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By Kathleen Kocks

When the American Bar Association gathered in Hawaii in August for its annual conference, attendees from GW Law showcased the school’s excellence in several ways. These included two ABA awards, a festive alumni reception in honor of Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), JD ’52, and expert presentations by faculty members.

Attracting more than 5,000 registered attendees, the ABA conference ran from Aug. 3 through Aug. 7 in Honolulu at the Hawaii Convention Center. With regular ABA committee and delegate meetings, the conference included more than 1,200 events with expert speakers providing timely information on virtually every area of the law.

Excellence in Student Programming

Congratulations are due to GW Law’s Student Bar Association, which took home two of the top annual awards presented by ABA during the conference.

For the second year in a row, the ABA’s Law Student Division named the SBA as the best in a field of nominees from 22 other associations at law schools nationwide. The award is based upon the SBA’s overall organization; performance by members as a team; total number and type of programs; quality of and response to programs and events; interaction with faculty members and administration; how the student government voices and addresses students’ concerns; and interaction with the local legal and non-legal community.

The ABA also presented its SBA President award to Eric Koester, JD ’06, who was selected from a field of 23 other nominees. Last year, Koester was the runner-up in the same contest. The award is based upon overall leadership, ability to organize programs, interaction and accessibility with the student body, ability to address student body concerns, interaction with faculty and administration, representing student needs nationally, and relationship with the broad community.

Koester also served as vice chair of the ABA Law Student Division at the time of the conference and helped organize and conduct the division’s program of events. Koester is now an associate at Heller Ehrman in Seattle. His activity within ABA continues, now within the Young Lawyers Division’s business law section.

“The ABA experience was really helpful to me in terms of developing contacts around the country. For example, I’ve visited around 20 law schools and met people with expertise in many areas. This allowed me to learn from their experiences as well,” Koester says.

The new SBA president, Sam Jammal, also is lending his leadership skills to ABA’s Student Law Division. He serves on the elections and resolutions committees, and was elected in August to be one of the division’s three delegates to the House of Delegates, ABA’s policy-making body.

“The SBA, its president, and all its officers continue to make me and our Law School proud,” Lawrence says. “I am very pleased that the ABA recognized the hard work, organizational skills, and social concerns that this organization provides to our students on a daily basis. The SBA adds much to the learning experience of our Law School Community. Ultimately, one of the things that makes our community of scholars, teachers, and students so special is our collegial atmosphere. The dynamic leadership of the SBA contributes significantly towards maintaining that sense of community, and it has served us well.

Honoring an American Hero

Taking advantage of the Hawaii venue, the Law School hosted an alumni reception to honor one of its most respected alumni on his home turf—Sen. Daniel K. Inouye. The evening event, held Aug. 4, was co-hosted by GW Law and the University of Hawaii Law School. Inouye is an alumnus of both universities, receiving his BA from the University of Hawaii in 1950 and his JD from GW Law in 1952.

Alumni from GW Law and the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law gathered to celebrate Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, who earned a BA from the University of Hawaii and a JD from GW Law. Hawaii Rep. Scott Nishimoto, a graduate of the William S. Richardson Law School, formerly served as a staff member in Inouye’s Washington office. Ki’i Honu Images

The stage for the event was the elegant Plaza Club in downtown Honolulu. More than 170 guests from both schools came to show their appreciation of the senator, meet new peers, and reacquaint themselves with fellow alumni. It also was a rare opportunity for alumni based in Hawaii to meet with GW Law deans and faculty members, to share memories, and to discuss improvements and changes at the Law School.

Although Sen. Inouye was unable to attend the reception, due to an important trip to China, he was very honored by the event. To show his appreciation, he took the time to create a personalized DVD welcome presentation, which was shown during the reception (see sidebar). Dean Frederick M. Lawrence also gave opening remarks welcoming the guests and expressing GW Law’s appreciation for the many ways Sen. Inouye has supported the school, as well as for his public service during his two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and eight terms in the U.S. Senate.

In his remarks, Dean Lawrence shared some exciting news with the GW Law community.

“It was my pleasure to announce at the reception the Law School’s intention to raise a Chair in honor of Senator Inouye and his late wife, Margaret. The Chair will be dedicated to the role of law in addressing the particular concerns of groups within a multicultural society,” Lawrence says.

“Senator Inouye, a war hero and a distinguished legislator, is a shining example of a public servant committed to using all aspects of the law to address issues of concern to Hawaiians, Native Americans, and other indigenous populations throughout America. We are proud that he is an alumnus of our Law School and even prouder to have a permanent Law School Chair to honor his remarkable career and achievements.”

Faculty Members Share Expertise

As the conference got into full swing, four GW Law professors were among the expert speakers, bringing their perspectives to five panels.

On Aug. 3, Stephen Saltzburg organized and moderated “Guantanamo Trials End FOR NOW: The Future of Military Tribunals.” Founder of the Law School’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution master’s program, Saltzburg is the chair-elect for ABA’s Criminal Justice Section, a delegate to ABA’s House of Delegates, and was formerly the deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and formerly the associate independent counsel in the Iran-Contra investigation.

The session, which attracted more than 150 attendees, included five speakers familiar with the topic: a criminal defense lawyer, a military lawyer from the Army criminal law division, a Wall Street Journal reporter, an ABA observer who had been at Guantanamo, and Saltzburg. The panel discussed the military’s procedures in prosecuting detainees at Guantanamo, and this session was considered a highlight of the conference. The general sentiment at the session’s conclusion was that the Guantanamo issue has done a lot to damage America’s stature in the international community, Saltzburg says.

The second session with GW Law participation was “Historical Trial: The Massie Case.” This was a reenactment of an infamous trial in which five native Hawaiians were accused of kidnapping and raping an American woman, but claimed they were innocent and were acquitted. One of the accused was then murdered by criminals hired by relatives of the victim. The murderers and relatives involved were subsequently tried and found guilty, but received a one-hour sentence, served in the judge’s chambers. The case stirred up many issues regarding race, class, intimidation, and political power.

The session included a moderator; Hawaii Lt. Gov. James R. Aiona Jr. as judge; three attorneys representing prosecutors and defenders; a psychiatrist; and a forensics expert—James E. Starrs, professor of forensic science.

Starrs is the David B. Weaver Research Professor of Law. His dual expertise and compelling writing style have earned Starrs some fame in the two areas.

“I presented the forensic materials for and against a conviction of the five persons accused of the rape. I also gave out materials describing the technology available at the time of the trial, which was 1932, and the technology we have available today,” Starrs explains. “The event attracted a huge crowd, with standing room only, and it was a very good visual and animated presentation. As to the overall conclusion, we asked the audience to decide and all voted to acquit the accused men.”

Starrs has presented this type of event at the ABA conference for the past five years. Last year, the session covered the Haymarket Riots in Chicago and a previous year covered the mysterious death of Meriwether Lewis.

Professor Cynthia Lee moderated the third session with GW Law participation, “Multicultural Perspectives on Gender, Race, and Crime in Post 9/11 America.” Lee is a member of the American Law Institute and an expert in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedures, and crimes of passion. She is also of Asian descent and has done research on issues involving gender, race and culture.

The session’s three speakers gave 20-minute presentations on many different areas. One speaker argued for allowing cultural evidence as a way for immigrant and minority defendants to justify their actions. Lee says attendees were intrigued by the idea, but also concerned about the possibility of people being able to use their culture to escape punishment for their crimes.

Lee also moderated a second session titled “Mothers (and Grandmothers, Aunts, and Sisters): Preparing the Next Generation of Multicultural Women Attorneys.” During this session, Kay Hodge, chair of ABA’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, talked about the importance of getting members of minority groups into the pipeline—college, law school, and then successful careers.

“This was a terrific session, very motivating,” Lee says of the event, which attracted about 30 attendees. “We had three pairs of attorneys who are mentors and their mentees: a current law student, a recent graduate and a junior associate. I asked the panelists questions, they answered, then the audience chipped in. Most of the discussion was about why women attorneys of color should mentor and ways they can do it.”

Christopher Yukins spoke at a session titled “Contracting in a Restructuring Marketplace: Are You Ready?” This session dealt with new rules in military procurement and speakers also included senior Department of Defense lawyers, private industry lawyers, and the past chairman of ABA’s public contract law section.

Yukins is an associate professor of government contracts law and the co-director of GW Law’s Government Procurement Law Program.

“The purpose of the panel was to discuss important emerging rules regarding military contracts for complex weapon systems that are being overseen by private contractors that are known as ‘lead systems integrators.’ One example is the Future Combat System, a huge military program with Boeing as the lead,” Yukins explains. “The lead’s role is to choose and oversee the program’s subcontractors. They are also now performing some tasks that were formerly performed by government program managers.

Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Stephen L. Schooner visited the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law campus during the ABA annual conference. He is joined by William S. Richardson School of Law Professor Danielle Conway-Jones, LLM ’96, director of the Hawaii Procurement Institute, who will travel to Australia this year on a Fulbright.

“The issue is: Do the leads have an inherent conflict of interest because it is very likely some of the subcontractors bidding for contracts or hired in these complex programs will also be competitors of the lead or of some of its divisions,” Yukins says. “The panel’s general consensus was that much more needs to be done as the law catches up with a rapidly evolving procurement industry.”

Broader Impact

Considering the awards, reception, presentations, and reunion events in which GW Law was involved during the conference, it is clear that the Law School’s presence was felt by the ABA and beyond.

Of special note are the strengthened ties between GW Law and the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law. Inouye, as a member of both academic communities, thanked Dean Lawrence and Dean Aviam Soifer of the William S. Richardson School of Law for their support in his reception DVD. He also reminded alumni of both schools that coming together in the academic and professional realms will help those who practice law “identify peaceful ways for the citizens of the world to live together.”

“The annual ABA meeting always provides an opportunity for reflection, camaraderie, and dealing with hard issues facing the legal community,” Lawrence says. “I am pleased that GW Law plays a prominent role in all of these areas.”

Students, alumni, faculty and staff members, and administrators who participate in such external events represent GW Law to the broader legal community. In turn, they take the knowledge they gain at such events back to Washington, further enriching the Law School community in and outside the classroom.