Brand New Video (Parris Institute)

The Parris Institute for Professional Formation unveiled a brand new video at the School of Law Dinner last Saturday evening.  It features Pepperdine students and is fantastic.  Check it out on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Interclub Council Meeting Today

As the year comes toward a close, leadership of student-led organizations changes hands.  Today, at lunch, there will be an Interclub Council meeting of all outgoing and incoming leaders.

We have such a rich offering of student leadership organizations (and opportunities).  Consider this impressive list:

Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL)
American Bar Association (Law Student Division)
American Constitution Society
Asian Pacific American Law Student Association
Armenian Law Students
Alexander Hamilton Society
Black Law Student Association
Christian Legal Society
Criminal Law Society
Dispute Resolution Law Journal
Dispute Resolution Society
DRPC Networking Society
Environmental Law Society
Federalist Society
Honor Board
Interfaith Student Council
International Justice Mission
International Law Society
J. Reuben Clark Society
Jewish Law Student’s Association
Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship & the Law
Law Students – Catalyst for Youth
LGBT Legal Society
Moot Court Board
National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary
Pepperdine Law Review
Phi Alpha Delta
Phi Delta Phi
Sports and Entertainment Law Society
Student Animal Legal Defense Fund
Student Bar Association
Student Mentor Program
Veterans Legal Society
Video Game Law Society
Women’s Legal Association

Dalsimer Final Round

The Vincent S. Dalsimer Moot Court Competition is the annual team appellate advocacy intraschool competition at Pepperdine Law.  Two-person teams submit an appellate brief, followed by oral argument rounds.  Students receive one unit of credit for participation, and the finalists have the opportunity to argue the final round before a distinguished panel of judges.  The winning team, as well as Brief and Individual Advocacy awards, are announced at the Law School Dinner.  Prize money donated by alumni is also awarded.

I am pleased to share that the final round has been set: a team of 3Ls, Scott Sasser and Matt Sessions, will compete against a team of 2Ls, Alex Farzan and Tim O’Hair.  The final round will be held this afternoon in front of a large crowd of prospective students in Caruso Auditorium.

Congratulations (and good luck) to our finalists!!!

Ethical Dilemmas in the Professional World

Phi Delta Phi, a student-run academic fraternity at Pepperdine, is hosting a lunchtime panel today titled, “Ethical Dilemmas in the Professional World,”  The panel features practicing attorneys who will discuss ethical dilemmas they have faced in their practice. The speakers will present circumstances for which there was no Model Rule answer. These first-hand accounts will beg the question of each audience member, “What would you do if in a similar situation?”

First Annual Parris Awards

2015 marks the first year of the Parris Institute and the First Annual Parris Awards. The Parris Awards will be celebrated each Spring to honor those third-year law students who exhibit the highest order of the pillars of professionalism. The values of any institution are usually emphasized by that which is honored. At Pepperdine, we value the greatest traditions, ideals, and aspirations of the profession.All faculty, staff, and students were invited to nominate candidates for the awards making the awards unique and particularly special. Nominations were based on actual narratives of stories that capture each candidate’s attributes. Ultimately, the faculty and administrators voted to determine the recipients.

The inaugural awards celebration was held last Friday, and it was a moving event (which featured a well-used tissue box for several of the faculty presenters!).

The awards and recipients are listed below:

• Excellence in Character: Charlie Walker
• Excellence in Service: Stephen White
• Excellence in Leadership: Sarah Gerdes & David Moreshead
• Excellence in Public Interest: Joe Spano
• Excellence in Global Justice: Stephanie Brown
• Excellence in Dispute Resolution: Amanda Sanchez
• Excellence in Professionalism: Nora Sassounian
• Excellence in Courage: Paige Curry
• The Pepperdine Award: Scott Sasser

 

Academic Advising Week: Clinics, Externships, and Practicums

Today, our 1L students have the opportunity to learn about our great clinics, externships, and practicums during a lunchtime fair.  Examples include:

• Community Justice Clinic
• Investor Advocacy Clinic
• Legal Aid Clinic
• Ninth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Clinic
• Special Education Advocacy Clinic
• J.D. Externship Program
• Washington D.C. Externship Semester
• Criminal Justice Dispute Resolution Practicum
• Federal Criminal Practice Practicum

Faith and the Law: A Conversation with Professor Michael Helfand

I am hosting a brown-bag lunch conversation with Professor Michael Helfand on the roles of faith, religion, and spiritual life in the law and the practice of law during the lunch hour today.  I will interview Professor Helfand on his personal experience in law practice, which will be followed by an opportunity for the students to ask questions.  This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to hear from a popular professor on such an important topic!

Advancing Professional Formation

Pepperdine’s Parris Institute for Professional Formation and the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions at the University of St. Thomas School of Law are co-hosting the 2015 Deans’ Forum on Advancing Professional Formation at the Pepperdine University School of Law this morning.  The keynote address will be delivered by William M. Sullivan, lead author of the Carnegie Report’s Educating Lawyers.  His address is titled, “Professionalism Education as a Social Movement.”

First Impressions

The picture above is from last Thursday when Danny DeWalt (Parris Institute) and Michael Hom (Career Development Office) did a fantastic job presenting the third Professional Life Series event of the year entitled, “First Impressions: How to Nail the Interview.”

This is event was specifically designed to help 1Ls take their legal education for a spin in the real world.

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

“We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “The Purpose of Education,” Morehouse College Student Paper, The Maroon Tiger, in 1947