BYU Law School Fellowship Program

FYI:

The J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University is seeking applicants for the BYU Law School Fellowship Program, commencing in the Fall 2013 Semester. A successful applicant will have a J.D. degree, an outstanding academic background, a commitment to producing influential and enduring scholarship, and a devotion to high quality teaching. Applicants may contact D. Gordon Smith directly.

The BYU Law School Fellowship Program is intended to provide promising law graduates who are preparing to enter the market for tenure-track teaching positions with an opportunity to gain teaching experience and to make substantial progress on their personal scholarly projects. Fellows will be appointed for a one-year term that is renewable for a maximum of one additional year, with the expectation that the Fellow will participate in the Association of American Law Schools faculty recruitment process during the fall of their second year. During their appointment, Fellows will teach one course each semester. The courses will be selected based on the professional goals of the Fellow and the needs of the school. Fellows will have the opportunity to participate fully in the intellectual life of the law school, including faculty workshops and conferences. It is expected that Fellows will complete one scholarly article in the first year of residence and make substantial progress on a second piece during the second year. Fellows will have at least one opportunity to present a paper in the faculty workshop series and, more generally, to receive mentoring from faculty members in preparation for the academic job market. 

Fellows will receive a $50,000 stipend, health benefits, an office, secretarial support, and some funding for research support and travel.

Preference is given to qualified candidates who are members in good standing of the affiliated church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Employment at BYU requires observance of Church standards.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf Supports Obama's Amnesty Plan

Elder Uchtdorf and 13 other faith leaders met with Obama on Friday, where the President asked them to support a reform effort that would streamline the legal immigration system. Elder Uchtdorf told the Salt Lake Tribune that "he (Obama) was talking about his principles and what he said was totally in line with our values." Salt Lake Tribune

BYU Law School is Hiring

FYI: The Brigham Young University Law School invites applications for a full-time professional faculty member to begin in the Fall Semester of 2013. It is anticipated that the professional faculty member’s primary responsibility would be to teach law students in clinical settings or through classroom simulations several of the following professional skills: alternative methods of dispute resolution, counseling, factual investigation, interviewing, legal drafting, negotiating, organization and management of legal work, and trial and appellate advocacy.  The applicant may also propose skills topics involving but not limited to criminal law, contracts, constitutional law and other substantive law courses.

Qualifications
    Candidates should have a juris doctorate or other law degree. In addition, a successful applicant must have an outstanding background in the practice of law and an intense commitment to teaching and mentoring that will leave no time for significant law practice or consulting.
    BYU, an equal opportunity employer, requires all faculty to observe the university's honor code and dress and grooming standards. Preference is given to qualified candidates who are members in good standing of the sponsoring church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 
   
Duties/Responsibilities
    The Law School has been creative in developing programs of instruction in professional skills. The programs currently offered by the Law School include a nationally recognized externship program, a program enabling students to pursue pro bono legal service opportunities with attorneys accepting cases serving persons in need, and a robust skills curriculum. In addition to highlighting his or her qualifications to teach in the existing skills programs and curriculum at the Law School, each applicant should write a brief proposal describing the main ways in which he or she would enhance the teaching of skills at the Law School, using the strengths and resources available to the school.  This proposal is an important part of the application and should be thoughtfully developed.
    The professional faculty member would enjoy the same basic privileges as professorial faculty members, including the prospect of continuing faculty status (similar to tenure) and rank advancement, and the right to participate in faculty governance of the Law School. The professional faculty member would be expected to assume regular responsibilities of faculty citizenship, including committee assignments, and to teach from eight to ten credits of professional skills classes each semester, depending on the nature of any administrative responsibilities. The professional faculty member would have no scholarship requirement or expectation, but would be eligible for a summer stipend to conduct research relating to preparing problem exercises and other teaching materials to enhance the effectiveness and quality of the skills curriculum.

Application Process
    Complete an online faculty application at https://yjobs.byu.edu (Law-Professional Skills Faculty position) and attach a cover letter, current curriculum vitae, and the proposal described above with regard to teaching one or more professional skills.  Applications must be submitted by February 9, 2013.

    For further information you may contact Professor David Moore, Chair-Appointments Committee atmoored@law.byu.edu.

Gay Scouts, Marriott, Florida Real Estate

• Boy Scouts of America to announce it will accept gay youth and leaders. USA Today.

• Marriott Hotel supports the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). America Blog.

• Could the Mormon Church block All Aboard Florida's, Orlando to Miami train? Orlando Sentinel.

ASU Law Moving to Downtown Phoenix

Arizona State University recently announced that it will be moving its Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law from Tempe to downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The Phoenix City Council and Arizona Board of Regents have approved plans for development of ASU’s Arizona Center for Law and Society. ASU will reportedly spend between $100 and $120 million to build the law center. Phoenix city will give ASU $3 million when construction starts and another $9 million as development progresses to sweeten the deal.

The new center could eventually house as many as 1,000 ASU law students downtown. The law school will be built on a city owned parking lot bounded by Polk, Taylor, First and Second Street and is just southeast of ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Construction on the new law school is slated to start in early 2014 with the completion expected in late 2015. The school is expected to be up and running for the Spring semester of 2016. The ASU building will be six stories tall and encompass 250,000 to 300,000 square feet.

“This is an investment that makes sense for ASU College of Law, its students and the city of Phoenix,” said Phoenix Councilman Bill Gates in a statement. “The move will position one of our nation’s top public law schools within walking distance of local, state and federal courts, our state’s top law firms and business headquarters.” ASU’s law school is currently public though rumor has it that they are trying to privatize the law school. Maybe this new building is part of the privatization plan...

JRCLS is Recruiting Law Students to Participate in an Externship

The J. Reuben Clark Law School’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies is recruiting law students with demonstrated academic excellence to participate in its 2013 Spring/Summer Externship Program. Selected student scholars will spend eight to ten weeks at Brigham Young University working on a range of projects related to the Center’s Mission “to help secure the blessing of freedom of religion and belief for all people.” More information about the mission and activities of the Center is available at www.iclrs.org.
 

Past summer externs have been involved in a number of projects that have permitted them to obtain credit from their own law schools, including assisting in the preparation of Supreme Court briefs, reviewing pending religion-related legislation from many countries, and working on books and articles in progress. In summer 2013, the Center will be heavily involved in producing a legal encyclopedia that will describe church-state systems in all countries on earth. In addition, many externs will assist in the preparation of a new edition of an important ongoing Center project, the four-volume treatise Religious Organization and the Law (available online at Westlaw.com under the database RELORGS). While the Center’s primary focus is on religious freedom issues, work on the annual treatise updates and revisions permits students to explore the interface between religion and other practice areas, as they make extremely valuable contributions to research and writing on a broad range of subjects, including constitutional law, employment law, litigation, tax law, intellectual property, healthcare, social services, bankruptcy, risk management, corporate choice and organization, fiduciary duties, immigration law, marriage and family law, public and private education, mergers and dissolutions, land use, and charitable grants and fundraising.
 

To apply for an externship, please submit a cover letter and resume to Deborah Wright, Coordinator and Administrative Assistant for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at wrightde@law.byu.edu by 12 p.m. MST on Monday, January 14, 2013. If you are accepted, you will be notified on Thursday, January 31, 2013. We will need to know of your commitment to the externship by Thursday, February 28, 2012. The Center will work with you to schedule the dates of your time with us, and we will work with your school to explore whether credits for the externship can be arranged.
 

We would also like to notify you that each year the Center, in cooperation with the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, sponsors a writing competition for law students on the subject of religious freedom. Last year’s winner received a cash award of $1,500 and traveled to Washington, D.C. to receive his award at the 2012 International Religious Liberty Award Dinner. The papers, of 9,000-13,300 words, are due each year by August 1. Award recipients have published their papers in journals following the competition. Information about the contest appears on the Center’s website in January.

Election, French Gay Marriage, and American Gay Marriage

• Mormon leaders congratulate Obama, urge members of the Church to pray for him. Deseret News

• French cabinet pushes ahead gay marriage bill, defying opposition. Washington Post

• Voters in Maryland and Maine approved measures to allow same-sex marriage, the first time gay marriage has been approved by statewide popular votes. NBC News

CLE, JRCLS, Gay Marriage

• CLE AT SEA! The BYU Law Alumni Association is planning an Alumni & Friends CLE at Sea to the Western Caribbean on Holland America. The dates are February 24-March 2, 2013. We would love to have Law Society members join us!  The cruise will feature 10 hours of CLE credit.  Full payment is due November 30, 2012.  The following links have further information: Cruise Information Sheet , Cruise Reservation Form.  If you have questions about the event contact: Roberta Lawler at 801-422-4125 or lawlerr@law.byu.edu .  If you have questions about your reservation and booking contact: Boomerang Tours & Travel  at 801-277-6070.

• The 2013 JRCLS Annual Fireside will take place on January 25, 2013 and will be broadcast from Salt Lake City.  Elder Larry Echo Hawk, former assistant secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, BYU law professor and attorney general of Idaho, now a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, will be the speaker.

• The LDS church has been quite as Maryland activists work to overturn same sex marriage. Standard Examiner

2013 Annual J. Reuben Clark Law Society Conference

Don't forget to mark your calendars for the 2013 J. Reuben Clark Law Society Conference. It will be held at Georgetown Law School in Washington, D.C. on February 14-16, 2013. Registration opens November 1, 2012 at www.jrclsconference.com.

This will be a star-studded event featuring; Justice Clarence Thomas of the United States Supreme Court, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Troy Dow - Vice President and Counsel of the Walt Disney Company, Elder Lance B. Wickman - General Counsel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dean James Rasband of the Brigham Young University Law School, Dean Paul Berman of the George washington University Law School and Judges Laurence Silberman and Thomas Griffith of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.  Additionally, entertainer Jenny Oaks Baker will be providing musical entertainment.

Church Vandalized, MTC Withdraws Plans, Land in Layton

• Drunken man suspected of vandalizing Mormon Church in San Bernadino, California. Daily Press

• The LDS Church announced that it is pulling back from its plan to build a 9 story building on the Missionary Training Center campus in Provo, Utah. Deseret News

• LDS Church distances itself from land referendum in Layton, Utah. Standard Examiner

Legal Briefs:

• A 4 year-old boy from Arkansas was denied enrollment once the Christian school, Little Rock Christian Academy, found out he was Mormon. The school reserves the right to deny admissions based on religion. San Antonio News. 

• A rare First Edition copy of the Book of Mormon had been stolen from an unlocked file cabinet in the back office of a Mesa, AZ bookstore. The book is valued at $100,000. abcnews.com 

• A Utah prosecutor says he will not pursue criminal charges against a polygamous family made famous by a reality TV show. nydailynews.com
  

LDS International Society Conference

We have been asked by the International Society to send out this invitation to their Annual Meeting on Monday, April 2, 2012.



THE LDS INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY INVITES YOU TO A CONFERENCE!

 

THEME, LOCATION AND TIME

• What: The 23nd annual LDS International Society Conference, “The Mormon Moment,” 
• When and where: Monday, April 2, 2012 at the Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center on the BYU Campus. 
• Time: Registration will start at 8:00 a.m. with the the program starting at 8:30 a.m. 

 

PROGRAM

 

• Keynote speakers: Elder Anthony D. Perkins of the First Quorum of the Seventy, President of the Asia Area, and Michael Otterson, Managing Director of Public Affairs. 
• Other participants: Sahar Qumsiyeh, Analyst for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency; Michael Colemere, managing director of Internet Communications for the Church.
• A panel discussion on "causes for the Momon Moment" Cathy Chamberlain, managing director of Market Strategy at Deseret Book Company; Terry Oakes, Managing Director of Welfare Service; Lew Cramer, CEO of the World Trade Center Utah; and Quin Monson, professor of political science at BYU.

ADMINISTRATION DETAILS

• Parking next to the BYU Museum of Art and next to the Law School parking lot. 
• Luncheon at noon for conference attendees at $15 per person by RSVP only, limited seating.  
• Tour of BYU new BYU TV Broadcasting Building following the Conference by reservations only (RSVP).  Free for participants of Conference, but reservation required 
• To RSVP for either or both of these events, please call the Kennedy Center at (801) 422-3377 by Monday, 26 March. A  payment by credit card for the luncheon will be accepted." 

Register Now for the 2012 JRCLS Conference

Click HERE to register for the 2012 JRCLS conference in Stanford, California. It runs from February 16th. to the 18th., 2012. The event will be highlighted by guest speakers; Former Secretary Michael Leavitt, United States Department of Health and Human Services, The Honorable Thomas Griffith, US Court of Appeal for the DC Circuit, The Honorable Clifford Wallace, U.S. Circuit judge for the 9th Circuit and former chief judge, The Honorable Jay Bybee, U.S. Circuit Judge for the 9th Circuit, The Honorable Randy Smith, U.S. Circuit Judge for the 9th Circuit, Michael McConnell, Director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School, Elder Lance Wickman, General Counsel for the LDS Church, Cole Durham, Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Jack Welch, BYU law professor and Editor-in-Chief of BYU Studies, and many others.

Since the first student conference in 2004, the J. Reuben Clark Law Society Annual Conference has expanded to include attorneys, and Society members from outside the US who gather to discuss contemporary legal issues, expand professional networks, discuss the mission of the Law Society, hold Section meetings, and provide mentoring. 

Bishop Burton Joins Leaders in Promoting Religious Freedom and Traditional Marriage

Last Thursday, Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, H. David Burton, joined 38 leaders of different faiths in signing a letter advocating traditional marriage and religious freedom.

The letter, titled "Marriage and Religious Freedom: Fundamental Goods That Stand or Fall Together," stated that the promotion and protection of marriage--the union of one man and one woman as husband and wife-- is a matter of the common good and serves the wellbeing of the couple, of children, of civil society and all people."

Reflections After Three Semesters

It's official! I am in my second semester of my 2L year now, which means I am "over the hill." Maybe it's the spirit of the new year, or maybe it's simply a natural occurrence for someone who is halfway done with a difficult task, but I'm feeling nostalgic. As I ponder on the things people told me about law school two years ago, I am struck by how inaccurate some of it was. Here are a few samples:

1. "All your tests will be essay." FALSE. I have had more multiple choice questions in my first three semesters of law school than I did in my last two years of undergrad. A few of my finals have even been purely multiple choice, and some have been a combination of multiple choice and short answer.
2. "All your classes will be taught with the Socratic Method." FALSE. This was true for the first few weeks of my 1L year, but the professors backed off of it as time went on. It's almost non-existent now in my second year.
3. "On the first day, take a look at the person on your left and the person on your right. One of you won't be there on graduation day." FALSE. Although this may have been true in past years, I just don't see it happening. While I know of a couple people that have dropped out, it is nowhere near 33% of people that were at orientation.
4. "Volunteer somewhere during your 1L summer. 1Ls can't get paid jobs." Somewhat false. It certainly is more difficult for 1Ls to get a paid summer job than it is for 2Ls, but it is not impossible. If I can find a paid summer job after my first year, so can you.
5. "Law school is exciting and fun!" OK, I never actually heard anyone say that, but that seems to be the idea that Hollywood perpetuates about law school. Have you ever noticed that the law students in the movies and on TV never spend much time studying? I've often wondered what kind of grades they get. Sometimes classes and readings can be interesting and possibly even dramatic. Your first time in a courtroom during a hearing or trial is pretty fun, too. It's nothing like Hollywood, though; it's a lot of quiet nights reading cases and composing outlines.

I'm sure there are other myths about law school out there that can be put to rest, but these are the main ones I've noticed. Feel free to comment on your own experiences.