School of Law's Litigation Skills Week March 7-11
March 1, 2006
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
The University of Baltimore School of Law will celebrate its third annual Litigation Skills Week March 7-11 with a number of events highlighting the skills involved in the practice of law, as well as a special ceremony to mark the beginning of a unique educational collaboration.
Featured events include a series of seminars throughout the week examining the changing nature of the modern court trial; the induction of four awardees into the school’s Legacy of Excellence in Education fellowship; and a working session of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. Unless otherwise indicated, all events will be held in the John and Frances Angelos Law Center, 1429 Maryland Ave., and are free and open to the public. (R.S.V.P. required; see details below.)
Events begin on Tuesday, March 7, at 5:30 p.m. in the Venable Baetjer Howard Moot Court Room, with a celebration of a new collaboration between the School of Law and the American College of Trial Lawyers—an unprecedented litigation skills training effort to be called the Student Litigation Fellows program.
This collaboration will offer a select group of students the highest level of training and assessment in the art and science of courtroom advocacy by bringing together law school faculty and the nation’s best trial lawyers. The administration of the University of Baltimore School of Law and fellows of the Maryland chapter of the ACTL will gather to celebrate the commencement of this new venture.
Following the ceremony, the first of the week’s seminars, “Is the Jury Trial Vanishing?,” will take place in the moot court room. This event, presented by the ACTL, will consider the current state of the jury trial, which has been marked in recent years by phenomena such as jury nullification (the trend of jurors making a “statement” about justice by using their verdict to deny the clear guilt or innocence of certain claimants), three-strikes rules of punishment and the continuing use of plea bargains in order to avoid trial.
On Wednesday, March 8, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals will hold a regular session of oral arguments, to be held in the moot court room. Seating is at 9 a.m.; the session is scheduled to last from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On Thursday, March 9, “How to Zealously and Ethically Represent Your Client Before the Court,” a seminar designed for trial litigators, will be held in the moot court room beginning at 6 p.m. This event is presented by the Baltimore City Bar Association’s Young Lawyers’ Section.
On Friday, March 10, beginning at noon, “Commercial Litigation in the 21st Century,” a look at how commercial law issues are beginning to shake out following a period of uncertainty prompted by the rise of the World Wide Web and e-commerce, will be held in the moot court room.
On Saturday, March 11, Litigation Week reaches an apex with its third annual Legacy of Excellence in Litigation, a black-tie optional induction ceremony for five leaders (four of whom are UB School of Law alumni) from the Maryland legal community, to be held at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront beginning at 7 p.m.
Inductees include the Hon. Joseph F. Vallario Jr., J.D. ’63, delegate for the state of Maryland; Albert P. Halluin, J.D. ’69, senior counsel for the firm of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosati; the Hon. Roger W. Brown Sr., J.D. ’73, retired judge for the Circuit Court of Maryland; and Jana Howard Carey, J.D. ’76, retired partner with the law firm of Venable, Baetjer and Howard. The 2005 Charles Hamilton Houston Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to the Hon. Lynne A. Battaglia, a judge with the Maryland Court of Appeals. (This event is by invitation only.)
Parking for all School of Law events will be available in the Maryland Avenue Garage, located at the corner of Maryland Avenue and Chase Street. Attendees are asked to park above the third level. Shuttle service will be available for transportation to the School of Law.
For reservations—which must be made by March 3—call 410.837.6797 or e-mail the School of Law’s Office of External and Alumni Relations at e&ar@ubalt.edu.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.