While holding tight to our heritage through the traditional architectural design of the new building, we\u27re moving toward a new paradigm in the way lawyers are educated. The new School of Law will continue to embrace the Socratic Method, yet house computerized casebooks and dedicated networks and spaces devoted to today\u27s legal practices

Hart, Chris

English

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Raising Standards, Praising Tradition

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B ut rhings changed in higher educa- _+-________ _ By CHRIS HART e. e d rion , beginning in the 1980s, and around the same time legal educarion took on critics posing the twin questions of rele-va ncy and readiness. The basic issue was rhis: Lawyers in training need more legroom, better access to the latesr instru-menrs for doing their jobs, collegial rela-tionships with ralented an d busy faculty members. I ~ ~ I -----cD ou're looking at early drawings for a law school that will change the way lawyers are educated in Maryland and quite proba-bly across the nation. It is a building that represents a new paradigm in the way stu-dents are introduced to the wo rlds of torts, criminal statutes, legal theory, and trial work-the viciss itudes of the lawyering lif, Yes, th e Socratic Method lives within thes envisioned wal ls, but so do computerized casebooks, Internet-based research tools, and dedicated networks and spaces devote to up-and-running legal practices. In the modern parlance, every University of Matyland law student inhabiting this stru ture over the next half century will be "jacked in "-that is, lin ked to a breathtak ing array of technology and serv ices. Information . Knowledge. Potential. ~W r--: R r ~ I::-f0- r;: f= .... 1= 1= 1= ~ c-p -1= ~ Leadership. 0 How do you achieve all that in a riny classroom stuffed inside a cinderb lock building' fter years of wo rkin g in deteriorar-A ing rowhouses and student spaces crammed beneath parking garages, rhe School of Law has decided to answer thar question with a drafting pencil and a construcrion crew. A new, beautifully rendered, fi ve-story srructure will take roor over rhe nexr two to three yea rs. Ir will be a major highlight of the Un iversity campus, rising over irs northern edge like a fl agship . And like a flagship on the evening ride, orher ves-sels-including yours, as an alumnus o r Ji friend of rhe school-will rise wirh it. , "When we' re done," says Donald G. G ifford , dean and srandard-bearer of the ~ building effort, "we will have rhe besr facility in the U nired Srares for students working direcr-Iy wirh clients in a major law school From its frugal but honorable begin-nings on Lombard Street to its present home one block north on Baltimore Stree the School of Law has operated on the assumption that leading studenrs and teach t , ~~ -ers wo uld gravitate to it simply because of -Mr . th e school's srature in rhe larger communi i 11m · Success Breeds Success, Inc. JL :1' A~ I facili ty. We simply will be rhe best." • ~I Prai SIll JD MAGAZINE FALL 1998 r III -T hat statemenr packs a wall op. ~ G iffo rd, now in his sevenrh year at the school, naturally likes ro talk about the insticution in superlatives-nationally ranked program s in environmenrallaw, health care law, clin ical law; outstand ing faculty; fi rst-rate srudenrs; graduates who J ust completing its fi rst year, the C ri tical Momenr campaign fo r the new law school is progressing steadily, energetical ly, with one genuine surprise so fa r: fac ul ty giving is nea rly 100 percenr-gifts are coming in at $25,000, $30,000, even the $40,000 range. T hese are major do nati o ns co ming fro m law school pro fesso rs. -+--1 end up as senarors, judges, and CEOs-R obert Percival, professor and direcro r of the Environmental Law Program and co-chair of the facul ty com-mittee overseeing the intern al camp~ ign , said he is "asrounded" by the level of suc-cess so fa r. but from his earlies t days here he believed that the building conraining all this excel-lence is among the worst he has seen. "Our building is not us," G ifford says with a smile. "It does n' t refl ect who we are or what we will be. But we've put up with it since 1966 because our predeces-sors saw legal education in a very differenr way. You can' t blame them fo r thar. Still , evetyone who passes through the dim hallways and under the low ceilings, espe-cially in the clinics, knows that we' re bet-ter than this. T he campaign ro crea te a new law school proves ir. " "It's a unique sro ry," Percival d~c1ares. "Other fundraisers who looked at us said we would do well ro get 70 percent of our fac ulty donating. But this is qui te a colle-gial place, and the enrhusiasm for the new building is so great that just about every-body has made a pledge. I've even had col-leagues come up ro me and say, 'When are you go ing ro ask me ro give? I've been waiting. " ',-I '.D T alking about a new building appears ro have freed something in the psyche of the law school, if you will ': It reminds those who have experie'nced it how atypi-cal the school is am~ng its peers, how sharply it conrras ts wi th the legal educa-tion of old. It also demonstrates that a graduate 's srock can rise or fall depending on the fortunes of his or her alma mater. "I realized we needed a new facili ty when people starred showing admiration for my undergraduate alma mater," Percival explains. "M yoid school had made a lot of physical improvemenrs since 1'd left, and the word was getting around that it was on the rise. It made me proud that 1'd gone there. 1'd like ro see the same thing happen for our graduates when we rebuild. " "When we rebuild"-it's a phrase that might have seemed unutterable only fi ve years ago. N ow that the commitmenr is looking solid, what will $38,286,000 in JD MAGAZINE FALL 1998 donated and matching state funds get for the School of Law? __ © urrent plans, being labored over by architects at Hartman-Cox of Washington, D.C., and Richter Cornbrooks Gribble, Inc. in Baltimore, call for the following features: • A 50 percent increase in the overall size of the building, with most of the struc-ture devoted to classroom and clinic activities; • Hardwired computer networks, with full Internet and distance-learning capabilities; • A first-floor 88-seat moot courtroom; • Extensive classrooms on the first floor-space devoted to continuing education, bar reviews, etc., when classes are not in sessIOn; • A cutting-edge clinical law facility; • Numerous small-group discussion and study rooms; • A writing center; • A legal skills classroom; and • Devoted space for student-edited publi-cations such as The Business Lawyer and Maryland Law Review. In addition, the Thurgood Marshall Law Library will receive modest renova-(ions to increase room for the stacks and make better use of current facilities. The courtyard behind the L-shaped school will also grow slightly and be more welcoming. JD MAGAZ INE FALL 1998 And how will the new building look? Mario Boiardi, partner in charge for Hartman-Cox and senior designer for the project, is working closely with Dean Gifford and the faculty to create a design that works with the rest of campus, but also has a distinctive appearance that says "law taught here." As of now, that mes-sage is conveyed via the neo-Gothic style-dark red brick, tall, finely detailed windows, broad entryways. oiardi, who contributed to the B architecture for tl1e Georgetown Law Center's significant renovations, says the appearance of the building is meant to make it easily identified as a major compo-nent of the Baltimore campus, but also appropriate for a neighborhood that is receiving renewed attention from develop-ment interests, private and public. "In one of the first meetings I had with Dean Gifford, I asked him what he wanted the building to look like, and he pointed to Westminster Hall, the former church that abuts the school. That made sense to me- it's a beautiful structure, evocative of Oxford. It was also clear that he did not want the school to appear alien to other buildings in the neighbor-hood. " In the end, economics will influence the overall design of the structure. But suffice it to say that Boiardi and Gifford are determined not to allow so-called "functional rationalism"-that card-board-box style of architecture that swept through American campuses in the post-war period-to get even a toehold in the new school. Boiardi: "The intention is to create a state-of-the-art learning environment for students and teachers of the law." Gifford: "We're going to put up a structure that offers maximum interaction between student and faculty." Clearly, the two principals of this pro-ject are on the same page of blueprints. A round the middle of the 21 st cen-tlily, some member of the next generation of bright young lawyers may find a dusty copy of this JD in his moth-er's collection of alumni memorabilia. He' ll pore over the article about the new school, about the hopes and dreams of those who will occupy it for a few pre-cious years of their lives. He may look out a window of the handsome structure at 500 West Baltimore Street, and think back to those days when it existed only as sketches and models. "They cared about us," he'll say. "They cared about the law." Frankly Speaking ... T here's a term in old English law-the "frank-pledge." It refers to the commitment made by English freemen toward corporate responsibili ty and good behavior for all free-born citizens over the age of 14. Black's defines it as a "pledge of surety to the sovereign for rhe collecrive good conducr of a group." If ever there was a time for fri ends and alumni of the School of Law to make a frank-pledge, this is it. As we focus on rhe look and content of our new building- a building that will pay for itself in terms of high-quali ty studenrs, teachers and programs well into the next centuty- we are facing a looming deadline: W e must meet or exceed $8 million in campaign gifts and pledges if we are to capitalize on the state legislature's offer to rriple that amount. T he opportuni ty is staring us in the face . It's the judgmental , yet hopeful look of grear legal scholars like D avid Hoffman, who got rhe school off to a solid starr in 1816. It's John Brumbaugh, Wharto n, Levin , Ehrmantraur Klein, & Nash Distinguished Service Scholar and Emeritus Professo r of Law, and mentor of perhaps more great If ever there was a time for friends and alumni of the School of Law to make a "frank-pledge," this is it. lawyers and leaders than any other single person in the history of Maty land. It's teenagers and residents in Park H eights, Bal timore, where our students and reachers have esrablished a significant presence in rhe search for legal ways our of the chaos of urban poverty and srri fe . Many eyes are trained on rhe School of Law. Some already know what we can acco mplish; orhers have grear expectarions. If rhey pass by rhe school, they might wo nder: All rhat good work is being done in rhere? H ow long can they keep it up? Ir's a legitimate quesrion. W hile we provide clinical expertise in hundreds of cases every year, and while our srudents find crearive and as tounding ways to meet their exrensive public-service requirements, only so much can be accomplished wirh a couple of rooms and some PCs. For those of us who know rhe school well, it sends a bir of a chill: W ill Maryland's besr law students search elsewhere for rheir ideal school, because rhe school in rheir backyard could nor measure up in rerms of fac iliries and srudy space? And , even to ugher to swallow: W ill we, as producrs of the University of Maryland , be sarisfied wirh such a prognosis? _--+ __ --( A r the dare of th is publicari on, gifrs to rhe building campaign to tal $5.8 million. T har's well over halfway to rhe goal , bur still too lirtle for us to get comforrable. In facr, none of us should feel comfortable. We should be agira ted , even righreous-concerned abour the long-term fu ture of training and education for Maryland's lawyers, its principals in business, politics and other keysto ne instirutions. If these talented people don'r earn their JDs in Maty land, how are we go ing to keep them in Maty land or bring tllem back to Maryland ? T here is no sly and sophisticated way to say this: We need yo ur help . T he competition could be gai ning on us. So, the next time yo u crack open the Maryland Code, or wrap up a business plan yo u've labored over or edi r a computer file tllat contains your latest patent application, think about the School of Law. G ive a second thoughr to those who gave you a sho t. And make a frank-pledge that will free up the men and women of the law in the future. T hey' re waiting to hear from you. JD MAGAZINE FALL 1998 The University of Maryland School of Law would like to thank the following contributors (as of Sept. 25) for their generous gifts to the Building Campaign! $2 Million and Above France-Merrick Foundations $200,000 - 500,000 Ano nymous Carlyn & So l Hubert $1 00,000-199,999 Paul Bekman T . Carro ll Brown Fra ncis B. Burch J r. Math ias J. DeVito Rhona S. G insberg James J. Hanks Jr. Joseph R. Hard iman Leroy E. Hoffberger Leonard A. Orman Adena W. and M. David T esta $50,000 - 99,999 Duro n Inc.!The Feinberg Foundation Ellen M . Heller & Shale D. Still er Barbara Kerr Howe, Susan L. Howe, & H arvey S. H owe III David Levin Stuart and Suzanne Salsbury Shawe & Rosenrhal Arnold M . Weiner $25,000 - 49,999 Mr. and Mrs. Richard Al ter Richard D. Bennett M r. and Mrs. Joseph F innerry J r. Gallagher, Evelius & Jones Nancy & Henry Hopkins Steven P. Loclunan C.E. and D elphine Peck H anan and Carole Sibel Richard C. T ilghman Jr. Jeffrey A. Wyand $10,000 - 24,999 CalY M. Adams Abe A. Bailey Lynne A. Battaglia Wes & Georgia Blakeslee Raymond Blank j oseph P. Blocher, Linowes & Blocher, L.L.P. The Hon . Andre Davis and Margaret Roberts Wi lli am B. Dulany, Esq. C harles O . Fisher Howard & Karen "Chaya" Friedm an James J. G itomer JD MAGAZINE FA LL 1998 Louise Michaux Go nzales, Esq. T homas B. Lewis, Esq. P. Michael Nagle O 'Malley, Mi les, Nylen & G ilmore, P.A. Wi lbert Sirota Rudolph A. Vignon e $1,000 - 9,999 Al iso n L. Asti , Esq . Phyllis and Dennis Belman Myrna and Ben Cardin Sal ly C. C hester and Gerri G. W ill fo rd D aniel H. C rowley T he Ho n. Elij ah E. C ummings PG Co unry Executive Wayne K. C urry Robert H. D yer Jr. and L. Paige Marvel James R. Eyler Jeffrey B. Fisher, Esq. H erbert S. Garten Frank R. Go ldstein , Esq . Robert G. Goss C hrist ina & C hristopher G rigorian Isaac & Cathar ine H echt The Hon. Patricia C. Jessam y State's Atto rney fo r Baltimore C ity Raymond G. LaPlaca Jeffrey and Anne Kell y Laynor Myles V. Lynk Alfred 1. Maleson Bernard S. Meyer, Esq. Howard B. Mi ller David B. M itchell , Esq. The H on. D iana G . Mo tz and the Hon. J. F rederick Motz T he H on. C harles ]. M uskin John C. Nason The H on. Lawrence F. Rodowsky G ilbert and Lora Rosenrhal Shelley Sadowsky, Esq. Sheldon P. Schuman, Esq. Sruan and Candace Simms Seymour B. Stern , Esq. C raig A. T hompso n M. M elin da Thompson U nivers iry of M aryland School of Law Alu mni Associa tion Mr. and Mrs. Mart in Z . Vogel hut Roger D . W inston Faculty and Staff - $294,005 j ose Ball amonde-GonzaIez Taunya Lovell Banks Barbara Bezdek David Bogen Richard A. Booth Trishana E. Bowden Surell Brady Irving and Sal ly Breitowitz john and AJ ice Brumbaugh Hungdau C hiu Douglas L. Colbert and Suzanne Sangree Karen Czapanskiy A. A. D ash Jerry and Sue Deise Susa n H ankin D enise Joseph B. Espo and Rena 1. Steinzor John and j aner Ester jim and Vickie Forsyrh Larry S. G ibson Don and Na ncy G iffo rd Shelley B. G itomer Barbara Go nrrum O scar S. G ray D eborah S. H ellm an Sranley S. H err Diane E. Hoffman Alan D. Hornstein David and Karen H yman Sherrilyn A. Ift ll Robert 1. Ke ller A ndy Ki ng Susan Lev ito n Linda McDonnell Dana L. Morris, J .D. Tricia D. O 'Neill and T imothy L. Mulli n Jr. Mr. and Mrs. M ax Stul Oppenheimer Joan L. O 'S ullivan Robert V. Percival Peter E. Quinr W illiam L. Reynolds Karen H. Rothenberg Jana B. Singer Roben E. Suggs Mr. & Mrs. Edward A. Tom linson Katherin e L. Vaughns Anthony Waters Deborah j . Weimer Marley S. Weiss Roger C. Wolf joel Woodey Gordon G. and Rurh F. Young • Gifts IIIIt/a $1,000 are 1101 lisled • Names fire fisted according /0 the specificalions oftbe donor 

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Raising Standards, Praising Tradition

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