Category: Law School News

From attending an orientation at the Iowa State Capitol to witnessing a second-degree murder trial, first-year law students' educations are enhanced by law-in-action experiences.

This spring, the annual Drake Law School Constitutional Law Symposium will tackle a bold topic for debate: Does the U.S. Constitution thwart democracy? The event, titled "Our 'Undemocratic' American Constitution," is set for Saturday, April 7.

The Drake University Agricultural Law Center hosted a two-day conference in September called "Gardens for All: People, Plants and Policy." This first national effort to examine the impact public policy has on gardening drew an enthusiastic audience of more than 100 attendees from 25 states and nations.

Christine Branstad, LW'94, was recently appointed as director of legal network management and development at ARAG, a leading legal services provider based in Des Moines.

Two third-year Drake Law School students had articles about environmental law accepted recently for publication in nationally esteemed law reviews. Jess Phelps' "Much Ado About Decoupling: Evaluating the Environmental Impact of Recent European Union Agricultural Reform" will be included in the fall 2006 issue of Harvard Environmental Law Review

The Drake University Law School National Moot Court team finished first in a field of 14 teams at the regional rounds of the National Moot Court Competition held Nov. 16-18 in Vermillion, S.D. Drake and the second-place team from the University of South Dakota will advance

Amanda Knief, LW'06, recently received the top prize in the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence 2006 Law Student Writing Contest for the submission of her paper titled, "Gender Bias in Asylum Law: Recognizing Persecution Against Women and Girls."

In addition to their degrees from Drake Law School, Marsha Ternus and Louis Lavorato share the same goals for Iowa's judicial system - equal access and administrative efficiency.

Drake University Law School's Joan and Lyle Middleton Center for Children's Rights launched in 2001, rooted in the basic premise that children deserve the right to achieve their full potential.

The Drake Law School will dedicate the transfer of National Bar Association (NBA) archives from the Des Moines Public Library to the Drake Law School Library on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007, with a program, ribbon-cutting and reception. Linnes Finney Jr., president of the NBA, is scheduled to speak at the event.