May 1 is Law Day!

LIBERTY UNDER LAW: Empowering Youth, Assuring Democracy

Panel Discussion: May 1, 7-8:30 p.m.

Where: Elon University Law School
201 N. Greene St., Greensboro

Parking: Free Parking in the Bellemeade parking deck or on the street

Moderator: Steven Friedland,Esq., professor, Elon University Law School.

Panelists: Judge Susan Bray, Chuck Hodierne, Lewis Pitts, Esq., Matt Comer, and Malcolm Kenton.

Sponsored by The League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad, the Greensboro Bar Association, Court Watch of North Carolina, the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice, North Carolina A&T State University and funded, in part, by the League of Women Voters Education Fund and the Program on Constitutional and Legal Policy of the Open Society Institute.

From the the Greensboro Bar Association:

Our local Law Day celebration is tomorrow night, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. at Elon University School of Law. The celebration will include a speaker panel and a short awards ceremony for the children who have submitted projects. This year’s panelists include The Honorable Susan Bray, Lewis Pitts, Matt Comer, Chuck Hodierne, and Malcolm Kenton. The panel will be moderated by Steven Friedland. This will be a wonderful opportunity to hear the perspectives of those with knowledge and experience and to participate in a question and answer session. We encourage you to bring your children since part of the discussion will be on how youth can become involved in the community and make positive change happen. We look forward to seeing you!

April 25 in Greensboro Legal History

On this day in 1997, Judge Osteen of the federal district court in Greensboro, ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had the power to regulate the distribution, sale and use of nicotine-containing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

A summary of the Court's ruling can be found here.

The Court's decision can be found here.

Elon Law's Final Afternoon Tea of the Semester

This Thursday, April 26, 2007, Elon University School of Law will hold its final Afternoon Tea until September. Be there between 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Cemala Commons.

The Judge of the week is Judge John O. Craig, III. There will also be a Student Awards Ceremony during this time.

Elon University School of Law - Afternoon Tea

This Thursday, April 19, 2007, Elon University School of Law is having its afternoon tea, at 4 p.m. in the Cemala Commons. The Judge of the week is Judge Catherine Eagles.

Women as General Counsel on the Rise

The Business Journal reports here about a welcomed trend: Corporations are looking to hire and promote more female attorneys.

According to the article, within the Triad, companies such as BB&T, GMAC Insurance Co., Hanesbrands and Reynolds American Inc. are among the public companies with women as general counsel.

Ethics Disclosure Forms - Collected by the News & Record

The News & Record has collected, and made available online, the ethics disclosure forms submitted by state and local leaders, including Greensboro-area judges. Submission of these forms is required by the North Carolina State Ethics Commission.

Update: Prosecutors drop charges in Duke case

The prosecutors dropped the charges in the Duke case.

The North Carolina Attorney General’s office says it will make an announcement on the Duke lacrosse sexual assault case at 2:30 p.m. ET.

It's not exactly Greensboro legal news, but newsworthy nonetheless...

The News & Record reports here that the N.C. Attorney General will drop all remaining charges against the three athletes accused of attacking a stripper at a Duke Lacrosse team party more than a year ago.

Fourth Circuit Sends Sexual Harassment Suit Back to Federal Court in Greensboro

Yesterday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a former UNC-Chapel Hill soccer player should be allowed to a trial of her claims that coach Anson Dorrance sexually harassed her and that the school failed to respond properly to her complaints.

A federal judge in Greensboro dismissed the claims in 2004.

As reported here and here, the Fourth Circuit, in an 8-2 ruling, ordered the case back to Greensboro for trial.

The Court's opinion states: "The facts, when viewed in the light most favorable to Jennings, show that Dorrance's persistent, sex-oriented discussions, both in team settings and in private, were degrading and humiliating to his players because they were women. His conduct went far beyond simple teasing and qualified as sexual harassment."

UPDATE: The full opinion can be found here.

Speeding Fines Near Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Tom Taylor, staff writer for the News & Record, answers a reader's question about fines for speeding on the stretch of Old Battleground Road that runs through the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.

North Carolina DWI Law

The News & Record reports here about the recently-enacted North Carolina crime of "felony death by vehicle," which applies when a driver is impaired according to the statutory definition and unintentionally causes the death of another person.

The article suggests that this law may be used to punish news anchor Tolly Carr, who was charged with DWI on March 11 after striking and killing pedestrian Casey Ryan Bokhoven.

The offense carries a punishment of 31 to 47 months.

April 10, 2007 Lecture on "Surveys & Legal Descriptions"

On Tuesday, April 10, Frank Forde, NCCP, a real estate paralegal at Carruthers & Roth, P.A. will speak to the Guilford Paralegal Association about "Surveys & Legal Descriptions" at Elon University School of Law. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. CLE credits are available.