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MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — Copyright protects original works of writing, music and art. Law professor and biotech scholar Christopher Holman wants to add engineered DNA to that list.

Holman will discuss broadening copyright laws to include engineered DNA when he delivers the annual John W. Fisher II Lecture in Law and Medicine at the  West Virginia University College of Law on Friday, October 30.

The lecture takes place at 12:00 p.m. in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. A reception will follow in the College of Law lobby.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – In today’s competitive business world, entrepreneurs can face a variety of legal questions when it comes to protecting their original ideas and work, also known as intellectual property (IP), from unauthorized use.

To help answer some of those questions, the West Virginia University College of Law is hosting afree IP seminar for business owners, inventors, consultants, students and lawyers on Tuesday, November 3. Featuring patent attorneys and other experts, the seminar will be held from 2:00–5:30 p.m. in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom.

The keynote speaker is Craig Morris, managing attorney for Trademark Outreach at the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Washington, D.C. Presenters include experienced IP attorneys Dusty Gwinn, Monika Jaensson and Michael Smith, and WVU Libraries patent and trademark librarian Marian Armour-Gemmen.

Attendees will also learn from numerous entrepreneurs as they share stories about the creation and protection of their company’s IP.

Joshua Fershee, professor of law and associate dean for faculty research and development, recently spoke at the 14th Annual Kratovil Conference on Real Estate Law & Practice in Chicago, Illinois.

Hosted by The John Marshall Law School, the conference focused on “Fracking, Energy Sources, Climate Change and Real Estate.” 

Fershee’s presentation discussed the impacts of shale oil and gas on the future of personal and commercial transportation. 

“When gasoline and diesel fuels prices were climbing and with concerns about climate change increasing, the appeal of alternative transportation fuels was beginning to grow,” Fershee said. “But hydraulic fracturing for shale oil and natural gas lead to dramatically lower prices for both resources.”

Fershee discussed the challenges and opportunities presented by the various fuel options in this new landscape. He suggested that the most sensible fuel switch for most residential transportation would be to electricity, via plug-in hybrid.

“With one fuel switch, electric vehicles can run on any fuel — coal, nuclear, gas, wind, solar, or hydro — that is used for electricity generation,” he said.

The Kratovil is the only conference presented by a law school that addresses the policy and practical implications of issues of concern to the real estate industry and to the attorneys who practice in the field.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA—West Virginia University College of Law is among just 20 law schools nationally to receive a Best Value grade of A- from The National Jurist/preLaw Magazine.

The magazines recognize Best Value Law Schools as those that provide students with “excellent chances of passing the bar and getting a legal job without taking on a ton of debt.”

“We appreciate the recognition of our efforts and results,” said Gregory W. Bowman, dean of the College of Law. “The faculty, staff and administration work hard to deliver the best possible legal education while keeping expenses for our students as low as possible.”

Ten months after graduation, the WVU Law Class of 2014 had an employment rate of 77.5% for full-time, long-term Bar Passage Required and J.D. Advantage jobs. The national average is 71.1%.

WVU Law also awards more than $2.3 million a year in scholarships and grants to help keep student indebtedness to approximately $24,000 lower than the national average.

-WVU-

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — A panel of judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit will convene at the West Virginia University College of Law on Wednesday, October 7, in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom.

The judges will hear arguments in a civil case and two sentencing guidelines cases beginning at 9 a.m. Each case is allotted 40 minutes (20 minutes per side). At the end of all three cases, the judges will take questions from the audience. 

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students and anyone else interested in the law to see a federal appellate court in action,” said Gregory W. Bowman, dean of the West Virginia University College of Law. “We deeply appreciate the court’s willingness to come to West Virginia University and provide us with this valuable learning experience.”

The civil case before the court is Kimberly McKinnish v. Patrick Donahoe. It tackles the question of whether a district court properly applied Vance v. Ball State University to dispose of the plaintiff’s sexual harassment claim. Vance v. Ball State University is a United State Supreme Court decision that narrowly interprets the term “supervisor” in harassment cases.

The first sentencing guidelines case the judges will hear is United States v. Lance Williams. It addressees whether the defendant qualified for a sentence reduction even though his original sentence was based on a statutory minimum.

(Washington, D.C.) — The International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, the nation’s leading charitable organization dedicated to effectively communicating the science of health, nutrition and food safety for the public good, recently named Kimberly Reed president. 

Reed earned her J.D. in 1996 from West Virginia University College of Law.

“On behalf of the IFIC Foundation Board of Trustees, I congratulate Kim on her new role as President of the Foundation and look forward to her continued leadership in the years ahead,” said Dr. Robert B. Gravani, IFIC Foundation chairman and professor of food science at Cornell University.

“Collaborating with health and nutrition experts, educators, government officials, journalists, NGOs, and global food, beverage, and agricultural industry professionals, I am excited to lead the IFICFoundation into its 25th anniversary year,” said Reed. “As the world’s population grows from 7.3 billion today to 9.7 billion in 2050, food-related issues will only continue to grow in importance as one the most significant challenges of our time. I look forward to working with our talented staff and credible partners to build science-based solutions and understanding.”

Reed has nearly 20 years of experience at senior levels in the public and private sectors.

Joining the IFIC Foundation in 2009 as Executive Director, Reed will continue to serve at its related association, the International Food Information Council, as senior vice president for, membership, international relations and strategic initiatives, and on the Advisory Council of the International Center of Excellence in Food Risk Communication.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – Two students from the West Virginia University College of Law will argue before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago on Thursday, September 24.

Third-year law students Kirk Auvil and Phillip Wachowiak are representing a Honduran national in Rufino Antonio Estrada-Martinez v. Loretta E. Lynch, Attorney General of the United States of America.

Estrado-Martinez is a client of the WVU Immigration Law Clinic.

The clinic is appealing a U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decision that reversed a ruling by an immigration judge to grant Estrada-Martinez withholding of removal. In immigration law, withholding of removal protects individuals from being deported to a country where they risk persecution.

In reversing the immigration judge’s earlier decision, the BIA determined that Estrada-Martinez was convicted of a serious crime in Honduras.

“We argue that the BIA applied the incorrect legal standard when it made its determination about Mr. Estrada-Martinez,” said Michael Blumenthal, visiting professor of law and co-director of the Immigration Law Clinic.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA—The Public Interest Advocates (PIA) at the West Virginia University College of Law is hosting its second annual benefit concert at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, September 24, at 123 Pleasant Street in Morgantown.

The PIA Benefit Concert will feature the musical talents of several WVU professors, students, and alumni. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. Donations will also be accepted.

PIA is a law student organization that offers free legal services to clients in need around the state. Proceeds from the concert will be used to help fund summer and post-graduate fellowships for law students to work in West Virginia’s public interest organizations

The concert line-up this year includes Noodles and the Soup, covering classic rock; Deak and the Freaks, offering a unique blend of folk and pop; Apollo, covering rock music from the 1960s-90s; and Leah LeFaye, performing solo on guitar and ukulele.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – West Virginia University College of Law associate professor Shine (Sean) Tu is co-author of a new book on biotechnology.

“Biotechnology, Bioethics, and the Law” (LexisNexis, 2015) explores the ethical and legal issues that accompany advancements in the field of biotechnology.

Tu’s fellow authors are Michele Goodwin, Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine, and John Paris, S.J. Michael P. Walsh Professor of Bioethics, at Boston College. 

In the book, the authors use specific cases dealing with topics such as the cloning of animals and plants for human consumption, drug regulation, and human reproduction and eugenics, to encourage thoughtful discussion.

Tu joined the faculty of WVU Law in 2011 and teaches in the areas of intellectual property, patent law, bioethics, drug law, and biotechnology. He previously worked as an associate with Foley & Lardner LLP and was a member of the firm’s Chemical, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Practice, and the Life Sciences and Nanotechnology Industry teams.

Tu holds two bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry and Microbiology from the University of Florida, a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Cornell University, and a J.D. from the University of Chicago.

-WVU-

kc/09/17/2015