Faculty Impact

Our faculty is engaged in a constant quest for knowledge and wisdom it can share with our students as well as with the legal profession, scholars, policy makers, and others, consistent with Penn State’s role as a world-class research university.

Professor Donelson PROFESSOR DONELSON INVITED TO SPEAK AT THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION PACIFIC DIVISION CONFERENCE

August 2021 — Professor Raff Donelson has been invited to serve as a critic in an author-meets-critics event at the American Philosophical Association’s 2022 Pacific Division Conference. Full story

Class PROFESSOR SARAH WILLIAMS WELCOMED KRISTIN WELLS ’11 AS A GUEST LECTURER

August 2021 — Professor Sarah Williams recently welcomed Kristin A. Wells ’11 as a Guest Lecturer in Professional Responsibility. Wells serves as Counsel in the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and is also a proud graduate of Dickinson Law. Wells lectured on the disciplinary process in the Commonwealth, presented case studies, and described recent challenges to the professional responsibilities of Pennsylvania lawyers. Full story

Gatekeeper Regulation PROFESSOR TERRY CONCLUDES HER SERVICE ON THE NOW-DISBANDED ABA AML GATEKEEPER TASK FORCE

August 30, 2021 — Professor Laurel S. Terry, who is the H. Laddie Montague Jr. Chair in Law and Professor of Law Emerita, recently concluded her service on the ABA Task Force on Gatekeeper Regulation and the Profession, which she originally joined in 2012. During its August 2021 Annual Meeting, the ABA disbanded the Task Force and thanked the members for their service. Full story

Jotwell PROFESSOR TERRY AUTHORS JOTWELL REVIEW REGARDING LAWYER ADMISSIONS AND COMPETENCIES

August 2021 — Professor Laurel Terry, who is the H. Laddie Montague Jr. Chair in Law and Professor of Law Emerita, recently published a JOTWELL review entitled Rethinking Admissions Requirements: It’s A Global Phenomenon. Her review of Jordan Furlong’s 2020 Report entitled Lawyer Licensing and Competence in Alberta noted global interest in the issue of lawyer admissions and competency, as demonstrated by initiatives such as the NCBE’s NextGen Bar Exam of the Future and the UK’s forthcoming solicitor SQE “super-exam.” Full story

Brent Newton VISITING PROFESSOR BRENT NEWTON APPEARS AS AN AMICUS CURIAE ALONG WITH NYU VICE DEAN RACHEL BARKOW IN PENDING SUPREME COURT CASE

August 2021 — Visiting Professor Brent Newton, along with his former colleague at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, Vice Dean Rachel Barkow of NYU’s School of Law, recently filed an amicus curiae briefing urging the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari concerning an important federal sentencing issue in Bryant v. United States. Full story

Sara Gerke PROFESSOR GERKE SPEAKS AT THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE’S LEADERSHIP CONSORTIUM

August 2021 — The National Academy of Medicine’s Leadership Consortium Digital Health Action Collaborative and Culture Inclusion & Equity Action Collaborative held an event on August 18 to discuss how to realize the potential of AI in achieving equitable health for all populations. As one of the reactors at this meeting, Professor Sara Gerke provided feedback to all presentations and highlighted key takeaways on how to realize equitable AI that benefits all of us. Full story

Brent Newton VISITING PROFESSOR BRENT NEWTON’S ARTICLE ON INCENTIVIZING INEFFECTIVE-ASSISTANCE-OF-COUNSEL CLAIMS ON DIRECT APPEAL IN CRIMINAL CASES HAS BEEN ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION BY THE JOURNAL OF APPELLATE PRACTICE AND PROCESS

August 2021 — An article by Visiting Professor Brent Newton has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Appellate Practice & Process at the University of Arizona. Full story

Sara Gerke PROFESSOR GERKE ORGANIZES A NEW SERIES ON BILL OF HEALTH

August 2021 — Professor Sara Gerke organizes a new series on Bill of Health, the blog of the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School, on Direct-to-Consumer Health Apps: Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Concerns. Bill of Health receives over 100,000 visitors per month and attracts robust readership both in the U.S. and internationally. Full story

Gary S. Gildin PROFESSOR GILDIN CO-DIRECTS STATEWIDE PUBLIC DEFENDER TRIAL SKILLS TRAINING

August 2021 — Professor Gary S. Gildin recently co-directed and served on the faculty of the week-long Trial Skills Training. This program was co-sponsored by the Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania (PDAPA) and Penn State Dickinson Law. Full story

Medha Makhlouf PROFESSOR MEDHA D. MAKHLOUF PRESENTS AT AALS APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE WORKSHOP

August 2021 — The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) held a virtual Appointments Committee Workshop on August 5, designed to provide members of Appointments Committees at law schools across the country with useful information about changing practices in academic hiring. Professor Medha D. Makhlouf, who has served as Chair of Penn State Dickinson Law’s Appointments Committee for the past two years and will continue in the role this academic year, was invited to present at the workshop. Full story