Planting Global Roots | Green Shoots | Taproots & Tall Branches | Bearing Fruit | Digging Deep
2011-2012 Board of Overseers
Eugene D. McGurk, Jr., Esq. ’78, Chair
Dean Linda L. Ammons, JD, Ex Officio
Renae B. Axelrod, Esq. ‘91, Ex Officio
Steven P. Barsamian, Esq. ’75
The Honorable Raymond A. Batten ’79
Scott E. Blissman, Esq. ’97
C. Grainger Bowman, Esq., Vice Chair
John T. Carroll, III, Esq. ’81
Bonnie E. Copeland, Esq. ’09
Michael G. DeFino, Esq. ’75, Honorary
The Honorable Susan C. Del Pesco ’75
Risa Vetri Ferman, Esq. ’92
Geoffrey Gamble, Esq.
Jacqueline G. Goodwin, EdD
President James T. Harris III, DEd, Ex Officio
Richard K. Herrmann, Esq.
Robert A. Honecker, Jr., Esq. ’81
Bret D. Keisling, Esq. ’05
Vice Dean J. Patrick Kelly, Ex Officio
Peter M. Mattoon, Esq.
James G. McGiffin, Jr., Esq., Ex Officio
Kathleen W. McNicholas, MD, JD ’06, LLM ’10
Vice Dean Robyn L. Meadows, Ex Officio
Edward B. Micheletti, Esq. ’97
George K. Miller, Jr., Esq. ’81
Kathryn J. Peifer, Esq. ’02
Vivian L. Rapposelli, Esq. ’93
Scott W. Reid, Esq. ’02
Thomas L. Sager, Esq.
The Honorable Thomas G. Saylor
John F. Schmutz, Esq.
Bernard W. Smalley, Sr., Esq. ’80
The Honorable Lee A. Solomon ’78
Craig A. Styer, Esq. ’90
The Honorable Joseph T. Walsh
John A. Wetzel, Esq. ’75
Douglas M. Wolfberg, Esq. ’96
2011-2012 National Advisory Council
Marc R. Abrams, Esq. ’78
Michael J. Aiello, Esq. ’94
Howard K. Alperin, Esq. ’90
Joseph M. Asher, Esq. ’93
Miriam Benton Barish, Esq. ’92
Carl W. Battle, Esq. ’82
Kyle D. Bowser, Esq. ’91
Alexander Bratic
Michael A. Brown, Esq. ’91
Charlene D. Davis, Esq. ’84
Claire M. DeMatteis, Esq. ’92
Cary L. Flitter, Esq. ’81
Dr. Robert D. Gober, JD, ’79
Mitchell Gurwicz, Esq. ’95
N. Lynne Hughes, Esq. ’89
Brenda Alderman James, Esq. ’92
Jeffrey B. Killino, Esq. ’00
Wayne D. Kimmel, Esq. ’95
Samuel A. Landy, Esq. ’85
Alan B. Levin, Esq. ’80
Robert O. Lindefjeld, Esq. ’93
Kenneth J. Lopez, Esq. ’95
Harry Dillon Madonna, Esq. ’97
James J. Maron, Esq. ’85
Eugene D. McGurk, Jr., Esq. ’78
Patrick J. Murphy, Esq. ’99
John L. Reed, Esq. ’91
Cynthia R. Ryan, Esq. ’79
Leif R. Sigmond, Jr., Esq. ’90
Timothy J. Snyder, Esq. ’81
Douglas J. Steinhardt, Esq. ’94
Alice W. Strine, Esq. ’92
Leslee Silverman Tabas, Esq. ’79
James J. Veneruso, Esq. ’75
Richard P. Zaretsky, Esq. ’75
A Message from The Dean
“I am pleased to report that in these unusual times Widener has remained rooted to its core mission, responding and refocusing its efforts where necessary.”
—Linda L. Ammons
Dear Alumni and Friends:
Legal education and the legal profession are in the midst of transition. In 2011-2012, long-standing patterns and assumptions were questioned. This is a period of self-examination, during which we are striving for stronger performance, despite the challenges we face.
I am pleased to report that in these unusual times Widener has remained rooted to its mission, responding and refocusing its efforts where necessary. Our faculty continue to produce groundbreaking scholarly work. They spread their influence globally and push our students to achieve academic excellence. Our students prevail in competition, distinguish themselves through service, and consistently find employment after graduating. Our alumni continue to earn the recognition of their peers and the public.
Challenges notwithstanding, last year was an exciting one at Widener Law. The following pages reflect some of the significant progress we made and our contributions to legal education, the legal profession, and the global communities we serve. These are tough times but, in the Widener tradition, where others see difficulty, we see opportunity.
Sincerely,
Linda L. Ammons, JD |
Associate Provost and Dean
What do you do when your landscape changes?
It’s a question every law school in the country has asked itself over the past year.
How do you respond? The answer depends on how well you are rooted.
At Widener, we responded by pushing harder, working smarter, and refocusing our efforts to ensure that we produce the next generation of leaders. Grounded by our values and driven by an internationally renowned faculty, we grew as a hub for legal expertise, as an incubator for innovative thinking in the law, as a center for public service in the law and beyond, and as a producer of accomplished, practice-ready graduates.
Planting Global Roots
Widener Law faculty led their students and the law school to remarkable places throughout the year, from Washington D.C. to China. From places like Lyon, France, where we established a global law consortium and student exchange program with the Catholic University of Lyon School of Law, to the virtual classroom via any computer in the U.S., where we now offer online MJ programs in Corporate and Health Law.
Just as often, our faculty brought the world to Widener, partnering with our nation’s top corporations and legal professionals, the judiciary, elected officials, and ordinary citizens, who discussed and debated the issues that drive our laws, their application, and our society.
“The Environmental Law Center aims to give students the experience of a lifetime. We regularly arrange student trips to view wildlife as a means of bringing what we teach in the classroom alive— to show how, where, and why the law matters most.”
–Professor Jim May
New, Notable, and Eminent
Widener Law and Catholic University of Lyon School of Law established a global law consortium and student exchange program.
The inaugural DuPont/Widener Law intellectual property law symposium brought together legal professionals, small business owners, entrepreneurs, artists, and inventors for a discussion about protecting, commercializing, and funding ideas. From left: Chyrrea Sebree of DuPont; John Calvert of the Office of Innovation Development, United States Patent & Trademark Office; Angela Grayson of DuPont; P. Michael Walker of DuPont; and Associate Professor Sonia Baldia.
The Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics recognized Widener Law with an award for exceptional work in strengthening the compliance and ethics professions through its corporate and health law compliance training programs.
The Harrisburg Law & Government Institute again hosted “In Session.” Broadcast monthly on PCN, the show addresses some the nation’s thorniest legal and public policy issues.
The Institute of Delaware Corporate and Business Law’s symposium “Fiduciary Duties at the Intersection of Federal Bankruptcy and State Corporate Law” convened some of the nation’s top bankruptcy jurists and practitioners. It generated the idea— subsequently proposed as an amendment to the Delaware State Constitution— of permitting bankruptcy courts to certify questions of law to the Delaware Supreme Court.
Green Shoots
In legal education, metrics matter. When it comes to our students, it is imperative to understand which ones matter most. We choose the members of each incoming class for their acumen, their achievements, and their potential. We graduate lawyers who are not only practice-ready, but who embrace the challenges of the 21st-century legal profession and are prepared for paths beyond typical law careers.
In 2011-2012 we pushed our students to realize their potential. They responded by accomplishing great things: excelling in national competitions, working with faculty on groundbreaking legal research, serving their communities through pro bono and other volunteer work, and giving back to their law school. This approach has produced some impressive numbers. Our most recent graduates found employment, pursued advanced degrees, and undertook judicial clerkships at greater rates than their peers. They branched out. They grew.
WHO, UN, Global Security Institute
Just a few of the organizations at which our students completed global externships in 2011-2012.
18,000
The number of pro bono hours contributed by the class of 2012 while at Widener Law.
Class of 2011 Employment Data (Nine months after graduation)
Employment/Advanced Degree Enrollment Rate
Widener Law vs. National Average
“WHA [World Health Assembly] was the first of many experiences that my WHO intern badge got me: a front-row seat to the inner workings of the WHO and occasionally other United Nations organizations.”
– Global Health Law Extern Stephanie Stotler, on her experience at the WHO.
Judicial Clerkship Attainment Rate (Class of 2011)
Widener Law vs. National Average
Selected Student Awards and Honors
Tricia Lontz and Ryan Molitoris (pictured) won Best Petitioner’s Brief at the 25th annual August
A. Rendigs National Products Liability Moot Court Competition. Jahlee Hatchett, Jennifer Friend-Kelly, Kenny Williams, and Roderick
Thompson were Mid-Atlantic regional round winners at the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition. Kevin Krauss was the inaugural recipient of the Project for Nuclear Awareness’s Eisendrath Award.
Taproots and Tall Branches
Widener Law’s faculty connects our students to a world of knowledge, to the legal community, and to the world at large. Sought continually for their expertise locally, nationally, and internationally, they ensure our students are grounded in the fundamentals and inspired to grow taller and reach farther. They teach in effective and often extraordinary ways.
Last year, as always, they published their groundbreaking scholarship in remarkable numbers, and they spoke throughout the nation and overseas. But their influence reached well beyond academia. They lent their knowledge to the media, their colleagues, public officials, and organizations like the Association of American Law Schools and the American Bar Association. They wrote for periodicals like Slate and the News Journal and were quoted in The Guardian, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. They received awards for their efforts. They litigated, influenced policy, and led in their communities. They spread their branches broadly, and they kept us firmly planted.
8+
The number of cities overseas in which our faculty had speaking engagements, including New Delhi, India; Oñati, Spain; Beijing, China; Selangor, Malaysia; Reykjavik, Iceland; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; London, England; and Lund, Sweden.
2,000
The number of media hits that reflected the faculty’s wide range of expertise.
2011-2012 Faculty Books
Larry Barnett | The Place of Law: The Role and Limits of Law in Society
Ann E. Conaway & Robert R. Keatinge | Keatinge and Conaway on Choice of Business Entity
John C. Dernbach | Acting as if Tomorrow Matters: Accelerating the Transition to Sustainability
Jules Epstein, et al. | Latent Print Examination and Human Factors: Improving the Practice through a Systems Approach
Associate Professor a Visiting Scholar at Queen Mary University, researching the immigration adjudication system in the United Kingdom and comparing and contrasting that system with the U.S. immigration system.
James R. May (Editor) | Principles of Constitutional Environmental Law
Wesley M. Oliver & Douglas Blaze
Tennessee Criminal Law: Cases and Materials
Robert C. Power | Strategies and Techniques for Teaching Constitutional Law
Christopher J. Robinette | 6 New Appleman on Insurance Law Library Edition
Andrew L. Strauss & Richard Falk
A Global Parliament: Essays and Articles
Executive Director of Institutes Eileen Grena-Piretti ’92 (left) and law school
Overseer Dr. Kathleen McNicholas ’06, LLM ’10, were installed to the Delaware Academy of Medicine board.
Six members of the faculty were named distinguished professors in for their outstanding scholarship and teaching.
Left to right:
Cozzillio, David Hodas, Louise Lark Hill, Alan Garfield, Macchiaroli Eggen.
Dean Linda L. Ammons was named among the 100 most influential black attorneys by Black Lawyer received the Delaware State Bar Association’s Service to Children Award.
Bearing Fruit
2011-2012 was a remarkable year for our alumni. They assumed leadership positions in impressive numbers, selected by their peers in recognition of their successes. They served their communities through bar organizations, local government, charitable organizations, and houses of worship. They served their nation through public office, the judiciary, military service, and much more. Through their time, talent, and treasure they provided remarkable opportunities for our students. Why? The drive to succeed and to serve—the same drive that brought them here in the first place—is deeply rooted and continues to grow.
150+
Number of Widener Law alumni in 15 states who serve on the bench. 8
Number of Widener Law alumni serving in the Pennsylvania House or Senate.
Legislative Affairs Annmarie Kaiser ’93, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, and Insurance Commissioner Michael F. Consedine ’94.
John Savoth ’85 (pictured) assumed the Philadelphia Bar Association’s chancellorship in 2012. Savoth is the first Widener Law alumnus to hold the position. Kevin McCann ’75 was elected president of the New Jersey State Bar Association. Scott Cooper ’93 was elected president of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice.
Alumni Giving FY08-FY12
Widener Law alumni supported the law school at unprecedented levels in 2011-2012. We are deeply grateful to every one of them. See law.widener.edu/honorroll for a listing.
Numerous alumni organized and volunteered for Wills for Heroes events across the country. Christina Fisher ’08 (right) organized one through the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, attracting first responders from throughout central Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Wills For Heroes Honored her for her efforts.
Digging Deep
The opportunities and experiences we provide our students, the Widener community, and the community at large would not be possible without sound financial management and support from our alumni, friends, board members, and others. In 2011-2012, we continued to respond to the changes in legal education with more external resources for scholarship funds, endowed programming, physical improvements, top faculty, and much more.
In making so much possible, once again our supporters demonstrated their penchant for leadership. We are grateful.
