June 2012 Newsletter


Asia Pacific Conference

The Annual Asia Pacific Conference of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society took place in Hamilton, New Zealand through the first weekend in June. Many participants traveled from other countries including Australia, American Samoa, the Philippines, and the United States. Attendees were treated to a New Zealand traditional gathering at Coroner Gordon Matenga's home on the first evening of the conference, followed by a smorgasbord of legal insights at the Saturday sessions including remarks from prominent Professors Moens and Babie, members of the judiciary - Australians District Court Master Mark Rice, Federal Magistrate Sue Purdon and New Zealand Judge James Rota. The presentations were insightful and inspiring. Read more. . .


Symposium Captures the Implications of New Religious Liberty Case

On March 22, the Orange County Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society presented its 8th Annual Orange County Religion & The Law Symposium, featuring Brian W. Walsh speaking on the subject of "Secularism vs. Religious Liberty: Is Recent U.S. Law and Policy Taking Sides?" The symposium took place at Chapman University School of Law and had 120 participants. Read more. . .


Santa Clara Student Chapter takes Pierson v. Post to the classroom

As part of the International Day of Service, the Santa Clara Student Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society reached out to Santa Clara High School's civics teacher, Emily Burton, to provide her class of high school seniors with an experience of a day-in-the-life of a law student. Santa Clara University's Jeremy Valentiner and Mark Andrus teamed up with local JRCLS member and leading patent attorney Kenneth Allen to present classic property cases and their continuing relationship to intellectual property and patent law practice. Read more. . .


Greg Garre Honored at 2012 Rex E. Lee Advocacy Award Ceremony with Justice Lee

On May 21, the D.C. Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society hosted its 12th Annual Rex Lee Advocacy Award and Shawn Bentley Public Service Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC.

The Rex E. Lee Advocacy Award, named after former appellate lawyer and founding dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School, was awarded to Greg Garre, former Solicitor General and current Global Chair of Latham & Watkins' Supreme Court & Appellate Practice Group. Garre is one of four former solicitors general to be awarded this honor. Read more. . .


Religious Freedom Discussion Series

Professor David Kirkham addressed the topic "Human Rights, the Constitution, and Religious Liberty" as the second lecture in the International Center for Law and Religion Studies' 2012 Religious Freedom Discussion Series on May 2, 2012 at BYU. Read more. . .


Life Outside The Law: When Lawyers Pursue Alternative Paths

Austin Baird, a legal consultant, recently interviewed a couple law graduates who have taken up non-traditional jobs. The following is an essay of his experience interviewing those on the other side of the legal career track. I didn't know that peacocks were that dangerous. In fact, I didn't know that peacocks were dangerous at all. But there I was, crouched behind a cafe table, trying to gauge the distance between the bird and the restaurant door. Luckily, Derek had a pocketful of golf balls and a healthy disrespect for the opinion of any PETA members in the onlookers' gallery. Read more. . .


Newsletter Trivia!

Be the first to send in the correct answer and we'll spotlight you in the next Newsletter! Email us your answer.

Which Catholic Archbishop said the following at a speech given at Brigham Young University, ""[R]eligious freedom cannot be reduced to freedom of worship or even freedom of private conscience. Religious freedom means that religious groups as well as religious individuals have a right to exercise their influence in the public square, and that any attempt to reduce that fuller sense of religious freedom, which has been part of history in this country for more than two centuries, to a private reality of worship and individual conscience as long as you don't make anybody else unhappy, is not in our tradition. It was the tradition of the Soviet Union, where Lenin permitted freedom of worship (it was in the constitution of the Soviet Union) but not freedom of religion. ... This is not the American tradition, even though it is now argued by some Americans that it should be."