News

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Jesse Richardson Jr., professor of law and lead land use attorney in the WVU Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Clinic, has received the Excellence in Agricultural Law for Academia from the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA). He was honored during the association’s annual conference on Oct. 26 in Portland, Oregon.

The AALA’s Excellence in Agricultural Law Awards recognizes AALA members for outstanding contributions to the legal profession and the agricultural community. These awards may acknowledge members from professional sectors, including private practice, academia, government and non-governmental organizations.

“Jesse strives to make the academic world a bit more exciting for his students and to share his passion for the industry,” said AALA president Jennifer Zwagerman of Drake University Law School. “His work helps inspire the next generation of professionals.”

Graduating magna cum laude from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Richardson earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in 1984 and a master’s degree in agricultural and applied economics in 1996. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1987.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA —  More of West Virginia’s veterans will soon have access to free legal help from WVU Law.

The law firm of Wooton, Davis, Hussell & Ellis, PLLC in Beckley, West Virginia, has pledged $60,000 over the next two years to fund a full-time fellow in the college’s Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic. Based at the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, the fellow will provide legal services for veterans who reside in the southern part of the state.

“Wooton, Davis, Hussell & Ellis, PLLC has proudly provided legal representation to veterans in the southern part of West Virginia for many years, and we recognize that there is currently a void in the resources available to veterans,” said the firm’s leadership in a joint statement. “The WVU Veterans Advocacy Law Clinic will significantly help to fill this void, and our attorneys are extremely happy to support and be a part of this wonderful program that gives back to our local veterans.” 

Since Wooton, Davis, Hussell & Ellis, PLLC pledged their support for the Veterans Advocacy Fellow, several other lawyers and organizations have made contributions to the program. Significant gifts have come from Michael Escue ’98; Steve New ’98; Mike Farrell ’74 and Farrell, White & Legg PLLC; Pullin Fowler, LLC; and the United Mine Workers of America. Additional donors have contributed $30,000 to fund the fellowship and help the state’s veterans.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Jennifer Oliva, an associate professor of law and public health at WVU, will be a visiting research scholar at Harvard University in spring 2019.

Oliva will conduct focused research on the national opioid epidemic in residence at the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is the first member of the WVU Law faculty to be a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School.

“It is an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to work with the incredible team of health law scholars and researchers at the Petrie-Flom Center,” said Oliva. “I hope to meaningfully contribute to the center’s important and innovative work aimed at addressing the national overdose crisis while I continue to develop my research.”

Oliva’s scholarship focuses on health care law and policy, the law of evidence, and veteran benefits law and policy. She is currently completing a trilogy of legal essays and articles about the opioid epidemic. She will finish her last article in the trilogy,  Prescription Drug Compliance: Detailing, Discounts, and Disciplinary Boards, while at Harvard. 

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — WVU Law has once again made preLaw Magazine’s list of the nation’s Best Value Law Schools.

WVU Law scored a grade of A-, which is higher than 178 other law schools approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). Only 25 law schools scored higher. This is the fourth consecutive year WVU Law has been named a Best Value.

PreLaw Magazine selects Best Value Law Schools based on graduates’ bar passage and employment rates, tuition and cost of living, and average student indebtedness after graduation.

“WVU Law’s consistent recognition as a Best Value Law School demonstrates the strong effort from faculty and staff to provide our students with an exceptional legal education and career-building opportunities at an affordable price,” said Gregory Bowman, dean of the College of Law.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Legal scholars concerned about economic justice and other social issues are meeting at WVU Law Nov. 2-3.

The conference, Rising Together for Economic Hope, Power and Justice, is the annual meeting of ClassCrits, a network for the critical analysis of law and economic inequality. Presenters will examine a range of social concerns, including the opioid crisis, child and health care, immigration, poverty, racial inequality, economic development, and democracy.

Discussion panel sessions are open to the public and admission is free.

“Legal scholars have the ability to provide fresh perspective and insight on some of the most pressing issues that face society,” said WVU law professor Matthew Titolo , who is helping organize the conference. “When we gather like this, the result can be engaging and viable solutions that we take back to our own classrooms and communities.”

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — The Honorable Richard A. Robinson, the first African-American Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, will deliver the 2018 Ihlenfeld Lecture at WVU Law on Nov. 7 at 12 p.m. in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom

A 1984 graduate of the WVU College of Law, Robinson will discuss the judiciary in a multicultural world. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

Robinson was appointed as Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2018 after serving five years on the court. Before that, he was a judge on the Connecticut Appellate Court and a Connecticut Superior Court judge. He has also served as presiding civil judge for the New Britain, Ansonia/Milford, and Stamford judicial districts in Connecticut.

Throughout his legal career, Robinson has served in human rights and educational organizations, including the NAACP, the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, and the Connecticut Judicial Education Curriculum Committee. His work in human rights has been recognized by the Connecticut State Bar Association, the NAACP, and the Connecticut Bar Foundation.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA - WVU Law professor Matthew Titolo has been awarded a Fulbright Senior Scholar grant for the spring 2019 semester.

As a Fulbright Senior Scholar, Titolo will teach and study at the University of La Laguna in Tenerife, Spain, focusing on international commercial law and European Union law. He will also lecture on his forthcoming book, “Privatization and Its Discontents: Infrastructure, Law and American Democracy”, to be published by Cambridge University Press.

“The Fulbright grant is a great opportunity for me to work with scholars in interdisciplinary groups and deepen my knowledge,” said Titolo. “I look forward to continued collaboration with colleagues across the Atlantic in the coming years. The work I do in Tenerife and the working relationships I will make there will help enrich my teaching and scholarship when I return to WVU.”

Titolo teaches legal history, contracts, international commercial law and remedies at WVU Law. He earned his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and holds a master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Texas, Austin, and a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. Titolo earned his B.A. in English from Baruch College. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in American and European History at West Virginia University.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA— WVU Law and the West Virginia Securities Commission are hosting a free workshop to help new and existing entrepreneurs in the Mountain State grow their business.

The Raising Capital Workshop takes place on October 4 from 5:30 -7:30 p.m. at the Clubhouse at Coonskin Park in Charleston, West Virginia.

“There is a lot of opportunity for growth in West Virginia, but with that opportunity comes important legal and business considerations,” said Priya Baskaran , director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Law Clinic at WVU. “We’ve designed this workshop to help entrepreneurs succeed.”

Participants in the Raising Capital Workshop will learn about the legal options for funding their West Virginia-based business and how to meet regulatory requirements. They will also learn more about crowdfunding and free legal services and resources.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The House of Delegates elected Roger Hanshaw '12 (R-Clay) as the 58th Speaker of the West Virginia House on August 29.

Speaker Hanshaw succeeds former Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, who resigned last week. He becomes just the second Republican to serve as leader of the House of Delegates since the current state Capitol was built in the 1930s.

“With great humility, I accept this opportunity to help make West Virginia a better place to live, work and raise a family,” Hanshaw said. “We have made great strides in the past four years under Speaker Armstead’s leadership, and I hope to build on that foundation so we can continue to improve our economy, inspire business investment and help create jobs for all West Virginians.”

Hanshaw, 38, is currently serving in his second term in the House of Delegates. The Vice-Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he also serves as Chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Flooding.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — A new class of West Virginia Lawyers and Leaders has been recognized at WVU Law.

WVU Law and West Virginia Executive magazine established the Lawyers and Leaders Awards in 2017 to recognize lawyers who have made a positive impact on the state and the nation.

Award winners have dedicated their career to serving others and their communities. Recipients must practice in West Virginia and/or be graduates of WVU Law.

“The professionals chosen for these awards demonstrate exemplary leadership, a commitment to service and, of course, an unbreakable bond with the state of West Virginia. We are proud to showcase them and their wonderful accomplishments,” said   Gregory Bowman, dean of the College of Law.