Baltimore Briefs – University of Baltimore School of Law Magazine

UBalt Law Welcomes Five New Faculty Members

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Juan Soto in Baltimore Briefs, Baltimore Briefs 2025

Rachel Bennett is the director of UBalt Law’s Maryland Office of the Public Defender Innocence Project Clinic at UBalt Law. The clinic identifies individuals who have been wrongfully convicted in Maryland state courts, conducts extensive investigation, and litigates legal claims seeking to overturn wrongful convictions. The Innocence Project Clinic engages in advocacy work to challenge the systemic failures that lead to wrongful convictions.

Before joining the MOPD Innocence Project Clinic, which has been in operation for 17 years, Bennett was a senior attorney with the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, where she represented detained individuals in removal proceedings, and served as a qualified representative for noncitizens found incompetent to represent themselves.

Prior to the Amica Center, she was an assistant public defender with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender for 11 years, where she practiced in misdemeanor and felony divisions and with the statewide Post Conviction Defenders. She earned her law degree at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Chrysanthemum Desir is a clinical teaching fellow in the Criminal Defense and Advocacy Clinic. She formerly served as a juvenile public defender in Baltimore City. 

Desir graduated from Yale Law School in 2018 and was a student-attorney in the Criminal Defense, Juvenile Defense and Re-entry clinics. She also was involved in several legal education projects, including co-directing and teaching in the Marshall-Brennan Project, co-founding a tutoring program that brought law students into a low-income elementary school, and co-creating a Know Your Rights program using a “train the trainers” model through the Black Law Students Association.

Her research interests include criminal defense pedagogy, political epistemology, LGBTQ criminal justice issues with a focus on youth, and police violence. She co-taught a clinical seminar, “Intervening in the Criminalization of Youth and Queer and Trans Individuals,” at Yale Law School before joining the UBalt Law clinical faculty.

Gabrielle Fortunato is a clinical teaching fellow in the Maryland Office of the Public Defender Innocence Project Clinic. Prior to joining the law school faculty, she was an assistant public defender for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender from 2022 to 2025, and a deputy state public defender for the Colorado State Public Defender from 2021 to 2022.

She has defended hundreds of indigent clients in misdemeanor and felony criminal proceedings at bail review hearings, motions hearings, and trials.

She earned her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.

Alex Maisel is a clinical teaching fellow in The Bob Parsons Veterans Advocacy Clinic. Prior to joining the UBalt Law faculty, he served as an associate counsel for the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. In this role, he drafted more than 400 appellate decisions for signature by a veterans law judge.

Maisel was tasked with reviewing appeals of lower-level benefits decisions for veterans of the armed services and applying a complex and rapidly changing body of law to each veteran’s particular set of facts.

Before embarking on his career in veterans law, Maisel was a member of the Office of General Counsel for the United States Sentencing Commission, which sets national sentencing policy for federal criminal cases. While at the Commission, he co-authored Revocations Among Federal Offenders, a data-driven research publication examining recidivism in the population of federal criminal offenders.

Earlier in his career, he was as an assistant state’s attorney for Baltimore City. He holds a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, and an M.A. in Continental (contemporary European) Philosophy from University College Dublin. 

Olivia Molineux joined the UBalt Law faculty as a clinical teaching fellow in the Bronfein Family Law Clinic.

Previously, she was an attorney for children in New York, where she represented children in abuse, neglect, custody and juvenile delinquency proceedings. Molineux also has experience as a corporate attorney.

She was a capital markets associate in London at two international law firms.

Molineux earned her J.D. from Cornell Law School and her B.S. from Cornell University.

Ben Wilson is a clinical teaching fellow in the Mediation Clinic for Families. He previously served as staff attorney and Catalyst Fellow at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where he co-led research on racial equity initiatives and developed community conflict resolution tools, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service.

As former director of training with Prison of Peace, Wilson taught mediation and restorative justice in California state prisons. He graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2017, where he earned his J.D. and Master’s in Dispute Resolution. He is pursuing a doctorate at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

Author is a writer based in Baltimore.

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Former Law Dean Katz Passes Away at Age 85

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Juan Soto in Baltimore Briefs, Baltimore Briefs 2025

Laurence “Larry” Katz, retired dean of The University of Baltimore School of Law and a highly respected member of both the Baltimore legal profession and the city’s Jewish community, passed away on July 21, 2025. Katz served as dean of the law school from 1978 to 1993.

Here are excerpts from a July 22 email to the UBalt community from UBalt President Kurt L. Schmoke.

While it’s true that every faculty member and administrator leaves a legacy at their institution, for Katz that ability crossed many boundaries, both inside the law school and far beyond.

I agree with Prof. Walter Schwidetzky, who says, “It would be hard to overstate Dean Katz’s value to the law school. He laid the foundation for the school we have today.”

As Walter and others have noted, achievements like the school’s admission to the American Association of Law Schools marked an evolution in both the scholarly capabilities and the academic reputation of the school. UBalt became a regional powerhouse for legal education during Larry’s deanship.

I can vouch for the many assessments of Larry’s impact that are making their way around town today. As the city’s mayor during a portion of Larry’s time as dean, I found him to be a true believer in UBalt’s mission, and a great partner and confidant in my job in politics. I would characterize my relationship with him in the same way others have, both then and now: Larry’s advice was the same as Larry’s support. There was no dividing line between his wise counsel and his utter belief in his friends, family, colleagues and students. In its own way, this is profoundly meaningful.

As Prof. Robert Rubinson put it, “Larry was incredibly warm, supportive, and kind. He exuded decency. We all benefit every day from what he accomplished here, but his greatest accomplishment was the generosity with which he lived his life.”

After Katz stepped down as dean, he returned to the faculty to teach business law, corporate and securities regulation, commercial transactions, and more. I have no doubt that what he gave to his students, and his colleagues as well, will continue to live with them for many years to come, in both how the law works, and how life does as well.

To be sure, the UBalt community will miss Larry Katz. But we find comfort in knowing that we knew him, and he knew us, too.

A number of current and former UBalt School of Law faculty have also written tributes to Dean Katz:

Prof. Emeritus Robert Lande: “Larry was the law school dean when UB hired me. In July 1987, while I was preparing my first courses, Judge Bork was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. Bork and his supporters said he should be confirmed because, unlike many other justices, he was a “strict constructionist” who would simply interpret statutes the way Congress intended, and not legislate. But I had done extensive research on Judge Bork’s antitrust scholarship, and my research demonstrated the opposite. I could show that Bork completely disregarded the intent of Congress in order to promote his own ideology.

“I decided to publish an article in a legal magazine, and submit it to the relevant Congressional Committee, demonstrating that Bork was an “unprincipled hypocrite” who didn’t care what Congress intended. He was actually the opposite of a strict constructionist.

“The only problem with my plan was that Dean Katz was a strong Bork supporter. And I was just a brand new professor who had never taught even one class.

“With trepidation I sent Dean Katz a copy of my article, which was published a month before the vote on Bork. Dean Katz asked me to come to his office. I arrived shaking. He told me it was wonderful that I had published my article, how this was exactly the type of thing faculty should be doing, how this made UB look good, and how even though he was a Bork supporter, he was really happy that I had published it.

“I came away from that meeting both relieved, and also delighted that Dean Katz truly believed in academic freedom. I knew then that I was incredibly lucky to be working at UB.”

Prof. Fred Brown: “I joined the faculty during the tail end of Larry’s deanship. I know that he turned the faculty from purely a teaching faculty to one that also focused on

scholarship, but this big transformation occurred a few years before I arrived. What stands out for me about Larry was his caring attitude and kindness.

“During my first year at UBalt, Larry observed one of my classes. It was a three-hour class, and he was only going to stay for the first half. But during the first part of class, I got bogged down with a student’s question, and I didn’t think it went well. Larry actually stayed for the whole class, and afterwards I assumed he did so because the class didn’t go that well. So I was pretty upset after the class.

“The next day we spoke, and afterwards, I felt so much better. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but it was something like it was no big deal that it wasn’t a perfect class, and that everyone, including himself, can always improve on their teaching. He was so soothing and kind, and this meant a lot to me, who at that time was a quite young faculty member.

“About a year later, UBalt was facing a financial crisis, and it was seriously considering implementing its retrenchment plan, under which the last ones hired would be the first to go. For the law school, that was me. I recall discussing this with him on a Thursday or Friday. Needless to say, this was very concerning to me. That Sunday, Larry called me at home to tell me that retrenchment was off the table, and that I could rest easy. He could have easily just waited until business hours on Monday to tell me the news, but Larry wanted me to know as soon as possible. By the way, there was no email back then.

“That was Larry. He was a towering figure in the Baltimore legal community, but he always remained so kind and considerate. Truly a great human being.”

Prof. Michael Hayes: “Shortly after I arrived at UB Law in 1998, a different giant of the school—the late Byron Warnken— told me that when Larry Katz became dean, The Baltimore Sun reported it with the words, “With someone of his stature there, we will have to begin taking U of Balt Law School more seriously.”

“I echo what all my colleagues have said: Larry Katz was one of the most impressive persons I’ve ever known—wise, kind, and generous. I’ll never forget at the shiva for his son Danny how Larry was so gracious and attentive to every guest—from Maryland political leaders to current students. All when his heart must have been breaking.”

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Johnson, Keyes Named to Associate Dean Roles

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Juan Soto in Baltimore Briefs, Baltimore Briefs 2025

Two professors at The University of Baltimore School of Law have been named to associate dean roles for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Prof. Margaret E. Johnson has been named Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development. In her role, she focuses on supporting and enhancing the research activities of faculty members within the law school.

Johnson joined the faculty in 2006. Her current research examines legal issues of reproductive justice. She asks questions about how women and other pregnancy-capable individuals are subject to structural and intersectional forms of oppression.

She explored comparative menstruation law and policy as a 2023 Fulbright Scholar at UTS in Sydney, Australia. Her current research examines reproductive freedom, criminalization of pregnant people, and state constitutional law.

In addition, Johnson’s research addresses the use of narrative theory, critical reflection, and normative theory in lawyering for clients. Johnson’s articles have been published in the Wisconsin Law Review, U.C. Davis Law Review, Harvard Journal of Law & Gender, and B.Y.U. Law Review, among others. She is co-author of the book Lawyers, Clients & Narrative: A Framework for Law Students and Practitioners (2nd ed. 2023). Her research has been relied upon and cited by courts, media, and other scholars. In 2020, she received The University of Baltimore School of Law’s award for Outstanding Scholarship by a Full-Time Faculty Member.

Prof. Elizabeth Keyes has been named Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. In her role, she provides leadership and oversight for academic programs, curriculum development, faculty support, and student success initiatives within the law school. She works closely with the dean, faculty, and other administrators to enhance the quality of academic offerings and ensure a positive learning experience for students.

Keyes, an expert in immigration and asylum law, joined the UBalt Law faculty in 2012. She teaches Immigration Law, Professional Responsibility, Introduction to Lawyering Skills, and Civil Procedure. In all her teaching, she has a passion for deepening law students’ analytical and lawyering skills so that they will thrive in the legal profession. She also directed UBalt Law’s Immigrant Rights Clinic for 10 years.

Her scholarship focuses on the gaps in access to protection for migrants fleeing both persecution and the effects of climate change, and on the state of lawyering in the U.S. immigration system.

“I am thrilled about the appointment of Associate Deans Johnson and Keyes,” says UBalt Law Dean LaVonda N. Reed. “Both are exceptional scholars and teachers, whose work has positively impacted the advancement of knowledge and lawyering skills, and both are deeply committed to promoting the work of our faculty, staff, and students.”

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New Senior Staff Hires in 2025

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Juan Soto in Baltimore Briefs, Baltimore Briefs 2025

Daa’iyah Lang joined the School of Law as senior business manager in September 2025.

She is an accomplished business and finance leader with more than 18 years of experience driving financial strategy, compliance, and operational excellence across complex global organizations. As associate director of finance at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, she managed budgets exceeding $100 million, led large international teams, and strengthened systems for transparency and fraud prevention. Her leadership has spanned continents, including key roles in Uganda and Tanzania, where she oversaw major USAID-funded initiatives and built local capacity through mentorship and training.

In her current tole, Land serves as a strategic advisor on all fiscal and operational matters under the Law School’s Responsibility Centered Management model. In this role, she oversees financial planning, business operations, and workforce management, ensuring the School’s resources align with its mission and long-term goals. She holds a master’s degree in Accounting and Financial Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

As director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at UBalt Law, Stephen Cirino leads strategic initiatives that enhance the experiences of students, faculty, staff and alumni. He collaborates with university stakeholders and leadership to advance policies, procedures and programs that drive sense of belonging, professional and leadership development, and equitable learning environments.

Before joining UBalt Law in January 2025, Cirino built a career in academia and the music industry. At the University of the Arts, he developed measurable frameworks and initiatives, launched Inclusive Philly to amplify voices, and partnered with community organizations to create meaningful impact, earning recognition from NPR. He was honored with the President’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2021 for his excellence in education.

Before academia, Cirino spent seven years at Sony Music Entertainment/Red Distribution, where he played a pivotal role in releasing multiple platinum and gold records. As the founder of Future Management, he spearheaded the release of eight Billboard-charting albums and provided industry insights on platforms such as CNBC, discussing the rise of Spotify.

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‘Lawyers as Leaders’ Series Gathers Alumni for Professional Growth

Posted on September 5, 2024September 5, 2024 by Juan Soto in Baltimore Briefs 2024

In an effort to draw on the leadership strengths of our law alumni and share that wisdom and experience with emerging leaders in our alumni community, UBalt Law has created an exciting new lunch-and-learn series, Lawyers as Leaders.

This three-part series, with panels in September, October and November, will cover essential leadership topics such as authentic leadership style, change management, and building a positive and inclusive culture. The series is an initiative launched by Associate Dean for Administration Joy Gaslevic, J.D. ’99.

The first of the three sessions, on Friday, Sept. 13, focuses on Authentic Leadership style. In the demanding legal profession, staying true to who you are is important. Effective leaders show up authentically and inspire others to do their best work.

This session is a call to action for lawyers to lead with vulnerability and authenticity. We’ll explore the power of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and empathy – the core ingredients of an authentic leadership style that builds trust, inspires teams, improves communication and problem solving, and drives meaningful change.

When we have the courage to embrace our imperfections and lead from a place of authenticity, we unlock a wellspring of potential for ourselves and those we lead.

Attendees will hear from four UBalt Law alumni: Baltimore City Solicitor Ebony Thompson, JD ’13; Kramon & Graham principal David Shuster, JD ’94; former Children’s Defense Fund executive Rexanah Wyse Morrissette, JD ’13; and panel moderator, Johns Hopkins Dean Jill Green, JD ’94.

The second session, on Friday, Oct. 11, focuses on Leading Through Change. We know that change is inevitable, and lawyers often navigate complex transitions. This session will equip legal professionals with strategies for leading teams through change while minimizing disruption. We will discuss change management best practices and how to lead with confidence during times of uncertainty.

Hear from four UBalt Law alumni: GM Cruise public policy chief Henry Greenidge, J.D. ’10; retired CareFirst BCBS general counsel Meryl Burgin, J.D. ’87; Kerry Neal, J.D. ’06, associate commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; and moderator Laurie Lyte, J.D. ’92, principal, Lytehouse Solutions.

The third session, on Friday, Nov. 15, is on Building a Positive Culture. Climate and culture within an organization matter. Everyone in an organization is responsible for contributing to a positive climate and culture, but leaders are ultimately responsible for assessing, developing and maintaining both.

By establishing and maintaining a positive climate and culture, leaders can increase motivation, job satisfaction, morale, team cohesion, initiative and trust, and ultimately improve team dynamics and overall individual and team performance and results.

Hear from four experts: Imoh Akpan, J.D. ’06, a partner at Goldberg Segalla; retired judge Hon. Barbara Baer Waxman, J.D. ’80; Traci Mundy Jenkins, director of career development at Venable; and moderator Laurie Lyte, J.D. ’92, principal, Lytehouse Solutions.

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UBalt Law Welcomes Four New Faculty

Posted on September 4, 2024September 6, 2024 by Juan Soto in Baltimore Briefs 2024

Four new faculty members joined UBalt Law this academic year. One is a clinical teaching fellow, and three are focused on a newly revamped Introduction to Lawyering Skills curriculum with smaller class sizes and an increased emphasis on writing and legal analysis.

Danielle Burs joined the faculty as a clinical teaching fellow in the Community Development Clinic. Previously, she held a variety of positions at the intersection of law, public policy, and community advocacy. Burs has focused on transactional, legislative, and regulatory work in her career, while also representing clients in administrative and civil cases. Her professional experience includes positions at nonprofit organizations, government offices, and private practice. Burs also maintains roles on volunteer boards focused on community development.

Burs received a Bachelor of Arts in Government Relations and English from Clark University in Worcester, Mass., and a Juris Doctor from The American University Washington College of Law.

Afton Cavanaugh joined the law school as an assistant professor. Prior to joining the faculty, he was a service professor of law and assistant dean at St. Mary’s University School of Law, where he taught a wide range of courses, including Legal Communications, Analysis, and Professionalism; Experiential Legal Analysis; Estate Planning; and Bar Prep for Credit.

At UBalt Law, Cavanaugh teaches Introduction to Lawyering Skills (ILS) and Trusts and Estates. Prior to his academic career, Cavanaugh practiced law as co-founder and managing member of Cavanaugh Quintanilla, PLLC in Austin, Tex., where he specialized in real estate, business law, and wills and estates.

Throughout his career, Cavanaugh has displayed a commitment to student success, from the development of courses that implement innovative active learning techniques, to research that focuses on student success both inside and outside of the classroom. He has presented at numerous conferences on topics such as legal education innovation, diversity in law schools, and the use of technology in legal writing instruction. His scholarship focuses on inheritance rights, tax law, and legal education reform. His work has been published in journals such as the UMKC Law Review, Hofstra Law Review, and The Scholar.

He earned a B.A. from St. Edwards University and a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law.

Richard Luedeman teaches Introduction to Lawyering Skills (ILS) and Federal Civil Rights Claims. Previously, at the University of Connecticut School of Law, Luedeman taught lawyering courses and Advanced Civil Procedure. He is very active in academic service, and currently serves on the programming committee of the AALS Section on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues. He is also a member of the legal writing community, following pedagogical developments in the field and serving on the awards committee for the AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research.

In addition to his scholarly work and academic service, Luedeman has taken on several pro bono projects while in academia, including successfully appealing the dismissal of a client’s civil rights claims in federal court.

Prior to teaching, Luedeman was a practitioner specializing in complex and appellate litigation. Before private practice, he clerked for judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.

He received an A.B. in government from Harvard University and a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was a member of the Yale Law Journal editorial board and the New Haven Legal Assistance housing clinic.

Jessica Lynn Wherry joined the faculty as an associate professor teaching legal analysis and writing to first-year students, and upper-level writing in veterans law. Wherry began her teaching career as associate professor of legal research and writing, associate director of the legal research and writing program, and co-director of the scholarly writing program at The George Washington University Law School. Previously, she taught legal research and writing courses at Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to her career in education, she served as assistant counsel in the U.S. Department of the Navy’s Office of the General Counsel and as a cryptologic technician in the U.S. Navy.

Wherry’s scholarly interests are veterans and military law, legal communication and narrative, and the intersection of the two. She assists veterans with disability compensation claims and discharge upgrades through her pro bono work with the Homeless Persons Representation Project and The Veterans Consortium. Wherry also serves as reporter to the Standing Committee on Maryland Pattern Jury Instructions-Civil and as co-editor-in-chief to Legal Communication & Rhetoric: JALWD, the peer-reviewed flagship journal of the Association of Legal Writing Directors.

She is also a board member of the National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium and serves as the editor to the Social Science Research Network’s Veterans & Military Law & Policy eJournal. She earned her B.A. from Lawrence University, an M.S.Sc. from Syracuse University, and her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.

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UBalt Law Launches Stronger Writing Curriculum to Emphasize Legal Analysis

Posted on September 4, 2024September 4, 2024 by Juan Soto in Baltimore Briefs 2024

By Adam Stone

Good writing doesn’t come naturally to everyone. “To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement,” according to Mark Twain. Yet strong writing is a fundamental skill in the legal profession.

With that in mind, UBalt Law is upgrading its writing curriculum, starting this fall.

“To be a good lawyer, you need to be able to do solid written legal analysis. That’s just fundamental, no matter what kind of law you do,” says Prof. Nancy Modesitt, associate dean of legal analysis and writing.

In addition, the bar exam already demands writing that demonstrate analysis, and it will likely be asking for more. “The Next-Gen bar exam is expected to be even heavier on these legal analysis skills,” Modesitt says. “Students need to be able to do legal analysis effectively, and the more you practice that, the better you’re going to be at it.”

Legal analysis includes “rule-based reasoning, presenting arguments in a coherent fashion, backed by authority,” says Prof. Colin Starger, associate dean for academic affairs. Based on current research, “we now understand with greater clarity that legal analysis is absolutely vital to success in law school, success on the bar exam, and success as a lawyer.”

The best way for students to gain that skill “is through writing and revision, working closely with experts,” he says. With that in mind, UBalt Law has made a number of changes to the writing curriculum.

The new approach

Students will see a big change in how the first-year legal writing class unfolds. Going forward, class size will be pared back from 25 to approximately 15 students. With smaller classes, students will receive more hands-on guidance.

“It’s easier to give better feedback to the students in a smaller class,” Modesitt says. “Reducing the class size allows us to give more time and attention to those students, and it gives the students a chance to get more meaningful feedback.”

In the upper-level curriculum, there will be a new requirement that students produce at least two significant pieces of written legal analysis and receive substantial feedback on that work. It will take several years to fully implement the change, Modesitt says, as the enhanced writing component will need to be woven into a variety of courses.

“We want our existing faculty members to teach written legal analysis in the context in which they’re most comfortable. So we’re taking upper-level elective classes, reducing the class size, and adding the writing component to the requirements for those classes,” she says. “Environmental law is one of the classes that has been proposed as an early adopter of this, but it could be really any upper-level class that currently exists.”

A third change worth noting is the creation of Modesitt’s own position. The newly forged role of associate dean of legal analysis and writing should help to institutionalize this emerging institutional focus.

With the creation of Modesitt’s position, and the hiring of three new faculty in support of the writing program, “We are putting our money where our mouth is,” Starger says. “UB has rightfully had the reputation of producing practice-ready attorneys, and now we’re honing that and getting better at it.”

Stakeholder buy-in

In order to steer this new curricular course, the administration sought extensive stakeholder buy-in from the start.

First, a faculty subcommittee set out to explore the question of what students needed in order to be best equipped to go out and practice law. “That committee produced a lengthy report and some specific recommendations,” Modesitt says. “Then we had multiple hearings among the faculty on the contours of the proposal, and a lot of debate about it. Ultimately, the faculty approved this new approach.”

Some might ask, why now? After all, analysts have been saying for some time that artificial intelligence will be reshaping the way lawyers work in the future, and it could potentially be doing much of their legal writing.

Associate Dean Colin Starger

In fact, AI will at best be augmenting lawyers in their written communications — by producing first drafts, for example. It will be up to the lawyers to make effective use of those machine-generated words, Modesitt says, and they’ll need strong analytic skills in order to do that effectively.

Today’s AI applications “don’t really understand hierarchy of authorities, what cases are relevant, or things like that. AI is not well versed in legal analysis generally,” she says. Going forward, it will be “critically important to be able to assess what AI produces.”

The outputs of AI “can look perfectly fine, but if you know how to do legal analysis, you would see major problems with it,” she says. “It is critically important that our students understand the process of creating solid legal analysis, in part so that they can better assess what they see with generative AI.”

All these changes promise to put students in a better position as they tackle the bar exam and embark upon their legal careers.

“Their foundation will be more solid in their first semester, because they’ll have had more time and attention from a faculty member,” Modesitt says. “And they will build stronger skills with repeated exposure to the process of creating written legal analysis.”

Adam Stone is a writer based in Annapolis.

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FACULTY NOTES

Posted on September 4, 2024September 4, 2024 by Juan Soto in Baltimore Briefs 2024

José Anderson

Article: Commentary: I’ll remember Justice Sandra Day O’Connor for her humility, Balt. Banner (Dec. 6, 2023)

Article: Review of Historic Landmark Designation Application for Loudon County Courthouse in Leesburg, Va., U.S. Department of the Interior (filed Aug. 31, 2023) (solicited submission)

John Bessler

Book chapter: What-Ifs and Missed Opportunities: The U.S. Supreme Court, Death Sentences and Executions, and the 50th Anniversary of Furman v. Georgia, in Death Penalty in Decline?: The Fight Against Capital Punishment in the Decades Since Furman v. Georgia (Austin Sarat, ed.) (May 2024)

Book: The Forgotten Origins of the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause (forthcoming)

Fred Brown

Article: Should the Federal Government Help States and Local Governments Pay for Police Misconduct Through Tax-Exempt Bonds?, 42 Va. Tax Rev. 287 (2023)

Anne-Marie Carstens

Book chapter: Heritage Suspension: Law on Public Emergencies, in Routledge Handbook of Heritage and the Law (2024) (with J. Peter Byrne)

Gilda Daniels

Book chapter: Language Assistance Provisions Chapter, in Oxford Handbook of American Election Law (forthcoming 2024)

Book: The Cambridge Companions Series, The History of Voting Rights In The United States (forthcoming 2025)

Michele Gilman

Article: Participation Versus Scale: Tensions in the Practical Demands on Participatory AI, 29 First Monday (April 2024)

Article: Democratizing AI: Principles for Meaningful Public Participation, Data & Soc’y (2023)

Valeria Gomez

Article: Geography as Due Process in Immigration Court, Bender’s Immigr. Bull. (forthcoming

Sarah Gottlieb

Article: Progressive Facade: How Bail Reforms Expose the Limitations of the Progressive Prosecutor Movement, 81 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 1 (2024).

Nienke Grossman

Book: Oxford Handbook on Women and International Law (Nienke Grossman, J. Jarpa Dawuni, Jaya Ramji-Nogales, & Hélène Ruiz-Fabri, eds.), (forthcoming 2025)

Book chapter: The ‘Invisible Court’: A First Look at Gender and Nationality in Registries and Secretariats, in Oxford Handbook on Women and International Law (Nienke Grossman, J. Jarpa Dawuni, Jaya Ramji-Nogales & Hélène Ruiz-Fabri, eds.) (forthcoming 2025

Margaret Johnson

Article: Title IX and “Menstruation or Related Conditions”, 30 Mich. J. Gender & L. 25 (2023) (with Marcy L. Karin, Naomi Cahn, Elizabeth B. Cooper, Bridget J. Crawford, & Emily Gold Waldman)

Book: Lawyers, Clients & Narrative: A Framework for Law Students and Practitioners (2d ed.) (2023) (with Carolyn Grose)

Geraldine Kalim

Article: How We Can Best Support Neurodivergent Patrons, AALL Spectrum Mag., (March/April 2024)

Elizabeth Keyes

Article: Clinics and Emergencies, Clinical L. Rev. (Fall 2024) (co-authored with Sabrina Balgamwalla)

Dionne Koller

Book chapter: Deterring Regulation Through the Threat of Sportspocalypse, in The Routledge Handbook of Sports Law and Governance, (Annette Greenhow and John Wolohan, eds.) (forthcoming)

Senate Testimony: Testimony and Participation in the March 20 Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection on Promoting a Safe Environment in U.S. Athletics (March 20, 2024)

Katie Kronick

Article: Intellectual Disability, Categorical Mitigation, and Punishment, Bos. Coll. L. Rev. (May 2024)

Neha Lall

Article: CLEA Externship Committee Report: 2023 Survey of Law Schools on Student Compensation in For-Credit Externships, CLEA (April 18, 2024) (with Kate Devlin Joyce and June Tai)

Matthew Lindsay

Article: An Unreasonable Presumption: The National Security/Foreign Affairs Nexus in Immigration Law, 88 Brook. L. Rev. 747 (2023) (co-authored with Hallie Ludsin and Anthony DeMattee)

Article: The Right to Migrate, 27 Lewis & Clark L. Rev. 95 (2023)

Zina Makar

Article: The Absence of Dignity in Prison Law, 84 Md. L. Rev. (forthcoming 2025)

Article: Per Curiam Signals in the Supreme Court’s Shadow Docket, 98 Wash. L. Rev. 427 (2023)

Hugh McClean

Article: Review of Veterans Law Decisions of the Federal Circuit, 2022-2023 Edition, 73 Am. U. L. Rev. 101 (Summer 2024) (with Yelena Duterte and Stacey-Rae Simcox)

Article: Dred Scott, Military Enslavement, and the Case for Reparations, 113 Kentucky L. Rev. (Fall 2024)

Audrey McFarlane

Book chapter: Zoning’s Racial Innocence and the Imperatives of Segregation, in Intransigence and Hope: The Long Journey towards Racial Justice in American Land Use (Craig Anthony Arnold, Cedric Merlin Powell, Catherine Fosl, and Laura Rothstein, Eds., forthcoming 2025)

Book chapter: Chapter on Race, Property and Power, in Race, Racism and American Law (Derrick Bell, Cheryl Harris, Justin Hansford, Atiba Ellis, Amna Akbar, & Audrey McFarlane, 7th Ed., forthcoming 2025)

Michael Meyerson

Article: When One Door Closes: Legal Education and Racial Justice after Students for Fair Admissions, 103 Neb. L. Rev. (forthcoming 2025)

Jennifer Mitchell

Article: Using the Least Populous State Solution, 44.2 Pace L. Rev. (2024)

Article: Why Not More Seats? Increasing the House of Representative’s Size, 44.2 Pace L. Rev. (2024)

Max Oppenheimer

Article: The Artificial Intelligence Solution to Patent Obviousness, Harv. Sports & Ent. L. J. (Fall 2024)

Article: The Perks of Being Human, 80 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 1 (2023)

Walter Schwidetzky

Article: What is in a name: Who Qualifies as a Limited Partner for Self-Employment Tax Purposes, 41 J. of Tax’n of Inv. 3 (Winter 2024)

Article: The Worthlessness Deduction for Partnership Interests: An Unguided Missile, Tax Notes (Apr. 17, 2024)

Tim Sellers

Book: Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (Mortimer Sellers & Stephan Kirste, eds., 2024)

Book: Handbook of the History of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (Mortimer Sellers, Gianfrancesco Zanetti, & Stephan Kirste, eds., 2023)

Matthew Sipe

Article: Patent Law 101: I Know It When I See It, Harv. J. L. & Tech. (2024)

Article: Covering Prying Eyes with an Invisible Hand: Privacy, Antitrust, and the New Brandeis Movement, 36 Harv. J. L. & Tech. 359 (2023)

Amy E. Sloan

Book: Using Generative AI for Legal Research, (1st ed. Mar. 2024)

Book: Basic Legal Research: Tools & Strategies, (Rev. 8th ed. 2024)

Ioanna Tourkochoriti

Article: The Digital Services Act and the EU as the Global Regulator of the Internet, 24 Chi. J. Int’l L. 129 (2023)

Article: Is Neutrality Possible? A Critique of the Court of Justice of the European Union on Headscarves in the Workplace from a Comparative Perspective”, 71 Am. J. Of Comp. L. 1 (2023)

Shanta Trivedi

Book chapter: Surviving the “Child Welfare System”, in Policing Not Protecting Families: The Child Welfare System as Poverty Governance (forthcoming 2025)

Article: Caring for Children by Punishing Parents, The Yale L. & Pol. Econ. Blog (July 24, 2023)

Angela Vallario

Article: Don’t Let Death Be Your Deadline: Get A Will Before It’s Too Late: Expand Holographic-Wills Law to Incentivize Will-Making, 30 The Elder L. J. 349 (2023)

Kim Wehle

Article: Kimberly L. Wehle, The Ninth Amendment Post-Dobbs: Could Federalism Swallow Unenumerated Rights?, 83 Md. L. Rev. 867 (2024).

Sonya Ziaja

Article: Amoral Water Markets, 111.6 Geo. L. J. 1335 (2023) (with Karrigan Bork).

Article: Sonya Ziaja, How Algorithm Assisted Decision Making Is Influencing Climate Adaptation and Environmental Law, 53 Env’t L. & Pol’y Ann. Rev. 10652 (2023)

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Prof. Kim Wehle Named a Fulbright Scholar

Posted on September 4, 2024September 4, 2024 by Juan Soto in Baltimore Briefs 2024

UBalt Law Prof. Kim Wehle has been named a Fulbright Scholar for 2024-2025. The Fulbright Program’s stated mission is to increase mutual understanding between people of the United States and people of other countries.

Wehle’s Fulbright project, which will be conducted in conjunction with scholars in The Netherlands and the University of Virginia, entails empirical research, analysis, and public-facing discussion regarding how citizens actually internalize constitutional norms and use them, to varying degrees, to reinforce constitutional structures through voting, civic participation, financial support, and other means. 

She will visit The Netherlands during the Spring 2025 semester, following a speaking tour for her fourth book, Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works — and Why, which was published in September 2024.

Wehle says she will work with Prof. W.J.M. Voermans, of the University of Leiden, and other scholars to study how social constructivism informs constitutional law and, in turn, how courts and government actors should consider the public’s internalized values in shaping the rule of law. It will continue their three-year collaboration comparing the two oldest constitutions in the world: the U.S. and Dutch Constitutions.

“In 2019, Professor Voermans and I met when we both spoke at the John Adams Institute in Amsterdam about our recent books, How to Read the Constitution—and Why (Wehle), and The Story of Constitutions (Voermans),” Wehle says. “Thus began a collaboration around Professor Voermans’ ongoing research on how constitutions live in the ‘hearts and minds’ of ordinary people.

Wehle, who has been on the faculty at Baltimore Law since 2009, teaches administrative law, constitutional law, civil procedure and federal courts. She is the author of How to Read the Constitution — and Why (2019), What You Need to Know About Voting — and Why (2020), and How to Think Like a Lawyer and Why: A Common-Sense Guide to Everyday Dilemmas (2022).

“I am truly honored to have been selected as a Fulbright Scholar, one of the world’s most prestigious organizations for fostering intercultural scholarship and community,” she says. “I’m thrilled to continue my research at the University of Leiden on how citizens internalize constitutional norms –and its impact on the interaction among politicians, civil servants, and the voting public.”

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Janet Lord Named CICL Executive Director

Posted on September 3, 2024September 4, 2024 by Juan Soto in Baltimore Briefs 2024

Janet Lord joined the Center for International and Comparative Law (CICL) as executive director in November 2023. Prior to coming to the University of Baltimore, she served as chief legal counsel to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Lord holds a senior research fellowship at the Harvard Law School Project on Disability, where she works to address gaps in international law, policy and practice on the rights of persons with disabilities. She has spent her career as an international human rights lawyer, working globally to advance the rights of persons with disabilities.

A lead drafter of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, she provided legal counsel during the treaty negotiations to governments, the United Nations and civil society organizations throughout the five-year drafting process.

She continues to provide legal counsel on international human rights law and inclusive development to the World Bank, the United Nations Office of Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protection, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Development Programme, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States Department of State, organizations of persons with disabilities and numerous other stakeholders.

Lord began her career working for the World Bank Group, where she served as legal counsel to the Bank’s International Administrative Tribunal and legal secretary to the Bank’s Appeals Committee. Thereafter, she served as legal advisor and advocacy director for an international non-governmental landmine survivor organization, where she worked to monitor the Mine Ban Treaty and led advocacy efforts on the rights of landmine survivors across the UN system. 

Lord’s pro bono work and service to the community includes support to litigants appearing before national courts and international human rights courts and mechanisms. She was appointed for two consecutive terms to the board of Amnesty International USA where, in her final two years of service, she was vice chair and chair of the board. She is currently serving on the board of the US International Council on Disabilities and on an expert advisory panel on political participation at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

She has published books, journal articles, book chapters and monographs on a variety of international public law, international human rights law, international humanitarian law and disability law issues. Her recent scholarship appears in the American Journal of International Law, the Harvard Journal of International Law, the Virginia Journal of International Law, the International Review of the Red Cross, and the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law.

Lord holds degrees from Kenyon College, the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), and the George Washington University Law School. In 2022, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Kenyon College for her work in advancing international disability rights and disability inclusive development. She is a member of the New York Bar.