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I commend to you the TLS Sports Law Blog. In fact, the entire TLS Sports Law website has a lot to recommend it.  Personally, I have learned more about what's going on in the sports law world (and maybe even in sports generally) from the weekly Tulane Friday Sports Links than from any other source.  All very interesting.

I should post to this blog more often, I really should.  Interesting things happen here virtually every day, but I often feel that I need to post something LONG, and time being what it is, there is rarely time to post something LONG.  So this will be quick.

Today I read that the New Orleans law firm of Jones Walker is opening a New York office.  This might not sound like that big a deal, but it is unusual for an old-line New Orleans firm to do something like this.  There are, in fact, New Orleans offices of New York firms (e.g., Proskauer), but Jones Walker may well be the first New Orleans firm with a New York presence.

Completely unrelated, but neverthess very interesting, I learned recently from Professor Joerg Fedtke (co-director of our Eason Weinmann Center for International and Comparative Law) of a new weekly lecture series being planned for the coming academic year.  The overall title of the series is US Law in Context: Comparative and International Perspectives, and here is Professor Fedtke's description of the program:

This series of lectures gives students first insights to the practical relevance of comparative and international law in today's globalized legal world.  Instructors from the ranks of the Faculty each dedicate a class to present and discuss their particular area of interest.  Topical issues drawn from contemporary legal, political, and economic debates form the backdrop of each event.  A very short text, case, news item, or statute will be distributed to introduce the theme and facilitate discussion. 

The weekly topics include International Environmental Law, Law and Development, International Organizations, European Union, Employment Discrimination, and many more.  I am tempted to list them all.

A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to be present at a most interesting event at Tulane Law School.  Professor Edward Sherman (who happens to be a former TLS Dean) and his wife, Alice Sherman, have endowed the Dean Edward and Alice Sherman Law & Literature Room in the Tulane Law Library (more about that in a moment).  In honor of the dedication of this facility, a roundtable discussion of "Law & Public Figures in Louisiana Fiction" took place.  Speaking were Harry Hardin, partner at the Jones Walker law firm and a 1971 graduate of TLS; New Orleans author Jason Berry; and New Orleans author and TLS '85 graduate Tony Dunbar.  The conversation was enormously entertaining, touching on Robert Penn Warren's novel All the King's Men and real-life Huey P. Long, on Jason Berry's The Last of the Red Hot Poppas and real-life Edwin Edwards, and finally on the purely fictional Tubby Dubonnet of the Tubby Dubonnet mystery series.  Strangely, the fictional Tubby Dubonnet can seem more real than the real-life Huey P. Long and Edwin Edwards.

Now about the new Law & Literature Room, which I think could be unique in American legal education.  With the advice of an advisory committee including five faculty members, the Director of the Law Library, and our Senior Reference Librarian, a space was carved out of the public area of the Law Library, solely to provide a place for law students to read, browse, and check out fiction and literature related to the law.  Dean and Mrs. Sherman view this space as a place of refuge, complete with comfortable chairs and access to electronic media.  There will be a collection of movies and documentaries on DVD, with others available through cable and streaming internet.  Faculty may use this space to undertake projects, such as recording interviews with interesting or prominent legal figures.  The plan is for this space to adapt to changes in technology as they take place.  For now, however, the Sherman Law & Literature Room is my new favorite place in Weinmann Hall.

Last week the Tulane Law Career Development Office (CDO) held our annual Summer & Fall Interview Program Orientation.  Our Summer Interview Programs take place in New York, Washington DC, Boston, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, and our Fall Interview Program takes place on campus.  This year’s orientation program included a panel of associates from the Houston office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Panelists included Laura Barbour (Litigation), Dave Pasarelli (Energy), and Jennifer Stevens (Corporate).  The panelists were also joined by Skadden recruiting staff Ali-Shaun Sugalski and Deena Marsh. This program was extremely informative and beneficial to our students. Topics covered included tips for the summer associate application and interview process and advice on how to succeed as a summer associate.  The panelists were very candid about their own summer associate experience and what they look for in prospective summer associates.  Following the program and panel, Skadden hosted a cocktail reception at Cure. Tulane Law students were able to meet and talk with Skadden recruiters, associates, and partners, while enjoying hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.  Students had the opportunity to learn about life as a Skadden associate, the Houston legal market, and what they should be doing now to prepare for life after law school.  Students expressed that this was one of the best CDO programs that they’ve attended, and we are extremely grateful to Skadden for contributing their time and resources. We look forward to seeing Skadden representatives again in the Fall when they return to interview students in our Fall Interview Program.

Article submitted by Lezlie Griffin, Class of 2014 Career Counselor

Every year, the Young Lawyers Division of the New Orleans Bar Association holds an event known as the New Orleans Bar & Grille.  This year marked the 10th annual such event, and my only regret about this is that I didn't know about it until the 5th annual event!  The motto of the event, which is a fundraiser for Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, is "Where there's a fork in the road, pick it up and start eating!"

Now, the most important thing about this event--of course--is the fundraiser aspect.  Southeast Louisiana Legal Services is a non-profit corporation serving individuals and families who, without the legal assistance that SLLS provides, would lose a critical human need--food, shelter, income, medical care, personal safety, or parental care.  Tulane students participate in externships with SLLS, and many of our alumni have gone on to work for SLLS.  It is one of those entities that provides a critical service and that deserves more support than it receives.

Teams of amateur chefs from local law firms and other companies participate in a cook-off and compete for Best Local Favorite, Best Dessert, Most Creative, and so on.  Over the years, I have seen the competition ratchet up to the point that much of the food is as good as that at our finest restaurants in New Orleans--and that's saying a lot.

A few months ago, I was asked if I'd consider spending 90 minutes as a "celebrity bartender" at the event.  Celebrity?  Me?  Why, of course!  And then, a couple of weeks ago, one of our alums (who is now one of my very favorite people) mentioned that if I could spend the entire afternoon at this event, I could be (are you ready?) a Food Judge!  Naturally, I immediately cleared my calendar.  My co-judges included two REAL judges, one of whom (a Tulane alum) formerly ran the Domestic Violence & Family Law department at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, is now the first Orleans Civil District Court judge whose docket is limited to family law issues, AND who won the grand prize at the New Orleans Bar & Grille several years ago for her lamb curry.

So that's what I did yesterday.  I tasted 36 entirely wonderful dishes!  It was hard work, but somebody had to do it. This is a particularly nice event for Tulane law students to attend, because of the networking potential.  Beautiful weather, great food, and a lot of very friendly members of the New Orleans Bar, all in one place.  And who knows...someday maybe you, too, could be a food judge!