News

West Virginia University College of Law students David Estep and Ashley Joseph recently attended the national Innocence Network Conference in Charlotte, NC.

The conference gave the two 3L students the opportunity to meet exonerees and share strategies and gain advice from attorneys practicing in the field.

Estep and Joseph have been working in the West Virginia Innocence Project (WVIP) law clinic this year. They were joined at the conference by law professor and WVIP director Valena Beety and Kristen McKeon, WVIP legal fellow. The trip was funded by a generous donation to the law clinic.

“We worked on cases all year, so it was amazing to actually meet men and women who have been exonerated and are now free,” said Joseph. “That’s what we’re working toward.”

West Virginia’s share of the Marcellus shale natural gas play could lead to a bright, job-filled, environmentally responsible future if appropriate policies are in place and investment in a multi-billion dollar “cracking” plant occurs, according to an impressive array of energy experts who added their input to a well-attended policy exploration event at West Virginia University.

The WVU College of Law’s Center for Energy and Sustainable Development, with support from the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson, sponsored an energy conference called Natural Gas as the Bridge to Sustainability and Economic Growth.

The conference explored policies aimed at stimulating the use of shale gas resources and focused on transportation issues, use of cogeneration for industrial electricity customers, exporting of natural gas and the potential for revitalization of the region’s chemical industry.

“WVU was founded with a goal of providing access to information and applying that knowledge to make a better society,” President Jim Clements. “WVU is on the cutting edge of research on alternative fuels, fuel cells, nanotechnology, water resource management, biomass conversions and increased energy efficiency. WVU will position the region as a global leader in safe and environmentally safe energy production. That is our responsibility and our privilege.”

Franklin D. Cleckley, the Arthur B. Hodges Professor of Law at West Virginia University’s College of Law, has been honored with the 2013 Neil S. Bucklew Award for Social Justice, given by the University’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in conjunction with the Social Justice Council.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. —Imad Matini has been named the editor-in- chief of The West Virginia Law Review for 2013-2014. Matini is a second-year law student in the joint JD/MBA program at the West Virginia University College of Law and College of Business and Economics. He was elected to his new position by his peers.

Founded in 1894, The West Virginia Law Review is the fourth oldest law review in the country. It is a professional, student-governed legal journal that publishes articles of interest to legal scholars, students, legislators and members of the practicing Bar.

Matini said that the legal community should expect big things from The West Virginia Law Review.

“We are a very ambitious group,” he said. “We want to innovate and we want to build on the foundation that we have. Our goals are to provide an avenue for legal discourse, and to raise the prestige of our community and state in the process.”

Matini’s first duty as editor-in-chief was to appoint the executive board of the West Virginia Law Review Volume 116. In addition to running the publication, the executive board trains new members, selects articles for the multiple publications and begins preparation for the annual Law Review Symposium.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. —Law students from Texas Tech had the winning argument at the third annual National Energy and Sustainability Moot Court Competition at West Virginia University College of Law on Saturday. Florida State was the runner-up in the three-day competition that included 24 teams from 15 universities.

Watch the finals webcast

As hosts, WVU competed with two exhibition teams. Last year’s finalists, Duquesne and Louisiana State, were eliminated in the semifinals.

The arguments in the 2013 energy moot court competition involved the fictitious Franklin Gas Company, an owner/operator of hydraulic fracturing natural gas wells, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States of America. Under the fictional problem created for purposes of the competition, Franklin was charged with being a major source of air pollution under the Clean Air Act and with violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for the unintentional death of birds in an impoundment pond.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. —The West Virginia University College of Law is again a top 100 law school according to  U.S. News & World Report. In its 2014 Best Graduate Schools guide, the magazine ranks the College of Law #91—up 10 spots from last year to its highest ranking yet —out of 148 Top Schools of Law.

“We are very excited about our U.S. News rankings and the national recognition it gives us,” said  Joyce McConnell, Dean of the College of Law. “It points to the hard work being done by the faculty and staff to ensure a top-flight legal education for our students and it reflects the high level of support we receive from our alumni, university leadership, and the law community.”

U.S. News & World Report collects a number of statistics to compile its annual rankings, including peer assessment, employment rate, and faculty resources.

This  U.S. News ranking comes at a time when McConnell, who has been dean since 2008, is overseeing an ambitious $25 million building and renovation project at the law school. She is also implementing a new five-point strategic plan to:

• Engage law students in a rigorous academic environment to become practice-ready lawyers and leaders;
• Excel in interdisciplinary research, curricular innovation, and technology for the profession;
• Foster justice, diversity, and an inclusive culture;
• Advance global engagement; and
• Enhance the well-being and quality of life of the people of the state, the country and the world through innovation, representation, and service.

While acknowledging the value of graduate school rankings like  U.S. News & World Report, McConnell points out that they are just one factor prospective students should consider when researching law schools.

“Rankings provide a valuable snapshot,” she said, “but students applying to law school should also consider other factors that could impact their learning experience, such as location, value, and fit. Fortunately, WVU College of Law is well-positioned in these areas. We are the same excellent law school today that we were yesterday.”

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A 63-year-old U.S. Army veteran from a rural area in West Virginia had been battling with a neighbor over a land dispute for more than 10 years.

The neighbor had been using an easement on the veteran’s property to gain access to a county road.

Frustrated, bewildered and unable to afford a lawyer, the veteran turned to students at West Virginia University’s College of Law who took the case through the Veterans’ Assistance Project.

The students won the case and left the veteran, who requested anonymity, with a unique perspective on their courtroom prowess.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals will hear four cases on Tuesday, March 5, in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom at the West Virginia University College of Law. The court will convene at 10 a.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

“It is a very valuable opportunity for our students and the public to see the state’s highest court in action,” said  Joyce E. McConnell , Dean of the West Virginia University College of Law. “We deeply appreciate the justices’ willingness to conduct the court’s business at WVU.”

The justices will hear four arguments in the court’s morning session. Following a break, they will return to the Lugar Courtroom to judge the final round of the George C. Baker Moot Court Competition at 1:30 p.m. Since 1982, the annual competition requires second-year law students to write appellate briefs and present oral arguments on both sides of an issue. The case to be argued this year involves Fourth Amendment issues of search and seizure and probable cause.

In its morning session, the Supreme Court justices will first hear Jennifer Fillinger, R.N. v. Laura Rhodes, Executive Director, WV Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses. The petitioner is seeking a writ of prohibition to stop further proceedings on two complaints filed against her.

Video of the gift announcement.

MORGANTOWN, WV – The West Virginia University College of Law announced today (Feb. 12) it had received $7.5 million from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust, the largest capital gift in the law school’s history.

The gift will help fund a $25 million renovation and building project that broke ground last fall.

“As for all of the law students and the faculty, who we have tremendous respect for, this gift is less about them, and more about the people that they will help in their lives,” said Stephen P. Farmer, a member of the McQuain Trust Board of Trustees. “As they go forward and live their legal career as a lawyer, or law-maker, judge, or educator, they will work tirelessly every day and they will on a day-to-day basis improve the lives of the people they come in contact with.”