Month: April 2013

Lawyers Without Borders recently hosted its third training on Trafficking in Persons in Monrovia, Liberia. The training is part of a three-year program sponsored in part by the United States Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and was the first in a series of three annual trainings to complement a range of other program activities being undertaken throughout Liberia.

Amongst a very prestigious delegation of U.S. Federal Judges, and partners and associates from major law firms in the U.S. and U.K., were Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School students Amyia McCarthy and Xavier Cunningham. These 3L students were selected to participate in this global initiative, and functioned as vital support staff to the lead trainers.

The Republic of Liberia is on the West Coast of Africa, and was established by the American Colonization Society in 1822 as a haven for freed slaves from the United States. Following over a century of progress, from 1990 to 2003 Liberia self-destructed through civil war. In 2003, a comprehensive peace accord was implemented and since then Liberia has been on an upward trajectory.

Xavier and Amyia would like to send a special note of gratitude to Professor Turner, Professor Brown, Dean Harrison, and Professor Baker for their guidance and encouragement.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) recently recognized AJMLS graduate Jack Reeves in their April newsletter. Reeves, a 1976 John Marshall graduate, was highlighted for being a pioneer in using the Internet in Africa in the late 1990s.

The article says, “Jack Reeves, then Head of the Information Services Program, sent a short message to the National Agriculture and Animal Research Institute (NAARI), Namulonge, Uganda, to test a recently installed high frequency radio link with NAARI. The link connected NAARI to the national telephone system, in Kampala, and through an Internet service provider (ISP) to the Internet and thereby the world. Because of this, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has called IITA a ‘pioneer’ for using the Internet in USAID’s AfricaLink program to connect national agricultural researchers in Africa with the resources of the Institute’s library and international staff.” To view the full article and other stories from the IITA newsletter, click here.

The Sixth Annual Youth and the Law Summit was held on Saturday, April 20, 2013, at Atlanta’s John Marshall’s Blackburn Center.  Each year the Summit introduces minority middle and high school students to the law through an examination of emerging legal issues that directly impact their lives.  .  The program has become a much anticipated event for participating schools and students.  This year’s Summit focused on both cyber bullying and the legislative process.  During the morning session, students learned how a bill becomes a law. Students were also introduced to DiscoverLaw.org, a LSAC funded program designed to increase minority enrollment in law schools.  After lunch, students presented arguments for and against proposed anti-bullying legislation before a congressional committee comprised of high school students. Students made eloquent first amendment, privacy and policy arguments in support of their positions. 

The Gate City Bar Association has partnered with John Marshall since 2008 to organize this dynamic program as part of Gate City’s and John Marshall’s continued commitment to strengthening the pipeline to law school for minority students.  The Summit is co-chaired by Darrick McDuffie of King and Spalding and Gate City, and Prof. Renata D. Turner. Special thanks to Debra Tavares of Soulstice, Inc., Natasha Berry, and John Marshall’s student ambassadors for their contributions to the success of this year’s program.

 

Christina Harris Schwinn is a recent graduate from the inaugural cohort of the LL.M. in Employment Law program at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. As a final project, Schwinn and her classmates presented a Thesis Presentation at the law school.  As a result of the thesis, which has been submitted for publication, Northeastern University School of Law’s law review team invited her to speak at its recent symposium on employee misclassification entitled Are You Employed or Just Working. The panelists included law professors from a number of different law schools, practicing attorneys and attorneys working for various not-for-profit organizations.  Schwinn recalled the symposium saying, “The experience was very gratifying personally and it provided a tremendous opportunity for the attendees to see a much bigger picture regarding the stark realities that exist in the world of work today and changes on the horizon.”

She also credits the law school for broadening her understanding of the employment law field. “Obtaining my LL.M. in Employment Law from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School has allowed me to participate in new opportunities that were not readily accessible to me before in academia,” she said. “One of the reasons that I wanted to pursue an LL.M. in Employment Law is because I have a desire to teach in the future at the university level or even at a law school.”

To read more about Schwinn, click here.