The latest news for the students, faculty, staff, and friends of the Michael E. Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University

Ian Best: Blogging for Credit
Ian Best may be the very first law student in the country ever to get academic credit for an activity that many would consider a fad or a hobby. He is studying blogging, and more specifically, the growing phenomenon of legal blogs, the weblogs of lawyers, law professors, and law students. "I want to show how blogs provide an inexhaustible resource for law-related material," says the third year Moritz Law student. "The potential with legal blogs is overwhelming, but very few people see it yet. We are at an initial stage in what will become a tremendously significant method of publishing and communication." Read More

Schwartz Lecture Features ADR Pioneer
Why are some jurisdictions so receptive to mediation and others so indifferent or even hostile to it? Can some type of metric (such as the Mediation Receptivity Index, or MRI) be developed to measure the extent to which a particular jurisdiction has institutionalized mediation (as well as other alternative dispute resolution processes)?

These are among the questions that Frank E. A. Sander will address when he presents the annual Schwartz Lecture on Dispute Resolution on March 30, 2006 at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. The topic of his lecture, which will be held at Noon in Saxbe Auditorium at Drinko Hall, 55 West 12th Avenue, is "Developing the MRI." Read More

Speaker to Look at the Impact of Criminal Convictions on Immigration
Do you know how to adequately represent a non-U.S. citizen in a criminal proceeding? Do you have additional obligations? Does the court? Do you want to avoid complicating someone's life by causing them to be deported and separated from their family in the U.S.? Come hear E. Dennis Muchnicki of Muchnicki Law Office speak on "The Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions," at Noon, Tuesday, March 28, in Saxbe Auditorium. He speaks regularly on this topic on behalf of the Ohio State Bar Association. Of course, LUNCH will be provided. Presented by Ohio State Law Students for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

Woodside Lecture Series to Examine the Crisis in Affordable Housing
Do low-income individuals have the right to affordable housing and shelter? That question will be addressed on April 3, 2006 during "The Right to Housing: Building a Solid Foundation," the annual Woodside Speaker Series at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

Local, state, and national housing experts will discuss efforts to address the crisis in affordable housing and explore the legal right to shelter. The all day symposium will begin at 8:45 a.m. in Drinko Hall's Saxbe Auditorium, 55 West 12th Avenue. Public parking is available at the Ohio Union Garage, 1780 College Road. More Information

Join the Biggest Losers (of weight that is)
Over the past several months, several law school staff and faculty have joined with staff from Ohio State's human resources group for a ten-week Weight Watchers program. Collectively, the group has lost 244.4 pounds. A second session is beginning. A free introductory meeting will be held at Noon, March 31 at the Gateway building, 1590 N. High Street, Suite 430. The ten week program will cost $110. All faculty and staff who are on the OSU insurance may be eligible for reimbursement of a portion of the costs, up to one half. Please e-mail Cybele Smith if you are interested.

May 12 is Nearly Here: A Hooding Checklist for 3Ls
With just two months to go before the big day, third year students should be getting ready for the annual hooding ceremony. Information will be placed in student mailboxes that include a checklist with all the details, such as particulars on the ceremony and ordering caps and gowns. Visit the hooding website for an online version of the checklist and for links to online forms, ballots for class speaker and class gift, to donate to the class gift, and to order brunch tickets. You can also connect with Hooding Committee members online. Questions? Contact Alumni Relations Director Laura Landy Carr at 614-292-2937 or carr.275@osu.edu, or members of the Hooding Committee.

SALDF Sponsors 5K Walk/Run
Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) is planning the Animal Tracks 5K, to be held April 8, 2006 at Fred Beekman Park. Registration is $15, and persons registering before April 1 will receive a T-shirt. Registration forms are available on the SALDF bulletin board, and can be returned there as well. SALDF will also be running a registration table during the lunch hour periodically until the run/walk. The primary goal of Animal Tracks is to raise awareness of animal cruelty issues and raise money for local animal charities.