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WVU Law programs named among the best in the country

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University College of Law is among the top schools in the country for practical training and environmental law, according to preLaw Magazine.

The national publication ranks WVU Law No. 27 in the country for practical training and gives the College a grade of A in environmental/natural resources law.

For practical training, preLaw considered WVU Law’s opportunities in clinics, externships, simulation courses, pro bono work and moot court. For environmental law, the magazine looked at the range of relevant courses and programs, including the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development.

The Best Laws Schools for Practical Training and the Top Law Schools for Environmental/Natural Resources Law appear in the current issue of  preLaw Magazine. 

Leadmon is splitting summer jobs between South Carolina and West Virginia

WVU Law student Caroline Leadmon

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University College of Law student Caroline Leadmon is spending her summer working in two very different legal settings: a patent law firm and a federal judge’s chambers.

Leadmon, a rising 2L, is one of three WVU Law students opting for a “split summer” work experience in 2021. The others are Ryaan Ibtisam and Karli Celestin.

For eight weeks, Leadmon will be a summer associate for the firm Dority & Manning in Greenville, South Carolina. Then, she will return to the Mountain State to spend a month as an intern for Senior Judge Irene Keeley in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia in Clarksburg.

“I am interested in a career as a patent attorney because I have a technical background, and I am patent-bar eligible. I applied to Dority & Manning after reviewing the work they did with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies,” said Leadmon. “However, part of me wanted a more broad, comprehensive summer legal experience. I applied to intern with Judge Keeley after hearing from past interns what a great educational experience being in chambers provides. I am so grateful that both offices were flexible and allowed me to split my summer.”

Ibtisam is splitting his summer work experience three ways

WVU Law student Ryaan Ibtisam

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Ryaan Ibtisam is spending his first law school summer working with three national legal and financial institutions.

“I do not like to waste time,” said the West Virginia University College of Law student. “I am very passionate about the law and I wanted to learn as much as I could by spending every second of my summer doing something law-related.”

Ibtisam, a rising 2L, is one of three WVU Law students opting for a “split summer” work experience in 2021. The others are Caroline Leadmon and Karli Celestin.

Ibtisam starts his summer work experience in mid-May, traveling between the Jackson Kelly offices in Morgantown, Charleston and Pittsburgh. Afterward, he will work remotely for seven weeks for the New York office of Riemer and Braunstein, a boutique finance and full-service law firm that represents international clients. Then, Ibtisam will work in person for three weeks at PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh.

Moore ’12 Named West Virginia Young Lawyer of the Year

WVU Law 2012 Graduate Michael J. Moore of Steptoe & Johnson

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. —  Attorney Michael J. Moore has been named the Young Lawyer of the Year by the Young Lawyer Section of the West Virginia State Bar.  

Moore is 2012 graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law. He has been practicing labor and employment law at Steptoe & Johnson since 2015. 

Moore advises clients in the courtroom and at the negotiating table in labor and employment disputes. He counsels clients on unionization efforts and defends them before administrative bodies including the National Labor Relations Board. He has successfully argued before the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

Moore is an active volunteer in his community, serving in leadership positions with the United Way of Harrison and Doddridge Counties and with the Salvation Army of Clarksburg. He provides pro bono legal services to the Salvation Army while helping to raise funds for the organization’s most crucial programs. He is also a member of the Harrison County Student Achievement Board, which awards scholarships to college-bound high school seniors.

WVU College of Law professor takes on immigration courts in new book

WVU Law Professor Alison Peck

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The fundamental flaw of the U.S. immigration courts is that they are part of the nation’s top law enforcement department.

That is the argument made by Alison Peck, a West Virginia University College of Law professor, in a new book that's out in May.

In The Accidental History of the U.S. Immigration Courts: War, Fear, and the Roots of Dysfunction (University of California Press, 2021), Peck discusses how immigration courts became part of the U.S. Department of Justice, which is in the executive branch of government.

To create a more impartial system, Peck proposes that immigration courts become independent. She uses unstudied legal decisions from the Franklin Roosevelt and George W. Bush administrations to outline humanitarian crises that led to the modern immigration court system. She also offers a perspective on how to evaluate reform efforts.  

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