Albertus Accolades

February 2018

Editor, Robert N. Clark, Reference/Research Librarian

Access previous editions of Albertus Accolades here.

Albertus Accolades is a monthly publication documenting the activities, accomplishments, and honors of the University of Houston Law Center faculty and staff.

Leonard Baynes gave welcoming remarks at the Government and Public Interest Table Talk (GPITT) event on February 9. Local government and public interest employers visited the Law Center Commons and met with students to discuss summer internship opportunities during the table talk. GPITT caps off Public Interest Law Week, a week-long series of career panels that explore the advantages and challenges of practicing in the public sector. Later that evening, Dean Baynes joined Provost Short and other University of Houston leaders at the 2018 inaugural Rockwell Lecture Series on Leadership and Ethics. The event, #MeToo: A Fad, Movement, or Cultural Transformation?, featured Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the immediate past President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The title of Mr. Taylor’s lecture was “Transformative and Ethical Leadership in Higher Education and the Workplace." On February 13, Dean Baynes hosted a farewell reception to celebrate Assistant Dean of Alumni Relations, Allison Regan, and wish her well in her new role as Manager of Professional Development at Bracewell LLP. The coffee farewell was followed by the first of two Discussion with the Dean Sessions. During each session Dean Baynes brought students up to date on the progress the school is making on its law building campaign. He highlighted that the goal is to raise $10 million by the end of the year and we are at more than $4 million now. He also promoted student success by sharing that clerkships have dramatically increased among Law Center students, and emphasized how students can gain a unique perspective with exposure to the judiciary as well as re-emphasizing the significance of students succeeding on the bar exam. The discussion concluded with a question and answer session with students. Dean Baynes joined Law Center faculty, staff, and students at a memorial service celebrating the life of Dean Emeritus and the Leonard H. Childs Professor of Law, Ray Nimmer, on February 15. Eulogies were given by Dean Baynes, Professor Richard Alderman, Professor Paul Janicke, law student Zachary Scott, and Jeff Dodd, Partner at Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP. Services were held at Geo. H. Lewis and Sons. On February 17, Dean Baynes hosted the 42nd Annual Law Gala & Auction: A Night in Napa at the Hilton Americas. Over 500 alumni and friends of the UH Law Center gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the Law Center over the past year and toast the Law Center’s new building campaign, “More Than Bricks and Mortar.” Nearly $500,000 was raised in support of Law Center programs and scholarships. Dean Baynes provided remarks at the EENR Conference held at the Houstonian on February 22. Later that afternoon, he gave opening remarks and welcomed Law Center faculty, staff, and students at the Grand Opening Reception of the Market at Law Center. The Market is located in the Commons and replaces Subway. On February 23, Dean Baynes provided welcoming remarks during the Speaker’s Lunch at the Houston Business and Tax Law Journal’s 18th Annual Symposium. He also introduced the symposium keynote speaker, Congressman Kevin Brady of the 8th Congressional District of Texas. The symposium was held at the Houstonian. Dean Baynes joined Eloise Brice, UH Vice President, University Advancement, and Law Center alum Jim Roach (’82), Senior Tax Counsel at ExxonMobil, February 26 on a tour of three New York law schools, the Fordham University School of Law, New York Law School, and the New York University School of Law, for inspiration for the new UH Law Center facility. He also attended a dinner reception with Law Center alumni during the visit. On February 28, Dean Baynes hosted the annual Black History Month Lecture Series. Guest speaker, Professor Cheryl L. Wade, Dean Harold F. McNiece Professor of Law at St. John's University, gave a lunchtime presentation to students titled, “The Historical Significance of Black Migration, the Search for Work, and the Impact of Corporate Governance.” Professor Wade’s 6:30 p.m. public lecture featured Assistant Professor of Law James Nelson and A.A. White Professor of Law Ronald Turner as commentators.

Katherine Brem presented an interactive workshop on effective legal writing to the Office of General Counsel at Air Liquide US Cluster on February 7, and will work with attorneys in that office to improve writing skills in continuing one-on-one coaching sessions in upcoming months.

Tracy Hester, after clearing a bit of a logjam, saw several writing projects finally go to print. Climate Engineering and the Law, which he co-edited with Prof. Michael Gerrard and contributed chapters, is now published by Cambridge University Press and available on Amazon. His article The Paradox of Regulating Negative Emissions Technologies Under U.S. Environmental Laws has completed peer review and will appear in the next issue of Global Sustainability. His chapter on carbon removal technology regulation for the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project Legal Report has also completed peer review, and will appear in the upcoming issue of the Environmental Law Reporter.And he submitted his article on Climate Tort Federalism to the Florida International University Law Review for publication in its upcoming Symposium issue. In addition, Hester hosted the EENR Lecture given by Matt Tejada, the Director of EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice, at UHLC on February 15. He also was invited to participate in the Geoengineering Governance Workshop at UCLA Law School on Feb. 13, 2018, and joined the Citizens Environmental Coalition blue ribbon nominating panel session on February 26. And last, he had the pleasure of participating in Professors Victor Flatt and Bret Wells’ outstanding symposium on Federal Carbon Pricing in Houston on February 21 and 22.

Geoffrey Hoffman was among a group of legal scholars who submitted an amici curiae brief in support of a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the case of Ragbir v. Sessions. Professor Hoffman presented a CLE on Immigration Law with Clinical Supervising Attorneys Rosemary Vega and Josephine Sorgwe at the Law Center’s immigration clinic. Professor Hoffman is in the top ten percent of authors on SSRN by total new downloads within the last twelve months. His paper Contiguous Territories: The Expanded Use of Expedited Removal in the Trump Era was recently listed on SSRN's Top Ten download list for: AARN: Cross-Cultural Legal Systems & International Law (Topic), AARN: Migration (Topic), AARN: Theorizing Politics & Power (Political) (Topic), Immigration, Refugee & Citizenship Law eJournal, LSN: International Human Rights (Topic), PSN: Politics of Immigration (Topic), Political Behavior eJournals, Political Behavior: Race, Ethnicity & Identity Politics eJournal, Urban & Transnational Anthropology eJournal, and Law & Society: International & Comparative Law eJournal.

Craig Joyce announced Boston as the site of the American Society for Legal History’s Annual Meeting in 2019. The 2018 Meeting, sponsored by the Law Center and the University of Houston, will be held on November 8-11 in Houston at the Hilton-Americas and the UH campus.

Renee Knake presented her forthcoming article Abolishing Death at the Duke Journal of Constitutional Law and Public Policy Symposium on Feb. 2, to be published by the journal later this spring. She was invited by the UH Provost’s Office to be a panel commentator for the annual Rockwell Lecture on Ethics and Leadership, held February 9. She also spoke at the South Texas College of Law Faculty Colloquium about her forthcoming book, Shortlisted.

Sapna Kumar presented her article Innovation Nationalism at the 2018 Works-in-Progress Intellectual Property Colloquium and at the South Texas College of Law Houston. Her articles Patent Damages Without Borders and Standing Against Bad Patents have published in the Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal and the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, respectively.

Peter Linzer had a 6.1 centimeter aneurysm on his aorta repaired in late December. The surgeon (a superstar) pronounced it a complete success. Linzer’s recovery from having his chest cracked has been quick and painless, and he has lost 20+ pounds and his paunch, and he plans to attend the Gala. He also expects to get back to work finishing a contracts article and his and Nicole Casarez’s casebook The First Amendment and Beyond.                                                     

Douglas Moll was informed by SSRN that his articles have been downloaded over 10,000 times.  Professor Moll has also begun work on the next edition of the Texas Business Organizations treatise (with Professors Miller and Robert Ragazzo).

Jeff Newberry received an appreciation award on February 17 at the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s annual conference for work that he, David R. Dow, Ingrid Norbergs, death penalty clinic students, and JCAP interns did on behalf of Robert Pruett.

Thomas Oldham is currently in the top ten percent of authors on SSRN by all-time downloads and by total new downloads within the last twelve months.

Michael A. Olivas conducted a faculty workshop on legal issues in the classroom at Galveston College. He delivered the Keynote address at the UH national conference on Hispanic-Serving Institutions and STEM Enrollments, sponsored by NSF. He briefed a number of national publications on developments in the DREAM Act and DACA legislation, as well as laws concerning campus-carry and sanctuary campus. (Hint: there is no such thing as “sanctuary.”)

Josephine Sorgwe co-wrote an article for the State Bar of Texas CLE entitled Ethical Considerations in New Client Consultations with Jennifer Walker Gates of Walker Gates Vela, PLLC. Sorgwe and Gates made a presentation on this topic at the Immigration 101 State Bar of Texas CLE on February 14. In addition, she supervised UHLC student attorneys at Baker Ripley’s monthly naturalization workshop. At the workshop, they assisted in determining naturalization eligibility, preparing the N-400, Application for Naturalization, and conducting final application review for permanent residents. Sorgwe also made a presentation entitled “Helping the Vulnerable: Legal Assistance for Immigrant Victims of Crime”at St. Phillip Presbyterian Church. Lastly, Sorgwe, along with Geoffrey Hoffman and Rosemary Vega, taught a CLE hosted by the Law Center entitled “Making Sense of Immigration Law,” in which they discussed various forms of immigration relief and initial client consultations.

Rosemary Vega spoke at the State Bar of Texas Advanced Immigration CLE on February 16 regarding Emerging Inadmissibility Issues. On February 23, Vega, Geoffrey Hoffman, and Josephine Sorgwe presented on a panel “Making Sense of Immigration Law” Lunch and Learn at the UHLC. On March 2, Vega will be speaking at the State Bar of Texas CLE “Handling your First (or Next) Asylum Case” regarding Ethics.

Greg Vetter in his capacity as Associate Dean represented the Law Center in a tour by several UH persons of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law on January 6 and met with Dean Joan Bullock and former Dean Rudy Hasl to discuss new law school buildings. On January 8, he visited Arizona State University and toured the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law with Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, Tom Williams and several UH persons.

Jacqueline Weaver completed the annual update for two volumes of the Texas Law of Oil and Gas and sent them to the publisher.

Bret Wells published his article entitled Reform of Corporate Distributions in Subchapter C, 37 Va. Tax Rev. 365 (2018). Professor Wells also spoke at several events in the month. On February 1, Professor Wells made a presentation entitled "International Tax Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" at the Houston International Tax Forum. On February 15, he made a presentation entitled "Recent Developments in Oil and Gas Law" to the Institute for Energy Law’s 69th Annual Oil and Gas Law Conference. On February 21-22, he participated in panel discussions as part of a Symposium on Federal Options to Price Carbon.  The symposium was hosted by UHLC’s Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Center in collaboration with the Duke Nicholas Institute and the Duke Energy Initiative. 

Kellen Zale has been invited to present a talk on local government boundaries and sustainability at the Columbia-NYU-Fordham International Conference on Sustainable Cities in May 2018.  She has also been invited to present her article, Compensating City Councils (forthcoming, Stanford Law Review), at the Midwest Public Affairs Conference at the University of Illinois at Chicago in June 2018.