Sturm College of Law News
European Environmental Conference Collaborates With Graduate Program Adjunct Professor and DU
February 25, 2009
DENVER – PARIS – William J. Brady, a leading expert on hazardous waste law and an adjunct professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, has been named to the Comité Scientifique for Intersol 2009, one of Europe’s most important conferences on polluted soils and sites.
Intersol 2009, the 8th Conference on Polluted Sites & Soils: Analysis, Treatment Methodologies and Remediation, will take place in Paris, France, March 24-27. Mr. Brady, who is a shareholder in the Denver-based firm of Grimshaw Harring, teaches “The Law of Hazardous Waste & Toxic Substances” as part of DU’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Graduate Program (ENRLGP).
In March 2008 Mr. Brady addressed the attendees at Intersol 2008 about relevant European Union environmental directives and “Assurances Environnementaux.” His white paper on environmental insurance was distributed to the conference attendees, as well as descriptive brochures on DU’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program.
Don C. Smith, director of the ENRLGP, said, “Intersol is a prestigious international congress focusing on environmental issues such as the remediation of contaminated soils and groundwater, the transfer of associated risk and the conveyance of ‘brownfields’ sites within the EU. Mr. Brady’s association with Intersol reflects the esteem in which he is held both in the U.S. and internationally. Consequently, students who take his course at DU are learning from a leading practitioner in this important area.”
For more information about Intersol 2009, click here. For more information about Mr. Brady’s course at DU, click here, or his law firm, click here.
Katherine Hales, first prize winner of the Nathan Burke Memorial Copyright Competition
February 25, 2009
Please join me in congratulating Katherine Hales, the winner of this year’s first prize in the Nathan Burke Memorial Copyright Competition. Katherine won for her paper, “Who Is Burdened with the Duty to Monitor?”.
-Beto Juárez
-Dean and Professor of Law
DU Law students traveled to Peru over the holiday break to work on two projects
February 20, 2009
Following an extensive letter writing campaign, three DU Law students traveled to Peru over the holiday break to work on two projects for the school. First, the students—Gracie Chisholm (1L), Angelica Tovar-Hastings (1L) and Beth Neutzel (2L)—went as international observers for the trial against the Peruvian Ex-President Alberto Fujimori. They had the opportunity to assist in the court’s sessions and talk to the families of the victims, as well as the justices (from the Supreme Court of Peru) in charge of the decision. “It was an amazing and very valuable experience,” said Tovar-Hastings. “We were very happy to see how welcoming people were in Peru and how excited they were to see that U.S. students are interested in Latin America.”
The second project was to assist in the production of a video for Lawyering in Spanish Professor Valeria Elliot, wherein the students compared the United States legal education systems with the legal education system in Peru. They interviewed attorneys from the top ten law firms in Peru as well as law students and in-house counsel attorneys.
Brazil’s “Father of Environmental Law” to Speak at SCOL
February 18, 2009
The Natural Resources and Environmental Law Society (NRELS), Land Use Law Society (LULS), Native American Law Students Association (NALSA), Construction Real Estate Law Society (CRELS) and International Law Society (ILS), invite you to a presentation and Q&A on “Brazilian Environmental Law” from 12:00-1:00 pm Tuesday February 24 in Room 125 (pizza while it lasts) by VLADIMIR PASSOS DE FREITAS, law professor and former Chief Judge of Brazil’s Federal Court of Appeals in southern Brazil and former Prosecutor in the States of Sao Paulo and Parana.
Dr. Freitas is visiting thanks to Professor Rock and Kitty Pring’s current global study of specialized Environmental Courts and Tribunals (ECTs). Brazil has some of the world’s best courts specially dedicated to environmental law, land use planning, indigenous peoples, real estate and development, and public health – ECTs created by Judge Freitas. Internationally respected, his public-interest lawsuits and prosecutions, court opinions, books, articles, and lectures have laid the foundation of Environmental Law in Brazil and influenced developments throughout Latin America. He is a consultant to the United Nations, World Conservation Union, and other public and public-interest groups, and lectures on Environmental Law around the world.
SLO Civil Rights Clinic testifies before CO Senate
February 16, 2009
On January 14, 2009, a client of the Student Law Office’s (SLO) Civil Rights Clinic testified before the Judiciary Committee of the Colorado state Senate, in support of a bill before that committee to amend the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) to allow courts to award monetary damages for individuals harmed by wrongful discrimination. Federal law already provides for such remedies, but for individuals in Colorado who are employed by businesses with fewer than 15 employees, CADA is their sole recourse for the harms they have suffered. Chris, the Civil Rights Clinic’s client (who did not use her full name in testifying), related to the Senators in attendance the egregious conduct of her former employer, which included sexually-explicit comments about her appearance, direct propositions for sex, and groping. Chris also explained her difficulties in finding representation, due in part to her employer having fewer than 15 employees, and how she was ultimately able to find representation for her case with the Student Law Office. A number of the Senators were visibly affected by Chris’s story, and the committee voted that day to renew CADA and to amend it to provide for damages. There will be one more vote by the Judiciary Committee on this amended bill, approval by additional Senate committees, and ultimately a vote on the floor of the Senate before it can become law. Rachel Proctor and Katie Stevens, the SLO student attorneys representing Chris in her case, accompanied their client to the committee hearing, and were instrumental in preparing her for her testimony. All three felt immensely rewarded by the experience, and are proud of their contributions to the effort to make long overdue improvements in the state’s protections of the equal rights of women and other protected classes.
Myers McDougal Distinguished Lecture and DJILP Alumni Award Banquet
February 12, 2009
The 2009 Myres McDougal Distinguished Lecture
Professor José E. Alvarez
Hamilton Fish Professor of International Law & Diplomacy
Director, Center on Global Legal Problems, Columbia Law School
“Contemporary International Law: An Empire of Law or the Law of Empire?”
Click here for additional information.
Greene: Signs were Max’s anchor
February 12, 2009
Denver Post Columnist Susan Greene writes about Max Corrada, Professor Roberto Corrada’s son, who passed away on January 25, 2009. Read the article and watch the video here.
DU Professor Emeritus and Advisor to Graduate Program Writes “Open Letter” to Interior Secretary
February 12, 2009
DENVER – John A. Carver Jr., professor emeritus at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and advisor to the Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy graduate program (ENRLGP), recently wrote an “open letter” to new Secretary of the Interior Department Ken Salazar.
The letter that was published as an op-ed piece in the Rocky Mountain News, one of western America’s major newspapers, provides Secretary Salazar the benefit of Prof. Carver’s service at the U.S. Interior Department from 1961-1966. Prof. Carver served as Assistant Secretary of the Interior from 1961-1964 and as Under Secretary of the Interior from 1964-1966 when he was appointed to the Federal Power Commission. In 1972 Prof. Carver joined the faculty of DU Sturm College of Law. During his active professorial years he taught courses ranging from environmental to natural resources to utilities law.
The full text of the article can be accessed by clicking here.
Don C. Smith, director of the ENRLGP, said, “Prof. Carver has taught literally hundreds of students, including former Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton. His remarkable career spanned nearly 3/4th of the 20th century and today he offers valuable advice to the graduate program. Students attending the University of Denver have the opportunity to meet talented individuals just like John A. Carver Jr., who by any measure is one of America’s foremost experts on the evolution and development of natural resources and environmental policies.”
DU Law student Michelle Larson-Krieg, winner of the student feminist jurisprudence essay contest
February 03, 2009
DU Law student Michelle Larson-Krieg, winner of the student feminist jurisprudence essay contest sponsored by The Women and the Law and Legal Rhetoric Programs at American University Washington College of Law, will present her winning essay on February 17 in Washington, D.C. Click here for more information about the event. And congratulations Michelle!
Alice Paul Essay Contest Founders Flyer
Graduate Program Students Tour the World’s Premier Renewable Energy Laboratory
February 02, 2009
GOLDEN, Colorado – Students in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy graduate program (ENRLGP) spent last Friday afternoon at the world’s premier renewable energy facility listening to one of the country’s top renewables policy experts discuss the state of the renewables sector.
The tour of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) – located only 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the University of Denver campus – allowed students to learn first-hand about specific research efforts involving solar, wind, and biofuels related energy. In addition, Robert J. Noun, executive director of communications and external affairs for NREL, spoke about the evolution of renewables policy in the United States and where future policy might be heading.
Mr. Noun, who is an attorney and has followed renewables policy for more than 25 years, noted that the economic stimulus bill as drafted by the administration of President Barack Obama contained nearly $70 billion in infrastructure projects that involve renewables or energy efficiency as well as an additional $20 billion in renewables-related tax incentives. “This bill, if enacted, will be a huge driver in the economy,” Mr. Noun said. He also noted that the Obama administration has committed to doubling production of alternative energy within three years. “The next big market for renewable energy is in the United States,” he said.
Among several key research areas undertaken at NREL are: (1) improving the efficiency and energy captured by wind turbines; (2) exploring new feedstocks for biofuels; (3) improving performance of solar energy systems; and (4) studying zero-energy buildings.
Don C. Smith, director of the ENRLGP, said, “In many people’s minds, NREL is the premier renewable energy facility in the world. This is confirmed by the fact that many leading global politicians and companies visit NREL each year. The University of Denver has benefited enormously from our relationship with NREL, and we look forward to strengthening that relationship in the future.”
ENRLGP students regularly serve as interns at NREL and currently one program graduate works at NREL. More information about NREL can be found by clicking here.
