Dickinson Law News

September 8, 2021 — Over the past 15 months, Penn State Dickinson Law led law schools across the country in creating and sharing antiracist scholarship and introduced a new antiracist curriculum. Encouraging more students of color to attend law school is a critical aspect of combating systemic inequality and promoting antiracism, and Dickinson Law is leading by example on this as well. Read more

August 30, 2021 — Second-year Dickinson Law students Anthony Fernando and Seth Trott were recognized as the third-place winners in the Center for Legal and Court Technology’s (CLCT) Fourth Annual Artificial Intelligence (AI) Writing Competition. Their co-authored article, “My Pet Car? Assigning Liability When Artificial Intelligence Causes Harm,” explains how the U.S. legal system might assign liability when a highly autonomous product causes harm. Learn more

August 30, 2021 — In 1844, Macon Bolling Allen became the first African American person licensed to practice law in the U.S. After passing the bar in Maine, Allen struggled to find clients in the predominantly white state. He later moved to Boston and became the nation’s first Black judicial office holder. Full story

August 4, 2021 — Pennsylvania is experiencing accelerating COVID-19 case counts across the state, and as of today, August 4, 2021, Penn State Dickinson Law is in an area of substantial (orange) transmission per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID Data Tracker. Effective immediately, masking will be required indoors for all vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals on the Dickinson Law campus in Cumberland county, in accordance with the latest CDC guidelines. Learn more

July 27, 2021 — Greg Bayles sees his role in simple terms. Penn State Dickinson Law’s new assistant director of development helps people determine where and how they want to make an impact. He loves speaking with alumni about ways to contribute to the sustained success of Dickinson Law. Learn more

July 27, 2021 — A few years ago, class of 1962 alum John W. Blasko received a letter from a student attending Penn State Dickinson Law. The young man had been awarded the John W. Blasko Scholarship, and he wanted to thank Blasko’s firm, McQuaide Blasko, for endowing the award. He explained what a difference the scholarship had made in his ability to prioritize his studies. Learn more

July 13, 2021 — Sara Gerke, assistant professor of law, was named a 2021 Health Law Scholar by the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics and Saint Louis University School of Law Center for Health Law Studies. Learn more

June 30, 2021 — Dean Emeritus Peter G. Glenn, Associate Dean for Library and Information Services Emerita Gail A. Partin ’93, Professor of Law Emeritus Thomas Place, and H. Laddie Montague Chair in Law and Professor of Law Emerita Laurel Terry shared many unforgettable years together as longtime members of the Penn State Dickinson Law faculty. From their teaching and research excellence to their mentorship of students and collective leadership, the impactful contributions they have made to the Dickinson Law community, the legal academy and beyond during their nearly combined 97 years of service have been remarkable. Before joining the esteemed ranks of the emeriti faculty, each reflected on their journey to and time spent at Dickinson Law, and shared what lies ahead. Learn more

June 29, 2021 — Several Penn State Dickinson Law tenured and tenure-line faculty members earned academic promotions during the spring semester. Learn more

June 17, 2021 — Penn State Dickinson Law is pleased to welcome Sara Gerke and Brent Newton to its resident faculty beginning July 1, 2021. Gerke will join the Dickinson Law faculty as an assistant professor of law and will teach courses in torts, health law, bioethics, and related topics. Newton will join the Dickinson Law faculty as a visiting professor of law and will teach courses in civil procedure, professional responsibility, and advanced criminal law. Learn more