This past weekend, I had the opportunity to represent Pierce Law at the Fifth World Conference on Nonsmoker's Rights in Washington, DC.  This annual symposium of students, professors, and activists was sponsored by the National Center for Nonsmoker's Rights and Professor John Banzhaff of the George Washington University School of Law .  Out of 75 entrants, I was selected as one of 20 finalists to present my paper at George Washigton University.  The conference was attended by law students across North America, as well as activists from Nepal, South Korea, and India.  The keynote address was given by Patty Young, Bland Lane, and Leisa Sudderth.  These ladies were founding members of the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute that helped start the nonsmoker's movement in the late 1960's. 

My presentation encouraged the use of cotinine tests as a valid marker in in Eighth Amendment cases brought by inmates seeking reassignment from smoking cellmates.  Thousands of inmates are forced to live with smoking cellmates, which has resulted in over 100 inmate death each year and millions of dollars in health care costs.  While the Supreme Court has ruled that this can constitute cruel and unusual punishment, courts have requried inmates to submit expensive air quality tests that are well beyond the means of most inmates.  This has created an insurmountable burden of proof.  Cotinine tests are equally reliable in detecting chemicals in secondhand smoke and are significantly less expensive.  

During my presentation, I fielded questions from Professor Banzhaff and other members of the panel.  It was a great honor to be a finalists and represent Pierce Law amongst students from other distinguished institutions.  I would like to thank Professors Megan Devorsey, Sophie Sparrow, and Chris Johnson for preparing me for the conference, as well as Professor Banzhaff and Velma Dessuit of the National Center for Nonsmokers Rights for all their help.

What will you be taking next year? The Registrar's office has posted the course descriptions for the 2008-2009 academic year so now's the time to begin planning.

The course descriptions include every course currently offered at Pierce Law, including the school's extensive curriculum in intellectual property. Did you know Pierce Law offers more IP law courses than any other law school?

There are plenty of courses that give you practical experience outside the classroom -- Pierce Law's specialty. There are externships, law review, and nine clinics to choose from, including the state Appellate Defender's Office, which is housed at Pierce Law.

What do you need to take to get your JD degree? The requirements and guidelines are:

First Year. By the beginning of your second year you should have taken and received a passing grade in: Contracts, Torts, Civil Procedure, Property, Constitutional Law, Article 2 Sales, Legal Skills I & II and a ―perspective‖ course (i.e., Fundamentals of Law Practice, Fundamentals of Intellectual Property, Legal Philosophy or Public International Law).

Second and Third Year: During your second or third year J.D. students must take Criminal Procedure I, Administrative Process, Professional Responsibility, an Upper Level Writing course and an Upper Level Professional Skills Development course. While you may take the required courses in your third year, one or all of these courses may be requirements for other courses and you should try to schedule them as soon as possible. All of the required courses will be offered at least once each semester. In addition, the Administrative Law & Advocacy Clinic will be offered each semester and during the Summer (SU). This limited enrollment clinic (8 students) fulfills the Administrative Process requirement.

Upper Level Writing Requirement: All students are required to fulfill an upper level writing requirement. Courses, seminars and activities that fulfill this requirement for the 2008-2009 year are listed on the Registrar's web page.

Upper Level Skills Requirement: All students are also required to fulfill an upper level skills component. A list of courses fulfilling this requirement is also located on the Registrar's web page.

Other Degree Requirements: The Pierce Law faculty requires successful completion of 85 credits toward the J.D., including the required courses. In addition, the faculty's residency rules require you to enroll in 6 regular (FA and SP) semesters for at least 12 credits each semester and receive passing grades in at least 10 credits each semester.