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IP Program Launches Creative and Innovative Economy Center


CIEC Director Michael P. Ryan; Ambassador Rita Hayes, deputy director for the World Intellectual Property Organization; and GW Law IP Co-Director Professor Robert Brauneis at the Creative and Innovative Economy Center launch event at the Cosmos Club in Washington in March.

Claire Duggan

GW Law’s intellectual property program has established a major research and education center with a mission of studying the impact of and promoting innovation in international economic development. Launched in January, the Creative and Innovative economy Center is collaborating with other universities worldwide, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the National Institutes of Health Office of Technology Transfer, and major companies.

The CIEC conducts research and educational initiatives on all aspects of creativity in the world economy. The premise is that all countries, including developing countries, should be able to reap the economic benefits that come from creative ideas and technological innovation and advancement. Toward that end, the center is focusing on six areas: biomedical and information technology innovation; drugs and health security; informational and cultural creativity; public policy, administration, and international diplomacy; enforcement, judiciary, and dispute settlement; and trademark and brand management. Programs are being conducted at GW Law, the Munich Intellectual Property Center (a consortium of the Law School and the Max Planck Institute), Munich Technological University, and the University of Augsburg.

More than 200 members of the Law School community joined with global ambassadors, representatives from nongovernment organizations, educators, and corporate executives at the Cosmos Club in Washington in March to celebrate the center’s launch.

“We expect the center to serve as a model for how academic and private sector partnerships can have a significant impact on important global economic and public policy issues,” says Dean Frederick M. Lawrence. “This is an exciting development for the Law School and for GW. The goals and activities of the center not only complement our longstanding strengths in the area of intellectual property law, they also create valuable opportunities for collaboration with other schools at the University.”

CIEC Director Michael P. Ryan says the center’s projects are aimed at promoting creativity and innovation as essential tools for driving economic development. Ryan is an international political economist who has taught at Georgetown University and the University of Michigan and is the author of Knowledge Diplomacy: Global Competition and the Politics of Intellectual Property (1998) and Playing by the Rules: American Trade Power and Diplomacy in the Pacific (1995).

In 2006, the center will address biomedical innovation in Brazil and Jordan, software in India, music in Southeast Asia, health security in Africa, technology commercialization in Korea, and intellectual property public administration in the Middle East.

Ryan worked with Professors and IP Program Co-Directors Martin Adelman and Robert Brauneis to establish the center. Ryan says the CIEC and its initiatives have been embraced by the global IP community and will make a significant impact on international law and business.

“Our roundtables and programs educate government officials, attorneys, and educators, and international judges,” Ryan says. “By sharing ideas and information, we are encouraging growth and prosperity in developing countries and fostering a better understanding of complex IP issues. In these regards, the center’s impact is far-reaching.”

In June, the CIEC led a roundtable discussion on in Geneva, Switzerland, with representatives from 12 countries who discussed strategies to promote knowledge in developing countries. In April, CIEC members, the WIPO, and members of Congress met on Capitol Hill to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day and discuss issues related to Nigeria’s “Nollywood” motion picture industry, the third largest film industry in the world but one that is plagued with piracy issues. In February, Ryan and the CIEC released a research paper about positive changes in Brazil’s biomedical industry.

Looking ahead, the CIEC is conducting research for a study on India and the impact of India’s “Bollywood” motion picture industry on international law and business, which will be released in September.

Government Contract Event Examines the Defense Authorization Act


GW Law Professor Fred Lees speaks to the audience before Jeff Green, LLM ’06 (House Armed Services Committee), Judge Stephen Daniels (General Services Board of Contract Appeals—BCA), Judge James Stern (Transportation BCA), and Robert Burton (Acting Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy).

Claire Duggan

GW Law’s Government Procurement Law Program, the Boards of Contract Appeals Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association co-hosted a colloquium at GW Law in April called, “Consolidation of the Civilian Boards of Contract Appeals: New Legislation’s Impact on Practice Before the Boards.”

The most recent Defense Authorization Act will consolidate all of the Civilian Boards of Contract Appeals, a shift which will have a profound impact on those practicing before the boards. This colloquium of judges and experts reviewed the purpose and likely impact of the new legislation.

Panelists for the event were: Robert Burton, acting administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy; Jeffery Green, counsel, House Armed Services Committee; Judge Stephen Daniels, chairman, General Services Board of Contracts Appeals; Judge James Stern, chief judge, Department of Transportation Board of Contract Appeals; and GW Law Professor Fred Lees. Christopher Yukins and Steven Schooner, GW Law professors and co-directors of the Law School’s Government Procurement Law Program, moderated the event.

Assessing the State of Labor Unions



photo
Charles H. Goldstein, JD ’64, created the Charles H. Goldstein Labor Law Symposium as a way to bring eminent speakers, scholars, and lawyers in the field of labor law together for timely discussion.

Abdul El-Tayef/WPPI

 

Are labor unions still relevant in the 21st century? That was the question posed during the Charles H. Goldstein Labor Law Symposium in the Jacob Burns Moot Court Room at GW Law in February. The Labor Law Symposium, created by Charles H. Goldstein, JD ’64, was created as a way to bring eminent speakers, scholars, and lawyers in the field of labor law together. The event featured a series of panel discussions, a luncheon address, and a closing reception by several experts, including GW Law’s Lyle T. Alverson Professor of Law Charles Craver.

Dean Fredrick M. Lawrence opened the symposium by introducing the symposium’s benefactors, the Goldstein family, which, in addition to Charles and wife Francine, includes 2002 GW Law graduates Jonathan and Joseph Goldstein. He also welcomed alumna Wilma Liebman,
JD ’74, a member of the National Labor Relations Board who participated in the event.

Goldstein came to GW Law in the early 1960s as an ardent supporter of labor unions. He expressed during the symposium that much has changed during the past four decades to alter his view of unions and that he now sees different sides to union issues. It is his hope that the symposium will continue to help explore the issues in this most dynamic field of contemporary law. “I’m glad to be able to endow this program to look into these important issues,” he said.

High Rankings


GW Law School is ranked 19th in this year’s U.S. News & World Report list of 180 accredited law schools—up one spot from last year. Individual areas of study also placed high: For the second year in a row, the intellectual property law program was named the country’s third best, while the international law program moved up three spots to sixth. The environmental law and clinical training programs placed 12th and 15th, respectively. GW Law also scored high in terms of student diversity and its graduates’ eventual earning power.

Scholarship Supports Procurement Law


Professor Steven L. Schooner, Crowell & Moring Partner Kent R. Morrison, and Dean Frederick M. Lawrence present 3L Adelicia Cliffe Taylor with the Roger Boyd Scholar award, which provides a stipend to the editor-in-chief of the Public Contract Law Journal.

Claire Duggan

Professor Steven L. Schooner, Crowell & Moring Partner Kent R. Morrison, and Dean Frederick M. Lawrence presented 3L Adelicia Cliffe Taylor with the Roger Boyd Scholarship at the annual Government Contracts Luncheon in February. The award provides a stipend to the editor-in-chief of the Public Contract Law Journal and is named after Crowell & Moring Partner Roger Boyd, who passed away in 2003. The scholarship is made possible by donations from the firm, his loved ones and friends, and GW Law alumni.

The firm describes the scholarship as a commemoration of the “continuation of Roger’s lively and serious interest in procurement law, his support of the government contracts curriculum, and students at The George Washington University Law School.”

Harvey Pitt Delivers Manuel F. Cohen Memorial Lecture




Claire Duggan

Harvey L. Pitt, CEO of global business consulting firm Kalorama Partners and former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, delivered the 26th Annual Manuel F. Cohen Memorial Lecture on April 5 in the Michael K. Young Faculty Conference Center. The event was presented in partnership with the SEC Historical Society.

The endowed lecture was created by friends and colleagues of Manny Cohen—a leader in securities law, former chairman of the SEC, and Law School instructor—in 1979.

Weinglass Speaks on National Security Issues


Leonard Weinglass, BA ’55

Claire Duggan

Civil rights attorney Leonard Weinglass, BA ’55, discussed matters of national security and screened the documentary Mission Against Terror, in which he is interviewed, in an Enrichment Series lecture in March.

The focus of the lecture and the film was the group known as the Cuban Five, men who were arrested in 1998 in the United States while attempting to gather intelligence on extreme right-wing organizations based in South Florida that they allege have carried out violent actions against Cuba. They were sentenced to between 15 years and double-life-plus-15 years in prison for their alleged crimes of conspiracy to commit espionage and related charges.

Weinglass, represented one of the Cuban Five in appeals. He asserted that the Cuban Five were working to prevent violence against Cuba, not to perpetuate violence in the United States.

Professor Alberto Benitez, director of GW Law’s Immigration Clinic, said he was pleased to give students the opportunity to hear about Weinglass’ many years of expertise as a criminal defense lawyer.

Jim Moran in the House


Claire Duggan

Congressman Jim Moran (D.-Va.) visited GW April 2 to judge the final round of the National Animal Law Legislative Drafting and Lobbying Competition of GW Law’s Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. Moran judged the competition and remained at the Law School for more than an hour to answer questions and give advice on lobbying.

First place in the competition went to Rutgers School of Law’s Robin Bernstein. GW Law 3L
J. Alexander Harman won Best Bill.

Fun on the Yard

The deans, faculty, and staff of the Law School broke out their casual wear for Dean’s Jeans Day in April. The event traditionally offers students a barbeque served by the deans, faculty, and staff. Also this year, thanks to the planning of the SBA, Dean’s Jeans Day offered the “GW Law Games,” complete with a moon bounce, giant slide, and other air-filled activities on the University Yard.


Dave Zvenyach, JD ’06, spans the giant slide in a single bound.

Bungee-clad Professors Steven Schooner and Todd Peterson square off in a racing game.

In his first Dean’s Jeans Day appearance, Frederick M. Lawrence takes a break from his burger-flipping duties with Associate Dean Alfreda Robinson.

Photos by Claire Duggan

Three Win Finnegan Prize


Associate Dean Roger Trangsrud, second place winner Eric Hinkes, first place winner Zvi Rosen, and Doug Henderson pose in front of a portrait of Marc Finnegan at a reception in honor of this year’s Finnegan Prize winners. Not pictured is third place winner Peter J. McVeigh, who was unable to attend the event.

In its 24th year, The Finnegan Prize commemorates the life and work of internationally-known intellectual property attorney and GW Law professorial lecturer Marcus B. Finnegan, LLM ’57. The competition, which encourages excellence in legal writing on intellectual property subjects for GW Law students, is funded by the Finnegan family, friends of Marc Finnegan, and the partners of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner.

Three students won awards of $5,000, $2,000, and $1,000, respectively in this year’s competition. First, second, and third place went to Zvi S. Rosen, LLM ’06; summer 2006 LLM candidate Eric M. Hinkes; and Peter J. McVeigh, JD ’06, respectively. A committee of GW Law professors and Finnegan partner Brian G. Brunsvold, JD ’67, made the winning selections.

A reception in honor of the winners was held May 16 at the Finnegan, Henderson offices.

Kovacic Named FTC Commissioner

In December, the U.S. Senate confirmed GW Law Professor William E. Kovacic as commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. A recognized expert in the fields of antitrust law and government contracts law, Kovacic is the Law School’s E.K. Gubin Professor of Government Contracts Law.

Kovacic was the FTC’s general counsel from 2001 through the end of 2004. He earlier worked at the commission from 1979 to 1983, first with the Bureau of Competition’s Planning Office and later as an attorney advisor to former Commissioner George W. Douglas. After leaving the FTC in 1983, Kovacic was an antitrust associate with the Washington, D.C., office of Bryan Cave, where he practiced in the firm’s antitrust and government contracts departments until entering academia with a position at George Mason University 1986. Earlier in his career, he spent one year on the majority staff of the Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

Kovacic is co-author of Antitrust Law in Perspective: Cases, Concepts and Problems in Competition Policy (2002) and Antitrust Law and Economics in a Nutshell (5th ed. 2004). He has written numerous articles on antitrust and the FTC and has served as an adviser to numerous foreign governments about competition and consumer protection issues.

In Recognition of Service




Claire Duggan

In April, the GW Law faculty and staff celebrated the careers of Professor Lewis D. Solomon, Dean Robert V. Stanek, and Dean Roger H. Trangsrud at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Stanek and Solomon retired and Trangsrud is stepping down from his dean position this summer to resume his position as faculty member. Pictured from left: Professor Robert W. Tuttle, Trangsrud, Stanek, Solomon, and Dean Frederick M. Lawrence.

Law School Expands To Lisner Hall; Food Vendor Added


Lisner Hall, the center building on the G Street side of the University Yard, will house the Law School on five of its six floors. Highlights for students include the addition of a food vendor and a student conference center.

Edmund Stawick

In February, the Law School began its planned expansion into Lisner Hall, the building adjacent to Stuart Hall on the G Street side of the University Yard.

New windows are being installed throughout the building, and interiors will coordinate with areas of the Law School that have already been renovated. The project also includes reworking the patio behind the building for better access to the University Yard, as well as the streetscape on G Street.

“This is a major undertaking, but we expect minimal disruption to the daily life of the school during the construction,” says Associate Dean Thomas A. Morrison.

The Law School, which currently houses its alumni and advancement offices in Lisner, will assume occupancy of floors 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 of the building. The Biology Department will continue to occupy the 3rd floor as well as its “Bone Lab” on the 1st floor.

This latest round of Law School expansion will have a significant impact on student life, with the addition of a food vendor on the first floor and a student conference center on the second floor. The food vendor, a café-type establishment, is slated to be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner starting the first week of September. It will offer coffee, smoothies, hot and cold sandwiches, bakery goods, and salads.

“This is something that the students have wanted for a long time, and we finally have the space to provide it,” Morrison says. I think this will really enhance the time our students spend at the School.”
The student conference center will provide a location for student-sponsored events during the day and evening. It will be designed to be flexible and configurable to accommodate a number of event types, similar to the Michael K. Young Faculty Conference Center on the 5th floor of the Burns Library. When not in use as an event venue, the conference center will serve as student lounge.

According to Morrison, adding a student conference facility and a food vendor will change the flow in the Law School as much as the “break through” across the second floor of the complex did in 2004. “Right now, we’re heavily weighted on the Lerner side in terms of facilities usage. Once completed, this project will create more balance throughout the complex.”

The expansion will provide academic benefits to the school as well. Six new student study rooms, which will be available as breakout rooms for classes such as Negotiations and Trial Advocacy, are part of the plan. Fifteen faculty offices will also be added on the 5th and 6th floors.

The remainder of the Lisner space will be dedicated to administrative offices, with the Law School alumni office on the 2nd floor and advancement on the 4th floor.

—Gina Harris

Schooner to be Academic Affairs Dean

Effective in August, Steven L. Schooner, associate professor and co-director of the government procurement program, will assume the role of senior assistant dean for academic affairs, a position previously held by Roger H. Trangsrud. Schooner has been a member of the faculty since 1998. He is a fellow of the National Contract Management Association and faculty adviser to the American Bar Association’s Public Contract Law Journal.