. Other competitors include teams from Ireland, Canada, England, Denmark, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and Scotland. The competitors have also been invited to have an Audience and Tea with the President of Ireland, and the closing ceremonies will be held at Clontarf Castle. For additional information about the competition, see http://www.lawsociety.ie/inc/.

In past years Texas Tech has won the national title twice in the National Negotiation Competition and has had numerous other top five finishes, but this is the school's first invitation to the International Competition, which began in 1998. Dean Walter Huffman said, "Mandy, Joy, and their coaches have worked very hard this year. We're absolutely thrilled that they will represent both Texas Tech Law School and the United States at this prestigious international competition. The practice of law is not just about trying cases, but good lawyers also develop other critical practice skills such as negotiating on behalf of their clients' interests, and doing so in an ethical manner. At Tech Law, we have a long tradition of preparing students to practice law from their first day on the job. Being involved in competitions that highlight essential lawyering skills is a key way to produce better lawyers."

Professor Jennifer Bard speaks at the American Society for Law and Medicine's Annual Health Law Teacher's Conference in Houston on June 3rd . Her topic is "How Tort Reform is a Danger to the Public's Health."

Susan Saab Fortney, George H. Mahon Professor of Law, recently moderated a session at the American Bar Association's 31st National Conference on Professional Responsibility. The title of the session was "Who's in Charge?: Supervisory Ethics and the Professional (Non) Preparation of the Next Generation of Lawyers." The session included panelists from law firms across the country and focused on law firm training and supervisory responsibilities. For more information on the topic and conference, see http://www.abanet.org/cpr/prconf.html.

Professor Ann Graham has been invited to deliver the June presentation for Financial Institution Legal Counsel Network (FILCN) in Dallas. Her paper and remarks will cover "Texas Legislative Action Relating to Financial Institutions". This seminar will receive CLE credit.

The new Center for Military Law and Policy was described in the Sunday edition of the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, May 15th.  Follow this link to read the article online.