houck2040/law huggingface dataset:
Elan Moore and Lorraine Birabil, Moot Court competition winners

Texas A&M University School of Law’s Advocacy Program claimed a regional championship at the National Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Southwest Regional competition on Jan. 11-15, 2017 in New Orleans.
The team of 2L Lorraine Birabil and 3L Elan Moore, coached by Matthew Wright, Presiding Judge for the Municipal Court for the City of Rosebud, Texas, won the BLSA Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition. Not only was it the school’s first regional championship at this competition, it was Birabil’s and Moore’s first law school moot court competition.
Doug Greene (coach), Ashu Balimba, Zo Onyeise, Amy Eades, Greg Franklin

In addition, the team of 3Ls Ashu Balima, Amy Eades, Gregory Franklin and Zo Onyeise, coached by Douglas Greene of Greene Law Firm in Arlington, placed second at the BLSA Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition. 
Both teams have advanced to the national finals in Houston in March. 
“This is a big accomplishment for our school to advance teams to the national finals in both moot court and mock trial,” said Jennifer Ellis, Director of Advocacy. “Our students demonstrated outstanding talent, professionalism and dedication. It takes a strong work ethic to practice over the break while other students are able to relax.”
Birabil said she is thankful Ellis connected both she and Moore with Wright. Birabil said Judge Wright, a 2008 graduate of Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, was dedicated to their success, driving more than an hour each way to help them practice, and providing helpful feedback throughout the process. 
“Judge Wright did an amazing job preparing us for competition,” she said. “We were ready for the questions posed by the judges.”
“He videotaped our oral arguments, which were great to watch so that we could see our facial expressions and review our answers,” said Moore.
Birabil said that her fellow mock trial team members were also very supportive. 
“Specifically, Aaron Cartwright provided information and guidance about advocacy and Greg Franklin encouraged me to give it a try,” she said.
While both students acknowledged that they are nervous about finals, Birabil said she is “more settled” than she was in earlier rounds.
Congrats and best of luck in Houston!
- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law
Texas A&M University Institute for Advanced Study (TIAS) Faculty Fellow Professor Thomas Ulen will be collaborating with faculty-researchers at the law school and the College of Liberal Arts.
Through a very competitive and rigorous process, the TAIS selects 10 fellows annually “from among top scholars who have distinguished themselves through outstanding professional accomplishments or significant recognition,” according to Texas A&M Today. In referring to the outstanding credentials of the 2017 class of TIAS Fellows, Texas A&M University President Michael K. Young stated, “Fellows will sustain the extraordinary trajectory of TIAS, inspire truly transformative intellectual experiences among our students, and advance the international reputation of the Texas A&M research enterprise.”
TIAS Fellows have included Nobel Prize recipients and numerous members of the National Academies of Engineering and Sciences.
“It’s a great honor to be designated a faculty fellow of TIAS,” Ulen said. “I am eager to spend time in College Station interacting with those faculty fellows and speaking with the members of the several of the world-class departments there, such as those in the Department of Economics and the Bush School of Government and Public Service.”
Ulen is the Swanlund Chair Emeritus, one of the highest endowed chairs at the University of Illinois College of Law. He is a prolific author with one of his leading textbooks being translated into six languages. Ulen has also been a moving force in economics, inspiring researchers to use different methodologies, including economic and empirical analyses.  
“I am amazed by the fact that over the last 40 years law and economics has grown from a small niche field of study into a field that has brought insights to nearly every field of study within the law, is increasingly having an impact on legal education and the practice of law everywhere around the globe, and has probably greatly improved the practice of law in the United States,” he said.
He is a founding member of the American Law and Economics Association. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, a Master’s of Arts degree from Oxford University and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.
- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law
Texas A&M Law Review will present Dr. Temple Grandin ​at a roundtable discussion with Dr. Bonnie Beaver from Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Sciences and Professor Heidi Hurd from the University of Illinois College of Law on February 24, 2017.
Dr. Grandin is a professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University who revolutionized how animals are handled in commercial agriculture. The discussion will focus on the challenges faced in translating advances in science into the legal system. In addition to being well-known for her scientific work, Dr. Grandin has changed how people view those with autism. She was diagnosed with autism as a toddler and became a renowned advocate for people with autism. Her book, “Emergence: Labeled Autistic,” changed the common view of autism as a “death sentence to achievement or productivity.” Her life was the subject of the 2010 HBO movie, Temple Grandin, starring Claire Daines.
The presentation and roundtable will be held in the Magnolia Ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Fort Worth from 10:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Event attendance is by invitation only.
- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law
Kristie Mayhugh, Anna Vasquez, Cassandra Rivera and Elizabeth Ramirez and their attorney, Mike Ware, Texas A&M Law adjunct professor, at a recent event hosted by Texas A&M University School of Law.
Nearly 20 years after their convictions, Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez, known as the San Antonio 4, are now celebrating their exonerations.
In the late 1990s, the women were tried and convicted of performing “satanic ritual abuse” on two young girls, Ramirez’s nieces. They are lesbians, and their sexuality was used as a motive by the prosecution. All four women were sentenced to prison.
Cassandra Rivera, center, followed by Elizabeth Ramirez and Kristie Mayhugh are led out of the Bexar County Jail by their attorney Mike Ware, right, Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, in San Antonio.
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
In 2012, the Innocence Project of Texas (IPTX) took up the case, and Vasquez was paroled. The other three were released in 2013 after IPTX “uncovered additional evidence of innocence never presented at trial, as well as a complete and total recantation of one of the alleged ‘victims,’ asserting that ‘none of it ever happened’ to either her or her sister,” according to an IPTX press release. 
Just a few days shy of Thanksgiving, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the women “are innocent and are exonerated.”
“[These] defendants have won the right to proclaim to the citizens of Texas: 'We are innocent',” said Mike Ware, Texas A&M Law Innocence Project director and adjunct professor and IPTX Executive Director. “This Court grants them the relief they seek.”
However, the San Antonio district attorney must still drop the charges. “Which he [district attorney] has made clear he will do,” Ware said.
The women can then apply for compensation from the state.
All were “ecstatic” to hear the news.  
Vasquez has been “in shock and disbelief” since her partner told her the news. 
“It was a wonderful Thanksgiving,” she said. “And at the same time it still has not sunken in yet.”
 She said it’s been a huge weight off her shoulders. 
“The one thing I would like to add is how grateful I am that the judges took the time to sort out all the information provided by our attorneys, and gave us a full exoneration,” she said.  “I knew that the odds were against us but in the end justice did prevail.”
More than anything, she is thankful for Ware and the IPTX’s dedication and faith in the case. She said first meeting with Ware was a bit intimidating.
“Now after all these years of getting to know him he is the most compassionate man I know,” she said. “He is a brilliant attorney and his passion for the law is remarkable.”
Learn more:

For more information on the Innocence Project of Texas, visit ipoftexas.org.

Learn more about the Texas A&M School of Law Innocence ​Project.

To hear an interview with Mike Ware about this case and others, listen to the podcast "Justice in Action" or read the article.

To learn about the documentary film based on the San Antonio Four, visit southwestofsalem.com.

- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law
First year student Jason Carr’s article, “Are Loan Commitments in Commercial Deals Illusory?” was recently published in the Nov./Dec. 2016 issue of the American Bar Association publication, Probate & Property Magazine.

His article examines loan commitments from a regulatory and risk standpoint in commercial real estate deals.

“What I discovered is that a borrower would have a difficult time enforcing one of these agreements in court, although as always, the outcome will depend on individual circumstances,” he said. “It basically comes down to what each party is able to negotiate in the process and how a court will interpret the agreement in its entirety.”

Carr said the idea for his article came last summer, after hearing a lecture in his Real Estate Finance course, led by Adjunct Prof. Zach Burt.

“While discussing loan commitments, he [Burt] indicated that he was unable to find much information on whether these kinds of commitments are illusory, and suggested that it would make a good research topic,” Carr said.

While he has been published in other academic areas, this was Carr’s first legal publication. He said he was more proud of this article than any of his previous work.

“As I learn more and progress through law school, I ultimately hope to publish something in a journal.” 

He said any successes he has had thus far are a testament to the tremendous education and learning opportunities afforded to all Aggie Law students.

- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law
1L Katherine Kim (at right) proves-up the adoption for the Brose family 

Fourteen Texas A&M University School of Law students assisted attorneys with prove-ups and case documents for National Adoption Day (NAD) in Tarrant County on Nov. 18.
Hands-on Real-world Experience
The Aggie law students participating in National Adoption Day gained significant hands-on training in family court adoption proceedings while donating valuable pro bono service hours to the community. The students, standing with the children and their new families, proved-up the adoptions in front of the judge. During the fall semester, they prepared the legal adoption documents under the supervision of mentor lawyers.

Seventy children were adopted into 45 forever families at the Tarrant County Family Law Center in downtown Fort Worth. During this annual event, courts and attorneys waive all fees to consummate adoptions for dozens of foster children. Texas A&M University School of Law was among the eight organizations that sponsored Tarrant County NAD.
N​ational ​Adoption ​Day is a collective, national effort to raise awareness of the more than 100,000 children in foster care who wait ​for an average of four years for permanent and loving families. The event, now in its 17th year, is held in nearly 400 cities across the country.
Shawna Smith, Student Affairs Program Coordinator, said NAD is one her favorite events and is always an emotional one. 
1L Emma Martin (in center, with white nametag) with the adopting family in front of the judge
“I am proud of our students that participated in this event and I’m overjoyed by all of the love and happiness that filled each courtroom,” she said. 
The joyful atmosphere included costumed superhero characters and volunteer “caped crusaders” greeting the children. Smith said the kids were very excited to see superheroes walking around. Teddy bears, many collected by students and donated by the Office of Student Affairs, decorated the courtrooms and were given to the children.
Aggie Law students volunteering for the 2016 NAD in Tarrant County were:



   1L Callie Dobson
    1L Katherine Kim
    1L Emma Martin
    2L Jonathan Berry
    2L Jessica Holtman
    2L Mehreen Medlock
    2L Michael Vinson
 2L Sarah Young
  2L Elizabeth Anderson 
  2L Kyle Millsap
  3L Lauren Bishop
  3L Kyle Corgan
  3L Jordan Hartshorn
  3L Kimbell Kesling

 Kimbell Kesling, Kyle Corgan, Jessica Holtman, Callie Dobson, Michael Vinson and Sarah Young





Tarrant County Family Law District Court judges and associate judges for the cases included Judge Nancy Berger (Texas Wesleyan University School of Law [TWU Law] ’94), Judge Jesus Nevarez, Jr. (TWU Law ’01), Associate Judge Lindsay DeVos (TWU Law ’03), and Associate Judge Cynthia Mendoza (TWU Law ’03).
Learn more about the Tarrant County National Adoption Day ​event with these media links:


Local ABC ​affiliate
Fort Worth Star-Telegram


- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law; photos by Doug Thurman, Texas A&M University School of Law
Dr. Jonathan Barrett and Assoc. Prof. Susan Corbett of Victoria University of Wellington and Dean Michael Hor of University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law with Prof. Peter Yu of Texas A&M School of Law.
Photo courtesy of Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong
Peter Yu, Texas A&M University School of Law professor and co-director of the Center for Law and Intellectual Property, delivered a keynote address at the 2016 Asian Pacific Copyright Association (APCA)​ Conference, "Copyright in the Asian Pacific: The Challenges and Opportunities," held in Hong Kong in conjunction with the Law and Technology Centre at the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law on Nov. 2​1, 2016.
Yu's opening address, "The RCEP and Trans-Pacific Copyright Norms," draws on his pioneering research on intellectual property issues relating to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This partnership agreement is now being negotiated among Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). His article, "The RCEP and Trans-Pacific Intellectual Property Norms" is forthcoming from the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law.

Established in Nov. 2011, APCA provides a forum for discussing and promoting the development of copyright and related rights in the Asia Pacific Region. The association currently has members from Australia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nauru, New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

"The RCEP is a new regional trade and investment agreement that would cover almost half of the world's population," said Yu. "I am very delighted to have the opportunity to share my perspective with copyright law experts in the Asia Pacific region."
Photo courtesy of Intellectual Property Academy, Renmin University of China 
The week before, Yu presented "The Complexities of Counterfeits" at the 5th U.S.-China Intellectual Property Summit in Shenzhen, China. This annual summit was organized by the Intellectual Property Academy of Renmin University of China in Beijing, U.C. Berkeley School of Law and Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
He also chaired a panel on "Essential Patents and Standards" at the 7th Asia-Pacific Innovation Network Conference at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan. Yu currently serves on the board of the Asia-Pacific Innovation Network and is a member of the network's founding management committee.
Twenty-seven Texas A&M University School of Law students received their Aggie Rings on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Sheraton Fort Worth.

Kristi Kaiser Trail ’00, Director of Former Students, Alumni and External Relations, welcomed students, faculty, staff, family and friends. She received her Ring on April 6, 2000, and wears it with pride.

“My Aggie Ring turned sweet sixteen this past April,” she said. “Ring days are my favorite here at the law school.”

Tim Newman ’05, William and Mary Law School ’09, delivered remarks on the history and tradition of the Aggie Ring and shared his journey with the Ring and its purpose. Newman is an associate for Haynes and Boone, LLP in Fort Worth. At Texas A&M, he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band.

In College Station, Aggie Ring Day typically consists of having a family member slide the Ring on the student’s finger for the first time, followed by a trip to the Dixie Chicken, where tradition holds that recipients must drop the Ring in a pitcher of beer before they can retrieve it.

Newman, a first generation Aggie, said his experience was a little different. “I didn’t have family living close by and I wasn’t one for beer,” he said.

He said that among his Aggie memorabilia, his Ring takes top priority.

“My Corps boots and sabre are packed away, but my Aggie Ring goes with me everywhere,” he said. 

Dean and Anthony G. Buzbee Dean’s Endowed Chair Andrew Morriss said that the Aggie Ring is a “particularly wonderful thing for lawyers.”

“Lawyers need a network, and you’ve got the best one,” he said. “Most of you know I wasn’t smart enough to go to Texas A&M, but I was smart enough to marry into a family with strong ties to the university.”

Morriss and Rosalind Jeffers, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, presented the Aggie Rings to students from the classes of ’16, ’17, and ’18.

Learn more about the Aggie Ring tradition. The next Law School Ring Day will be held April 7, 2016.


See more photos from the event on our Facebook album.


- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law
In their first year to participate in the 2016 American Agricultural Law Association (AALA) Quiz Bowl competition, held Oct. 7-8, 2016, in Oklahoma City, Texas A&M University School of Law earned top honors.
Quiz Bowl champs Tave Doty, James Nichols and Stephanie Bradley Fryer with Shannon Ferrell, AALA board member
Aggie Law’s team included James Nichols ’16 as well as 3Ls Tave Doty and Stephanie Bradley Fryer.
Practicing attorney and adjunct professor Jim Bradbury ’84, described the competition as difficult and rigorous. Typical questions can include everything from Supreme Court ​decisions to contracts to agricultural law. 
Texas A&M faced strong competition from other schools in attendance, many of them with two or more teams participating, and prior Quiz Bowl experience of their own.
“These three sharp students worked really hard,” Bradbury said. “It’s a huge win.” 
Doty said it was a big accomplishment to win a competition in which teams from across the nation compete.
“We are honored to have brought the 2016 AALA Quiz Bowl Championship home to Texas A&M University School of Law,” Doty said. “Our success is a testament to our law school's incredible faculty and the unique opportunities Texas A&M Law provides to its students. Gig ’em!"
- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law
Texas A&M University School of Law Professor Gabriel Eckstein shared his expertise on current issues regarding transboundary groundwater resources at the offices of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations on Oct. 17, 2016, in New York City.
He discussed the management, allocation and regulation of transboundary aquifers. He referred to the International Law Commission’s 2008 “Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers,” which he helped draft, to emphasize the need to encourage cooperation over these critical shared resources.
He said the articles are “flexible mechanisms for cooperation designed to discourage conflict and encourage collaboration among states.”
“These articles will provide guidance for bilateral and regional agreements for the proper management of transboundary aquifers,” Eckstein said in a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) article. “Additionally, they can serve as a framework for developing locally-specific agreements by filling the gaps in the existing international environmental and natural resources legal regimes.” 
The draft articles are currently being considered by the U.N. General Assembly and its legal committee.
“It was really was an honor to help educate these decision-makers on the importance of groundwater, how much we rely on this hidden resource for our daily necessities, and the fact that so many of our aquifers lay across international boundaries,” he said. “That last part makes management and allocation decisions particularly tricky, hence the need for legal and policy mechanisms that encourage cooperation.”
The Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union, UNESCO and the European Union invited Eckstein to present.
For the past decade, he has served a water law and policy advisor and consultant for UNESCO, participating on expert panels, organizing and running training workshops, writing reports and manuals, and representing UNESCO at water-related conferences.
Byron Bailey

Texas A&M University School of Law 2L Byron Bailey was named a recipient of the Dallas Bar Foundation’s Sarah T. Hughes Diversity Scholarship.
The scholarship, founded in 1981, “was established to increase the diversity of the legal community in Dallas.” 
According to the DBF website, “The Hughes Scholars have distinguished themselves in many ways including being named valedictorian in law school, serving as a member of the judiciary, volunteering for the local and state bar associations, donating their time to serve area nonprofit organizations and mentoring others.” 
Originally, the scholarship was only offered to minority student leaders accepted to Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. In 2015, the scholarship offer was expanded to University of North Texas Dallas College of Law and Texas A&M University School of Law. 
Bailey said he is “beyond ecstatic and honored” to receive this award. 
“I am proud that my city, Dallas, and its Bar Foundation have the desire to ensure that the legal profession becomes more diverse by contributing to the legal education and mentorship of selected students,” Bailey said. “To receive such an honor reinforces in me an obligation to make those who care about me proud, but more importantly, it reinforces my obligation to be a champion for the same altruism, interdependence, and empowerment to others.” 
He said he hopes to show his appreciation through tireless service to others through the DBF and his legal career.
Byron Bailey and Arturo Errisuriz, Assistant Dean of Career Services, at the DBF luncheon

Assistant Dean of Career Services Arturo Errisuriz said attending law school is a considerable investment of both time and money. 
“We are very proud of Byron and are grateful to the Dallas Bar Foundation for making the Sarah T. Hughes Diversity Scholarship available," he said. "For those planning to establish their careers in Dallas, the award will help defray some of that cost.” 
- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law