Dear Alumni and Friends:
Once again, the lives of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends have been upended by a devastating natural disaster, the impacts of which are compounded by the ongoing public health emergency. We were preparing to send this newsletter just before Hurricane Ida caused widespread destruction and disruption across south Louisiana. We send it now with the knowledge that many of you are working diligently to recover from this incredibly damaging storm. For those who are now in recovery mode, we encourage you to reach out to your network of friends and supporters in our LSU Law family. The thoughts of all of us at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center are with you at this difficult time.
All my best,
Lee Ann Wheelis Lockridge
LSU Law Interim Dean and Professor of Law
|
|
To our LSU Law family:
Our hearts are heavy as thousands of our LSU Law alumni struggle to resume living and practicing in communities that have been severely impacted by Hurricane Ida. Please know that we are here to support you. If you are relocating and need a referral to alumni in our LSU Law family now or in the weeks to come, please do not hesitate to reach out to lawalumni@lsu.edu or Gigi Gauthier, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, at ggauthier@lsu.edu or 225-578-0733. We know recovery will take time and we stand ready to assist you in any way possible.
Sincerely,
The LSU Law Office of Alumni Relations
|
|
LSU Law welcomes back students for fall semester, including largest class of first-year students in 10 years |
|
The Paul M. Hebert Law Center has been bustling with students, faculty, and staff since the start of the fall semester, for which LSU Law saw its overall enrollment increase and the arrival of its largest class of first-year students in a decade.
While students, faculty, and staff continue to follow the health and safety precautions laid out in the LSU COVID-19 Roadmap, the vast majority of classes and many events are once again being held in person at LSU Law this semester. Third-year law student and Student Bar Association President Alex Domingue said the academic and social experience at the Law Center is much improved compared to the spring semester and last fall, when most classes were held remotely or in a hybrid fashion and in-person events were extremely limited.
“Yes, we did have some classes in person last spring, but that was it. We came to class and went home, there was no community within the Law Center. This year, with the return of social events and fully in-person classes, I personally have seen a major uptick in the community at the Law Center,” Domingue said. “The first benefit is networking opportunities. When we were remote or hybrid, we didn’t really meet either the faculty or our colleagues. The second benefit, specifically to having the staff and faculty on campus, is the benefit of utilizing their skills and experience.”
Overall enrollment rose to 633 students this fall, up from 598 students last fall. The Class of 2024 includes 233 students, 74% of which are Louisiana residents and the remainder of which have come to LSU Law from 22 states. Females make up 52% of the new class of students, while males comprise 48%, and 19% of the students identify as ethnic minorities. The last time LSU Law had a larger class of first-year students was in 2011. Enrollment figures will be made official following 14 class days.
Both the median LSAT score and GPA of the new class of students increased this year to 156 and 3.55, respectively. Additionally, 27 first-year students are enrolled in the LSU Law/LSU 3+3 Program — up from 11 first-year students who were in the program last year.
|
|
Fulbright Scholar among 15 LLM students at LSU Law this fall |
|
Nine students from five countries in the LLM Program began their studies at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center in the fall semester, including a Belarus native who was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to pursue her Master of Laws degree at LSU Law.
Six other LLM students from two countries are also studying at the Law Center this fall. They were originally scheduled to arrive at LSU Law last fall, but the pandemic forced them to wait until the spring semester to begin their studies. They will study at LSU Law through the end of the fall semester, while the other nine LLM students will remain at the Law Center through the end of the spring 2022 semester.
Professor Olivier Moréteau, Assistant Dean for International Programs, said LLM Program enrollment has remained strong despite the pandemic and an increasingly competitive market for several reasons, including the program’s affordability, academic quality, and robustness.
Among the LLM students at the Law Center this fall is Natallia Bulko of Minsk, Belarus, a recipient of a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. Bulko earned a Specialist law degree from Belarusian State University, which requires five years of legal study. She was highly active in moot court competitions while in law school, competing internationally in commercial arbitration, trade law, and private law. She also worked for nearly four years as a legal counsel with international logistics firm AsstrA, where she was responsible for contract drafting, corporate procedures, and pre-trial dispute resolution.
|
|
Melanie Anderson promoted to Associate Director of LSU Law Office of Career Services |
|
Melanie Anderson, who has served as Assistant Director of the LSU Law Office of Career Services since 2012, has been promoted to Associate Director following a broad national search.
“Melanie’s years of experience, her expertise, her intense dedication to her craft, and her enthusiasm for working with our students to help them launch and maintain successful careers make her the perfect person to help lead our Office of Career Services as Associate Director,” said LSU Law Interim Dean Lee Ann Lockridge.
Anderson joined the LSU Law Office of Career Services staff in 2008 as Interview Coordinator, a position she held until her promotion to Assistant Director in 2012. In her new role, Anderson will take on additional responsibilities, including employer outreach and marketing as well as shared departmental supervision. She will also continue to play an integral role in student programming and professional development as well as the collection of employment data for internal use and other accreditation needs.
|
|
Five new faculty and staff members join LSU Law |
|
LSU Law has welcomed five new faculty and staff members to the Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
Professor Summer Chandler has joined the full-time law faculty and is teaching Bankruptcy and Contracts this fall. Professor Chandler has taught at the Concordia University School of Law and most recently taught as a visiting professor at the Southern University Law Center. She earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as Executive Editor of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform.
Long-time Clinical Adjunct Professor Jack Harrison has been appointed to a full-time teaching position in the clinical legal education program and is teaching the Juvenile Defense Clinic this fall. He most recently served as an Assistant Public Defender for East Baton Rouge Parish, Juvenile Section. Professor Harrison earned his J.D./B.C.L. from the LSU Law Center in 2004.
Andrew Whall has joined the Office of Admissions as the Assistant Director of Admissions. Whall earned his J.D./D.C.L. from the LSU Law Center in 2016 and recently earned his LL.M. from the University of Iceland. While a student at LSU Law, he served as an admissions representative/law ambassador, meeting with undergraduate students to answer questions and share personal LSU Law experiences and otherwise engaging in outreach to recruit prospective students to the Law Center.
At the LSU Law Library, Josh Freeman has been appointed as the tenure-track Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Librarian. He earned his J.D. from the Cardozo School of Law and he recently completed the Master of Library and Information Science Law Librarianship program at the University of Washington Information School, the premier law librarianship program in the U.S. Also at the library, Brett Blanchard has been appointed as Collection Maintenance and Circulation Supervisor. He earned his B.A. from the University of New Orleans, and he has extensive experience working in libraries and as an information management and document control specialist at engineering firms in Baton Rouge.
|
|
Karen Soniat bids farewell after 16 years at LSU Law |
|
After serving as Director of Communications and External Relations at LSU Law for the past 16 years, Karen Soniat is embarking on a new journey in her career at The National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
“Karen really put the ‘relations’ back in alumni relations for our institution during her time here. Along the way, she helped raise millions of dollars for professorships, scholarships, building programs, and more,” said LSU Law Interim Dean Lee Ann Lockridge at a farewell gathering for Soniat held in early August. “But most of all, I think all of us recognize her unflagging enthusiasm, passion, loyalty, hard work, and dedication that she has put into her job and everything she does. We really can’t thank her enough for all that she has done for our institution.”
While at LSU Law, Soniat helped usher in a new era of communications and alumni relations at the law school, including the launch of a magazine and newsletter, and an extensive overhaul of the law school’s website. She was also instrumental in raising funds for major initiatives at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, including the Centennial Celebration and Plaza renovation, the Classroom to Courtroom Campaign, and the establishment of the LSU John P. Laborde Energy Law Center, among others.
Soniat began her new role as Vice President of Annual Giving and Membership at the World War II Museum in August. She said the transition has been bittersweet.
“I’m really excited about the new challenge and wonderful opportunity to build a new program. But the hardest part of this decision was knowing that I would no longer be working with all the extraordinary colleagues and alumni who really are true friends — and I don’t plan on leaving those relationships behind,” she said. “It has been a dream to be at the LSU Law Center, and I just hope I made a difference.”
|
|
SBA seeking donations of gently used professional clothing for LSU Law students |
The LSU Law Student Bar Association is working with Director of Career Services and Employer Relations Gwen Ferrell and Gigi Gauthier, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, to build a closet of gently used professional clothing and suits for students. This will help students in need of professional clothing for their interviews, internships, and work at firms.
Those who would like to contribute to the cause can donate gently used and laundered suits, ties, dresses, shirts, and blouses to help law students build their professional wardrobes. Briefcases, garment racks and tie hangers can also be donated. Additionally, donations of new shoes, socks, and hosiery are also appreciated.
Donations are being collected and stored at the Career Services Office. Please set up a time to donate by contacting SBA Safety & Sustainability Committee Chairwoman 3L Meredith "Red" Smith at Meredith.W.Smith@gmail.com or 225-324-1133. |
|
10 LSU Law alumni selected as 2021 Loan Repayment Assistance Program recipients |
|
Ten LSU Law alumni practicing in the public sector have been selected as recipients of the 2021 Loan Repayment Assistance Program and will each receive $5,000 to help repay their law school student loan debt.
LSU Law launched the Loan Repayment Assistance Program in 2020 with support from the Kendall Vick Public Law Foundation, and awarded $5,000 each to five alumni. Thanks to increased funding from the Louisiana Bar Foundation Kendall Vick Public Law Fund, LSU Law was able to make twice as many grant awards this year.
“We are excited to provide even more of our recent graduates in public service with grants to help repay some of their student loan debt this year, and we are grateful for the Kendall Vick Public Law Foundation and Louisiana Bar Foundation for their generous support to help us make the Loan Repayment Assistance Program possible,” said LSU Law Interim Dean Lee Ann Wheelis Lockridge.
The Loan Repayment Assistant Program aims to help remove barriers to public interest practice faced by recent graduates who have incurred significant debt to finance their legal education. To be eligible, LSU Law alumni must have graduated within the past five years and be employed full time in eligible public service positions in Louisiana, including 501(c)(3) charitable organizations engaged in pro bono legal services or public defender services, and federal, state, or local judicial clerks.
This year’s LRAP recipients are ReAzalia Allen (’15), Catherine Ashy (’19), Brittney Esie (’20), Kiara Heath (’19), Fahreta Muminovic (’15), Vincent Nguyen (’20), Mallory Richard (’16), Aislyn Taylor (’17), Torrie Thibodeaux (’17), and Marcus Wilson (’20).
|
|
|
|
Professor Christina Sautter presented her co-authored article, “ Corporate Governance Gaming,” during the Meme Stocks panel of the National Business Law Scholars Conference. Professor Sautter was also an invited speaker during the "Where Does Corporate Law Go Next?" Roundtable at The Law and Society Association 2021 Annual Meeting. |
|
|
|
Professor Elizabeth Carter presented her article, “ Are Premarital Agreements Really Unfair? An Empirical Study” 48 Hofstra L. Rev. 387 (2019), to the New Orleans Planning Estate Planning Council. Professor Carter also presented suggested revisions to the ACTEC Commentaries to MRPC 1.8 and 1.9 at the ACTEC (American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel) Summer Meeting. |
|
|
|
Professor Michael Malinowski‘s forthcoming book, “How to Regulate a Medical Revolution: The Law and Ethics of Personal Genome Medicine,” will be published by Cambridge University Press. In the book, Professor Malinowski explores the science and evidence base of U.S. medicine in the past, present, and future. Malinowski also focuses on the transition to personal genome medicine through the increasing uptake of genetic science in the delivery of health care, and discusses the ways in which personal genome medicine is fundamentally transforming the U.S. health care system. |
|
|
|
Professor Lécia Vicente presented one of her latest projects, “Should We Call it Moral Money?: Institutional Ownership and Board Diversity,” at the 2021 National Business Law Scholars Conference, as part of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Business Law panel. She presented this project at the 2021 Law & Society Association Annual Meeting and will present it at the 27th International Sustainable Development Research Society Conference hosted by Mid Sweden University. |
|
Reunion Weekend and All-Alumni Tailgate update |
|
Due to the ongoing pandemic and the challenges it creates for event planning, this year's Reunion Weekend and All-Alumni Tailgate will not take place as scheduled on Oct. 1-2. After all we have endured throughout the pandemic, we were planning for our Reunion Weekend and All-Alumni Tailgate to mark a cathartic return to the traditions that have long brought our LSU Law family together in celebration. However, we have not yet reached a point where we can plan for and host large in-person events, particularly crowded or indoor events with food and drink, while ensuring the health and safety of all attendees.
We will continue to closely monitor pandemic conditions and explore alternative options for celebrating our reunion classes at a time when we can safely do so, and we will keep you informed as we move forward. If you have questions about our Reunion Weekend and All-Alumni Tailgate, please contact Gigi Gauthier at 225-578-0733 or ggauthier@lsu.edu.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this disappointing announcement. We greatly appreciate all alumni who had volunteered for reunion committees, as well as NeunerPate and CSRS, which were to sponsor our All-Alumni Tailgate. We hope you and your family will remain safe and healthy as we continue to navigate the pandemic, we appreciate your contributions to our LSU Law family, and we eagerly look forward to seeing you when the time is right.
|
|
Find out about the latest news and accomplishments of your classmates.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
