Legal Profession Commons^™

Debating Disability Disclosure In Legal Education, Jasmine E. Harris

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Search For Clarity In An Attorney's Duty To Google, Michael Thomas Murphy

All Faculty Scholarship

Attorneys have a professional duty to investigate relevant facts about the matters on which they work. There is no specific rule or statute requiring that an attorney perform an internet search as part of this investigation. Yet attorneys have been found by judges to violate a “Duty to Google” when they have failed to conduct an internet search for relevant information about, for example, a claim, their own client, and even potential jurors in a trial.

So much information is now available to attorneys so easily in electronic search results, it is time to wonder where, when, and how much …

Sustaining Lawyers, Seema Saifee

All Faculty Scholarship

Many lawyers are drawn to a career in social justice, in part, to help others and, in part, to fulfill their own path to wellness. Advocacy that sustains personal well-being, however, also poses considerable obstacles to well-being. Some of these obstacles are inherent to social justice work but some are embedded within organizational culture. These cultural norms impair the health of advocates, harm the communities with whom they work, and portend far-reaching consequences for the future of progressive struggles for freedom. Drawing on the author's personal experience, this Essay identifies three cultural norms, described as pathologies, that are rarely discussed …

The Modigliani-Miller Theorem At 60: The Long-Overlooked Legal Applications Of Finance’S Foundational Theorem, Michael S. Knoll

All Faculty Scholarship

2018 marks the 60th anniversary of the publication of Franco Modigliani and Merton Miller’s The Cost of Capital, Corporation Finance, and the Theory of Investment. Widely hailed as the foundation of modern finance, their article, which purports to demonstrate that a firm’s value is independent of its capital structure, is little known by lawyers, including legal academics. That is unfortunate because the Modigliani-Miller capital structure irrelevancy proposition (when inverted) provides a framework that can be extremely useful to legal academics, practicing attorneys and judges.

Improving Lawyers’ Judgment: Is Mediation Training De-Biasing?, Douglas N. Frenkel, James H. Stark

All Faculty Scholarship

When people are placed in a partisan role or otherwise have an objective they seek to accomplish, they are prone to pervasive cognitive and motivational biases. These judgmental distortions can affect what people believe and wish to find out, the predictions they make, the strategic decisions they employ, and what they think is fair. A classic example is confirmation bias, which can cause its victims to seek and interpret information in ways that are consistent with their pre-existing views or the goals they aim to achieve. Studies consistently show that experts as well as laypeople are prone to such biases, …

Beyond Gilson: The Art Of Business Lawyering, Praveen Kosuri

All Faculty Scholarship

Thirty years ago, Ronald Gilson asked the question, “what do business lawyers really do?” Since that time legal scholars have continued to grapple with that question and the implicit question of how business lawyers add value to their clients. This article revisits the question again but with a more expansive perspective on the role of business lawyer and what constitutes value to clients.

Gilson put forth the theory of business lawyers as transaction cost engineers. Years later, Karl Okamoto introduced the concept of deal lawyer as reputational intermediary. Steven Schwarcz attempted to isolate the role of business lawyer from other …

Academic Libraries And The Crisis In Legal Education, Genevieve B. Tung

Librarian Scholarship at Penn Carey Law

Today’s law schools are threatened by declining enrollments and poor job prospects for graduates. Prominent reformers are exposing dysfunctions within the current system and recommending improvements, but many of these proposals misunderstand academic law libraries and their contributions to student and faculty success. This article examines four possible curricular reforms and suggests ways that law librarians can participate in a comprehensive effort to make legal education more useful.

They Were Meant For Each Other: Proffessor Edward Cooper And The Rules Enabling Act, Anthony J. Scirica, Mark R. Kravitz, David F. Levi, Lee H. Rosenthal

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Mission: Impossible, Mission: Accomplished Or Mission: Underway? A Survey And Analysis Of Current Trends In Professionalism Education In American Law Schools, Alison Kehner, Mary Ann Robinson

All Faculty Scholarship

This Article identifies common characteristics of effective professionalism instruction to provide guidance in how to design innovative professionalism instruction. After introducing the topic in Part I, Part II of this Article describes the origins and development of the professionalism education movement in American Law schools. Part III of this Article explains our methods for collecting information and identifies and summarizes the predominant trends, and provides examples of noteworthy programs or initiatives. Part IV concludes by describing our method for assessing successful programs and identifying the characteristics of effective professionalism instruction.

“Impact” In 3d—Maximizing Impact Through Transactional Clinics, Praveen Kosuri

All Faculty Scholarship

In speaking about “impact” clinical legal education, it is almost always exclusively as litigation—innocence projects, representing Guantanamo detainees, human rights concerns, environmental issues. Though these clinical efforts target different societal ills, all try to use the legal system as a catalyst for change. Rarely do clinicians invoke the word “impact” in the same manner in discussing transactional legal work much less transactional clinics. Yet transactional clinics can and do perform impact work. This article describes the current landscape of transactional clinics, the distinct evolution of community economic development clinics from small business and organizations clinics and argues that both can …

Redefining Human Rights Lawyering Through The Lens Of Critical Theory: Lessons For Pedagogy And Practice, Carol Bettinger-Lopez, Davida Finger, Meetali Jain, Jonel Newman, Sarah Paoletti, Deborah M. Weissman

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

What Will Our Future Look Like And How Will We Respond?, Michael A. Fitts

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Not Since Thomas Jefferson Dined Alone: For Geoff Hazard At 80, Stephen B. Burbank

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Dean's Perspective On Ed Baker, Michael A. Fitts

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Wise Man Of The Law, Anthony J. Scirica

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Time-Honored Model For The Profession And The Academy, Michael A. Fitts

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Finding The Middle Ground In Collection Development: How Academic Law Libraries Can Shape Their Collections In Response To The Call For More Practice-Oriented Legal Education, Leslie A. Street, Amanda Runyon

Librarian Scholarship at Penn Carey Law

To examine how academic law libraries can respond to the call for more practice-oriented legal education, the authors compared trends in collection management decisions regarding secondary sources at academic and law firm libraries. The results of their survey are followed by recommendations about how academic and firm librarians can work together to best provide law students with materials they will need in practice.

The Practice Of Teaching, The Practice Of Law: What Does It Mean To Practice Responsibly?, Howard Lesnick

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Too Long Neglected: Expanding Curricular Support For Public Interest Lawyering, Louis S. Rulli

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Interview With Howard Gittis, Sahar Dar, Howard Gittis, Legal Oral History Project, University Of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Legal Oral History Project

For transcript, click the Download button above. For video index, click the link below.

Howard Gittis (L '58) was a partner at Wolff Block Solis Cohen and later vice chairman and a close adviser to Ronald Perelman at MacAndrews & Forbes. He served on the Temple University Board of Trustees for 27 years, including six years as chair. He died in 2007.

Interview With Timothy J. Carson, David Spiegel, Timothy J. Carson, Legal Oral History Project, University Of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Legal Oral History Project

For transcript, click the Download button above. For video index, click the link below.

TImothy J. Carson (W '70) has practiced in Philadelphia for forty years in the field of public sector law, especially public finance. He is currently a partner at Dilworth Paxson LLP. He is an elected Fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel.

Interview With Leon S. Forman, Jason E. Dymbort, Leon S. Forman, Legal Oral History Project, University Of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Legal Oral History Project

For transcript, click the Download button above. For video index, click the link below.

Leon S. Forman (L'39) was an authority on bankruptcy and creditors' rights. He practiced law for more than sixty years and served as chairman of the Philadelphia Bar Association's corporation, banking and business law section, and as chairman of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's bankruptcy committee. He was a member of the American Law Institute. He taught bankruptcy and creditors' rights at the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania and at Temple University School of Law. He died in 2006.

Interview With Michael Levy, Christina Fahmy, Michael Levy, Legal Oral History Project, University Of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Legal Oral History Project

For transcript, click the Download button above

Michael Levy (L '69) is the Chief of Computer Crimes at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He has served in the U.S. Department of Justice since 1980 with two one-year excursions into private practice. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Mr. Levy worked as a Public Defender and as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia and as an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He also had his own law practice for four years.

Humanity And The Law, Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr.

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Interview With Cynthia E. White, Antoinette E. Walker, Cynthia E. White, Legal Oral History Project, University Of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Legal Oral History Project

For transcript, click the Download button above. For video index, click the link below.

Cynthia E. White (L '80) worked in the City of Phialdelphia Law Department from 1984 to 2017, becoming Chief Deputy Solicitor of the Tax Unit in 1995. She has also served as president and board chairman of the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project

Interview With Robert C. Sheehan, Daniel Yunger, Robert C. Sheehan, Legal Oral History Project, University Of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Legal Oral History Project

For transcript, click the Download button above.

Robert C. Sheehan (L '69) has practiced at Skadden, Arps since 1969 and served as Executive Partner from 1994 to 2009. He was won several awards for leadership and for pro bono work. He currently oversees Skadden's pro bono program. From 1996 to 2012 he was a member of the Penn Law Board of Overseers.

The Real-World Shift In Criminal Procedure, Stephanos Bibas

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Interview With Azizah Al-Hibri, Hisham Elkoustaf, Azizah Al-Hibri, Legal Oral History Project, University Of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Legal Oral History Project

For transcript, click the Download button above. For video index, click the link below.

Professor Azizah al-Hibri (L '85) is a Professor Emerita at the University of Richmond Law School, having served on the faculty from 1992 until her retirement in 2012. Her work has centered on developing an Islamic jurisprudence and body of Islamic law that are gender equitable and promote human rights and democratic governance. Professor al-Hibri has authored numerous book chapters, essays, and law review articles on these subjects, and her work has appeared in the highly respected Journal of Law and Religion, Harvard International Review …

Interview With David L. Cohen, Miranda Solomon, David L. Cohen, Legal Oral History Project, University Of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Legal Oral History Project

For a transcript of this interview, click on the Download button above.

David L. Cohen (L '81) is the senior executive vice president of Comcast Corporation and chair of the University of Pennsylvania board of trustees. From 1992 to 1997 he served as chief of staff to Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, and from 1997 to 2002 he was chair of Ballard Spahr.

Interview With Morris M. Shuster, Todd J. Griset, Morris M. Shuster, Legal Oral History Project, University Of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Legal Oral History Project

For transcript, click the Download button above. For video index, click the link below.

After 35 years in private practice, Morris M. Shuster (L'56) began teaching clinical practice and dispute resolution at Penn Law School in 1991. He endowed a faculty chair in clinical practice at Penn Law (currently held by Douglas Frenkel) and a public interest fellowship program through the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. He died in 2012.