In what is being called a "stunning upset," alumna Donna Edwards JD '89 won Tuesday's Democratic primary in Maryland's 4th Congressional District. Edwards defeated eight-term incumbent Rep. Albert Wynn and several other challengers. This was Edwards second attempt for the seat. She narrowly lost to Wynn in the 2006 primary. 

The Washington Post reports that this time,

"Wynn was routed in the Montgomery County section of the 4th Congressional District, where Edwards had won a previous matchup between the two in 2006. But it was Edwards's commanding victory in Wynn's home base of Prince George's County that forced the 15-year incumbent, a fixture of county politics, out of office."

"Supporters of both candidates said yesterday that they were stunned by the margin in that race. Some attributed Edwards's winning margin of almost 14 percentage points in Prince George's in part to an extraordinary turnout for Obama among voters eager for a change in political leadership.

In the final tally, Edwards beat Wynn by a margin of about 24,000 votes, 60% to 36%. Edwards is expected to win the general election easily in this heavily Democratic district.

After graduating from Wake Forest University as one of just six African American women in her class, Edwards worked on the Spacelab program before coming to New Hampshire to study law.

At Pierce Law, Edwards says, she developed a passion for public interest law. She went on to co-found the National Network to End Domestic Violence, serving as its first executive director and helping to gain passage of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994. Since then, Edwards has been an active advocate at the grassroots and national levels for a variety of causes.

In addition to being a graduate of Pierce Law, Edwards is a past member of the school's Board of Trustees.

Our 2007 Commencement speaker is in the news with a profile in the Cleveland Plain Dealer that identifies him as the "face of the Democratic Party's future."

Tim Ryan, who got his law degree here in 2000, was elected to Congress in 2002 and has become a popular campaigner for his party's candidates throughout the country. Ohio leaders in both parties see him as a political comer:

"Ryan's doggedness on behalf of his Akron, Warren and Youngstown-area constituents, coupled with his ability to sound like a regular guy while discussing arcane topics like Chinese currency manipulation, has earned him the reputation of a political up-and-comer who could be a candidate for the U.S. Senate as early as 2010." 

We can't help wondering if he will be campaigning for another Pierce Law grad, Donna Edwards, in her campaign to represent Maryland's 4th District.

At a dinner hosted by the Entertainment Law Society last Wednesday, Pierce Law alumna and IP lawyer Diane Chubb (who eschews the "entertainment lawyer" label because it applies to anyone involved in show biz, not just IP attorneys) spoke about her experiences working for Twentieth Century Fox. Chubb started her career at Fox through an internship. Her advice to students who want an internship: find it on your own, because the career services office has difficulty finding enough internships the students who want them.
Chubb enjoyed her job protecting Fox's 7000+ trademarks, except for the salary. She has a collection of toys, posters, etc., given to her by Fox, which she says would rather give merchandise than pay. In some cases, infringement was easy to detect. Legitimate merchandise from "The Simpsons" contains the abbreviation TCFFC, for Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Many of the infringing products had the letters in the wrong order, or the wrong number of spikes in Bart Simpson's hair.
Copyright issues involving photographs taken on the set of the X-Files were more difficult. Photographers who were given possession of copyright but signed a contract stating they would not do so released photos to several publishing houses. They had clearly violated their contracts, but stopping them required knowing exactly which photos were released. A picture of someone in one pose and a picture of the same person in an ever so slightly different pose are not copies of each other, so one would not infringe the other, which forced Chubb to meticulously match them up.
Chubb is now a consultant, doing most of her work for the graphics design firm whose owner convinced her to go to law school.

Dear Alumni,

The Sports Club and the Student Bar Association invite you to a basketball tournament at the Greene Street Community Center in Concord. The 5-on-5 tournament will be held on Sunday, April 15, 2007 at 1:00 pm. Your team or teams will play against teams of current FPLC students. The tournament should not last longer than 3 hours. In addition, the teams will be divided evenly to ensure that everyone will get a chance to play. This will be a great opportunity to meet FPLC's up and coming talent and network with other alums in the local area. We look forward to seeing you on April 15th regardless of your talent level or year of graduation.

Please RSVP by April 12th by emailing me at rsiripurapu@piercelaw.edu

Sincerely,
Raj Siripurapu
Class of 2008
rsiripurapu@piercelaw.edu

MARCH 23, 2007
15th ANNUAL PIC AUCTION
Bid on Professor Buck’s Beer Can Collection

APRIL 9, 2007
Kenison Lecture featuring
Stephen B. Bright

APRIL 16 - 20, 2007 is National library week. Alumni are invited to come in and experience the library all over again. Treats, gifts, and more.

APRIL 27 - 28, 2007
9th Comprehensive Patent Cooperation Treaty Seminar 10.75 CLE, Special Rate for Alumni: $325

ALUMNI RECEPTIONS

APRIL 3, 2007 – RALEIGH–DURHAM, NC
APRIL 12, 2007 – BOSTON, MA
APRIL 30, 2007 – CHICAGO, IL (in association with annual INTA conference)
MAY 23, 2007 – WASHINGTON, DC (watch website for details)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

2nd Annual Alumni NH CLE Day
Friday, June 8, 2007
Watch for details

3rd Annual Golf Tournament to Benefit LRAP
June 15, 2007
For Sponsorship, Foursome & Player information, contact Laura Chaney
Watch for details

Reunion Weekend 2007
September 28-30, 2007
Celebrating classes 2002, 1997, 1992, 1987, 1982, 1977. We are looking for individuals to serve on their class committee. If interested, please contact Laura Chaney
Watch for details
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Alumni Events

For info: Contact Laura Chaney x1181
Alumni Office, 10 White Street

March 1st

San Francisco Alumni Gathering: Cocktails
with Professor's Ellen Musinsky and Kimberly
Kirkland

Mar 23

PIC Auction

April 9

Kenison Lecture

April 12

Boston Alumni Reception

Fri. Apr 20

3-L & Graduate Student Champagne Reception at
the NH Historical Society’s Tuck Library, Concord

Mon. Apr 30

Chicago Alumni Reception

Sat. May 19

Commencement

May 21 -25

TBA: DC Reception at International Criminal
Justice class at the Institute of World Politics Fri.
June 8 NH CLE Day for Alumni, Rich Room

Fri. June 15

Pierce Law Golf Tournament to benefit LRAP

August 4

Japan Reception (Mitty Hiratsuka, Bill Hennessey)

Sept 28 & 29

Reunion