Paul Gillespie, Sydnee Doolittle and Joshua McDiarmid

The LSU Law Center’s Ruby Vale National Corporate Law Moot Court Team of Sydnee Doolittle, Paul Gillespie, and Joshua McDiarmid placed among the top four teams in the nation at their competition that was held March 14 to 16 in Wilmington, Delaware.  The competition is judged by attorneys and judges from the bench and bar of Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey who specialize in corporate law.  The Law Center’s team is coached by Professor Glenn Morris, with assistance from Professor Christina Sautter.

LSU Law students David Schroeter and Anna Scardulla, members of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court Team, brought home an award for “Best Brief for the Appellee” at the regional rounds of the competition, which were held March 15 to 17 in Houston.  The team also placed in the top eight teams at the regional competition. 

Hosted by the AIPLA, the competition is now in its 40^th year and is one of the nation’s largest moot court competitions.  This year’s problem examined a case of patent infringement and the standards to be applied to preliminary injunctions in the patent law content.  The team is coached by alumni Warner Delaune (’91) of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC and Jeanne Davis (’95) of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips LLP, with assistance from Professor Lee Ann Lockridge.

The LSU Law Center’s National Child Welfare and Adoption Law Moot Court competition team of Andrew Lambert and Kristi Obafunwa placed among the top 16 teams at their competition that was held March 15-16, in Columbus, Ohio.  Hosted by the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy at Capital University Law School, this year’s competition examined the question of whose parental interests prevail in a contested adoption.  The team is coached by Professor Andrea Carroll, with assistance from Professor Jeff Brooks.

Kenneth Barnes, Jr.

McGlinchey Stafford PLLC has awarded LSU Law student Kenneth Barnes the 2013 1L Diversity Fellowship, a distinguished honor given to a first-year law student.  Barnes was selected from more than 50 applicants because of his proven leadership skills and excellent academic track record.  Barnes currently serves as the 1L Class President.

The 2013 Diversity Fellowship includes a six week paid summer associate position in the firm’s New Orleans office, a $5,000 scholarship, and formal mentoring by McGlinchey Stafford attorneys throughout the recipient’s law school career. As the 2013 Diversity Fellow, Mr. Barnes will also participate in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Scholars Retreat, which brings together diverse law students from around the country to learn about interview skills, how to transition from law school into practice, the state of diversity in the legal profession, and the value of networking. The retreat is meant to build relationships among one another and to interact with general counsel and managing partners of the LCLD member organizations nationwide. 

Over 125 LSU Law students and faculty members “Paused for a Cause” on Friday, March 1, 2013, when they volunteered a combined 581 hours at nine sites across Baton Rouge: White Hills Elementary School, Discover Law Day, Louisiana School for the Deaf or Visually Impaired, Connections for Life, The Companion Animal Alliance of Baton Rouge, Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, 19^th JDC Public Defender’s Office, Baton Rouge Park and Recreation-City Park, and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure pre-run activities. Volunteer activities included painting and landscape maintenance. 

“Pause for a Cause” is an annual day of service sponsored by the Law Center’s Public Interest Law Society in collaboration with the Student Bar Association.

View photos from the event.

R. Kyle Alagood

R. Kyle Alagood, a first year student at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, was sworn in on March 16, 2013, as a member of the national Board of Governors for the American Bar Association Law Student Division at the Division’s annual board meeting that took place in New Orleans.

Student body presidents and representatives from thirteen law schools in Texas and Louisiana elected Alagood as Governor for the Thirteenth Circuit, which encompasses all law schools in the two states.  His term will run from March 2013 to March 2014.

The ABA Law Student Division works with the ABA Section of Legal Education on issues of mutual concern to legal education. The Division also has an impact on practical and professional skills development and provides assistance in the search for jobs, both during and after graduation from law school. Additionally, the Division offers leadership training, public service opportunities, career development programming, and practical skills competitions.

On his decision to run for an ABA board seat, Alagood says, “The changing legal market presents law students with challenges to traditional employment and opportunities for innovation. I ran for Circuit Governor to help law schools in Louisiana and Texas collaborate educational and professional development programming that bolsters students’ educations and develops new relationships with legal employers.”