News Briefs

What’s New at the College of Law

Faculty on the Move… Professor Steven K. Green has been named director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Law and Democracy, one of the new academic centers at Willamette University. Green joined the law faculty in August 2001 after serving for nine years as general counsel and director of policy for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a national public interest organization in Washington, D.C. His most recent publication, a case book on church-state law, was published by Baylor University Press in 2007. Professor Norman R. Williams has replaced Green as director of the law school’s Center for Law and Government. Prior to joining the College of Law in 2001, Williams practiced in the U.S. Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Group of the New York law firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt. Williams has published six articles in leading American law journals throughout the last three years, including the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, New York University Law Review and Stanford University Law Review. Professor Jeffrey C. Dobbins has been named executive director of the Oregon Law Commission. He replaces David R. Kenagy, who retired from the position at the end of June. Dobbins joined the Willamette law faculty in 2006 after practicing law in both public and private sectors. He previously served as an attorney in the Appellate Section of the Environment Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Dobbins was law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens from 1995–96.

…and in the News Willamette’s law faculty continues to serve as a vital resource for local and national media outlets, which have come to rely on the College of Law’s unique expertise. Throughout the first seven months of 2007, faculty members were quoted in the news more than 40 times. Highlights include interviews with the Associated Press, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Oregonian, National Public Radio and Radio Free Europe. Professor Keith Cunningham-Parmeter was quoted in several publications and TV and radio news broadcasts about the effects of globalization on low-wage workers at a Del Monte produce plant in Portland. Professor Valerie J. Vollmar JD’75 was interviewed by the Associated Press for an article on Oregon’s physician-assisted suicide law and Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s release from prison. The article was picked up by newspapers and TV stations nationwide.

Symeonides Addresses a Global Forum On Sept. 14, 2007, Dean Symeon C. Symeonides delivered the keynote address at an international congress hosted by the Chinese Academy of Private International Law in Wuhan, China. Four of Symeonides’ publications have been translated into Chinese, and one of his books is used for teaching in Chinese law schools. Symeonides recently completed his 20th book, American Private International Law, which will be published by Kluwer Law International. On April 20, 2007, Symeonides testified before the Puerto Rico Senate in support of a bill he drafted to enact into law a codification of Private International Law.

26 | Willamette Lawyer