Penn Law Journal

The growth of the military industrial complex, the expansion of wartime executive power, and the availability of new pinpoint technologies to take out enemies have conspired to raise questions about how far the government should go, and how much privacy and due process we should sacrifice, to protect national security. Penn Law’s new interdisciplinary Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law was established to debate these and other freighted subjects such as the use of drones and cyber war. The Center, led by professor Claire Finkelstein, is the subject of our cover story, in which we detail how CERL is working to inform, and ultimately lead that debate. In a lighter vein, we introduce you to senior executives of the four major sports. Whether the ball bounces, the puck drops, the pigskin sails, or the ball travels, Penn Law has it covered. Finally, we take you inside the colorful life of Lynn Toler L’84, the judge on the television show, The Divorce Court. Her advice on marriage is spunky and priceless, and you get it here for free.

There has been a lot of commentary about the world that Millennials will inherit. But there should be even more talk about the kind of world they will shape, because their time to lead is coming. This issue examines the motivations of a slice of twenty-and early-thirtysomething Penn Law students. What we found is a mobile and diverse group interested in multiple careers and committed to work and lives that are socially meaningful. For those at a different stage of life, we indulge in nostalgia, bringing back pictorial blasts from the past, one populated by gas stations across from the Law School, tennis courts on campus, and cafeteria-style dining rooms. We also hail the humanity of Rick Silva L’90, the president and CEO of Checkers and Rally’s restaurants who gained a moment of TV stardom when he disciplined an abusive manager of one of his eateries during an episode of a reality series. He’s doing a great job as well running a budding fast food empire. Plenty of food for thought.

It is the financial equivalent of California falling into the ocean – only it’s an ocean of red ink. In our cover story, Professor David A. Skeel documents the budget crises besetting the State of California and several of its cities. He recommends a controversial solution: state bankruptcy. Steel thinks that an orderly and manageable bankruptcy procedure would put a dent in debt and take taxpayers off the hook. Leo Strine L’88, the subject of a long profile, does not have the power to create a new state bankruptcy law, but he does have a lot of say in shaping corporate law. As chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery, Strine brings a striking intellect and withering wit to a range of issues surrounding corporate governance and deal-making. We also profile Peter Schlessel L’86, who presides over one of the most successful so-called mini-major movie studios in America. FilmDistrict continues to earn top box office just two years after its founding. Finally, back in April we celebrated (and document in this issue) the opening of Golkin Hall in the presence of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. What a week.

The 9/11 attacks shook the country to the core. On the tenth anniversary of the tragedy, we reach out to alumni and faculty for reflections of that day and the lessons we learned.

Also in this issue:

• Four alumni authors tell stories about themselves
• The inventive mind of Peter Detkin EE’82, L’85, patron of the new Intellectual Property and Technology Legal Clinic

Penn Law’s vaunted culture forms the backbone of this issue, in which we define the things that make the school a great intellectual and social destination.

Also in this issue:

• A look at Gary Clinton, Dean of Students
• Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer, Michael Richter L’93
• Judy Shen L’05 and her work with poor rural children in China

The digital age is upon us and with it new questions about the application and limits of current intellectual property law. In the Fall 2010 Penn Law Journal we examine emerging issues through the eyes of two alumni – R. Bruce Rich L’73 and Michael J.Boni L’88 – who have been on opposite sides in some of the most important cases involving electronic publishing.

More from the Fall 2010 edition:

• Four Penn Law alumni making a name for themselves in music
• New recruits for our international program
• Tributes to Noyes Leech C’43, L’48 and Elizabeth “Liz” Slusser Kelly HOM’85

Four Penn Law alumni find themselves at the center of power in Washington as part of the Obama administration.  We tell their stories of youth, idealism, and being caught up in a powerful moment in history.

Also in this issue:

• Two alumni whose idealism helped them rise from the streets
• A dreamer and devoted sports fan who grew up to own a piece of the New York Yankees

In this issue we feature six incredible graduates from the Class of 2009. Each is smart, engaging, thoughtful and public spirited, and exemplars of the kind of energetic and intelligent students we are turning out year after year.

Also in this issue:

• Our first Public Interest Week and the 20th anniversary of our Public Service Program
• An alumnus working on the frontiers of virtual reality

Like many sectors, the legal profession is suffering, and in ways out of the norm. In this Spring issue we examine the crisis from a number of perspectives: both alumni and faculty put forward new directions for the practice of law; experts forecast the shape of a new regulatory regime; and two members of the Bush administration, Robert Hoyt, L’89, G’89, and Heath Tarbert, L’01, GRL’02, offer insight into the policies they helped conceive and implement to save the banking system and the economy from ruin.

Also in this issue:

• Three couples who met at Penn Law, got married, and lived to tell about it
• Richard A. Sprague L’53 - a Philadelphia legend with moxie to spare

Reconciliation. It is a path to peace and understanding between warring factions. In this issue, we explore the legal and political dimensions of reconciliation, and highlight the contributions of our students and faculty in bringing about change and restoring justice in troubled lands.

Also in the Fall 2008 issue:

• A trio of stories about promising students in, perhaps, the most competitive class in Penn Law history
• A surgeon’s struggle with the legal and ethical dilemmas of medicine

The issue features a range of alumni at various stages of their careers. Under the title of “Career Evolution,” we profile young alumni, those in mid-career, and still others at the end of their careers.  All of these alumni, no matter their career track, illustrate that the legal training at this institution prepares one to do almost anything.

Also in this issue:

• An alumnus working to turn around the lives of troubled youth
• A tribute to the career of Doug Frenkel, who is stepping down after 28 years as director of the Gittis Center for Clinical Legal Studies
• The little-known side of Penn Law founder James Wilson

In our cover story, we profile Adrian Cronauer, L’89. Cronauer inspired the movie “Good Morning, Vietnam,” which is based on his experiences as a disc jockey for a military radio station. Forty years later, he continues to inspire with his efforts to brief families on the ongoing search for soldiers missing in action or taken prisoners of war as far back as World War II.  

Other stories in the Fall 2007 issue:

• Alberto Ibargüen L’74 and his efforts to save the newspaper industry
• Penn Law alumni seeking their careers in small-town America

This issue demonstrates Penn Law’s ongoing commitment to public service. It shows the varied paths, and interesting work, available to those who wish to use the law as an instrument for social justice. 

Also in this issue:

• Penn Law’s new Transatlantic Clinic and cross-border legal issues
• The first year of the Public International Summer Fellowship Program
• Two Penn Law alumni working on astounding projects in the Middle East

The cornerstone of Penn Law School is our interdisciplinary program. It underpins everything we do. This issue of the Penn Law Journal is rife with examples of its impact on faculty, alumni and students.

Also in this issue:

• Professor Eric Feldman’s work for a better vaccine
• The growing number of students from other Penn schools who are taking courses at Penn
• Five remarkable young alumni who used a Penn Law education to earn careers in medicine, technology, politics, and counter-terrorism consultation

This issue highlights the intellectual vitality and heart of Penn Law School, as seen in its faculty, alumni and students. In our cover story, we go in-depth with Norman Pearlstine L’67, former editor of Time, Inc., to tell his side of the Valerie Plame case.

Also in this issue:

• The history of the Gittis Center for Clinical Legal Studies, and its continual evolution and innovation
• A group of Tulane Law School students finds shelter at Penn Law after Hurricane Katrina
• The efforts of former Penn Law Dean Earl Harrison to improve living conditions for Jews in displaced persons camps after World War II

Penn Law is a gateway to innumerable careers, but one that might not immediately come to mind is television. In this issue’s cover story, we take you behind the scenes with six alumni who followed their muse into the news and entertainment industry. 

Also in this issue:

• Roger Adelman L’66 — the Penn Law alumnus who prosecuted John Hinckley
• Blair Sadler L’65 reminisces about his time at Penn Law during his 40th reunion
• Robert Toll L’66 on being one of the top 30 CEOs in the world

This past fall the school year opened with its warmest ceremony in recent memory. Penn Law honored five exceptional women, each of whom rose to positions of prominence in the judiciary, which had long been the province of men. You can read how they got there in this issue’s cover story.

Also in this issue:

• We introduce the Penn Law African-American Law Alumni Society
• Profiles of two alumni - Myer “Mike” Feldman W’35, L’38 and Charles Hill L’60 - who influenced politics in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations

This issue displays Penn Law’s manifold virtues, starting with an inspiring alumnus, John Groarke, who is the subject of our cover story. Groarke, a career foreign service officer, finds himself in the crosshairs in Iraq. As lead lawyer for the reconstruction effort, Groarke has put himself in peril to help rebuild that war-torn country. 

Also in this issue:

• The world of mergers and acquisitions
• Profiles of new professors, as well as saying goodbye to two staff members

Welcome to the first issue of the newly redesigned Penn Law Journal, where we document a 1L student’s journey of self-discovery through Law School. The story points out why, despite the rigor of the curriculum, Penn Law remains an altogether civilized place to attend Law School.

Also in this issue:

• The new Levy Scholars - preparing for leadership positions in the 21st century
• The Tenth Anniversary of Tanenbaum Hall
• Remembering Judge Roxana Cannon Arsht and Chief Justice Robert N. C. Nix, Jr.

Penn Law is a brand name in legal education worldwide.  In the cover story, we look at our international program and a few of the people who carry the Penn Law banner overseas.

Also in this issue:

• Penn Law and Wharton - linking the law with other disciplines
• A look at the new National Constitution Center
• Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s visit to Penn Law

In this issue we chronicle the growth of the faculty, the changes in curriculum, and the improvements to the building, all of which make Penn Law what it is today - one of the finest law schools in the country. At the same time, we illustrate how, amidst the evolution, students remain as warm and engaging as ever.

Also in this issue:

• The transformation of Penn Law’s Intellectual Property program
• A profile of Shanin Specter, adjunct law professor and respected litigator
• Remembering two beloved professors - Louis B. Schwartz and Martin J. Aronstein

An anthropologist turned patent lawyer. A financier and public school reformer. A maverick trial court judge. A retail chain store president. The head of one of Pennsylvania’s oldest family business. And, two leaders in American higher education. These are the seven Penn Law School graduates profiled in this issue of the Penn Law Journal.

Also in this issue:

• A profile of David L. Cohen L’81
• Professor Curtis Reitz’s 45 years of service as a member of the Penn Law faculty
• The launch of the new Child Advocacy Clinic

This issue surveys our alumni to find out how they are using their experience as lawyers in private and public service to respond to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001and to work to repair the damage wrought that day.

Also in this issue:

• A profile of Philadelphia immigration trial attorney Frank Carano C’30, L’33
• Professor Clyde Summers marks his 60th year of teaching
• Professor Sarah Barringer Gordon’s “The Mormon Question: Polygamy and Constitutional Conflict in 19th Century America”

In this issue we examine the Law School’s alliances with the schools and institutes of the University of Pennsylvania. Dean Michael A. Fitts outlines his vision for the future of legal education at Penn that promises new link-ups between law and health sciences, law and business, law and technology, law and communications, and law and constitution studies.

Also in this issue:

• Professor David Skeel’s “Debt’s Dominion: A History of Bankruptcy Law in America”
• The first reunion of the Honorary Fellows of Penn Law
• Saul A. Fox’s historic gift to Penn Law

Photos and speeches from our gala Sesquicentennial Celebration, at which Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor gave an address, are featured in this issue.

Also in this issue:

• The 2000 Presidential Election Crisis as a teaching tool for the study of democracy
• Rebecca Lieberman L’97, daughter of the Democratic vice presidential candidate, reminisces about life on the campaign trail
• A fond farewell to Elizabeth Kelly upon her retirement as Director of Biddle Library

At the onset of our 150th year of legal education, we provide the history of Penn Law School going back to 1790 when James Wilson, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, a drafter of the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, began delivering law lectures to George Washington and the lawyers that would become the first U.S. Supreme Court. Those law lectures became coursework, then the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Also in this issue:

• An interview with the new Dean of Penn Law, Michael A. Fitts
• Updates on faculty scholarship

Professor of Law Michael A. Fitts is named the new dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, succeeding Colin S. Diver who stepped down to the faculty after 10 years at the helm. In the first months of the 21st century, this issue turns to Penn Law faculty and graduates to get a handle on what the new millennium promises. 

Also in this issue:

• Two Penn Law alums give their perspective on the Elian Gonzalez incident
• A tribute to Professor Robert A. Gorman upon his retirement from Penn Law
• An introduction to new Overseer Pamela Daley L’79

With a location in Philadelphia it’s natural that the University of Pennsylvania Law School has ties to the history of the U.S. Constitution and the founding of our nation. This issue of the Penn Law Journal examines that relationship. 

Also in this issue:

• The launch of the Constitutional Law Journal
• Elizabeth Coleman L’74, Director of the Civil Rights Division of the Anti-Defamation League, and her work in defense of First Amendment Rights
• A profile of Professor Bruce Mann, who recently won the Lindback Award for excellence in teaching