Law Commons^™

Common Law Same-Sex Marriage, Peter Nicolas

Articles

In this Essay, I demonstrate that, with the extension of the right to marry to same-sex couples in Iowa, the District of Columbia, and New Hampshire (all states that recognize common law marriage), there now exists the possibility that—for the first time in the United States—a same-sex couple may enter into a legally recognized common law marriage.

In the Essay, I first show, as a doctrinal matter, that same-sex couples have the right to enter into common law marriages in these three jurisdictions, and I explain and compare the criteria for entering into common law marriages in each of them. …

Best Practices For Hiring And Retaining A Diverse Law Faculty, Kellye Y, Testy

Articles

As with all institutions, the history, character, identity, and accomplishments of each law school are the direct result of its people and their acts. For that simple reason, diversity is critical; it goes to the very core of what the institution is and what it does. With legal institutions, in particular, diversity plays a critical role in shaping the perception of the institution held by persons outside of it. In order for our system of law to function as the bedrock of our democratic society that it aims to be, legal institutions must be perceived as fair and just. If …

A Special Rule For Compound Protection For Dna-Sequences Impact Of The Ecj "Monsanto" Decision On Patent Practice, Jan B. Krauss, Toshiko Takenaka

Articles

This article will analyze the Monsanto decision, and criticize the European Court of Justice's interpretation of Article 9 as being incomplete, in particular for failing to take account of all articles and recitals in the Biotech Directive relating to the scope of protection. It will argue that applying the concept of a function-limited protection is unnecessary if a claim directed to an isolated DNA sequence is properly interpreted. It will also discuss the possible impact not only on the protection scope but also on the patentability of gene patents.

Smooth Courtroom Moves: The "Exhibit Dance", Maureen A. Howard

Articles

Current court rules often require parties to identify proposed exhibits in advance of trial, as well as objections to the other side’s evidence, so the judge can make pretrial rulings on admissibility issues (e.g., FRCP 26). This practice saves precious trial time, minimizes the time that jurors are banished during sidebar discussions between judge and counsel, eliminates in large measure surprises about how the evidence will shape up at trial, and arguably promotes settlement. It also allows the exhibits to be pre-marked for identification, further streamlining the trial process.

Nonetheless, trial lawyers still need to be able to lay hands …

Effective Pre-Trial Motions: Persuading The Judge, Maureen A. Howard

Articles

Victories won in pre-trial motions can significantly affect the direction and outcome of a trial. For this reason, successful trial lawyers prepare for motions with the same thoroughness that they employ for the trial itself. Arguing a motion to a trial judge, however, is different from arguing your case to a jury; to be effective, an advocate needs to be mindful of the difference.

Judges generally resist what they perceive as emotional manipulation, theatrics, or excessive rhetoric. Many judges expect lawyers to cleanly and succinctly argue the facts and the law without employing any appeal to emotion. That being said, …

Internationalization And Integration Of Doctrine, Skills And Ethics In Legal Education: The Contrasting Situations Of The United States And Japan, Daniel H. Foote

Articles

This article addresses two trends in legal education: internationalization and integration of doctrine, skills and legal ethics. In the United States, international and comparative law, skills training, and legal ethics all have deep historical roots in legal education, and the past few decades have seen further major increases in each of those areas. A particularly noteworthy recent development is the rise in efforts to integrate skills training and attention to ethical issues with doctrinal analysis, rather than just teaching each of those elements separately, Notably, Harvard Law School, which continues to influence educational patterns at other law schools within the …

The History Of Intellectual Property Taxation: Promoting Innovations And Other Intellectual Property Goals, Xuan-Thao Nguyen, Jeffrey A. Maine

Articles

No abstract provided.

Getting The "Story" Out: Teaching Admiralty At The University Of Washington, Craig H. Allen

Articles

I count myself fortunate indeed to be a law teacher and to have the privilege of teaching admiralty to the next generation of attorneys. My good fortune is compounded by the fact that I teach admiralty (and several other maritime law courses) at the University of Washington, a major research university with a complementary graduate level School of Marine Affairs. There is no finer venue for studying maritime law than the state of Washington. By any measure, Washington is among the most “marine” and most trade-dependent states in the nation, and it has long been home to a distinguished maritime …

Post-Racial Proxies: Resurgent State And Local Anti-"Alien" Laws And Unity-Rebuilding Frames For Antidiscrimination Values, Mary D. Fan

Articles

Though unauthorized migration into the United States has diminished substantially since 2007, anti-“illegal alien” state and local laws and furor are flaring again. While one of the biggest worries regarding such “anti-alien” laws is the risk of racialized harm, courts invalidating overreaching statutes are relying on structural or procedural grounds, such as preemption and due process doctrines. [PARA] This Article examines how these political and legal trends point to how proxies are used in a post-racial era to dance around race, in constructive, national unity-rebuilding as well as divisive, inflammatory ways. Anti-alien legislation is a proxy way to vent resurgent …