Golden Gate University School of LawGGU Law Digital Commons

Dean's Annual Report About GGU School of Law

9-10-2013

2013 Dean's Annual UpdateRachel A. Van CleaveGolden Gate University School of Law, rvancleave@ggu.edu

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/deansrep

Part of the Legal Education Commons

This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the About GGU School of Law at GGU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted forinclusion in Dean's Annual Report by an authorized administrator of GGU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contactjfischer@ggu.edu.

Recommended CitationVan Cleave, Rachel A., "2013 Dean's Annual Update" (2013). Dean's Annual Report. Paper 10.http://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/deansrep/10

9/10/13 Dean's Annual Update

myemail.constantcontact.com/Dean-s-Annual-Update.html?soid=1108953471107&aid=LuZcNP6r3pM 1/5

Share:Tweet 1

Welcome

The 43rd America's Cup finals are taking place just steps from GGULaw. Competing teams have designed vessels that are innovative,nimble and competitive. They have recruited the most skillful teams tosail them, with ambitious goals. The powerful vessels racing on thebay outside my office provide what I believe is a powerful image in thefluid, shifting environments of legal education and the legal professiontoday, emphasizing the importance of innovation and creativity. Keeping with the sailing metaphor, in a 1938 fireside chat, PresidentRoosevelt said "To reach a port we must set sail. Sail, not tie atanchor. Sail, not drift." The quote was adapted from a book by OliverWendell Holmes, Sr., a writer and physician as well as father ofSupreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. In 1936, theambassador to Mexico sent a letter to President Roosevelt

suggesting he may want to invoke Holmes Sr.'s metaphor in one of his "chats" and two years laterRoosevelt did just that. Since I became permanent Dean in January of this year, these words have also served me well inframing bold planning and new initiatives we are undertaking at the law school. I have used them toframe our intentional, swift strategic planning process. I have also used them to inspire our skillfulstudents as they embark on their legal careers. Over the past year, we have laid important foundations for GGU Law's future course. Our facultycollaboratively produced a comprehensive, multi-volume self study for our ABA and AALSaccreditation visit last spring. This evaluation of our strengths and challenges included feedbackfrom students, alumni, and employers of GGU Law graduates. Our faculty and deans alsoparticipated in two retreats to discuss our findings and the future direction of the law school. Thisimportant work has served as a springboard for planning meetings with our president and board oftrustees. A board-appointed advisory group is now working with us this fall as we create a three-year strategic plan.

While designing a master plan to lead GGU Law into a future that is sustainable and bold inambition, we will seek further feedback from you, our alumni, as well as students, faculty and staff.Together, we will create and execute a plan that combines GGU Law's legacy of focusing onpractical education and opening the legal profession as we maintain a keen eye on the future ofthe profession. I am most fortunate as Dean to have the wisdom, commitment, and contributions

AnnualUpdates

Welcome

Accolades

ProgramInnovation

DynamicLeadership

SpecialEvents

9/19 GGU Law

Clinics 20th

Anniversary

Celebration

10/11

California

State Bar

Annual

Meeting

Alumni

Reception

10/17 Fifth

Annual Chief

Justice

Ronald M.

George

Distinguished

Lecture:

Veterans in

the Judiciary

Quick Links

LCSonline

Donate

9/10/13 Dean's Annual Update

myemail.constantcontact.com/Dean-s-Annual-Update.html?soid=1108953471107&aid=LuZcNP6r3pM 2/5

Rachel Van Cleave Dean

the profession. I am most fortunate as Dean to have the wisdom, commitment, and contributionsof our entire community as we design our future and set sail. Thanks to each of you for all the ways you support GGU Law. Last spring we sent a call to alumnito join our annual summer recruitment efforts. We were delighted by the enthusiastic response wereceived, a response showing how well our alumni understand that today's GGU Law students aretomorrow's colleagues and fellow alumni. However you choose to give back to GGU--giving a gift,hiring or sharing your expertise with students, or getting connected through events--I amgrateful for your support of our extraordinary students and school. I have enjoyed getting to knowmany of you this last year at events in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. as well as inthe Bay Area and look forward to getting to know many more and to hearing your thoughts as weembark on an exciting year ahead. Sincerely,

Accolades 2012-13

School Recognition

Successful ABA Accreditation Visitlast spring. Full, formal report expectedafter January, 2014.

James Silkenat, current ABAPresident, served as 2013commencement speaker

Dean Van Cleave appointed to theABA's newly created Legal AccessJob Corps Task Force

Environmental Law & Justice Clinicreceived the ABA's Dedication toDiversity and Justice Award from theSection of Environment, Energy, andResources

For the third consecutive year, LL.M.programs voted among the top 3 inCalifornia by Recorder readers

LL.M. program in Taxation ranked

Student Recognition

Marina Pantchenko (JD 13) one of 50law students nationwide to receivean Equal Justice Works Fellowshipthat will allow her to advocate for thehealthcare of immigrants

Three students honored withCalifornia Bar Foundationscholarships for public interest

Mock trial teams took first place intwo competitions, held by the San

Francisco Trial Lawyers Association(SFTLA) and the ABA Labor andEmployment Mock Trial

Appellate advocacy team won theRoger J. Traynor Appellate MootCourt competition

First place in the ABA's NationalAppellate Advocacy competition

Donate

Press Room

Student

Profiles

Alumni

Profiles

Events

Calendar

Golden Gate

Lawyer

Spg/Sum '13

Submit a

Class Note

9/10/13 Dean's Annual Update

myemail.constantcontact.com/Dean-s-Annual-Update.html?soid=1108953471107&aid=LuZcNP6r3pM 3/5

LL.M. program in Taxation rankedamong the top 10 in the nation forthe second consecutive year by 151heads of corporate tax departments

GGU Law programs, including 1stSTEP and 1L Electives, rankedamong the top 25 most innovativenationwide by PreLaw and NationalJurist magazines

Four individuals received first placeaccolades for briefs, oral arguments,and best direct examination in variouscompetitions

Program Innovation 2012-13

CoachingOur Coaching program provides students withprofessional mentoring to enhance their lawschool experience, professional development,and transition into the legal community. Welaunched the program this fall with our 1Lclass. New students enjoy small, monthlygatherings with faculty coaches who serve asallies and mentors. Coaches shareopportunities for professional development onand off campus and discuss emerging topics inlaw with their student teams. This programhelps strengthen students' academic andprofessional profiles and cultivate the nextgeneration of proud GGU Law colleagues.

Practice Intensive CoursesPIC courses combine substantivecompetencies and objectives with intensesimulation training, research and writing, andfeedback from a professional that mirrorspractice in the field of study. This fall,Professors Yates and Gallagher are teachingTorts as PIC courses and Professor Porter willteach a PIC Criminal Law course. In the upperdivision, Associate Dean Stanley will teachCharacterization of Income and Expendituresas a PIC course and Professor Porter willteach Evidence as a PIC course.

Training CourtroomsThis spring, classrooms will be renovated tocreate training courtrooms that enrich ourlitigation and advocacy training. Next summer,

Veteran's InitiativeThe Yellow Ribbon Program was enhancedso that qualifying veteran students are providedmatching grants that cover 100% of tuition. In

9/10/13 Dean's Annual Update

myemail.constantcontact.com/Dean-s-Annual-Update.html?soid=1108953471107&aid=LuZcNP6r3pM 4/5

litigation and advocacy training. Next summer,the second floor lecture halls will berefurbished to upgrade technology, improveacoustics, and, most excitingly, convert alecture hall into a ceremonial courtroom. Theseupgrades will not only create rich learningexperiences but also allow us to host ourannual competition, The Professor BernieSegal Mock Trial Competition, In VinoVeritas, on campus, bringing the nation's topadvocacy schools to campus in fall 2014 andbeyond.

matching grants that cover 100% of tuition. Inthe new Veterans Law ExternshipClinic, students assist veterans with benefits-related legal needs under the supervision ofdistinguished veteran, attorney, and alumnusDan Devoy (JD 10). GGU's newlyformed Veterans Law StudentAssociation will sponsor events and raiseawareness of the local veterans community.GGU and other Northern California veteran lawstudents also formed the Law StudentVeterans Coalition of NorthernCalifornia to raise awareness of veteransissues, starting with the Veterans LawConference to be held at GGU Law October18. Finally, this year's Fifth Annual ChiefJustice Ronald M. George DistinguishedLecture: Veterans in the Judiciary willfeature a keynote address by AssociateJustice Ming W. Chin.

Dynamic Leadership

Like law schools nationwide, GGU Law decided to enroll a smaller incoming class this fall, whichmeant decreasing the size of our staff. To achieve this, Golden Gate University offered asuccessful voluntary separation program that provided those opting in to leave GGU with addedbenefits. During these transitions, we have ensured that all the supportive services and resourcesthat we are committed to providing for our students remain. As part of our strategic planningprocess, we are also looking into ways of strategically integrating the supportive services ourstudents enjoy to enhance their experience and opportunities.

Bar ServicesAlumnus Jonathan Chu (JD 01, LLM 05)returns to GGU as our new interim Directorof Bar Services. Working with Bar Services over the last fouryears, Jonathan has helped prepare GGU Lawstudents for the bar exam, bringing years ofprofessional experience to his role. We areequally fortunate that our Associate Director ofBar Services Jay Bijlani, who recently becamea new father, will continue to help our studentsprepare for the bar exam by serving as anadjunct professor. Jay and Jonathan each helped to build ourcurrent, strong program working with formerBar Services Director Rod Fong, and we aredelighted they will each continue to serve ourstudents in new capacities. We are also

ExternshipsThis year, we express our gratitude to andcelebrate Professor and Director ofExternships Susan Rutberg, who will retire thisyear. Our 2014 Alumni Celebration this springwill commemorate her decades of outstandingmentoring and teaching. Professor Michele Benedetto-Neitz willassume the role Director of Externships.Michele is an outstanding professor andscholar who led our Poverty Law Conferencefour years ago, chaired the law school's deansearch, and has taught at GGU Law since2006. Drawing on her experience teaching andworking in corporate and public interest law,and working closely with our Law CareerServices staff, Michele is ideally positioned tohelp the next generation of GGU Law studentsenvision and bridge their education and

9/10/13 Dean's Annual Update

myemail.constantcontact.com/Dean-s-Annual-Update.html?soid=1108953471107&aid=LuZcNP6r3pM 5/5

studying how to best integrate academicsupport and bar preparation services to provideour students with seamless overall support ateach stage of their education.

professional paths.

Career Services GGU Law welcomes Cynthia Chandler as our new Public Interest

Career Counselor. Cynthia has been an adjunct professor at GGU, teaching a WrongfulConvictions seminar, an Advanced Externship course, and Lawyering Skills: Using the Law forSocial Change. She is co-founder of Justice Now, and served as that organization's ExecutiveDirector for twelve years. She has spoken and written on a wide variety of social justice topics andhas mentored many GGU students in developing their public interest careers. With deep gratitude we bid farewell to professors Mary Ann Wolcott and Helen Hartnell, who haveretired after years of committed service to our students.

Golden Gate University School of Law, 536 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

Copyright © 20XX. All Rights Reserved.

Confirm that you like this.

Click the "Like" button.