November 2, 2015 - First Monday

Professor Stephen Miller to Lead Grant to Provide Solutions for Wildfire Hazards

I am pleased to announce that the University of Idaho has been selected to lead a $240,000 grant project to study solutions to wildfire hazards in urbanized areas of Idaho. Law Professor Stephen Miller and College of Art & Architecture Professor Jaap Vos will serve as the principle investigators of the three-year grant. They will work in collaboration with Eric Lindquist, director of the Boise State University School of Public Service’s Public Policy Research Center and Thomas Wuerzer, an associate professor at BSU’s Department of City and Regional Planning. The project is designed to review adopted and proposed national and Idaho statutes, rules, ordinances and policies related to wildfire in the wildland-urban interface and survey members of the public in identified risk areas. The project will result in a Wildfire Risk Planning Guide and a series of interactive workshops for volunteer and professional firefighters, planning directors, county and city administrators, and other interested parties in rural communities with the highest need.Congratulations to Professor Stephen Miller for his work in securing this grant and creating this interdisciplinary and inter-agency collaboration.

College of Law Named “Best Value” by National Jurist Magazine

For the third year in a row, the College of Law has been among the top 40 laws schools named a “best value” by National Jurist Magazine. The magazine ranks law schools based upon percentage of graduates who pass the bar exam and employment rate. Tuition, cost of living, and average indebtedness at graduation are also included. In a time when law schools are under increased scrutiny by students, the public and members of the legal community for the cost to attend and the quality of legal education received versus bar passage and career opportunities, we are pleased to be recognized for our efforts to keep our costs reasonable and the education provided of high quality. Many thanks to our faculty and staff for their work to make the College of Law a true “best value” for our students.

Upcoming Events

Law Advisory Council
Nov. 13, 2015
Moscow, Idaho

Leaders in Law
Nov. 17, 2015
Zion Bank Building
8th and Main, 17th Floor
Boise, Idaho
Register

Fall Commencement
Dec. 12, 2015
Moscow, Idaho
Dec. 19, 2015
Boise, Idaho

Spring Classes Begin
Jan. 11, 2016

Mark L. Adams
Dean

The days are shorter and cooler, the leaves are changing colors – it must be fall!  October was a busy month full of special programs and alumni events for the College of Law.

Two College of Law class reunions were held this past month. On October 9-10, the Class of 1975 celebrated in Boise with a reunion dinner and a brunch on Saturday at the Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center. Special thank you to Gary Cooper, Ron Kerl and Hank Boomer for providing the class leadership for the event. On October 24, the class of 1971 held their reunion also in Boise. Thank you to Dave Leroy and Ron Schilling for initiating the reunion and for their outreach to former classmates. Both reunions were a pleasure to attend.They gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet alumni and to hear great stories about law school escapades. We will be putting together the reunion schedule for fall 2016 soon. If you are a member of the class of 1966 or1976, watch for information about reunion dates and locations. Questions about our class reunion project can be directed to our Assistant Dean for External Relations, Terri Muse at tmuse@uidaho.edu.

The annual Sherman J. Bellwood Lecture was held in Boise on October 12 and in Moscow October 13-14. Juan Guzmán,former judge and justice from Chile, presented “Truth, Justice and Democracy: Post Dictatorship.” If you were unable to attend his lecture,you can watch the program from our website.

I was in Boise again on October 22 for the Idaho Humanities Council Distinguished Lecture presented by author Tim O’Brien, the novelist best known for his critically acclaimed collection of short stories about his Vietnam War experience: The Things They Carried. Several of our alumni were able to join me at the dinner and lecture, including Justice Daniel Eismann.  Justice Eismann served two consecutive army tours of duty in Vietnam and was awarded two purple hearts and three medals for heroism. The College of Law has been one of the sponsors of this lecture for the past three years.

Associate Dean Lee Dillion Honored as a Leader in Law

The College of Law is a sponsor of the Idaho Business Review’s Leaders in Law event scheduled for November 17 in Boise. Several of our alumni will be recognized at the event and our Associate Dean for Boise Programs, Lee Dillion, has been named an outstanding legal educator of the year. More information about the event and how to register to attend.

The College of Law alumni who will be honored are the following:

In House Counsel
Bryan Buckham ‘05, Idaho Power
William Nary ‘85, City of Meridian

Partner
Debora Young Irish ‘90, Irish Bernhardt LLP
Paula Landholm Kluksdal ‘97, Hawley Troxell
Sheila Schwager ‘94, Hawley Troxell
Jennifer Schindele ‘03, Bevis, Thiry, & Schindele
Stanley J. Tharp ‘88, Eberle, Berlin, Kading, Turnbow & McKlveen Chtd.

Up & Coming Lawyer
Anna Eberlin ‘07, Holland & Hart LLP