College of Law | University of Illinois

Professor Eric Freyfogle has been named a Swanlund Chair, the highest endowed title bestowed upon faculty at the Urbana campus. The Swanlund Chair is named for alumna Maybelle Leland Swanlund, and was established to attract leaders in the arts and sciences to the University and recognize current faculty members who have made exceptional contributions in their fields.

University of Illinois News Bureau

Professor John Colombo, the Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Professor, testified on July 25 before the House Committee on Ways and Means. The hearing focused on organizational and compliance issues related to public charities, including the increased complexity of public charity organizational structures, the rules governing profit-generating activities giving rise to unrelated business income tax, and whether the newly redesigned Form 990 is promoting increased compliance and transparency.

He concluded: “[It] is certainly time for Congress to undertake a comprehensive review of [the Internal Revenue Code] rules and enact provisions that embody a clear rationale with clear lines demarking appropriate and inappropriate activities.”

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The 2012 Vacketta-DLA Piper Lecture featured Jeffrey Davidow, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Venezuela, and Zambia; and Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group. In his talk, Ambassador Davidow explored the complexity of the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico and how important the ties are for both countries.

Listen to his talk, titled "The Complicated but Vital Relationship: The U.S. and Mexico" 

Lawrence Lessig, director of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics at Harvard University and professor of law at Harvard Law School, gave the 79^th David C. Baum Memorial Lecture on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights. 

Listen to his talk, titled "The Other Side to Madison's Dilemma: When the Problem of Civil Rights Becomes the Problem of Minority Factions"

Congratulations to the five Illinois Law alums who were honored by Chicago Lawyer Magazine in their annual list of 40 under 40.

• Steve Ciszewski (’99), partner at Novack and Macey LLP
• Paul Farahvar (’99), president and CEO of Cuisinier, Farahvar & Benson
• Ngozi Okorfor (’98), procurement counsel at Illinois Department of Central Management Services
• Daliah Saper (’04), principal at Saper Law, LLC
• William Tarnow (’97), partner at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP

Professor Richard Kaplan explains Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s proposal to place a $17,000 cap on income tax deductions, a change that would effectively reduce many popular tax breaks, including deductions for home mortgage interest and charitable donations.

Read the interview with the News Bureau

Federal law ought to play a stronger role in regulating social networking sites by allowing users to determine what happens to their “digital afterlives,” says Professor Jason Mazzone, the Lynn H. Murray Faculty Scholar.

Read the News Bureau’s full story

Thirteen private gifts totaling more than $11 million earmarked for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were announced on September 28, 2012 at the U of I Foundation’s 77th Annual Meeting. Among them was a $1 million deferred gift from Carl Vacketta (’65) to establish the Carl L. Vacketta Scholarship at the College of Law. For the scholarship fund, preference will be given to students from his high school, Westville, as well as other qualified candidates from Vermilion County, Illinois.

The UIF press release

Professor Eric Freyfogle has been named a Swanlund Chair, the highest endowed title bestowed upon faculty at the Urbana campus. The Swanlund Chair is named for alumna Maybelle Leland Swanlund, and was established to attract leaders in the arts and sciences to the University and recognize current faculty members who have made exceptional contributions in their fields.

University of Illinois News Bureau

As reported in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, graduates of the University of Illinois College of Law achieved a 98% passage rate among first-time test takers on the July 2012 administration of the Illinois bar examination – the highest passage rate among the nine law schools in the state of Illinois.

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The 2012 Vacketta-DLA Piper Lecture featured Jeffrey Davidow, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Venezuela, and Zambia; and Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group. In his talk, Ambassador Davidow explored the complexity of the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico and how important the ties are for both countries.

Listen to his talk, titled "The Complicated but Vital Relationship: The U.S. and Mexico" 

The University of Illinois College of Law and the League of Women Voters released the 2010-11 Courtwatching Report of observations made in Champaign County courtroom proceedings. The report covers the period from September 1, 2010 through December 1, 2011, during which time 45 total trials were observed. The courtwatching program, one of the longest standing in the state, provides a comprehensive review of court proceedings and personnel, with a particular focus on jury trials.

Read more about the project's findings

Professor Eric Freyfogle has been named a Swanlund Chair, the highest endowed title bestowed upon faculty at the Urbana campus. The Swanlund Chair is named for alumna Maybelle Leland Swanlund, and was established to attract leaders in the arts and sciences to the University and recognize current faculty members who have made exceptional contributions in their fields.

University of Illinois News Bureau

As reported in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, graduates of the University of Illinois College of Law achieved a 98% passage rate among first-time test takers on the July 2012 administration of the Illinois bar examination – the highest passage rate among the nine law schools in the state of Illinois.

Read More

The 2012 Vacketta-DLA Piper Lecture featured Jeffrey Davidow, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Venezuela, and Zambia; and Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group. In his talk, Ambassador Davidow explored the complexity of the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico and how important the ties are for both countries.

Listen to his talk, titled "The Complicated but Vital Relationship: The U.S. and Mexico" 

Congratulations to the five Illinois Law alums who were honored by Chicago Lawyer Magazine in their annual list of 40 under 40.

• Steve Ciszewski (’99), partner at Novack and Macey LLP
• Paul Farahvar (’99), president and CEO of Cuisinier, Farahvar & Benson
• Ngozi Okorfor (’98), procurement counsel at Illinois Department of Central Management Services
• Daliah Saper (’04), principal at Saper Law, LLC
• William Tarnow (’97), partner at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP

Thirteen private gifts totaling more than $11 million earmarked for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were announced on September 28, 2012 at the U of I Foundation’s 77th Annual Meeting. Among them was a $1 million deferred gift from Carl Vacketta (’65) to establish the Carl L. Vacketta Scholarship at the College of Law. For the scholarship fund, preference will be given to students from his high school, Westville, as well as other qualified candidates from Vermilion County, Illinois.

The UIF press release

The University of Illinois College of Law has announced that it raised $50,198,446 in the University of Illinois’ recently completed Brilliant Futures Campaign, surpassing the College’s $50 million goal. The campaign, which concluded on March 31, 2012, targeted five areas: (1) endowed faculty positions, to recruit and retain world-class scholar-teachers; (2) scholarships, to recruit and support outstanding students; (3) funding for the College’s cutting-edge, interdisciplinary programs; (4) facilities improvements; and (5) the College’s Annual Fund, which provides unrestricted support for the College’s operations and initiatives. The announcement was made by Dean Bruce P. Smith at the College’s Annual Alumni Luncheon at the University Club in Chicago on April 19.
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Professor Eric Freyfogle has been named a Swanlund Chair, the highest endowed title bestowed upon faculty at the Urbana campus. The Swanlund Chair is named for alumna Maybelle Leland Swanlund, and was established to attract leaders in the arts and sciences to the University and recognize current faculty members who have made exceptional contributions in their fields.

University of Illinois News Bureau

Professor John Colombo, the Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Professor, testified on July 25 before the House Committee on Ways and Means. The hearing focused on organizational and compliance issues related to public charities, including the increased complexity of public charity organizational structures, the rules governing profit-generating activities giving rise to unrelated business income tax, and whether the newly redesigned Form 990 is promoting increased compliance and transparency.

He concluded: “[It] is certainly time for Congress to undertake a comprehensive review of [the Internal Revenue Code] rules and enact provisions that embody a clear rationale with clear lines demarking appropriate and inappropriate activities.”

Read More 

As reported in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, graduates of the University of Illinois College of Law achieved a 98% passage rate among first-time test takers on the July 2012 administration of the Illinois bar examination – the highest passage rate among the nine law schools in the state of Illinois.

Read More

The 2012 Vacketta-DLA Piper Lecture featured Jeffrey Davidow, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Venezuela, and Zambia; and Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group. In his talk, Ambassador Davidow explored the complexity of the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico and how important the ties are for both countries.

Listen to his talk, titled "The Complicated but Vital Relationship: The U.S. and Mexico" 

Professor Richard Kaplan explains Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s proposal to place a $17,000 cap on income tax deductions, a change that would effectively reduce many popular tax breaks, including deductions for home mortgage interest and charitable donations.

Read the interview with the News Bureau

Federal law ought to play a stronger role in regulating social networking sites by allowing users to determine what happens to their “digital afterlives,” says Professor Jason Mazzone, the Lynn H. Murray Faculty Scholar.

Read the News Bureau’s full story

Professor Jay P. Kesan has been appointed as an Edison Scholar in the Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The USPTO plays a very influential role in developing national and international patent policy and in shaping the innovation policy ecosystem in all technology sectors in the economy. Professor Kesan will be researching and advising the Office on various emerging patent policy and innovation policy matters.

Professor Suja Thomas's keynote address at Seattle University School of Law entitled "Before and After the Summary Judgment Trilogy" was published in the Loyola University Chicago Law Journal at 43 Loy. U. Chi. L.J. 499 (2012).

Professor Jason Mazzone's article, “Batson Remedies,” was recently published in volume 97 of the Iowa Law Review. The article is part of a symposium marking the 25th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Batson v. Kentucky, which held unconstitutional the use of peremptory challenges to remove potential jurors on the basis of their race. Professor Mazzone takes up the question of the appropriate remedy for a Batson violation and in doing so demonstrates some under-appreciated opportunities state courts have to address discriminatory jury practices.  

Professor Jay P. Kesan was quoted in an article, "The Patent, Used as a Sword" by Charles Duhigg and Steve Lohr. Full article

Professor Dara Purvis published a book review of Joanna L. Grossman and Lawrence M. Friedman's "Inside the Castle: Law and the Family in 20th Century America" in the Law and History Review. 30 Law & Hist. Rev. 933 (2012).

On October 3-4, Professor Kesan presented the results of a study on "Patent Transfers: FRAND Licensing and Transparency," funded and commissioned by the Board of Science, Technology and Economic Policy (STEP) of the National Academies. The presentation was part of the Symposium on Management of Intellectual Property in Standard-Setting Processes, held in Washington, D.C. 

Professor Jay P. Kesan participated in a forum discussion at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) exploring issues related to the creation of a Patent Small Claims Court and considering an ABA Advisory Report on the possibility of creating such a court.

Professor Arden Rowell published "Partial Valuation in Cost-Benefit Analysis" in the Administrative Law Review. 64 Admin. L. Rev. 723 (2012).

Professor Arden Rowell acted as a commentator at the University of Pennsylvania Law School at the Penn Program on Regulation's conference on "Regulation's Impact on Jobs." 

Professor Jason Mazzone presented his paper, "The Normalization of Anonymous Testimony," at the Florida State University College of Law in Tallahassee. The paper, co-authored with Tobias Fischer, examines the global rise in the use of testimony in criminal trials by witnesses whose identities are kept hidden. Professor Mazzone also taught an advanced seminar on criminal copyright law. 

Professors Lesley Wexler and Arden Rowell presented “Valuing Foreign Lives” to the Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security group at the University of Illinois.

Professor Kurt Lash's article, "The Constitutional Referendum of 1866: Andrew Johnson and the Original Meaning of the Privileges or Immunities Clause" made SSRN's Top Ten download list for Political Institutions: Constitutions eJournal. 

Professor Kurt Lash's article, "The Constitutional Referendum of 1866: Andrew Johnson and the Original Meaning of the Privileges or Immunities Clause" has been accepted for publication in the Georgetown Law Journal.

Professor Lesley Wexler presented “Extra-Legal White Washes” at the Labor and Employment Colloquium.

Professor Paul Heald and Susannah Chapman published "Veggie Tales: Pernicious Myths about Patents, Innovation, and Crop Diversity in the Twentieth Century" in the University of Illinois Law Review. 2012 U. Ill. L. Rev. 1051 (2012).

Professor Jay Kesan presented "PGR, IPR, CBM -- A Comparative Perspective from Japan" at the Conference for The America Invents Act: One Year Later. This conference was hosted at Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Professor Arden Rowell was appointed to the Advisory Committee for a Center on a Sustainable Environment, a new interdisciplinary center to be situated at the University of Illinois. The other faculty appointees were Jeff Brawn, the Department Head of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences; Amr Elnashi, the Department Head of Civil & Environmental Engineering; and Wes Jarrell, professor emeritus of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and former director of the Environmental Change Institute.

Professor Kurt Lash published "'Resolution VI': The Virginia Plan and Authority to Resolve Collective Action Problems under Article I, Section 8" in the Notre Dame Law Review. 87 Notre Dame L. Rev. 2123 (2012).