BOHMs AWAY! Lessons from a Collection Survey

VCU James Branch Cabell Library underwent a major renovation and expansion from 2014 to 2016, necessitating a move of all special collections and archives materials. After the move we surveyed our collections to help us regain intellectual and physical control. In addition, the survey allowed us to assess whether collections were in need of additional processing or reprocessing to make them more accessible physically and intellectually, identify special formats, and address conservation issues. To conduct the survey, we created a form and used this in conjunction with the assessment tool in Archivists’ Toolkit. The form included checklists to note information such as material formats other than paper, specific condition and preservation issues, as well as a general notes field. For brevity and consistency, we created a list of abbreviations to use. Collections were ranked using an agreed upon set of criteria in multiple categories. The rankings have helped determine which collections are in most need of attention. During the course of the survey we discovered that not all collections were processed equally, meaning that they didn’t always conform to best practices and standards. This poster will expand upon what we learned and what we’re doing with the information we obtained

Balancing Liberty, Dignity and Safety: The Impact of Domestic Violence Lethality Screening

This Article undertakes the first ever analysis of the consequences of the justice and legal system’s extensive use of lethality assessment tools for women subjected to abuse. An increasing number of states are now requiring their police, prosecutors, civil attorneys, advocates, service providers, and court personnel to assess women in order to obtain a score that indicates the woman’s lethality risk because of domestic violence. The mandated danger assessment screen of all women subjected to violence focuses only on the risk of homicide and thereby limits the definition of what is domestic violence. In addition, the accompanying protocol for the screen addresses the homicide risk by directing women into particular courses of action, some of which may actually increase their risk. This Article argues that the state’s and legal system’s pervasive use of lethality assessment tools encroaches on women’s dignity unnecessarily and even detrimentally. To better address the domestic violence experienced by women, society needs to ensure that its pursuit of one goal - the reduction of homicide - does not undermine its other goals - such as the respect necessary for the woman’s dignity and autonomy. To address these concerns, this Article first suggests that there should be full transparency to both the woman subjected to abuse and legal system actors about the benefits and disadvantages of lethality assessments. Second, all administrators of lethality assessments should ensure they obtain the woman’s informed consent to conduct the screening or permit the woman to decline the screen. Third, in order to address the serious concern of coercion, risk assessment administrators should engage in woman-centered counseling, so that options for courses of action are evaluated through the lens of the woman’s objectives

Symposium: An Experiment in Integrating Critical Theory and Clinical Education

Critical theory is important in live-client clinical teaching as a means to achieve the pedagogical goals of clinical education. Feminist legal theory, critical race theory, and poverty law theory serve as useful frameworks to enable students to deconstruct assumptions they, persons within institutions, and broader society make about the students\u27 clients and their lives. Critical theory highlights the importance of looking for both the obvious and non-obvious relationships of domination. Thus, critical theory informs students of the presence and importance of alternative voices that challenge the dominant discourse. When student attorneys ignore or are unaware of such voices, other voices invisibly influence the lawyer-client relationship and lawyering activities, such as interviewing, case theory generation, fact investigation, strategic planning, counseling, and problem-solving. Critical theory also has a value in transmitting a structured and systemic critique of law, legal institutions, and lawyering. This Article discusses the way in which the Women and the Law Clinic and the Domestic Violence Clinic at the Washington College of Law at American University have attempted to incorporate feminist legal theory, critical race theory, and poverty law theory into our jointly-run seminar in order to further the clinics\u27 pedagogical goals. Our effort began with identifying feminist and other critical legal theories that resonate with the lives of our clinics\u27 clients, their legal and non-legal issues, and the lawyering skills and values we teach. Next, we created a simulated fact pattern that is intended to highlight the theoretical issues we want to teach. Finally, we selected scholarly readings that discuss the theoretical concepts, and assign them to be read in preparation for the lecture and simulation exercise classes that we believe provide the best context in which to discuss the theory. This Article sets forth details of this ongoing project and explores the impact that infusion of critical theory in every aspect of the clinic has had on achievement of our pedagogical goals

A Unified Approach to Causation in Disparate Treatment Cases: Using Sexual Harassment by Supervisors as the Causal Nexus for the Discriminatory Motivating Factor in Mixed Motive Cases

This Comment examines a unified approach for disparate treatment mixed motives claims paired with sexual harassment claims under Title VII. The Author argues that because of the policy for nondiscriminatory and desegregated work environments embodied in Title VII, and because of the documented harm resulting from sexual harassment, courts should allow the burden of proof to shift to the defendant if the plaintiff demonstrates that her supervisor sexually harassed her, or condoned the harassment, and that the harassing supervisor made an employment decision that was adverse to her

Feminist Judgments & #MeToo

The Feminist Judgments book series and the #MeToo movement share the feminist method of narrative. Feminist Judgments is a scholarly project of rewriting judicial opinions using feminist legal theory. #MeToo is a narrative movement by people, primarily women, telling their stories of sexual harassment or assault. Both Feminist Judgments and #MeToo bring to the surface stories that have been silenced, untold, or overlooked. These narrative collections can and do effectuate genderjustice change by empowering people, changing perspectives, opening up new learning, and affecting future legal and nonlegal outcomes

A Unified Approach to Causation in Disparate Treatment Cases: Using Sexual Harassment by Supervisors as the Causal Nexus for the Discriminatory Motivating Factor in Mixed Motive Cases

This Comment examines a unified approach for disparate treatment mixed motives claims paired with sexual harassment claims under Title VII. The Author argues that because of the policy for nondiscriminatory and desegregated work environments embodied in Title VII, and because of the documented harm resulting from sexual harassment, courts should allow the burden of proof to shift to the defendant if the plaintiff demonstrates that her supervisor sexually harassed her, or condoned the harassment, and that the harassing supervisor made an employment decision that was adverse to her