The Veterans Legal Advocacy Center

Announcement of the new Veterans Legal Advocacy Center

Rape and the \u3cem\u3eQuerela\u3c/em\u3e in Italy: False Protection of Victim Agency

This Essay describes the history of the querela in Italy and explores the controversy surrounding the decision to maintain this institution. In addition, this Essay questions the degree to which the querela can protect victim agency when the attitudes of judges and lawyers in the Italian criminal justice system reflect persistent rape myths

Empathetic Advocacy - law schools and our veterans

GGU Law Dean Rachel Van Cleave discusses how to best advocate for veterans attending law school

Viewpoint: Coming Together, Crafting Solutions

I have previously called for greater collaboration among a broad variety of lawyers to address the critical issues facing legal education and the legal profession. Private lawyers, government attorneys, public interest lawyers, legal educators, and even law school regulators must come together at the table for the betterment of the profession. Last week, two conferences made some initial and very positive strides in this direction. The NALP Foundation and West LegalEdcenter held a one-day forum, Tomorrow\u27s Law Practice: A Forum on the Market, Demand and Opportunities for Lawyers; and the Educating Tomorrow\u27s Lawyers Initiative held its annual conference entitled, Connecting the Academy & the Profession. The candid conversations at these conferences constitute a significant shift away from the finger-pointing that has dominated discussions among and between these constituencies. Unlike some, embroiled in today\u27s political stalemate in the federal government, we must choose to take on our challenges and accomplish productive change. While the pointed and rigorous debates of differences and misunderstandings are very important, it is our common interests and goals that provide an important framework for continuing to advance the legal profession by preparing today\u27s law students for a new practice. It is clear that lawyers from all sectors of the profession share a critical and fundamental point of view: we want a positive future for the legal profession, justice and democratic values, and we care deeply about the success of our students. It follows that this future also lies with the success of current and prospective law students. Focusing on a framework that is based on cultivating our future colleagues can help us ensure that the legal profession flourishes and fulfills its essential goals of serving justice and our democratic society

Practice Perfect

Institutions of higher education and law schools in particular are currently addressing new questions about the value and form of the education they offer, due, in part, to economic reality, practical necessity, and public scrutiny. Changes in the nature of the legal profession and the market, the cost of legal education, and most recently the purpose of the third year of law school, have each been at the center of professional conversations, public debate and media stories about reform. Like my colleagues at other law schools, I am certainly involved with these critical conversations. I am also working with GGU Law faculty members and program leaders to launch and execute a comprehensive three-year action plan this fall. The plan will provide clear strategy and guidance and more importantly, tackle critical areas that address the needs of students from the time they enter law school through their transition into the profession

A Primer for Teaching Law as an Adjunct Professor

After practicing law and perhaps specializing in a particular area for several years, you cannot help but think, I wish they had taught me [blank] in law school. You start to wonder whether you could teach a class at a local law school. Here are some tips for pursuing such an endeavor

Engaging Work, Working While Engaged

Several recent items have led me to reflect on the meaning of work. Law students often ask my advice about their careers, and I typically ask them what they enjoy. “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day” is one of my favorite quotes. Therefore, Gordon Marino’s piece in the New York Times, Sunday Review, A Life Beyond ‘Do What You Love’ (May 18, 2014), gave me pause. Marino questions whether the advice of do what you love is really sound advice, as well as whether it is advice only for the elite who might have the luxury of following their passion. I certainly love my current job, and I have always loved the different jobs I have held. What should I tell these law students and recent graduates, especially when the legal profession is undergoing tremendous transformations and remains a challenging job market