E -NEWS - Southern University Law Center

E
December 7-13, 2015
Vol. 13, No. 32 A. A. Lenoir Hall
-NEWS
Southern University Law Center
2016 Hooding Ceremony set for January 8
Calendar
Thirty-seven graduates for Fall Semester 2015
Rutledge
Fall 2015 graduates of the Southern University Law Center will be recognized in a Hooding
Ceremony at 6 p.m., Friday, January 8, 2016, in
the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown
Memorial Student Union, Southern University
Baton Rouge campus.
Domoine D. Rutledge, ’97, general counsel
for East Baton Rouge Parish School System and
chairman of the Southern University System
Foundation, will be the featured speaker at the
ceremony.
Reaching New Heights of Excellence
Rutledge is the first African American in the
history of the East Baton Rouge Parish School
System to serve as its general counsel. This
school system is the second largest one in the
State of Louisiana.
As the system’s general counsel, Rutledge
has many areas of responsibility that include
directing and supervising all litigation in which
the school system is involved. He also manages
the system’s Risk Management, Fairshare, and
Adjudicated Youth offices; is responsible for drafting and monitoring the enactment of legislation
proposed by the school board and state legislature; and is the school board’s chief legal adviser.
His professional experiences consist of a
combination of local, state, and federal government experience. On the state level, Rutledge
was legislative assistant for State Senator Cleo
Fields.
Continued on next page
Alum among international experts to speak at conference in Hong Kong
Please submit your events by 4 p.m. Thursday
to be published the following week.
DECEMBER
11 Fall Semester Ends
11-12 Recent Development CLE Seminar,12.5
hours, including one hour ethics and one hour professionalism; beginning with registration at 8 a.m.
Friday, Edward L. Patterson Moot Courtroom. For
more details and to register, contact Cynthia N.
Reed, director of CLE and alumni affairs, creed@
sulc.edu; (225) 771-2785; see article in this issue.
18 SULC Holiday Event, Noon, Atrium
23-January 3 Christmas and New Year Holiday
observed; all offices will re-open on Monday, January 4.
JANUARY
8 2016 Hooding Ceremony, 6 p.m., Cotillion
Ballroom, Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union,
Southern University Baton Rouge campus; see article in this issue.
28 Alumni and Friends Reception and Information
Session on JD/MBA Dual-Degree Program, 6 p.m.,
New Orleans Business Alliance, 935 Gravier Street,
Suite 2020, New Orleans.
SULC E-News announces holiday schedule
Panel members from left: Gary Caswell, Texas; Annette Eddie-Callagain, Japan; Kazumi Hasegawa, New York; and chairman and moderator, Philippe Lortie, First Secretary,
Hague Conference on Private International Law–The Netherlands.
Annette Eddie-Callagain, ’81, was recently a
panelist at the Asian Pacific Conference in Hong
Kong titled “Recovery of Child Support and Family Maintenance in Asia-Pacific and Worldwide:
National and Regional Systems and the Hague
2007 Convention and Protocol.”
Eddie-Callagain, the only African-American
lawyer practicing in Japan and who has been in
private practice in Okinawa, Japan, since 1995,
discussed the issues of “Establishing and Enforcing Child Support for Japanese Parents.”
She was among the more than 150 experts
attending the conference, November 9-11, from
Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, the
People’s Republic of China, Croatia, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand,
Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Switzerland,
United Kingdom, the United States of America, the
Hague Conference on Private International Law
(HCCH), and HHCH Asia Pacific Regional Office.
The SULC E-News suspends its weekly
publication schedule for the Christmas holidays.
The weekly publication schedule will resume in the New Year during the week of January 18-24, 2016.
For SULC news updates during the holiday
period consult Facebook and Twitter.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Information to be published in E-NEWS should
be e-mailed ([email protected]), faxed (771-6257), or
submitted to the Office of Communications and Development Support, (Suite 242).
E-NEWS reporters:
Cynthia Reed
Carolyn Stephens
Gail Stephenson
Pamela Anderson
Jean Allen
Michelle McCalope
E-NEWS proofreaders: Carla Ball
Sylvia Betts
Michelle Jackson
Gail Stephenson
Produced by Southern University Law Center • 12/2015
E -NEWS
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
Page 2
SULC named VIPS November “Partner of the Month”
SU Board elects officers for 2016
Chairman and vice chairman re-elected
Tarver
The Southern University Board of Supervisors re-elected Leon R. Tarver II as chairman
for 2016 during its regular meeting held in New
Orleans, November 27.
Tarver, a Shreveport native and resident
of Baton Rouge, was first elected chairman in
November 2015. The Board also re-elected
businessman Calvin Braxton of Natchitoches,
Louisiana, as vice chairman.
Tarver is SU System president emeritus
and is the retired executive administrator of the
Center of Cultural Heritage and International
Programs at the Southern University System.
Governor Bobby Jindal appointed Tarver to the
SU Board in January 2013. He serves as an atlarge member.
The chairman holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Southern University Baton Rouge, a master of public administra-
Braxton
tion from Harvard University (John K. Kennedy
School of Government), and a doctor of philosophy from The Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Tarver has held academic and administrative positions at the national, state, and local
levels.
The former SU System president has conducted international development activities in
Egypt, England, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Haiti,
Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa, and
founded two museums on African and AfricanAmerican art within the Southern University
System.
Tarver is the first individual to serve as a
university president and then a member of the
board, who is now chairman.
Braxton is the president and chief executive
officer of Braxton Land Company and president
of Natchitoches Ford-Lincoln-Mercury. Governor Jindal appointed Braxton in June 2011.
From left, pictured at the East Baton Rouge Parish
School Board meeting are law student volunteers
Jameshia Durham and Summerian Green, Interim
Chancellor Pierre, law student volunteer Shirlise Rivera, and Paula Breckenridge, assistant principal of
Claiborne Elementary School.
SULC’s recognition as Volunteers in Public
Schools (VIPS) Partner of the Month took place
on Thursday, November 19, at the East Baton
Rouge Parish School Board meeting.
Interim Chancellor John Pierre and thirdyear law student volunteers Shirlise Rivera and
Summerian Green of Georgia; and Jameshia
Durham of Texas, were each presented a medal
for their participation in VIPS reading and math
tutorial programs –“EveryBody Reads” and “EveryOne Counts.”
“I think it is one of the most amazing
programs I’ve ever participated in because it is
helping the babies,” said Rivera, who has been
involved in the program for the past year.
Continued on page 4
2016 Hooding Ceremony continued
He is a former congressional aide to United
States Representative Fields, serving as legislative and communications director. He is also a
former assistant district attorney in East Baton
Rouge Parish, prosecuting a variety of cases
ranging from murder to robbery. In July 2006, Rutledge was elected national
president of the Southern University Alumni Federation and re-elected without opposition in 2008.
He holds membership in numerous civic and
professional organizations.
He is married to the former Sharmayne
Raby, and they are the parents of two sons,
Darren and Dillon.
This special Hooding Ceremony does not
take the place of Commencement. All graduates
will continue to have their degrees conferred at
Spring Commencement.
The 37 candidates for the Juris Doctor
Degree are: John M. Allen, Houma, Louisiana;
Jacquez B. Ambers, Monroe, Louisiana; Louis
J. Ancar, Harvey, Louisiana; Andrew Barr, Baton
Rouge; Michael Beeler, Baton Rouge; Katie A.
Bergeron, Morgan City, Louisiana; Jazzmyn M.
Bigsby, Baton Rouge; Valerie A. Black, Baton
Rouge;
Jean-Marc V. Bonin, New Orleans, Louisiana; Tyler M. Bosworth, Baton Rouge; Andretta C.
Breaux, Plaquemine, Louisiana; Joey D. Connelly, Baton Rouge; Erica V. Cormia, New Orleans,
Louisiana; Duran Davis, Memphis, Tennessee;
DonnaLecia U. Fields, Monroe, Louisiana; April
Ford Jackson, Ponchatoula, Louisiana; Nicholas
C. Frey, Eunice, Louisiana; Lidia Gonzales, Baton
Rouge; Summerian L. Green, Athens, Georgia;
Will C. Griffin, Clinton, Louisiana;
Michaela A. Guillory, Baton Rouge; Caitlin
Hart, Abita Springs, Louisiana; Samora L. Legros,
New York City, New York; Marcos Lopez, III,
Mission, Texas; Michael L. Loude, Little Rock, Arkansas; Jonas K. Nash, New Orleans, Louisiana;
Dustin J. Pellegrin, Houma, Louisiana; Idiongo E.
Sampson, Atlanta, Georgia; Averil Sanders, New
Orleans, Louisiana; Conrad Spottsville, Alexandria, Louisiana; Jennifer A. Terry, Baton Rouge;
Cody J. Vidrine, Oakdale, Louisiana; Jordon J.
Wascom, Albany, Louisiana;
Aaron R. Wilson, Shreveport, Louisiana;
Blane A. Wilson, Baton Rouge; Jayme L. Womack, Slidell, Louisiana; and James A. Word,
Ripley, Tennessee.
For more information on this ceremony,
please contact Director of Enrollment and Records, D’Andrea Lee, (225) 771-5340.
E -NEWS
SERIOUSNESS OF PURPOSE
Recent developments CLE seminar set for December 11-12
The SULC Recent Developments CLE
Seminar set for Friday and Saturday, December 11-12, in the Edward L. Patterson Moot
Courtroom, will offer participants up to 12.5
CLE credit hours, including one hour of ethics
and one hour of professionalism.
Registration is 8-8:30 a.m. on Friday,
with the seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 5:35 p.m.
Saturday’s registration is from 8:30-9 a.m.,
and the seminar from 9 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.
Friday’s presenters and their topics are:
Attorney Tina Vanichigorn, “Legislative
Updates in Criminal Law Matters”
Dr. Jay Perniciaro, Total Care Injury and
Pain Centers, “Machine vs. Man”
Judge Hunter Greene, East Baton
Rouge Family Court, “Recent Developments
in Family Law”
Bruce W. Langley Sr., CLTC, Financial
Services Professional, New York Life Insurance, “Is Bankruptcy in Your Future?”
Prof. Donald North, SULC, “Criminal
Law: The New Degrees of Rape--Where
Does That Leave Consent?”
Attorney Donald Dobbins, “Jury Selection: How To Get Them To ‘Speak the Truth’”
Attorney Frank Brown, “Recent Updates
in Workers’ Compensation”
Saturday’s presenters and their topics
are:
Prof. Regina Ramsey James, SULC,
“Professionalism”
Prof. Shawn Vance, SULC, “Ethics”
Attorney Elisa Stephens Randall, EBR
Supervisor, Criminal Records, “The ABCs on
Expunging Your Client’s Record”
Prof. Cynthia N. Reed, SULC, “Recent
Updates: Motion for Summary Judgment and
Partial Judgments.”
The cost of the two-day seminar is $395,
including lunch on Friday; $50 each for ethics
& professionalism only.
For more details and to register, contact
Cynthia N. Reed, director of CLE and alumni
affairs, [email protected]; (225) 771-2785.
Today is a great time to take advantage of the tax benefits
associated with the end-of-the-year charitable giving
by making a gift to SULC.
Gifts made by December 31 are tax-deductible for this year.
SULC Online Giving makes it easier.
Page 3
To update your information below, please contact:
Tanya Freeman, [email protected]
or Cynthia Reed, [email protected]
Visit: www.sulc.edu
E -NEWS
ON THE GO
Interim Chancellor Pierre greeted Gov.Elect John Bel Edwards at the Council for A Better Louisiana (CABL) 2015 Annual Membership
Meeting and Luncheon held Wednesday, December 2, at L’Auberge-Baton Rouge. Edwards was
the keynote speaker for the luncheon.
Prof. Angela A. Allen-Bell’s law review
article, “How The Narrative About Louisiana’s
Non-Unanimous Criminal Jury System Became
A Person Of Interest In The Case Against Justice In The Deep South,” is being published in
Mercer’s Law Review in conjunction with Mercer
Law School’s October 2015 symposium, “Justice
in the Deep South.”
Prof. Gail Stephenson’s law review
article, “Sanctions for Frivolous Civil Appeals
in Louisiana,” 75 La. L. Rev. 1125 (2015), has
been quoted in two recent cases by the Louisiana
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, Armstrong Airport
Concessions v. K-Squared Restaurant, LLC,
150375 (La. App. 10/28/15), ___So. 3d ___; and
Kirby v. Poydras Ctr., 15-0027 (La. App. 4th Cir.
9/23/15), 176 So. 3d 601, 608.
Prof. Chris Odinet’s new deskbook titled,
Louisiana Secured Transactions: Statutory
Supplement, Commentary, and Selected Forms,
is being released by West Academic Publishing
this month. The book is a consolidated source
Happy Birthday
DECEMBER
9 Arthur Stallworth
13 Cynthia N. Reed
16 Josie Washington
20 Lata Johnson
22 Loyce Williams
JANUARY
6 Felton DeRouen
6 Christopher Odinet
29 Shawn Vance
Page 4
SERIOUSNESS OF PURPOSE
for Louisiana’s unique version of Article 9 of the
UCC. The work includes not only the statutory
provisions, but also extensive introductory notes
and the official UCC and Louisiana comments.
Designed for Louisiana law students, law professors, lawyers, and judges, the work also contains
an appendix of form agreements, template contracts, and notice/filing documents to be used
in connection with a variety of secured credit
transactions. For more information, click here:
http://bit.ly/1TopIYK”
Prof. Odinet gave a CLE presentation on
the law and economics of Bitcoin and other
virtual currencies, December 4, for the annual
Legislative Legal Seminar, held at the Louisiana
State Capitol.
Rachel L. Emanuel, director of communications and development support, and
SU Prof. Charles Vincent, co-authors of Images
of America: Scotlandville, were featured in the
Author’s Corner at 50 Shades of Pink, December
4, hosted by Nu Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., at the Shaw Center
for the Arts.
Cynthia N. Reed, director of CLE and
alumni affairs, is one of 10 recipients of the
American Institute of Family Law Attorneys’ 2015
Client Satisfaction Award.
VIPS Partner of the Month continued
“They are our future and we want them to
have a strong foundation. Besides, it makes me
feel good on the inside knowing that I’m helping
somebody else.”
The law students volunteer at Claiborne
Elementary School, Ryan Elementary School,
and J. K. Haynes Charter School. The program
is open to children in pre-kindergarten through
second grade. There are 11 SULC students
volunteering in the reading program and 10 in the
math program. Tutors spend 30 to 45 minutes a
week helping students to improve their math and
reading skills and much more.
“The SULC students serve as role models
for our kids,” said Lynelle Dixon, the VIPS Partners In Education coordinator. “College is not
talked about at home for many of the students we
serve, so seeing the law students makes going
to college a reality. We appreciate Southern’s
participation and hope to grow the program
even more.”
Officials say more volunteers, especially for
schools in North Baton Rouge. For more information on the program or to find out how you can
become a volunteer, go to vips.ebrschools.org or
call (225) 226-4700.
ALUMNI
Thomas Davenport, ’01, and Tedrick Knightshed,’02, will be among recipients of the
10:1 Blackstone Order Awards presented by the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense
Lawyers during its 30th Annual Justice Albert Tate Jr. Awards Banquet, December 11, 2015, in
New Orleans.
Monique M. Edwards, ’86, LSBA Diversity and Inclusion facilitator, participated in the
Legal Services of North Louisiana (LSNL) Call to Service CLE Seminar, on December 3, 2015,
at Sam’s Town Hotel and Casino in Shreveport, Louisiana. Edwards moderated the session
titled “Beyond Lip Service: An Honest Conversation Toward Open Access
to Justice.”
William Wilson, ’15, has been selected to participate in the National
Council of State Boards of Nursing’s Institute of Regulatory Excellence
(IRE) Fellowship program. Wilson is one of 10 participants selected nationwide for the fellowship, which begins in January. The IRE program is
a four-year comprehensive professional development program designed
for nursing board members and staff who desire to enhance their knowledge and leadership in
nursing regulation. It prepares fellows to be leaders in the industry.
Southern University Law Center is a unit of the Southern University System. Hon. Leon R. Tarver II, Chair of the SU Board of Supervisors
2014, Dr. Ray L. Belton., President/Chancellor of the Southern University and A&M College System and Secretary to the SU Board of
Supervisors; John K. Pierre, Interim Chancellor of the SU Law Center. The Southern University Law Center is committed to ensuring equal
opportunity without regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, actual or perceived gender, age, religion, creed, disability, sexual
orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, or parental, marital, domestic partner, civil union, military, or veteran status.
Southern University Law Center • Post Office Box 9294, Baton Rouge, LA • 70813
Phone: In-State: 1 (800) 552-5106 • Out-of-State: 1 (800) 537-1135