- School of Law Partners with International Institute to Open Immigration Clinic
- Elder Law Clinic Receives Contribution from PG&E
- Students Re-Launch Black Law Students Association
- State Bar Approves Addition of Full-Time Program at JFKU School of Law
- JFK University Announces Geoff Brown as Dean of Law
- JFKU Law Student and Elder Law Clinic Awarded Equal Justice Works Fellowship
- Federal Judges Visit Law Students at JFKU
School of Law Partners with International Institute to Open Immigration Clinic Beginning in September, the Law School will offer an Immigration Law Clinic in collaboration with the International Institute of the East Bay. The International Institute is a non-profit organization that has served the East Bay's immigrant and refugee community since 1919. The Institute has a pan-ethnic focus serving immigrants and refugees from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and eastern Europe. Law students will intern with the Institute's Legal Department, which specializes in legal assistance and representation in a range of cases including family petitions, naturalization, survivors of domestic violence, gender asylum and deportation defense. Moreover, in conjunction with the Institute's community outreach efforts, our interns will participate in the Deportation Education & Defense Project, educating immigrants and refugees on their rights through community presentations and providing training to nonprofit organizations, grassroots groups, and government agencies. Return to Top
Elder Law Clinic Receives Contribution from PG&E PG&E presented the Elder Law Clinic with a charitable contribution of $10,000, in recognition of the Clinic's pro bono services to the elderly. The Elder Law Clinic represents victims of financial abuse in Contra Costa County. PG&E targets a majority of its grants for projects that assist underserved communities, including persons with low incomes and seniors. This grant is in keeping with the company's mission to enhance the recipient's recognition in the community and allow the grantee to receive the greatest possible flexibility in meeting its daily challenges. The Law School is pleased to accept PG&E's generous contribution. Return to Top
Students Re-Launch Black Law Students Association
Students at the School of Law, spearheaded by second-year student Stephanie Medley, will be re-launching a chapter of the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA). The organization will provide career and skills development, community service opportunities, and social events. Membership will be open to all students.
"I wanted to do a moot court competition and Professor (Bridgit) Lawley suggested the NBLSA. I didn’t know they existed," said Medley. She attended some meetings at McGeorge School of Law’s chapter, and rounded up interest from other students at here at JFKU. Hopefully, she said, the group will "show diversity" and be an organization where "everybody will be included."
The National Black Law Students Association is a national organization that exists to articulate and promote the professional needs and goals of Black law students. It is the largest student-run organization in the country. The association does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion, ethnic group, age, national origin, or country of abode. Return to Top
State Bar Approves Addition of Full-Time Program at JFKU School of Law
John F. Kennedy University School of Law is pleased to announce that beginning in the fall 2007, the School of Law will offer a Full-Time Program in addition to its existing Part-Time Programs.
"This ushers in an exciting new era," said Dr. Steven Stargardter, president of John F. Kennedy University. "We believe that full-time students will enhance the academic environment by their ability to dedicate themselves more fully to the study of law."
While the university anticipates that our part-time programs will remain the most popular, the new full-time program will provide JFK students with more flexibility in determining which curriculum best suits their needs. Full-time students will enroll in the same courses currently offered to part-time students, but will take at least one more course each semester.
With this development, JFKU will be the only California Bar accredited law school in the Bay Area that can offer students the choice of a four-year part-time day or evening program, or a three-year full-time program. More details about the program will be available in the coming months.
The process to approve the proposal for a full-time program was led by Acting Dean Michelle Leighton and Professor Chris Kanios. Return to Top
JFK University Announces Geoff Brown as Dean of Law
JFK University has announced the appointment of Geoff Brown, currently serving as a Commissioner on the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), as Dean of the JFKU School of Law. Brown is well-known in legal and political circles following a twenty-year career as Public Defender in San Francisco and more recently as a Commissioner for the state PUC.
Provost Diana Paque said that the university "is fortunate to have a leader of Geoff's experience and talent join our community."
Brown served as the top legal officer at the Public Defender’s Office from 1979-2001, providing legal representation to 20,000 criminal defendants each year who could not afford their own legal representation. He was publicly elected to this position six times, five of them running unopposed. He stepped down from this position in 2001 and was appointed by then-Governor Gray Davis to a six-year term on the California Public Utilities Commission. In this capacity, Brown has been a tireless consumer advocate challenging unfair practices by the telecommunications industries. His term on the Commission expires January 1, 2007, the day his appointment at JFKU begins.
Brown has taught Evidence and Constitutional Law as an adjunct professor at several Bay Area law schools and sits on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, San Francisco Law School.
"I am excited about this new position and am eager to help JFKU School of Law expand and strengthen its program", says Brown, especially with regard to internships and innovative approaches. "Law schools need to adjust to modern times", he adds. "We need to prepare students for practice in a global economy and to understand the various alternative forms of dispute resolution." Most importantly, Brown stresses the need for students to be imbued with a sense of social responsibility and to practice law with integrity.
The Dean Search Committee, chaired by Professor Chris Kanios, conducted a nationwide search looking for the right candidate. Despite receiving many applications from impressive candidates, the committee was unanimous in its recommendation of Brown and was pleased that the Provost acted promptly in making the appointment. "This was an excellent process that yielded outstanding results", said Kanios. "The university administration was very supportive of our efforts to have an open process that conducted significant outreach prior to making an appointment," he added.
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JFKU Law Student and Elder Law Clinic Awarded Equal Justice Works Fellowship
On December 2, 2006, Equal Justice Works announced JFK University School of Law’s own Samantha Sepehr and the Elder Law Clinic as one of the recipients of its 2007 Fellowship. Samantha is a graduating fourth year law student and will begin working with the Elder Law Clinic with the fellowship for a two-year paid position beginning in September 2007. Samantha had been volunteering as a law clerk at the Elder Law Clinic prior to receiving the Fellowship.
Equal Justice Works administers the largest postgraduate legal Fellowship program in the nation, placing new lawyers in two-year assignments focused on initiatives that involve legal advocacy of behalf of individuals, groups or issues that are not adequately represented by the legal system. This program has awarded more than 600 fellowships in the past decade. Fellowship projects improve access to the justice system for the most vulnerable populations, including children, the disabled, senior citizens and minorities.
Besides the candidate, a project and a host organization, the Equal Justice Works Fellowship requires a sponsor that will contribute to the funding of the Fellowship. The sponsors for this particular Fellowship are the Contra Costa County Bar Association and the Bar Fund of Contra Costa County.
"I am honored to receive the Fellowship," stated Samantha. "The elderly, particularly those with little to no income, are greatly underserved and are easy targets for financial abuse. The need is great for such services to our senior citizens. I look forward to working with our clients and strengthening the Clinic’s goals so that other law schools may eventually use our Clinic as a model for their own communities."
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Federal Judges Visit Law Students at JFKU
Law students meet Judge Henderson at JFKU event. JFKU School of Law was honored to welcome U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson to attend a screening of the documentary that chronicles his life, "Soul of Justice", by filmmaker Abby Ginzberg, who was also present. Judge Martin Jenkins of the U.S. District Court joined the gathering to pay tribute to his longtime mentor and colleague.
At the conclusion of the film, a packed auditorium gave Judge Henderson a prolonged standing ovation, clearly impressed and moved by the story of dedication and perseverance depicted in the award-winning film. At a panel discussion that followed, moderated by JFKU law professor Chris Kanios, Henderson spoke openly about his career on the bench and the challenges faced when adjudicating controversial cases, such as his decision to overturn Proposition 209 (the anti-affirmative action initiative in California) or to order improvements to prison conditions at Pelican Bay.
From left to right, Professor Chris Kanios, Judge Thelton Henderson, filmmaker Abby Ginzberg, Judge Martin Jenkins. From his work as the first African American attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in 1962 (where he investigated discriminatory voting practices in Alabama), to his efforts to integrate Stanford Law School (which didn’t graduate an African American until 1968), to his appointment as the first African American appointed to the federal bench in 1980, Judge Henderson stands as an inspiration to those seeking to serve as legal professionals with integrity and compassion and to everyone seeking a more fair and just society.
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