News & Events

02/02/2012

Professor Edwards Elected to AALS Positions and Named National Policy Fellow

On January 13, Professor George E. Edwards of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law was appointed as the Center for National Policy’s Fellow in International Human Rights. The Center for National Policy is an independent think tank located in Washington, D.C. that focuses on national infrastructure, national and homeland security and resilience issues.

Professor Edwards says, “It is humbling to be appointed as a Fellow at such a highly respected institution with strong bi-partisan leadership that has fostered thoughtful and insightful dialogue on critical issues that have faced our nation over many decades.” He said, “I am honored to be appointed as the Center for National Policy Fellow in International Human Rights, and to join the ranks of esteemed leaders and colleagues who seek to bridge partisan divide in the U.S. and arrive at solutions that will benefit the United States and benefit all Americans.”

Edwards joins three other distinguished Center for National Policy Fellows: Gregory Aftandilian (CNP Fellow for the Middle East); Jessica Herrera-Flanigan (CNP Fellow for Cybersecurity); and Amit Kumar, Ph.D. (CNP Fellow for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism).

Professor Edwards also received national recognition at the annual Association of American Law Schools (AALS) meeting in Washington, D.C. On January 7, 2012 Professor George E. Edwards, who serves as the IU McKinney representative to the AALS House of Representatives, was elected to three graduate and international legal education positions of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).

He was selected as secretary of the AALS Section on Graduate Law Programs for Non-U.S. Lawyers. This section is involved with Master of Laws (LL.M.) programs for international students at over 130 law schools in the U.S., which are subjects of Professor Edwards’ new book, LL.M. Roadmap: An International Student’s Guide to U.S. Law School Programs (www.LLMRoadMap.com). Next year, Professor Edwards will become the chair-elect of the section , and the following year he will serve as chair.
Professor Edwards was also elected to serve as an Executive Committee Member of the AALS Section on Post-Graduate Legal Education (for U.S. and non-U.S. Lawyers). In addition, he was elected to serve as secretary of the AALS Section on International Legal Exchange.

Professor Edwards is the Carl M. Gray Professor of Law and founding director of the law school’s Program in International Human Rights Law.

02/02/2012

Professor Page Testifies in Support of Flexible Purpose Corporations

On January 20th, Professor Antony Page of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law testified before the Indiana Senate’s Committee on Commerce and Economic Development. He spoke in favor of Senate Bill 62, which introduces flexible purpose corporations to the state. A flexible purpose corporation is an organizational form for business entities that would like to pursue a social purpose in addition to making a profit. To date, one state has enacted a similar form. A related form known as the benefit corporation has already been enacted in seven states. Supporters expect that the new form would bring additional employment opportunities to Indiana, as well as allowing social entrepreneurs to achieve their visions.

The bill was authored by Indiana State Senator Mike Delph (R-29), who graduated from the law school in 2010 (pictured with Prof. Page).

An expert in international securities and business law, Professor Page has written about and presented on the topic of social entrepreneurship on several occasions. He also spoke to Indiana's Business Law Survey Commission about the bill.

02/02/2012

Rivas, ’84 Named to Senior Legal Position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Susan Rivas, ‘84 has joined the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Corporation as corporate counsel and senior director of legal affairs.

Rivas will provide legal services to IMS and all of Hulman & Company, including INDYCAR, Clabber Girl, IMS Productions and INDYCAR Entertainment.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to work for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the world’s epicenter for motor racing,” Rivas said. “As a native Hoosier, I’ve always had the greatest respect for everything that IMS means to so many fans around the world, and I greatly look forward to the challenges to come.”

Rivas was employed most recently as a compliance advisor for Eli Lilly and Company, where she developed compliance support for international corporate affairs functions. She spent most of her 26-year legal career as a partner at the Indianapolis law firm of Ice Miller, where she developed the firm’s antitrust investigation, regulatory and counseling practice. In her early career, Rivas worked for DowElanco and as an associate for Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Susan to our legal staff at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Gretchen Snelling,’95, IMS vice president and general counsel. “She has a tremendous record of accomplishment throughout her career, and we’re confident that her abilities and experience will contribute greatly to our future success.”

Rivas holds B.A. and M.A. degrees and graduated summa cum laude from the law school.

01/24/2012

Law School’s New Health and Human Rights Clinic Needs Attorney Volunteers

With generous support from the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, the Health and Human Rights Clinic (“HHRC”) at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law invites local attorneys to team with clinical faculty in providing pro bono representation to low-income clients in the Indianapolis community.

This program is designed to provide law school graduates and attorneys in the local community with an opportunity to learn and develop practice skills while providing legal representation to vulnerable populations in the Indianapolis area. The HHRC staff will provide training and support to volunteers during their representation of clients.

Key Features of the Program include:

• Screening of cases by the HHRC before referral to volunteers
• Free full-day procedural and substantive training (CLE credit is pending) in practice areas including: Housing, Consumer, & Public Benefits Law in exchange for accepting pro bono cases
• Guidance and support from experienced poverty law attorneys throughout the representation of clients
• Volunteer recognition programs
• Special recognition for volunteers who provide outstanding service

To participate in this program, volunteers must attend a free full-day training session that will be held on Friday, February 24, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. An application for CLE credit is pending in anticipation of offering six (6) hours of free CLE credit to all attendees who accept pro bono cases. If you plan to attend this training, please R.S.V.P. no later than Friday, February 17, 2012 by calling 317-278-0202 or sending an e-mail to gsmallwo@iupui.edu.

»For more information about the Health and Human Rights Clinic visit: http://www.indylaw.indiana.edu/clinics/HHRC.pdf

» To learn more about the Indianapolis Bar Foundation please visit: http://www.indybar.org/about/bar-foundation.

01/06/2012

Professor Martin's Work on 'Hope Theory' Receives National Attention

Professor Allison Martin’s work on the role of hope in legal education was recently featured in The National Law Journal, ABA Journal, The American Lawyer and the Huffington Post. The original article, entitled “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades: Law School Through the Lens of Hope” was based on research conducted in 2007 by Martin and Dr. Kevin L. Rand, Assistant Professor of Psychology at IUPUI. Martin was lead author on the article which first appeared in the Duquesne Law Review. Duquesne University School of Law also built a conference around the topic in 2009, and in December 2011 a second social science article appeared based on the same study (with Rand as the lead author and a graduate student assistant as a third author).

The study receiving national attention examines the personality traits of law students as predictors of success. Martin and Rand then suggest that legal educators can engender hope in their students by helping law students formulate appropriate goals, increasing law students' autonomy, modeling the learning process, helping law students understand grading as feedback rather than as pure evaluation, and modeling and encouraging agentic thinking.

Professor Martin says students from the Duquesne Law Review who attended the original presentation in 2009 told her afterwards they could relate their own personal experiences in law school to “hope theory” and to the principles of engendering hope in law students outlined in the article. Martin says, “Kevin and I thought their reactions were very interesting and affirming.”

Allison Martin is Clinical Professor of Law at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, in the nationally ranked Legal Analysis, Research and Communication (LARC) department. She has taught extensively in the area of legal writing and moot court advocacy. She is the faculty advisor for the law school’s national and international moot court teams. She is also a contributing co-author of the Indiana Pleading and Practice Treatise.

“Hope — but not blind optimism — helps boost law school performance” by Karen Sloan, January 3, 2012, The National Law Journal
http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202537219136&Hope__but_not_blind_optimism__helps_boost_law_school_performance&slreturn=1

“The Will and Ways of Hope” by Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., January 3, 2012, The Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-barry-kaufman/hope-success_b_1174856.html

“Hopeful Law Students Got Better Grades, Study Finds” by Debra Cassens Weiss, January 5, 2012, ABA Journal
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/hopeful_law_students_got_better_grades._study_finds/?utm_source=maestro&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_email

"The Careerist: Secrets to Good Grades and a Happy Career" by Vivia Chen, January 10, 2012, The American Lawyer
http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2012/01/the-careerist-secrets-to-good-grades-and-a-happy-career.html

01/03/2012

Hall Center Welcomes Health Law Expert Nicolas Terry to the Faculty

The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law is honored to announce that Professor Nicolas Terry has been appointed the Hall Render Professor of Law and also will serve as the co-director of the Hall Center for Law and Health as of January 1, 2012. Prior to joining IU, Terry was the Chester A. Myers Professor of Law at Saint Louis University School of Law, where he taught Torts, Products Liability, Health Information Technology, Law & Science, and Health Care Quality. Terry, who co-directed SLU’s top-ranked Center for Health Law Studies from 2000-2008, will now lead the law school’s program here in Indianapolis along with Professor David Orentlicher, who joined the Center in 1995.

“We could not have asked for a more qualified addition to our health law credentials. Professor Terry is universally known and respected in the field of health law and will increase the national prominence our Hall Center enjoys,” says IU McKinney School of Law Dean, Gary R. Roberts. “We are happy to welcome him to our law school family.”
Born in England, Terry was educated at Kingston University and the University of Cambridge, and first taught at the University of Exeter in England before joining the Saint Louis faculty. He has served as a Senior Fellow at Melbourne Law School and as a visiting faculty member at the law schools of Santa Clara University, the University of Missouri-Columbia, Washington University, and the University of Iowa. From 2008-10 Terry served as his school’s Senior Associate Dean. His research focuses primarily on the intersection of medicine, law, and information technology.

Terry replaces Professor Eleanor DeArman Kinney who retired from Indiana University in June of 2011 after founding and leading the Hall Center for Law and Health for 24 years.

The Hall Center will celebrate its 25^th year in April of 2012.

12/30/2011

New Book on Public Defense in Criminal Cases Offers 'Clear Vision of a More Promising Future'

“Our nation’s public defense systems in state courts, with few exceptions, should be a source of great embarrassment for all of us,” says former FBI Director, William Sessions in his foreword to Securing Reasonable Caseloads: Ethics and Law in Public Defense. The book is written by Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus Norman Lefstein of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Calling Professor Lefstein “the nation’s leading scholar on indigent defense systems,” Sessions says that he “shows us a viable way forward…[and] a clear vision of a more promising future.”

This groundbreaking book, which is being sent nationwide to bar leaders, judges, and public defenders, was sponsored by the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants (SCLAID) and supported by Atlantic Philanthropies. It can be accessed on the Internet at www.indigentdefense.org .

As explained by Professor Lefstein, his book recommends a number of reforms, including “more extensive involvement in public defense by private lawyers, who are supervised and adequately compensated, thus reducing excessive caseloads frequently imposed on public defenders, and the use of free market principles in which clients are able to select their own lawyers who are pre-qualified to furnish competent and diligent representation.”

A noted expert on legal ethics and representation of the indigent, Professor Lefstein has studied public defense for decades. Before teaching law, he served as director of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, as an Assistant United States Attorney in D.C., and as a staff member in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice. His professional activities include serving as Chair of the ABA Section of Criminal Justice; as a member of the ABA SCLAID; as chair of SCLAID’s Indigent Defense Advisory Group; and as Chief Consultant to a Subcommittee on Federal Death Penalty Cases of the Judicial Conference of the United States. For seventeen years Professor Lefstein chaired the Indiana Public Defender Commission to which he was appointed by Indiana Governors. He also has frequently been an expert witness in proceedings concerned with professional ethics and/or defense representation.

Professor Lefstein was a member and co-reporter for the National Right to Counsel Committee, organized by The Constitution Project and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association. In this capacity, he played a major role in writing Justice Denied: America’s Continuing Neglect of Our Constitutional Right to Counsel, published in 2009. He also was a reporter for the 2009 ABA Eight Guidelines of Public Defense Related to Excessive Defender Workloads.

During the 1970’s, Professor Lefstein served as Reporter for the Second Edition of the ABA Criminal Justice Standards Relating to the Prosecution Function, The Defense Function, Providing Defense Services, and Pleas of Guilty. In 1982, he wrote Criminal Defense Services for the Poor: Methods and Programs for Providing Legal Representation and the Need for Adequate Financing; and in 2004 he co-authored Gideon’s Broken Promise: America’s Continuing Quest for Equal Justice. His law review articles concerned with indigent defense include an extensive study comparing public defense in the United States with criminal legal aid in the United Kingdom. He was the 2005 recipient of the Champion of Indigent Defense Award from the National Association of Criminal Lawyers.

12/01/2011

IU School of Law-Indianapolis Named for Business and Civic Leader Robert H. McKinney

Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie today announced the naming of the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis in honor of Indianapolis attorney, banker and civic leader, Robert H. McKinney. (Watch the webcast)

The school will be known as the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in recognition of the largest gift ever received by the school and one of the largest in legal education.

McKinney’s gift of $24 million, along with matching funds committed through the IUPUI IMPACT fundraising campaign, will bring the total value of the gift to $31.5 million. The landmark gift will provide funding for five endowed chairs to attract and retain nationally recognized scholar-teachers to the faculty. The gift will also create a $17.5 million endowment to fund McKinney Family Scholarships for outstanding students.

“With this extremely generous gift, Bob McKinney will have a transformative impact on a law school that already has provided the academic foundation for a remarkable number of lawyers, judges and community and government leaders across Indiana and beyond,” McRobbie said.

“This gift will be instrumental in our efforts to attract nationally renowned legal scholars to our law school in Indianapolis, as well as top-flight students from around the country, and we are deeply grateful to Bob for his generosity,” McRobbie added.

IU School of Law-Indianapolis Dean Gary R. Roberts said the gift will make a major difference in the school's ability to achieve its long-term goals. "It is impossible to overstate the impact of this gift upon the law school, the campus and the state," Roberts said, adding that the McKinney School is believed to be one of just a few of the nearly 200 law schools in the country to be named for a major benefactor. "It provides for faculty chairs and student support to create an unparalleled resource with which to realize the aspirations of our school -- to become one of the finest public law schools in the nation. And because this law school produces so many leaders throughout the state, this is an investment in the future of the people of Indiana and beyond.”

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Chancellor Charles R. Bantz praised the gift as being consistent both with the school’s future vision and Bob McKinney’s commitment to legal education in Indiana. “This tremendous gift supports the McKinney School's commitment to being a leader in legal education,” Bantz said. “As a founding partner of Bose McKinney & Evans LLP, one of the largest law firms in Indianapolis, Bob McKinney will lend his name to a school that can proudly claim many prominent lawyers, judges and public servants worldwide as its alumni.”

Approximately 80 CEOs of companies headquartered in Indiana are alumni of the school, as are the chief of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, a former U.S. vice president and members of Congress. In recent years, the school has strengthened its offerings in such areas as public health, intellectual property law, state and local government law, environmental law and international law.

“A law degree is a great introduction to broad areas of leadership -- political leadership, business leadership and civic leadership,” McKinney said. “The IU law school in Indianapolis plays a vital role in developing the leaders Indiana needs to succeed. I am excited to be able to make a commitment that will help the school build on its proud heritage and achieve its goal of being one of the best law schools in the country.”

Originally trained as an engineer, McKinney received his law degree from IU and also holds a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy. Until his retirement in 2005, McKinney served as chairman and CEO of First Indiana Corporation, parent company of First Indiana Bank (now known as M&I Bank). He was also a founding partner of Bose McKinney & Evans LLP, an Indianapolis law firm, from which he retired in 1992.

Because of his commitment to community-based banking, McKinney was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to chair multiple federal banking, insurance, mortgage and loan agencies. In that role, McKinney established model non-discrimination regulations and pushed for community investment.

At IU, McKinney served as a trustee from 1989 to 1998 and was president of the Board of Trustees from 1993 to 1994. He was chairman of the Board of Advisors of IUPUI and is currently a director of the IU Foundation. McKinney’s previous gifts to IU include the Robert H. McKinney Law Professorship and the Bose McKinney & Evans Sherman Minton Moot Court Competition, and contributions to the V. Sue Shields Scholarship, all in the IU Maurer School of Law. He has also contributed to the Conservation Law Center and the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

“Bob is absolutely dedicated to excellence and to his community, and expresses that commitment with integrity, loyalty and grace,” said IU Foundation President Gene Tempel. “His gift today stands as a challenge and invitation to others who believe in the mission of the school and the importance of its contributions to the community and the state.”

McKinney’s gift, which will be administered and invested by the IU Foundation, was made through the IUPUI IMPACT campaign, a $1.25 billion fundraising campaign publicly announced in October 2010. As of September 2011, the effort had surpassed the $1 billion mark.

The IU Board of Trustees approved the naming at its October meeting. The name change will be effective as of today, Dec. 1. The school is planning a formal renaming ceremony and celebration to take place in the spring.