Tempus Fugit

I have to say yesterday's Opening Assembly was a great program! It opened with a beautiful performance by students from the Kamehameha School Concert Glee Club and Hawaiian Ensemble. Local Hawaii Bar member Kahikino Noa Dettweiler also performed a welcome chant. Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle and Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann gave attendees a warm Aloha ahead of the keynote address by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. We all received reminder bookmarks of Justice Kennedy's "suggestions" for defining "The Rule of Law" he made in his remarks. You can catch some of the audio/video from Justice Kennedy's speech and other events here.

Afterwards, members had the chance to attend a few receptions in and between the Royal Hawaiian, Sheraton, and Halekulani along Waikiki Beach. It was a beautiful setting to meet with fellow attendees while enjoying some delicious food and drinks. And who says you can't take care of business in paradise?

This morning we have a busy schedule of programs ahead of one of my favorite events, the 16th Annual Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Luncheon. Afterwards, the AT Council will have its final meeting for this bar year at the Halekulani.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to stay afterwards for some more events, including the Judicial Division's Annual Reception in Honor of the Judiciary and the closing International Law Section's Reception. Duke University School of Law and The John Marshall Law School also have alumni receptions scheduled for this evening.

There are more events planned for tomorrow and Tuesday, of course, ahead of the House of Delegates meeting. You can catch those highlights in the ABA Journal's Daily Reports.

It has been my pleasure reporting from Honolulu on AM activities of interest to LSD & AT members. I have truly enjoyed serving as your liaison and look forward to continuing to work with the AT's membership committee during the next bar year.

Mahalo and Alooooooooooooooooha :-)

Saturday in Paradise

This morning, law students had the chance to enjoy "Coffee with Experience," an opportunity to meet with senior lawyers over breakfast. The LSD assembly will soon be convening, where several resolutions pending before the House of Delegates will be discussed. Stephen Lessard, LSD Liaison to the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel, also has a recommendation before the assembly to develop procedures for providing potential military clients to law school clinical programs and for law students and faculty to volunteer and support Operation Enduring LAMP. For more details on today's assembly, see the LSD Assembly Guide.

The Opening Assembly for all ABA members is this afternoon at the Sheraton Waikiki. Tonight's President's Reception at the Sheraton and Royal Hawaiian hotel & pool areas is sold out (last I heard). No worries, though, the IP Section, along with SciTech and the Hawaii State Bar are co-sponsoring a reception at the Halekulani, and the PUCAT is also hosting its own reception in the Royal Hawaiian, so you're sure to find a place to wind down with fellow attendees after a busy day.

P.S. If anyone else is still trying to find a way to use those great beach towels and sunscreen between events, here's a tip: head south just a few blocks from the Convention Center and Ala Moana Hotel to Ala Moana Beach Park. I was surprised to find it wasn't nearly as crowded as Waikiki Beach when I stopped by yesterday. You might even run into some friendly locals serving up some freshly caught fish :-) Until tomorrow... Aloha!

Aloha from Honolulu

It is my pleasure to bring this final series of posts as LSD-AT Liaison from the 2006 ABA Annual Meeting (AM) in beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii (tough job, but somebody had to do it). I am also pleased to introduce my successor for 2006-2007, Robyn Rosen, a rising 2L at the University of Houston Law Center. She is also attending the AM and will soon be blogging here about what's in store for LSD-AT members during the next bar year.

LSD AM activities began in earnest yesterday at the Ala Moana Hotel. Students had the chance to attend an introductory LSD program on "Who We Are and What We Do" early in the afternoon before breaking out into separate circuit meetings. While there, Circuit Governors had the chance to meet and update their fellow circuit members on key activities and agenda items during the annual meeting and for the upcoming bar year. (I am proud to report the 13th Circuit (Texas & Louisiana) had a large number of attendees. Robyn is also serving as Lt. Gov. of Reporting for the 13th Circuit so you can expect to hear more from her on any records we may have broken!)

There are 11 candidates for 3 LSD Delegate positions to be elected during the AM. These Delegates will be the voice of law students in the ABA House of Delegates. A "Meet the Candidates" forum was held yesterday afternoon ahead of the Ho'ohui in the Convention Center's Rooftop Garden. We enjoyed some great food and drinks while meeting fellow law students from across the US and Pacific territories.

This morning, the LSD Delegate Candidates are scheduled for more in-depth Q&A sessions with students. There will also be a panel presentation regarding Pro Bono Partnership Programs during lunch. Later in the afternoon, there will also be a Deans Panel discussion with representative Law School Deans covering issues of interest and concern for Deans and law student leaders. The Diversity Awards and National Awards Receptions are scheduled to follow later in the evening.

Needless to say, the schedule is packed full of great opportunities for law students to meet with their peers, law school faculty & administrators, and ABA members & staff, while enjoying the sights and sounds of beautiful Waikiki, Honolulu, and the island of Oahu. We also have the benefit of some great hosts from the University of Hawaii to help out with transportation and additional group activities at local hot spots (Thanks, guys!).

The full AM program book, including activities from all the other sections, divisions, and forums, is available here. Somehow, I'm going to have to find a way to make use of the great EXPO giveaways I picked up yesterday, including an enormous beach towel from Thomson West and sunscreen from Thomas Cooley Law School - wish me luck! ;-)

Why Antitrust? 7/26

A discussion of the importance of diversity in the antitrust field
(and the many benefits of a career in antitrust)

Leslie Overton, Partner in Jones Day's D.C. Office, will be moderating next Wednesday's "Why Antitrust?" panel in Washington, including:

• Gail Kursh, Deputy Chief and Special Counsel for Federal-State Cooperation, Legal Policy Section, U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division
• Albert Y. Kim, Attorney, Federal Trade Commission
• Alicia Gutiérrez, Associate, Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
  

Not only will this be a great introductory session for law students, but you will also have the opportunity to be matched with mentors (if interested). RSVP Info is in the flyer.

(For those of you who may not be able to attend because of the MBE administration - I wish you all the best of luck!)

AMC at Mid-Course Symposium June 8-9

FREE for AT Members & Law Students
The AT is sponsoring the “Antitrust Modernization Commission at Mid-Course Symposium” at Georgetown Law Center in Washington, D.C. on June 8-9, 2006. AT members and law students can register online for FREE.

The AT has pulled together an impressive list of panelists to

take stock of the Commission's activities to date, and to discover whether there are recommendations and proposals that may find general favor in the antitrust community, ultimately leading to Congressional action.

Panel discussions will cover:

• Civil Remedies


• Robinson-Patman Act


• Merger Enforcement


• Substantive Issues


• Federal Institutional & Process Issues


• Enforcement Role of the States


• Exclusionary Conduct


• Exemptions and Immunities

See online agenda for schedule and panelist details.

This is a great opportunity to hear from some of the top AT practitioners and enforcement officials on hot topics in competition policy.

Congratulations to the 2006-07 LSD Liaisons

LSD Liaison appointments for the next bar year have been notified and it is my pleasure to welcome James M. Curtin of Northwestern Law as LSD-AT Liaison-elect.

Over the next couple months I will be transitioning out of my role as LSD liaison and into my new role as Vice-Chair of the AT-MEO Committee, so you can keep sending in those questions and suggestions (I'm only slightly distracted studying for the Bar exam).

Congratulations again to James and all the incoming liaisons!

Bar/Bri Antitrust case - class certified

Since we just started our bar review course here in Houston this week, I had to check and see how the Bar/Bri antitrust case was going. Well, Eliot Disner of McGuireWoods LLP just announced last week that the court certified the plaintiff's class to include law students who registered for the bar review course between 1997 and 2006, or approximately 300,000 students.

Among other things, the lawsuit accuses BAR/BRI of an illegal market division agreement with its largest potential competitor, Kaplan. It agreed with BAR/BRI to stay out of the bar review course market, on the condition that hundreds of thousands of dollars per year be paid to it, and that BAR/BRI also stay out of Kaplan's LSAT prep course market. Disner said the claimed conspiracy appears to have resulted in class members being overcharged as much as $1,000 each.

A Special Master has also been appointed to "expedite future proceedings" ahead of the September 12, 2006 trial date.

An interesting case for law students to watch!

[UPDATE] AntitrustProf has copies of the complaint, the class certification, and Order Appointing a Special Master available here.[/UPDATE]

Practical Experience Pays

Take a "random" break from finals and find out from AntitrustReview's David Fischer why some law students don't need to pass a bar exam to practice after graduation

Like every practicing attorney, I can assure you that the practice of law bears little to no relation to the bar exam

... and what his firm's associate hiring committee is really looking for these days. Hint: Steiger fellows will have an even greater edge on the competition.

Congratulations to the 2006 Janet D. Steiger Fellows

There were almost 200 applications for 15 positions with OAG's across the country and the CNMI, so competition was very stiff. Congratulations are in order for the following students:

• Illinois: Brian Miller, University of Miami School of Law
• Iowa: Jason M. Yates, Drake University Law School
• Mississippi: Anders Ferrington, Mississippi College School of Law
• Montana: Jessie Lundberg, University of Montana School of Law
• Nevada: Rachel Bickle-Stone, University of Nevada-Boyd School of Law
• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Joseph S. Turek, Ohio State University – Moritz College of Law
• Oregon: Anthony J. Dal Ponte, University of Notre Dame School of Law
• Pennsylvania: Christopher Reinard, University of Pittsburgh School of Law
• South Dakota: Kimberly G. Beza, University of South Dakota School of Law
• Texas: Briana Godbey, Ohio State University – Moritz College of Law
• Utah: Stephen A. Oler, University of Toledo College of Law
• Vermont: Leticia M. Padilla-Morales, Vermont Law School
• Virginia: Timothy M. Bezbatchenko, University of Cincinnati College of Law
• Washington: Jason Eric Bernstein, Seattle University School of Law
• Wisconsin: Scott J. Jess, University of Wisconsin Law School

We'll be looking forward to hearing about each of their fellowship experiences as the summer progresses.

ABA Day in Washington

For members in or near the D.C. area this week, don't forget ABA Day in Washington will be taking place Tuesday evening thru Thursday. "Hot topics" of particular interest to LSD/YLD members include loan forgiveness for public interest attorneys and the continuing effects of Hurricane Katrina.

If you have questions about on-site registration, please contact Julie Strandlie at (202) 662-1764.