Events Calendar

Come enjoy brunch with WLC! We will also pass out special Galentines treats to celebrate. Food is served to members only.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/13/72928/

Join the Constitutional Studies Program over lunch for a special event to launch “Amending America’s Unwritten Constitution” (Cambridge University Press), featuring three of the authors discussing their chapters.

Details on the book are available here: https://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/law/constitutional-and-administrative-law/amending-americas-unwritten-constitution?format=HB

SPEAKERS:

Vikram Amar, Dean, Iwan Foundation Professor of Law, University of Illinois College of Law

Sanford Levinson, W. St. John Garwood and W. St. John Garwood, Jr. Centennial Chair, University of Texas School of Law

Mark Tushnet William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law, Emeritus Harvard Law School

DISCUSSANT:

Rhonda Evans, Senior Lecturer and Director-Edward A. Clark Center for Australia and New Zealand Studies, University of Texas at Austin

MODERATOR:

Richard Albert, William Stamps Farish Professor in Law, University of Texas School of Law

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/13/72385/

This event will feature Dr. Julia Dehm, Senior Lecturer at the La Trobe Law School, who will discuss reparations and historical responsibility in the international climate regime.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/13/72565/

Join SBA in the atrium this Valentine's Day, February 14th, for cards and goodies. Swing by any time between 10:30 am and 2:00 pm to put together a gift for your friend, your special someone, or yourself! xoxo

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/14/72905/

Eidman Courtroom followed by boxed lunches in Jamail Pavilion

Join us for Lives in the Law with Adeola Ogunkeyede, Chief Public Defender of the Travis County Public Defender’s Office, who will give a talk entitled “Fighting for Justice Through Institution Building: The First Two Years of the Travis County Public Defender’s Office.”

Ogunkeyede will talk about her work for social justice through building and leading a new office. She’ll reflect on the work to fulfill the five goals in the office’s initial founding grant and her team’s work at the client level and the systemic level, highlighting some of the opportunities and challenges they’ve embraced and faced along the way.

As the first Chief Public Defender, Ogunkeyede has worked since 2020 to develop the office’s holistic practice from the ground up. Previously, she served as the inaugural director for the Civil Rights & Racial Justice Program at the Legal Aid Justice Center in Virginia. Prior to her work in Virginia, she was the director of staff development and litigation supervisor of the criminal practice at The Bronx Defenders, where she began her career as a staff attorney. She graduated from Tulane Law School. For more information about her current role, visit: https://www.traviscountytx.gov/public-defender/staff

Please RSVP by 2PM Wed, Feb 8 for lunch: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/522857971267

Ms. Ogunkeyede will also be available to meet with students from 1-2pm.

Sponsored by the Law School’s William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law and Career Services Office; co-sponsored by Law Students for Black Lives, the Public Defense Group and the Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rights

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/14/72346/

Show some love to your public interest classmates by purchasing a TLF "Make Love, Not Law Review" T-shirt this Valentine's Day. T-shirts will be sold in the atrium for $25 each from 12 pm - 3 pm.

3L big law students who sign up to participate in the Themis bar-matching with a public interest student can get a free shirt! Sign up through this form and go to the atrium to get your shirt: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6lKpFCtT9f0RbjU

Students are invited to stop by to ask questions about TLF's open fellows application for $2,000 housing and travel stipends this summer.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/14/73011/

Please join members of Volume 102 of the Texas Law Review to learn more about the write-on competition. Any 1L students who weren't able to attend last week's mandatory write-on information session are invited to attend this make up meeting.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/14/73028/

Professor Amy Sanders will discuss the application of the First Amendment online with Del Kolde from the Institute for Free Speech.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/14/73094/

This event will feature Dr. Adil Hasan Khan, Postdoctoral Fellow at Melbourne Law School, who will discuss the widely perceived and ongoing "citizenship crisis" in contemporary India, highlighting the historic relationship between the phenomenon of statelessness and the institution and protection of minority rights.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/14/73005/

Christian Legal Society will be hosting a Bible study and meeting for anyone interested in learning more about the Bible or the faith. We encourage all people who are curious about Christianity or want to grow in their faith to join. This a good opportunity to build community and learn more about the Bible!

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/15/72590/

Come join Dean Chesney for ice cream!

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/15/72125/

The Rothko Chapel and the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice present the eighth annual Frances Tarlton “Sissy” Farenthold Endowed Lecture in Peace, Social Justice and Human Rights featuring acclaimed scholar of race, gender and the law, Dorothy Roberts, George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology and the Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Professor of Civil Rights at the University of Pennsylvania, on the topic of family policing and reproductive justice. The lecture will be followed by conversation moderated by Eleanor Klibanoff, women’s health reporter at The Texas Tribune, and a book signing.

Named in honor of Sissy Farenthold (1926-2021), who dedicated her life to exposing and responding to injustices as a lawyer, legislator, and global leader in human rights, this lecture series inspires audiences to think and act creatively in response to the greatest human rights challenges of the 21st century.

In-person event with chair seating, livestream on Vimeo, & in-person livestream event in Austin

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/15/72566/

Note: This event’s full details are restricted to Texas Law faculty and staff members only.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/16/73101/

Please RSVP by Wednesday, February 15, on Symplicity.

If you are a student with a degree (or at least two years of coursework) in engineering, computer sciences or the hard sciences (chemistry, biology, physics, or related fields), and are interested in becoming a patent law practitioner, don't miss this opportunity to learn more about the foundations for that career path.

Join Mark Dighton, Practising Law Institute (PLI)’s Director of Law School Relations and Administrative Director of their Patent Office Exam Course, for a conversation about patent careers and the Patent Office Exam that is a gateway to most of those careers. Topics for discussion include: the latest info on the Patent Office Exam, who can take it, how it works (it's online and “on demand”), when you should take it (you don't need to – and probably shouldn't – wait until you graduate), and recommendations on when and how to study for this challenging exam.

Scholarships to the other IP programs offered by PLI will also be discussed.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/16/72812/

On Thursday, February 16 at 12:15-1:30pm the Strauss Center in conjunction with the Clements Center for National Security will host international development expert Daniel Runde as he discusses his new book, The American Imperative: Reclaiming Leadership Through Soft Power. Mr. Runde argues that China and Russia fill vacuums—vacuums that are digital, healthcare-oriented, infrastructural, commercial, security-related, value-related, and ones that occupy the multilateral system. In turn, the US and its allies must invest in a positive agenda that meets the hopes and aspirations of its partners to fill such vacuums. Great-power competition, Mr. Runde maintains, is not going to be fought in Beijing and Moscow. Rather, it is currently being fought in the post-Soviet space, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. This competition is contested in areas of development and other forms of soft power. While power is undoubtedly expressed in more violent arenas—as seen in Ukraine—most of this contest will be through means other than war.

Mr. Runde hopes to spark a national conversation about how and for what end we are going to use our non-military forms of our power overseas given the challenges and opportunities in front of us as a country. He calls for supporting broad based economic growth, supporting good governance and anti-corruption, long term training, differentiating our approaches in middle-income countries and fragile states and stronger US leadership in the multilateral system.

The event is open to the public, no RSVP required. Lunch will be served. Contact Susan Crane at scrane@austin.utexas.edu with any questions.

Biography

Daniel Runde is a senior vice president, director of the Project on Prosperity and Development (PPD) and holds the William A. Schreyer Chair in Global Analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a leading global think tank. Mr. Runde also served as the director of the CSIS Americas Program for two and a half years. His work is oriented around U.S. leadership in building a more democratic and prosperous world. Among his many other contributions, Mr. Runde was an architect of the BUILD Act, contributed to the reauthorization of the U.S. EXIM Bank in 2018, and was an architect of Prosper Africa, a U.S. government initiative to deepen the United States’ commercial and development engagement in Africa. He has been a leading voice on the role and future of the World Bank Group and U.S. leadership in the multilateral system. Prior to CSIS, Mr. Runde held leadership roles at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank Group. Earlier in his career, Mr. Runde worked in commercial banking at Citibank in Argentina and in investment banking at Alex. Brown & Sons. Mr. Runde was granted the Officer’s Cross in the Order of Isabel la Católica, a Spanish civil order. Currently, he serves on the board of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF), Spirit of America, and the Ashesi University Foundation. Mr. Runde is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bretton Woods Committee. He is also a columnist for The Hill and hosts a CSIS podcast series, Building the Future: Freedom, Prosperity & Foreign Policy with Dan Runde. Mr. Runde is also the author of the book The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership through Soft Power (Bombardier Books, 2022). He previously chaire

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/16/72865/

This event will feature Harvard Law Professor Carol Steiker, as well as UT Law Professors Lee Kovarsky, Jim Marcus, Thea Posel, Raoul Schonemann, and Jordan Steiker. It will examine, from multiple angles, the operation of the modern Texas and federal death penalties. Professor Kovarsky will discuss the thirteen "Trump Executions" that took place during the last six months of his administration. Professors Marcus, Posel, and Schonemann will discuss recent developments in Texas capital punishment, with emphasis on the case of Terence Andrus. Professors Carol and Jordan Steiker will address the future of the American death penalty. Drinks and light snacks will be provided.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/16/72945/

Workshop: Legal Observer Training In-Person 4-5:30pm TNH 2.137

Homelessness in Austin In-Person 6-7pm TNH 2.137

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/16/73069/

In 2011, the University of Texas School of Law established the Virgil C. Lott Medal to honor our first African American graduate. The medal is presented at a gala dinner, and recipients are chosen by a distinguished committee headed by Dean Bobby Chesney, former Dean Larry Sager, and previous winners. Dean Chesney describes the mission of the award and ceremony thusly: “Virgil C. Lott, ’53 was the first African American graduate of The University of Texas School of Law. The Law School commissioned the Virgil C. Lott Medal to honor the memory of this pioneer and distinguished alumnus. This award honors men and women who, like Mr. Lott, have made significant contributions to the legal profession and to the improvement of understanding among all peoples.”

DeMetris Sampson ’80, a longtime lawyer and community leader in Dallas, has been named the winner of the Virgil C. Lott Medal for 2023. She will be honored at a ceremony at the School of Law on February 16.

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE AN EMAIL INVITATION or contact events@law.utexas.edu or  512-232-1334 for more information.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/16/71927/

Assault & Flattery's 70th annual Main Show will be held Thursday-Saturday.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/16/70389/

Come enjoy breakfast with Dean Chesney!

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/17/72047/

Critical Water Issues in the American South Zoom 10:30-11:30am Zoom + viewing room 3.125

GRITS 2023 Keynote Event: Steven Donziger on Radical Lawyering In-Person Keynote: 1130-1230 pm (Eidman Courtroom) TNH 3.140 (overflow)

Reception: 1230-2:00pm Jamail Pavilion

Y’all Means All: The State of LGBTQ+ Protections in Texas Zoom 2-3p Zoom + viewing room 3.140

Carceral Ties That Bind: Abolition Feminism & Domestic Violence 3-4pm Zoom + viewing room TNH 2.138

Breaking Barriers: Disability Rights & the Legal Profession 3-4pm TNH 2.139

The State of Labor: Organizing Workers in Austin & Statewide 4-5pm TNH 2.138

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/17/73070/

Join us for our 2023 keynote speaker, Steven Donziger, on Friday, February 17 from 11:30 to 12:30 in the Eidman Courtroom. Steven Donziger will be discussing what it takes to be totally committed to cause and client. His speech will be followed by a Q+A session with attendees. This will be an amazing kick-off to the GRITS 2023 conference. Space is limited, so make sure to reserve your spot using the form below! We will also have an overflow space with a live stream of the talk available. We can't wait to see you there!

Reserve your spot for our 2023 keynote speaker: https://tinyurl.com/GRITS2023Keynote

Sign up to receive GRITS 2023 updates: https://tinyurl.com/GRITS2023 Check out our other GRITS 2023 programming: gritsconference.org

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/17/73085/

Due to the recent inclement winter weather in Texas, we’re hosting a Virtual Public Service Table Talk on Friday, February 17, from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (CT) on Flo Recruit.

Nearly 30 participating employers will be hosting 15-minute video chat sessions with up to three students in each session. You may sign-up for up to six employers.

Sign-up on Flo Recruit is now open on a first-come, first-served basis until 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15, 2023.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/17/73099/

By this point in law school you’ve learned the foundations of black letter law. You’ve learned the foundations of legal research. You’ve learned the foundations of legal writing.

Maybe you came to law school after years of participating in speech and debate. Maybe you were active in student government or community organizing. Or maybe you’ve never done any public speaking at all. Whether you end up spending every day in the courtroom arguing to a judge or group of jurors, or in a boardroom advocating to a group of venture capitalists, a necessary part of our profession is public speaking.

You advocate every day already. You are advocating for yourself when you write cover letters. You advocate when you interview for summer clerkships. You are using advocacy when you present at your upcoming LRW oral argument and even when you write exams or answer questions in class. Advocacy matters.

If you didn’t already experience success as an advocate, you wouldn’t be in law school. The art of advocacy as a lawyer is an important part of your legal education, no matter where your career in law takes you. The upcoming Workshop will offer you a chance to add more skills to your repertoire.

Professors from the Advocacy Department at the University of Texas School of Law will offer the Spring 2023 1L Public Speaking Workshop on Friday, February 17th from, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. (with lunch provided beginning at 12:30). You will be taught by successful trial lawyers and talented National Mock Trial Champions; you will be taught by lawyers who are hired to teach experienced lawyers how to be even better.

You will be on your feet. You will be practicing voice and gestures. You will work on fluidity and rhythm and pace and cadence and tone. No matter what your skill level when you walked in the door, in two hours, you will be a better advocate than before. And if you show up at 12:30, we’ll even feed you lunch.

If you have any questions or would like to request the registration form, please contact Marla Massin, mmassin@law.utexas.edu.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/17/73027/

The Black Women’s Brunch is hosted by the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society at Texas Law and sponsored by Norton Rose Fulbright. The purpose of the Black Women's Brunch is to empower Black women in the legal profession and provide a networking opportunity, connecting Black women in various stages of their careers. Those invited to attend are Black women legal professionals in Austin, particularly Texas Law Alumna, law students at UT, undergraduate students and those interested in pursuing a legal career. The event program will include a networking brunch and sessions centering experiences of Black women in the legal profession.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/18/70445/

Saturday, February 18 at 2:15pm in Eidman Courtroom. Reception to follow. RSVP here: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8ukPmitI1TwYj1I

Texas Law’s Office for Equity and Inclusion invites students, faculty, staff, and the general public to #FreeTheHair: Locking Black Hair to Civil Rights Movements with Professor D. Wendy Greene (Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law). Founder of the #FreeTheHair movement and a legal architect of the federal CROWN Act alongside parallel civil rights legislation, Professor Greene will discuss her legal scholarship and public advocacy combating race-based discrimination of African descendants when donning natural hairstyles like twists, braids, Afros and locs. As one of the nation's leading legal experts on "grooming codes discrimination" and Director of Kline Law's Center for Law, Policy, & Social Action, Professor Greene will also explore landmark U.S. legal reforms her scholarly activism is shaping, which redress this systematic form of racial discrimination and are transforming civil rights laws and discourse globally.

This event has been accredited by the State Bar of Texas for 1.00 hour of CLE credit.

Special thanks to the Diverse Voices Speaker Series Founding Sponsor, Vinson & Elkins LLP, and Partner Sponsor, Greenberg Traurig LLP.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/18/72406/

Extending the Green Wave: Lessons from Reproductive Justice Movements in Latin America 4-5pm Zoom + Viewing room in TNH 2.137

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2023/02/18/73086/