July 2010

Child Advocacy Clinic Alumni Still Active in Field
Roberto Concepción, Jr. ’09 and Laird Nelson ’09, who worked in Columbia Law School’s Child Advocacy Clinic, had their article, “Dual Representation in the Family Law Context: A Case Study (of Parenthood),” published in the July edition of Child Law Practice.

Law School Helps Narrow the Gap between U.S., Chinese Legal Systems
When it comes to resolving commercial legal disputes, the gap between how that is done in China and the U.S. continues to narrow. That is one objective of a program at Columbia Law School, where dozens of Chinese judges come to learn about the American legal system and the common law system to prepare to hear cases involving the thousands of foreign companies doing business in China.

Professor George Bermann Heads Up Meeting of World’s Leading Comparative Law Scholars
With increased globalization of world trade and a move to make more laws uniform across jurisdictions, the field of comparative law has taken on added importance and complexity. Some of the more pressing issues, including family law, freedom of the press, and corporate governance, are being discussed this week in Washington at the International Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law, whose president is Columbia Law School Professor George Bermann.

Most Americans Oppose Gun Control—Up to a Point, Survey Finds
Most Americans believe the Second Amendment gives people the right to keep a gun at home, but they still favor limits on certain weapons, according to a new survey co-authored by Nathaniel Persily, the Charles Keller Beekman Professor of Law and Political Science. “At a base level, Americans believe in the right to bear arms and own a gun,” said Persily, who collaborated on the poll with Harvard University Professor Stephen Ansolabehere.

Robert J. Jackson Jr. Brings His Expertise on Executive Compensation to Columbia Law School
Robert J. Jackson Jr. brings his recent experience at the U. S. Treasury Department to Columbia Law School as associate professor of law. Jackson, a noted expert on the legal and economic implications of executive compensation and corporate governance, deferred his faculty appointment for the 2009-2010 academic year to join the Treasury Department at the height of the financial crisis to work with senior officials, including General Counsel George Madison ’80.

Tea Party Movement Happier With Supreme Court than Other Branches of Government, Survey Finds
Despite a general distrust of government, most Tea Party supporters believe the Supreme Court will correctly decide difficult issues, even if they are unpopular and go against the will of the president of Congress, a new survey co-authored by Columbia Law School Professor Nathaniel Persily finds.

High School Students Get a Live History Lesson, Courtesy of Professor Jack Greenberg
When students from the Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program recently visited Columbia Law School, they learned more about the legendary Supreme Court justice than they could have imagined.