Columbia Black Law Students Association RSS Feed

Paul Robeson Conference

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Paul Robeson Conference
Start Date: 17-Apr-10 9:00 AM
End Time: 17-Apr-10 2:30 PM
Location: Columbia University School of Law, New York, NYC 10010

Columbia University School of Law

116th Street and Amsterdam Ave.

New York, NYC United States 10010

Executive Board Meeting

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:02:27 GMT

Start Date: 16-Mar-10 12:00 PM
End Time: 16-Mar-10 1:00 PM

Executive Board Meeting

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:02:27 GMT

Start Date: 23-Mar-10 12:00 PM
End Time: 23-Mar-10 1:00 PM

Executive Board Meeting

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:02:27 GMT

Start Date: 30-Mar-10 12:00 PM
End Time: 30-Mar-10 1:00 PM

Executive Board Meeting

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:02:27 GMT

Start Date: 6-Apr-10 12:00 PM
End Time: 6-Apr-10 1:00 PM

Executive Board Meeting

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:02:27 GMT

Start Date: 13-Apr-10 12:00 PM
End Time: 13-Apr-10 1:00 PM

Executive Board Meeting

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:02:27 GMT

Start Date: 20-Apr-10 12:00 PM
End Time: 20-Apr-10 1:00 PM

Executive Board Meeting

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:02:27 GMT

Start Date: 27-Apr-10 12:00 PM
End Time: 27-Apr-10 1:00 PM

Executive Board Meeting

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:02:27 GMT

Start Date: 4-May-10 12:00 PM
End Time: 4-May-10 1:00 PM

Executive Board Meeting

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:02:27 GMT

Start Date: 11-May-10 12:00 PM
End Time: 11-May-10 1:00 PM

Executive Board Meeting

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:02:27 GMT

Start Date: 18-May-10 12:00 PM
End Time: 18-May-10 1:00 PM

Congratulations to Frederick Douglass Moot Court

BLSA Secretary — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:00:00 GMT

In this year's Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition all eight teams in the quarterfinal round were from Columbia. This marks the first time in the thirty-five year history of the competition that a school has swept the top eight places.

The top three teams will advance to the national competition to be held in Boston in mid-March. In addition to the team victories, Jade Craig won the Best Oral Advocate award for his excellence in a field of sixty-four competitors.

We applaud their accomplishments and with the best to the three teams who will represent Columbia at nationals.

Champion:
Janine Morna and Mohit Gourisaria

First runner-up:
David Sneed and David Stoopler

Second runner-up:
Vanessa Jackson and Malaika Staten

Semifinalists:
Shayda Vance and Paul Smith

Quarterfinalists:

Erica Selig and Jade Craig
David Goldin and Farayi Mafoti
Adya Baker and Aisha Davis
Ashley Fry and Catherine Wigglesworth

Competitors:
Jennifer Green and Cherice Landers

Best Oral Advocate:
Jade Craig

Frederick Douglass Moot Court is made possible by a generous contribution from Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP and the help of BLSA.

2-Feb-10 10:00 PM

CBLSA Takes Silver in National Frederick Douglas Moot Court Competition

James Marshall — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:00:00 GMT

2009-2010 Executive Board Candidate Statements

BLSA Secretary — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:00:00 GMT

1. Chairperson (Candidates: Kristine Saul, Diarra Guthrie)

Kristine Saul

After a year of active involvement in BLSA as a 1L representative, I would like to run for next year's BLSA chairperson. My work in BLSA has allowed me familiarity with the inner workings of the board and time to consider how we can continue to improve our organization. BLSA's strength lies in its membership. The general body's commitment to BLSA rests on BLSA's commitment to the general body. As chairperson, I would emphasize the need to put on programs that cater to the academic and professional concerns of the group while continuing to foster a welcoming, comfortable environment. A greater emphasis on programming would also create more opportunities for financial contributions from firms, thus ensuring our viability moving forward.

Further, I would advocate for BLSA's visibility to extend beyond the Columbia walls and branch out further into the community at large. Though our primary objectives here are academic, BLSA should not lose sight that being in our position of privilege, it is our responsibility to extend the hand of service where needed.

2. Vice Chairperson (Candidates: Misan Ikomi)

Misan Ikomi

My name is Misan Ikomi and I’m presently a 1L. I’m running for the position of BLSA Vice-Chair because I think that BLSA plays such an important role at Columbia and I want to be able to assist in managing that role. With its abundant resources, BLSA really creates a supportive community for students. My participation in BLSA has been one of the highlights of my 1L experience. Frankly, I really don’t know how I would have done without the support and advice of BLSA members and leaders concerning classes, exams, jobs, etc. Becoming BLSA Vice-Chair would be a great avenue to give back to other students in the same manner that the organization has been of immense help to me and I would gladly embrace the opportunity to do just that.

Thanks,

Misan

3. Director of Community Service (Candidates: Sheila Adams, Danielle Toaltoan)

Sheila Adams

Dear BLSA Community,

I respectfully request your support of my candidacy for the position of Director of Community Service for the 2009-2010 school year.

As a Harlem native, I grew up not far from Columbia and have seen the drastic impact that the University has had on the surrounding neighborhoods over time. I decided to come to Columbia Law to be able to positively impact these communities while also pursuing my legal education. I believe that the privilege of attending an institution like Columbia requires that we give to others while we simultaneously strive to improve circumstances for ourselves. BLSA is a unique position to have a real impact in Harlem and beyond. My vision for the position of Director of Community Service and for the organization is to reinforce and augment BLSA’s visibility in the greater community.

While organizations such as the High School Law Institute and Harlem Tutorial Project, among others, provide tangible benefits to the larger community, BLSA itself can also play a pivotal role in reaching out to residents in surrounding neighborhoods, both on its own and in collaboration with other graduate schools and the College. In addition to continuing the service programs implemented by former directors of community service, three potential initiatives for BLSA can be: 1) the implementation of a BLSA-specific tutoring program with a public school that has a high need for our membership’s skills and talents; 2) the continuous dissemination of pamphlets on legal services offered by Columbia’s clinics and student-run projects, and on non-Columbia organizations to residents in surrounding neighborhoods; and 3) an ongoing BLSA-specific pro bono project. As Director of Community Service, I would prioritize reaching out to little-known organizations with the greatest need for volunteers, especially in Harlem. Above all, I believe it is important to solicit membership feedback on desired service projects on a continuous basis, as I recognize that membership support would be critical to the success of any community service project.

I appreciate your consideration of my candidacy. Thank you for your time.

Respectfully,

Sheila Adams

Class of 2011

Danielle Toaltoan

The Director of Community Service position is a new board position—next year will be its third year. In order to make community service an integral part of BLSA, the position requires someone effective and committed. I believe I can rise to the occasion because not only would such a position be a continuation of my prior experiences mobilizing and organizing people around service but also because I have some ideas particular to the position. First, capacity building and continuity is crucial. I want to honor Betre’s work this past year by mimicking his successes. This means connecting immediately with the partnerships he has cultivated and building off these relationships to implement successful projects. Second, I want to formalize BLSA’s connections with Black students who are already spearheading projects in Black communities and inquiring with them how we, as BLSA members, can better support what they already do well. Third, I want to capitalize on the excitement and eagerness of the IL class as they orient to Columbia. We all know that ILs become jaded quickly—doom sets in around November. I believe it is important to capture them at the first BLSA meeting, reinforce the importance of community service to the BLSA membership, and guide them right into projects established at the beginning of fall semester. Fourth, I believe BLSA’s community service ventures will be successful if BLSA members feel ownership of the projects. I would like to distribute a survey at the first BSLA meeting which reflects what projects BLSA membership feels most passionate about, what days and times are best for their schedule, and in what way they believe they can best contribute. Thank you so much for taking the time to read/listen to this platform, and please feel free to approach me with any questions and/or concerns.

4. Secretary (Candidates: Temilola Sobowale)

Temilola Sobowale

If elected to serve on BLSA’s Executive Board as Secretary, I will focus my efforts on improving interactions between its members and the board. Increasing the level of transparency about projects the Board is planning is one way to increase involvement from the membership, and, strengthen the connections between the two groups. This year there were many innovative ideas, such as, assisting high school students with college essays, which may have received greater interest from the membership if presented at an earlier date. Even before an idea is “fleshed out,” I think it is important to share proposals with the rest of BLSA, and that is a task for the Secretary. Members should be aware of activities the Board is planning, and I intend to make sure that effective communication between the two groups occurs so that this can happen.

I would also seek to develop a sense of continuity between boards. While the Secretary is a liaison between BLSA members and the Board, the position also requires effective communication between committee chairs. During my time as Editor for Current, a division of Newsweek, I learnt the importance of maintaining dialogue between boards that may seem opposing in nature. Therefore, I feel that entertaining suggestions and gathering input from other committees, as well as those on the Board, may lead to ideas that will allow chairs to coordinate events more effectively. The Secretary’s position provides the individual with the ability to obtain information about what each committee is planning, and I will be sure to take advantage of this by connecting the chairs with individuals that will ensure the success of their event.

BLSA has been an integral part of my experience at Columbia so far; I would value the opportunity to participate in this organization in a substantive capacity. Serving as BLSA’s Secretary would give me the opportunity to put my organizational skills to work on something other than outlines, and would be an experience I would greatly enjoy.

Many thanks for your consideration.

Temilola Sobowale

5. Treasurer (Candidates: Melvin J. Kelley IV)

Melvin J. Kelley IV

Dear BLSA Executive Board and the General Membership:

I have not chosen to pursue an education and a career in the field of the law as much as one might think, but rather, my life experience has demanded that I follow this path. I was born some twenty years after the end of the Civil Rights Movement, but my impoverished, urban community was a testament to the reality that work was still needed to advance the prospects of equality of opportunity.

The culmination of my experiences and intellectual insight have instilled me with a deep sense of self and a corresponding need to empower communities of African Ancestry. I believe BLSA is the most appropriate venue to actualize these ambitions. I am running in particular for the position of Treasurer because in light of our current economic climate, I want to do all that is possible to ensure that funding is not an issue as we seek to empower not only those of us at Columbia Law, but our broader community constituency as well.

The uncertain economic environment will present new challenges on the frontline of fundraising and I intend to be fully prepared to meet them. The days of relying on corporate law firms to fund our initiatives may come to an end, and instead we may have to rely on other creative measures to fulfill our needs. To this end I would suggest we seek to utilize the talents of our community to establish culturally relevant events that could simultaneously serve not only as source of entertainment, but for funds as well.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Melvin J. Kelley IV

Columbia Law School J.D. Candidate, Class of 2011

6. Social Coordinator (Candidates: Keita Rose-Atkinson)

Keita Rose-Atkinson

The life of a law student can be very stressful at times, particularly so for 1Ls. However, the support and encouragement from a community of your peers helps alleviate the anxiety that comes with the territory of law school. I certainly can attest to the truth of this from first hand experience; my name is Keita Rose-Atkinson and I'd like to be your Social Coordinator for 2009-2010. The position of BLSA Social Coordinator serves an important function in providing the opportunities for BLSA members to connect and fosters an environment of support within the community. My experience with BLSA this year, both as a member and serving on the social committee, makes me an excellent choice for Social Coordinator. As a member of the social committee and based on my past experiences organizing events, I can successfully fulfill the responsibilities of Social Coordinator and would do so with the commitment and dedication deserving of the position. Moreover, my involvement with other activities this year allows me the vantage point to form and maintain the connections necessary to not only help build the BLSA community but help its members form relationships with other student groups at Columbia and within the BLSA Northeast region. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and I hope you will vote for me for Social Coordinator.

Thanks,
Keita

3L Representative Candidates

Alexandra Awai

Dear BLSA,

I hope to provide continuity to the Board and continue serving this great organization as your 3L Representative. Aside from assisting the 2009-2010 Board in whatever capacity is necessary and representing 3L interests, I plan to work closely with the new Secretary on the website and to continue organizing BLSA’s voluminous documents and media records in the new digital spaces that the current Board has obtained.

Thanks,

Alex

30-Mar-09 12:00 PM

Eight Is Enough by PATRICIA J. WILLIAMS

James Marshall — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

For some years now, the biotechnology of fertility enhancement has been exalted as God's gift to the biblically barren. A relentless narrative of entitlement intertwined with prayerfulness has framed infertility as a tragedy, an oppression, an agony, a disease. Some have proclaimed a "right" to a "natural," biologically related child, a child "like me." Unusually large Middle American families--some with up to eighteen children--are offered movie deals and television programs.

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AP Images

Whittier resident Ulyses Guzman holds a sign outside the home of the Suleman family in Whittier, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 6, 2009

Against the backdrop of a cold, impersonal and lonely world, these well-feathered and overly populated nests look villagey and warm. It's an undeniably seductive vision, even if other options like adoption and fostering are almost never mentioned. Also less discussed are the side effects of this mad race for biological generation at all costs: the likelihood of multiple births, low birth weight and birth defects; the ethics of using poorer women as fetal hatcheries; the health risks to young women who have their "Ivy League" eggs extracted for handsome sums of cash.

There are loads of good reasons to think about regulating these medical procedures; we should have come up with something other than a "free market" for them years ago. But now, with the birth of Nadya Suleman's octuplets in Bellflower, California, we are confronting a perfect storm of eugenic outcry. With a plunging economy, all the well-rehearsed elements of the "undeserving" welfare queen are lined up: Suleman is single, disabled, unemployed, on food stamps and has six other children under the age of 8, one of whom is reportedly autistic. She lives in a matchbox-size house with her resentful parents, who think she's insane. Toss in that funny, foreign-sounding name--which turns out to be, gasp, Iraqi!--and the backlash is in full swing.

No doubt Suleman has emotional problems. But rather than caring about her mental health, much of the media are content to pillory her as a drain on the public dole--selfish, frivolous, calculating and cruel. No Brangelina-style accolades of "God Bless 'Em" in People magazine. Just impassioned calls to cut off her remaining sources of income and to criminally prosecute the doctor who fertilized her. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution even ran an op-ed calling for the government to appoint a legal advocate for every child born to an unmarried woman, since the "lack of a father's guidance" must be "a major cause of [children's] suffering." Furthermore, in the case of Suleman's children, "the legal advocate would file suit against the fertility clinic or a physician who knowingly contributed to their abuse--life in a multiple-child household headed by a single woman."

Nadya Suleman's saga, in other words, has highlighted a deep cognitive dissonance about whether children are "assets" or eternal expenditure, divine joy or devilish curse in a time of dwindling planetary resources. When I first heard of Suleman, my immediate thought was of Andrea and Rusty Yates--married, fundamentalist Christian believers in that ubiquitous story line about going forth and multiplying no matter what. After caring for and home-schooling five very young children with no assistance but prayer, and with accumulating signs of postpartum psychosis, Andrea Yates woke up one morning and drowned all her children with quiet efficiency.

And so the specter of psychotic breakdown haunts me when I think of the Suleman abode: one autistic child, plus 2-year-old twins, plus four other kids ages 3 to 7, plus eight newborns ranging from one to three pounds, plus a grandfather who has gone back to Iraq to earn more money for the family, plus a grandmother furious at the medical professionals who "assisted" her daughter, plus a surreally chipper Nadya, who despite the miserable odds remains enrolled as a graduate student in, of all things, pediatric counseling. This situation is undeniably sheer madness, but the public discussion seems fixated on the question of whether she can "afford" so many kids, as though if she was rich, this would be sane.

This past fall The New York Times Magazine ran a cover story by Alex Kuczynski, fashion writer and self-confessed "cosmetic surgery addict." Her wish to have a child was framed by fierce determinism, the "natural outgrowth" of marriage to her husband--without whom she "would skip the child." Kuczynski is married to a man whose "sperm had a track record"--six other children by two prior wives. She, the third bride and twenty years her husband's junior, described herself as engaged in nothing less than a "battle for my fertility"; having a biological child was "necessary," a "mad desire," a "compulsion" and "proof" of the marital bond, without which she faced "wrecked hopes" and an "abyss of grief." Indeed, to die "without having created a life is to die two deaths: the death of yourself and the death of the immense opportunity that is a child." When she thinks she's pregnant, she feels a "shiver of victorious accomplishment.... my own fecundity triumphant." When she tells people she's not, she feels "barren, decrepit, desexualized," "branded with a scarlet 'I' for 'Infertile,'" "the dried-up crone with a uterus full of twigs."

Just because Kuczynski is married and wealthy does not make her less obsessive or more profound than Suleman. Kuczynski sounds like a sad, silly child mooning over "fertile but fit" stars like Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Salma Hayek and "John Edwards's sometime mistress," who all had babies in their 40s. Likewise, Suleman takes heart looking at Angelina Jolie. Suleman and Kuczynski represent disturbing emotional extremes. But that should not excuse the rest of us from examining the oppressive competitive natality that seems to have gripped us--the fantasies of "baby bumps" and breeding, always breeding, yet more of "our kind." Our culture's antifeminist backlash and its unrealistic aspirations have bewitched Kuczynski and Suleman, these two young women who are so addled and so suggestible, so endowed and yet so impoverished. All these years after the age of "liberation," perhaps it is time to revisit the myths we still concoct about childless women's worth.

24-Mar-09 7:00 PM

James E. C. Perry '72 Appointed Supreme Court Justice in Florida

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT

PERRY'S REPUTATION FOR PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIL SERVICE WINS HIGH PRAISE

Media Contact: Sonia von Gutfeld, 212-854-1453, sgutfe@law.columbia.edu
Public Affairs Office, 212-854-2650, publicaffairs@law.columbia.edu

New York, March 24, 2009 — James E. C. Perry ’72 is serving as Florida Supreme Court Justice, having been appointed to the seven-member high court by Governor Charlie Crist earlier this month.

“I am confident Judge Perry will rule with restraint, fairness and humility,” says Crist (above, left, with Perry). “He has shown throughout his personal and professional life the ability to balance justice with humanity.” Perry is the fourth African-American justice to serve on Florida’s Supreme Court.

A North Carolina native, Perry has lived in Florida for nearly four decades. He served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army from 1966 to 1969, and decided to go to law school the night Martin Luther King was assassinated. Shortly after graduating from Columbia Law School, Perry moved to Augusta and took the Georgia Bar exam with 50 other African-Americans. Not one would be accepted.

After seeking advice from his Columbia Law School Professor Jack Greenberg, Perry persuaded 16 of the 50 to join a discrimination suit. Within three months, 11 of them would pass. By the next sitting, 13 more African-Americans were admitted to the Georgia Bar. Ironically, Perry’s suit would be dismissed, but, practically speaking, it ushered in a new day. In less than one year, African-American membership to the state’s bar doubled.

“We really began to transform Georgia,” said Perry, who modestly gives credit to Columbia Law School. “I was well prepared and I wasn’t afraid.” He says then-Dean Benno Schmidt’s Common Law class provided the judicial philosophy that still informs his decisions. “He taught us to demystify the language of the law so that it is understandable to everyone. ‘If it doesn’t make sense,’ he said, ‘it probably isn’t a law.’ ”

Perry served as vice president and general counsel for the Seminole Employment and Economic Development Corporation from 1974 to 1976. He then went into private practice for 21 years, as a partner and senior partner at various Central Florida law firms. Perry was on the 18th Judicial Circuit serving Seminole and Brevard counties since 2000, when then-Governor Jeb Bush appointed him as the circuit’s first African-American judge. He oversaw the 49-judge circuit as chief judge for a two-year term beginning July 2003.

Perry was named the 2006 Outstanding Jurist by the Seminole County Bar Association, and received the Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major Award for Social Justice in 2005. He also received the NAACP Humanitarian Award for Seminole County in 1995 and for Orange County in 1998. He is founder and president of the Jackie Robinson Sports Association, a baseball league that serves approximately 650 at-risk children and is the largest pro

24-Mar-09 6:00 PM

NBLSA Holds Annual Conference in Irvine, CA from March 18-22

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:15:00 GMT

National Black Law Students Association selects Irvine, CA as the location of its annual convention

Organization announces year's theme: One vision. One purpose.  One goal.

(8/12/2008) Washington, DC - The National Black law Students Association (NBLSA) today announced Irvine, CA as the location of its annual convention.  Thousands of law students and legal professionals are expected to attend the convention, NBLSA's 41^st, on the week of March 18 - 22, 2009.  The convention will be hosted at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Irvine.

NBLSA's leadership has been hard at work developing a yearlong agenda of service, legal activism and community outreach under the mantraOne Vision. One Purpose. One Goal. The week-long convention will celebrate and perpetuate this message of social activism by adopting One Vision. One Purpose. One Goal. as the event's theme and offering attendees the opportunity to engage in outreach to the schools and communities of the Irvine area.

Other programming for the 2008 - 2009 convention include interactive professional workshops and discussions, motivational luncheons, networking receptions, celebrations and more.  As in previous years, participants in the nationally-recognized Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial, Frederick Douglass Moot Court and International Negotiation final competitions will be among the convention's attendees.

"We're very excited about the programming being offered this year," says Jasmine F. Robinson, NBLSA's national convention coordinator.  "I welcome any inquiries about sponsorship opportunities or how to get involved with NBLSA's 41^st Annual Convention."

The National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA), founded in 1968, is a national organization formed to articulate and promote the needs and goals of Black law students and effectuate change in the legal community. As the largest student run organization in the United States with over 6,000 members, NBLSA is also comprised of chapters or affiliates in six different countries, including the Bahamas, Nigeria and South Africa.

                                                                                                                                                         ###

Contact:
Jasmine Robinson, National Convention Coordinator
National Black Law Students Association
convention@nblsa.org

8-Mar-09 9:15 AM

CBLSA Dominated Frederick Douglass Regional Competition

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Columbia Law School dominated at the Frederick Douglass Moot Court regional competition, held in Springfield, Massachusetts, from Feb 13 to 15. The team – comprising exclusively first-year students – took home three of the six trophies. Marti Morgan and Keita Rose-Atkinson won best petitioner brief, Kinara Flagg and Maren Messing won first runner up, and Kathy Vermazen and Juan Carlos Ibarra won second runner up.

Columbia Law School's Frederick Douglass Moot Court team at the Federal Courthouse in Springfield, Mass., where semi-final and final arguments took place.

Students made a strong showing throughout the competition: Tara Panatonni and William King were semi-finalists; Stephen MacArthur and Valeria Lopez, quarter-finalists; and Kahlil Williams and Nick Folly, Shirley Boutin and Andrea Contreras, Kristine Saul and Natalie Miller, Liz Gates and Uchenna Ibekwe, “sweet-sixteeners.”

Flagg, Messing, Vermazen and Ibarra will advance to the national round held in Irvine, California, March 18 to 22, along with their coaches, veteran competitors Joshua Bird ’10 and Katie Poynter ’10.

Columbia’s participation in domestic moot court competitions is underwritten through a grant from Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP.

- Excerpted from a Columbia Law School Press Release -

8-Mar-09 6:00 AM

Alumnus Jeh Johnson Picked to Serve in Department of Defense

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:00:00 GMT

ALUMNUS JEH JOHNSON PICKED TO SERVE IN DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Media contact: Sonia von Gutfeld, 212-854-1453, sgutfe@law.columbia.edu
Public Affairs Office, 212-854-2650, publicaffairs@law.columbia.edu

NEW YORK, January 12, 2009 — Columbia Law School alumnus Jeh C. Johnson '82 has been selected by President-elect Barack Obama as the nominee for general counsel of the Department of Defense. This post is the chief legal officer for the largest department of government in the world. Johnson is a litigation partner at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and served as general counsel for the Air Force during President Clinton's second term.

Johnson brings decades of experience in both the private and public sectors. He began his trial lawyer career in 1989 as an assistant United States attorney in the Southern District of New York, where for three years he prosecuted public corruption cases.

In 1994 he became a partner at Paul, Weiss, where he stayed until 1998, when President Clinton appointed him general counsel of the Department of the Air Force. During his 27-month tenure, he served as chief legal officer and one of the civilian leaders of a military department of 1,700 lawyers and 500,000 personnel. Johnson was awarded the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service.

Since his return to Paul, Weiss, Johnson has tried some of the highest stakes commercial cases in recent years. These include the successful representation in 2005 of Citigroup in defense of a $900 million arbitration claim, the second largest ever filed with the National Association of Securities Dealers.

Johnson taught at the Law School as a lecturer-in-law in trial practice from 1995 to 1997. At age 47, he was elected a fellow in the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Law Institute and has been active in numerous professional and community activities. He received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College in 1979.

Johnson, whose appointment is subject to U.S. Senate confirmation, would succeed William J. Haynes II, who resigned from the Department of Defense in February of 2008. Daniel J. Dell'Orto has since served as acting general counsel.

7-Mar-09 9:00 AM

Columbia Law School Alumnus Eric Holder Is Next Attorney General

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:00:00 GMT

ALUMNI NEWS

Senate Confirms Obama Nominee in 75-21 Vote

New York, February 2, 2009 — The U.S. Senate today confirmed Columbia Law School alumnus Eric H. Holder Jr. '76 as U.S. attorney general in a 75-21 vote. Holder will serve as the 82nd attorney general.

"This is a very exciting day for Columbia, and we congratulate our distinguished alumnus, Eric Holder," said David M. Schizer, Dean and the Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law. "His commitment to our institution and to public service is a source of pride and inspiration."

Holder, currently a litigation partner at the law firm Covington & Burling, has held a number of prominent positions in government. After graduating from Columbia College in 1973 and Columbia Law School in 1976, he served as a prosecutor for 12 years in the Justice Department's Public Integrity section, prosecuting misconduct by state officials, judges, F.B.I. agents and a federal prosecutor. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the bench as judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Five years later, President Bill Clinton appointed him United States attorney for the District of Columbia. Holder was appointed in 1997 to the position of deputy attorney general of the United States under Janet Reno.

Holder's community activities include service on the boards of Columbia University, the Meyer Foundation and Save the Children, and long-time membership in the organization Concerned Black Men.

Holder has received numerous awards and honorary degrees and is featured in The Best Lawyersin America 2007. He was profiled in the June 2008 issue of The American Lawyer and was recognized as one of "The Most 50 Influential Minority Lawyers in America" by The National Law Journal. He has also been identified by Legal Times as one of the "Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Past 30 Years."

13-Jan-09 1:00 PM

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noemail@columbiablsa.org — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:53:26 GMT

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Committees

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:24:27 GMT

Academic Development Chairs: Jillian Bunyan (jillian.bunyan@law.columbia.edu) and Jenai St. Hill (jenai.sthill@law.columbia.edu)

Alumni Development Chairs: Diarra Guthrie (diarra.guthrie@law.columbia.edu) and Jamila McCoy (jamila.mccoy@law.columbia.edu)

Professional Development Chairs: Natalie Miller (natalie.miller@law.columbia.edu) and Ricardo Woolery (ricardo.woolery@law.columbia.edu)

Admissions Chairs: Danielle Toaltoan (lauren.toaltoan@law.columbia.edu) and Claire Woods (claire.woods@law.columbia.edu)

Elections/Constitution Chair: Myrisha Lewis (myrisha.lewis@law.columbia.edu)

Paul Robeson Chairs: Monisola Adefolalu (monisola.adefolalu@law.columbia.edu), James Gray (james.gray@law.columbia.edu), Nicole Phillips (nicole.phillips@law.columbia.edu) and Kahlil Williams (kahlil.williams@law.columbia.edu)

Firms

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:15:07 GMT

The Columbia Black Law Students Association invites you to become a part of our continued success through available sponsorship opportunities . In the event you would like more information, please feel free to contact the Chair, Kristine Saul, at kristine.saul@law.columbia.edu. We would like to take this opportunity to share some information about our programming and invite you to get involved in the success of our organization and members through a sponsorship. On both a national and local level, our organization focuses first, on the academic and professional development of our members and second, on community service. Each year, we conduct a number of programs and dozens of events toward these aims. Our local chapter is one of the largest and most active in the country with over 100 members. First-Year (1L) Academic Development Program One of our most exciting and successful programs continues to be the First-Year (1L) Academic Development Program. It assists members as...

Prospective Students

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:13:15 GMT

As you know, Columbia Law School offers a distinctly superb legal education. Whether you are hoping to explore a career in public interest, corporate law, or government service, the Law School’s course offerings and extensive resources will help prepare you for excellence in your chosen field. The range of courses reaches across International Business Transactions to Race and Poverty Law. Additionally, the School also offers a plethora of programs that truly enriches the academic experience. As a student at Columbia, you have guaranteed funding over the both your summers to pursue public interest employment and the ability to enroll in a of number popular study abroad programs across the globe. Columbia’s pro bono opportunities, various externship programs, and clinical offerings further demonstrate the School’s commitment to an education that is not limited to the classroom. The programs and courses at the Law School are led by an extraordinary faculty that is world-renown....

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Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:20:33 GMT

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noemail@columbiablsa.org — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:53:25 GMT

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Release Date: 13-Jan-09 1:53 PM
Expiration Date: 13-Apr-09 1:53 PM

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2009-01-13T19:53:23Z

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CBLSA Takes Silver in National Frederick Douglas Moot Court Competition

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NBLSA Holds Annual Conference in Irvine, CA from March 18-22

CBLSA Dominated Frederick Douglass Regional Competition

Alumnus Jeh Johnson Picked to Serve in Department of Defense

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