Leon M. and Gloria Plevin Professor of Law Browne Lewis published, The Law of Wills, her second electronic book with eLangdell Press.  The book is meant to be used in conjunction with Professor Lewis’ previous electronic book, The Law of Trusts.  The purpose of the casebook is to train law students to think and act like estate planning attorneys. The book’s focus is problem-solving and legal application; the book includes numerous problems, so law students can learn to apply the law they learn from reading the cases. It also contains collaborative learning exercises to encourage students to engage in group problem-solving. The book is divided into three parts to reflect the main types of issues that students will encounter if they practice estate planning law. The book’s organization mirrors the manner in which estate planning law is practiced in the real world. The book is available to law students at no cost and can be downloaded here.

Professor Karin Mika

Professor Karin Mika presented at the following conferences over the summer and spring 2016:

Cultivating Professional Identity Through Personal Connection at the Earliest States of Law School: The Evening Student, presented at the Western Regional Legal Writing Conference, August 5-6, 2016 (University of the Pacific, McGeorge Law School, Sacramento, California).

Amphibious Pitchers, Slaves in Ireland, and Issues with Public Education—The Modern Trend Regarding Carelessness in Communication and How it Affects What We Do in the Classroom, presented at the LWI Biennial Conference, July 10-13, 2016 (Portland, Oregon).

What Brain Games Taught me about Teaching, presented at the Rocky Mountain Regional Legal Writing Conference, March 18-19, 2016 (University of Arizona Law School, Tucson, Arizona).

Professor Deborah Geier was quoted in an article published in Crain’s Cleveland Business regarding C-M’s 3+3 agreements, which permit eligible students from Lake Erie College, Ursuline College, and the University of Findlay to complete both their undergraduate and law degrees in 6 years (rather than 7). The article, “A Bachelor’s and Law Degree in Six Years? Maybe,” can be found here: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20160723/NEWS/160729929/a-bachelors-and-law-degree-in-six-years-maybe.

The article describes the 2014 rule change made by the Ohio Supreme Court that permits Ohio law schools to enter into these agreements for the first time. Professor Geier, who chairs the Admissions Committee, is quoted as saying that C-M was interested immediately in pursuing this option “because the school strives to keep costs low for students.” The program is a “win-win” because “students are able to save a year of undergraduate tuition, while the law schools are able to draw the kind of efficient and organized students attracted to this kind of program…. While employment in the legal field has has taken a hit, she said the students who succeed in an accelerated program are likely to be the kind of students who will do well in the industry…. ” The article closed by saying, “While Geier doesn’t expect these 3+3 programs to produce a large number of law school graduates, she does think it will be a trend going forward. Schools can’t continue to do things the way they’ve always done them, she said. They have to be flexible and open to change so that they can best serve students. ‘Students really are the center of our universe,’ Geier said.”

Professor Browne Lewis presented on two different panels at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) Annual Meeting in Amelia Island, Florida.  On August 3, Professor Lewis presented on a panel entitled “Reproductive Rights Roundtable: Frontiers of Reproductive Technology.”  On August 5, Professor Lewis presented on a panel entitled “Hot Topics in Health Law and Bioethics.”

Professor and Associate Dean Milena Sterio presented at the 2016 Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) Annual Conference in Amelia Island, Florida.  Professor Sterio presented on a panel entitled “Productive and Fulfilling Scholarship Across the Tenure Spectrum.”  In addition to Professor Sterio, the other panelists included Professor Elizabeth Berenguer, Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, Professor Cassandra Hill, Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and Professor Teri McCurtry-Chubb, Mercer University Law School.

Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson has published an article in Crain’s Cleveland Business entitled “Munroe Falls’ latest drilling fight ends in decision the city — and other jurisdictions — didn’t want.” The article is available here.

Professor Robertson was also interviewed and quoted by an Athens, Ohio-based newspaper on the same issue (The Athens News).  The article is available here.

On July 13, 2016, Professor Emeritus Steve Steinglass made a presentation to 120 + municipal and county judges at an Ohio Judicial College program for the Association of Municipal/County Judges oh Ohio. The presentation was on Ohio Constitutional Revision and the Judiciary: Past, Present, and Future.

In addition, Professor Emeritus Steinglass published an article on state constitutional law.  The most recent issue of the Ohio State Law Journal, volume 77, number 2 (2016) contains articles on state constitutional law, expanding on a 2015 symposium on the topic. The issue includes Constitutional Revision: Ohio Style, written by Steven H. Steinglass, Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, and current Senior Policy Advisor of the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission. This article focuses on the history of constitutional revision in Ohio, and specifically on expansion of the methods for making revisions.

Constitutional Revision: Ohio Style begins with the Northwest Ordinance and 1802 Ohio Constitution, and reviews the path to statehood along with changes in the methods of constitutional revision later adopted in Ohio’s current constitution. The article then examines changes resulting from the Progressive-Era Constitutional Convention of 1912, and changes over the last century including the use of initiatives and constitutional revision commissions.  The article is available here:

Steinglass, Constitutional Revision–Ohio Style (OSLJ 2016) copy