May 2007 News
Professor Camp's article entitled "The Play's the Thing: A Theory of Taxing Virtual Worlds" was recently listed on the Social Science Research Network's (SSRN) Top Ten download list for the following online subject-matter networks: "Administrative Law", "Cyberspace Law", "Economics of Networks", "Law & Economics", "Law & Politics", "Law & Society: Public Law", "Public Economics Journals", "Public Economics: Taxation, Subsidies, & Revenue", "Tax Law & Policy Journals", "Tax Law: Tax Law & Policy" and "U.S. Constitutional Law: Separation of Powers & Federalism". The article will be formally published in the Hastings Law Review in November 2007. Until then, interested persons may view the paper's abstract here: http://ssrn.com/author=364489 In order to download the full article, one must create a (free) account with SSRN.
Susan Saab Fortney, George H. Mahon Professor of Law, will be speaking at the Annual Retreat of the Bexar County Women’s Bar Association in San Antonio. She will discuss findings from the cross-profession empirical study that she conducted for the NALP Foundation. The presentation will focus on the ethical dimensions of work-life initiatives.
Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law Gerry W. Beyer will be presenting two Estate Planning seminars in May. First, on May 11, he will speaking at a seminar sponsored by the North Texas Estate and Financial Planning Council in Wichita Falls, Texas. Topics covered by this half-day program include (1) Morals from the Courthouse: A Study of Recent Texas Cases Impacting the Wills, Probate, and Trust Practice, (2) Avoiding the Estate Planning "Blue Screen of Death" -- Common Non-Tax Errors and How to Prevent Them, (3) Fundamentals of Texas Multiple-Party Accounts, and (4) Legislative Update -- What Has Happened and What May Yet Come to Pass. On May 14, he will be the primary speaker at the 34th Annual Estate Planning Seminar sponsored by the Corpus Christi Estate Planning Council. This full-day seminar includes expanded versions of the above topics as well a discussion of Estate Planning for Non-Human Family Members. Prof. Beyer has also invited two leading practitioners to make guest presentations at the seminar, Mr. Hal Moorman from Brenham and Ms. Patricia Sitchler from San Antonio.
Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law Gerry W. Beyer will speak at the Thirtieth Annual Law Review Symposium, Frontiers of Estate Planning: Changing Laws of Changing Times, sponsored by the Ohio Northern University Law Review. Prof. Beyer's presentation is entitled Electronic Wills and Trusts: Is the Writing Requirement Ready for Relegation to History? The question posited by his topic is whether the time has come to bring wills into the digital age. A will is often the most important document an individual ever executes. This document is also more likely to be the subject of litigation than any other legal instrument and therefore should be prepared in such a way as to ensure that the wishes of the testator are carried out. Because the period of time between executing a will and having it probated often spans decades, preservation of the physical representation of the testator’s dispositive desires is essential to carrying out his or her wishes. The presentation traces the development of the physical manifestation of a will from the earliest times to present day and discusses whether, as we move into the electronic age, the paper will should be replaced, or at least supplemented, by an electronic will. A brief discussion of electronic trusts is also included.
Susan Saab Fortney, George H. Mahon Professor of Law, to speak at the 33rd National Conference on Professional Responsibility. Her topic will be The In-firm Attorney-Client Privilege for lawyers in law firms. The conference is the preeminent professional responsibility and legal ethics conference in the country, see http://www.abanet.org/cpr/events/prconf.html .
Professor Charles Bubany will participate in the 2007 Texas College for Judicial Studies sponsored by the Texas Center for the Judiciary in Austin, Texas on April 26, 2007 by making a presentation on “Extraneous Offenses: Discovery, Admissibility, Charge Issues.” Professor Bubany will also speak on the same subject at the Criminal Justice Conference sponsored by the Center in Dallas, Texas, on May 22, 2007. The Texas Center for Judiciary’s programs are designed to provide specialized judicial education and training opportunities for Texas appellate, district, and county court at law judges.