Spring 2009 Newsbriefs

Givelber Program Brings Leading Public Interest Lawyers to Campus

Nina Perales, regional counsel for the San Antonio office of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, shared her insights and experience with students when she came to the law school last summer as a Givelber Distinguished Lecturer on Public Interest Law.

Named in honor of Professor Daniel J. Givelber, renowned expert on the death penalty and former dean of the School of Law, this program brings distinguished public service practitioners to the school as visiting faculty so they may share the challenges and satisfactions of public service practice with students and faculty. Each year, two leading practitioners teach for-credit public interest courses designed to fall on weekends or in short sessions so that lecturers can be solicited from throughout the country.

Over two consecutive weekends, Perales taught “Latino Civil Rights Litigation: Contemporary Responses to Voting Discrimination and Anti-Immigrant Ordinances” to 30 students. “For me, it was a unique opportunity to take a class on issues that are very important to me with a highly respected advocate who turned out to be a fantastic teacher as well. Ms. Perales gave special attention to developing lawyering skills, which really engaged us as students and brought the substantive law to life,” said Jessie Hahn ’10.

In the fall, Eugene Benson, legal counsel and services program director at Alternatives for Community and Environment, focused on “Environmental Justice: Using Law and Advocacy for Social Change.” The course drew students with a wide range of interests, from those who plan to focus on environmental law careers to those who were simply intrigued by the topic.

PHOTO: DAVID LEIFER

***

Obama Transition Team Taps Spieler

Dean Emily Spieler stepped into the national limelight in November when she was named to the Obama transition team for the US Department of Labor.

For the weeks leading up to President Obama’s inauguration, Spieler, an authority on employment law and social insurance systems, joined 15 labor and employment experts in Washington, DC, where she focused on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

“It was exhilarating,” said Spieler. “It was a team of terrific people, all dedicated to public service. Our job was to talk with people inside the agencies as well as stakeholders from outside, listen carefully and write briefing papers that would present options to the new administration. Not surprisingly, quite a lot of people are concerned about what direction the Department of Labor will take, and it was our job to make sure that all the voices were heard. In addition to the many dedicated people inside the agency, I met with representatives of labor unions, business organizations, safety engineers, occupational physicians and other public health and injured worker advocates.”

“Most people don’t know that OSHA is also responsible for enforcing 17 whistleblower laws — from the provisions in the Occupational Safety and Health Act to the Surface Transportation Act to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act to Sarbanes-Oxley. This meant that I also talked with experts on whistleblower laws, including Stephen Kohn ’84, one of the nation’s leading whistleblower experts.”

As for the coveted inauguration tickets handed out to transition team members, Spieler gave hers to her son. “I had a terrific time watching the inauguration with students, faculty and staff right here in the new common lounge in Dockser Hall,” she said.