Spring 2016

All Articles in This Issue

Eric Ostermeier, ’95 Eric Ostermeier, ’95

Class Note

Eric Ostermeier, ’95: Data-driven Political Journalism

The pen may be mightier than the sword, but in today’s world of pundits and partisanism, Eric Ostermeier, ’95, says data is the most powerful of all. Since 2006, Ostermeier has authored Smart Politics, a blog he founded at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. 

Monica Tesler Monica Tesler

Class Note

Monica Tesler, ’98: Dreaming of Space Adventures Leads to Debut Kids’ Book

Some people spend their work commutes catching up on email or scrolling through Facebook. Others unwind by listening to their favorite podcast. Monica Tesler, ’98, spent the better part of a year on a commuter boat dreaming of space adventures, the likes of which can be found in Bounders, her debut novel for middle-grade readers.

Hon. Harlan VanWye, ’67 Hon. Harlan VanWye, ’67

Class Note

Hon. Harlan VanWye, ’67: An Extra-Innings Career

In 22 years as a judge with the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, the Hon. Harlan VanWye, ’67, saw it all, from despair to defensiveness to questionable wardrobe choices. But learning that a claimant named her child Harlan, after him, came as a surprise.

Robbie Friedman, ’08 Robbie Friedman, ’08

Class Note

Robbie Friedman, ’08: Innovations in Law Firm Billing

As a corporate attorney, Robbie Friedman, ’08, was familiar with what he describes as the “opaqueness” of legal billing. So he co-founded Viewabill, a startup based in Columbus, Ohio, in 2013. A cloud-based platform, Viewabill allows clients to see in real time how much a law firm is billing for its work.

Stu Finkelstein, ’85 Stu Finkelstein, ’85

Impact

Stu Finkelstein, ’85: Supporting a Loan Repayment Program that Offers Career Flexibility

Stu Finkelstein, ’85, loves going to work every day. Through his family’s bequest to create the Finkelstein Family Debt Management Fund, he will help to ensure that future Michigan Law graduates have the opportunity to feel the same way.

Martha S. Jones Martha S. Jones

Briefs

News in Brief: Spring 2016

SFF Auction raises more than $59k  |  Record-breaking exonerations  |  Mini-seminars bring students into faculty homes for small group discussions  |  and more...

Chuck Barnhill walking to court with two lawyers Chuck Barnhill walking to court with two lawyers

Impact

Barnhill, ’68: A Model Lawyer, a Grateful Client, a Scholarship Fund

There should be more lawyers like Charles “Chuck” Barnhill, says his longtime friend and former client, Wayne Kennedy. So Kennedy created a scholarship fund at Michigan Law to help train the next generation of lawyers at the place that trained Barnhill.

Lydia (Barry) Kelley,’89, and Rebecca (Redosh) Eisner, ‘89 Lydia (Barry) Kelley,’89, and Rebecca (Redosh) Eisner, ‘89

In Practice

Two Friends, Two Leaders, One City

Rebecca (Redosh) Eisner, ’89, and Lydia (Barry) Kelley, ’89, want part of their story to not be a story. Best friends who met at Michigan Law and became managing partners of two of Chicago’s biggest firms is a good tale. That they are both women adds intrigue. “I would love to reach the point where it’s irrelevant that we are women,” says Eisner. “Unfortunately, we are not there yet.” 

Beauty image of the Law School Reading Room Beauty image of the Law School Reading Room

Impact

Recent Gifts: Spring 2016

Giving to Michigan Law is an investment in the future of legal education, and private support ensures that the excellence that has distinguished Michigan-trained lawyers continues for generations to come.

Illustration of a car driving over a highway. The car is blue, and the rest of the scene is muted in color. Illustration of a car driving over a highway. The car is blue, and the rest of the scene is muted in color.

Cover Story

In the Driver’s Seat: Autonomous Vehicles and the Law

The technology of autonomous and connected cars has come a long way, and it has outpaced solutions in another realm: The legal world. Now, Michigan Law is set to become the central repository for rapidly evolving legal and regulatory information involving autonomous vehicles.

 Bob Hirshon  Bob Hirshon

@UMICHLAW

New Course Focuses on Business Development for Law Firm Associates

Bob Hirshon, the Frank G. Millard Professor from Practice and the Law School’s special counsel on developments in the legal profession, has created a new course, Business Development for Associates, to help prepare Michigan Law graduates for their first jobs in a rapidly changing legal profession.

Delphi is one of the leading participants in the self-driving car sphere Delphi is one of the leading participants in the self-driving car sphere

Features

Driverless Cars and the Legal Issues They Create for Manufacturers and Law Firms

It started with a phone call from a West Coast lawyer seeking some basic legal advice about the auto industry. Then a few more calls, primarily from California and Europe. Before long, Richard Walawender, ’86, and other members of the automotive group at Miller Canfield PLC realized they needed to start a new team that would focus specifically on autonomous vehicles.

Ken Salazar, ’81 Ken Salazar, ’81

@UMICHLAW

Salazar Honored with 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award

Ken Salazar, ’81, received Michigan Law’s Distinguished Alumni Award at a special ceremony on March 18, as part of the Juan Luis Tienda Scholarship Banquet. Salazar delivered the keynote address at the annual banquet hosted by the Latino Law Students Association.

Veterans saluting during the ceremony Veterans saluting during the ceremony

Features

Veterans on the Law Quad: Stories of Service

Alexis Bailey, 2L, and Mir Ali, ’09, were already loyal to the country and to the military before the terrorist attacks. Afterward, their support only grew. Read more about their journeys and the launch of the new Veterans Legal Clinic.

picture of detroit skyline picture of detroit skyline

@UMICHLAW

Detroit Neighborhood Business Project Launched

Michigan Law and JPMorgan Chase have joined together to launch the Detroit Neighborhood Business Project (DNBP), a program to address barriers to growth and provide legal support for Detroit’s neighborhood small businesses. 

2L Alexis Bailey 2L Alexis Bailey

Features

2L Alexis Bailey Brings Military Experience to the Veterans Legal Clinic

Basic training. A highly regimented schedule. A litany of demanding and sometimes demeaning rules designed to break down underclassmen so they can be built back up again as a unit, a team. Very little about the Air Force Academy is easy. If you’re 2L Alexis Bailey, there’s also the September 11 attacks, which happened when she was a sophomore.

3L Dani Angeli, client Ashley, and 3L Alanna Farber. 3L Dani Angeli, client Ashley, and 3L Alanna Farber.

@UMICHLAW

Michigan Law’s Child Advocacy Law Clinic: Theory and Practice Come Together in Trial Experience

In 2014, a woman named Ashley came to Michigan Law’s Child Advocacy Law Clinic to help her gain custody of her children from her violently abusive husband. She met 2Ls Dani Angeli and Alanna Farber, who became her champions, working with Ashley on the case all the way through her trial. 

Mir Y. Ali, ’09 Mir Y. Ali, ’09

Features

Mir Y. Ali, ’09: From the Law Quad to U.S. Army Special Forces

Mir Y. Ali, ’09, signed up for Army ROTC as an undergraduate at the University of Illinois. He was ready, willing, able—even excited. “I said, ‘Let me get this straight: you’re going to pay for college, teach me how to shoot guns and climb mountains, and I’ll get to work out? I’m in,'” Ali recalls.

Justice Joan Larsen of the Michigan Supreme Court, an adjunct professor  at Michigan Law and a former clerk for the late Associate Justice of the  U.S. Supreme Court Antonin Scalia, speaks at his memorial service. Justice Joan Larsen of the Michigan Supreme Court, an adjunct professor  at Michigan Law and a former clerk for the late Associate Justice of the  U.S. Supreme Court Antonin Scalia, speaks at his memorial service.

@UMICHLAW

Former Clerks and Faculty on the Legacy of Justice Antonin Scalia

The passing of Justice Scalia “could mark a turning point in the history of American law,” wrote Richard Primus, the Theodore J. St. Antoine Collegiate Professor of Law. 

Veterans Clinic Veterans Clinic

Features

Michigan Law Veterans Legal Clinic Opens

In November, Michigan Law celebrated the opening of the Veterans Legal Clinic, which offers veterans and, in some cases, their immediate families, legal help in matters such as family law, eviction, consumer problems, foreclosure, and employment cases. 

L. Bates Lea China Exchange L. Bates Lea China Exchange

@UMICHLAW

L. Bates Lea China Exchange

Michigan Law was pleased to host two Bates Lea Exchange Professors from China during the fall 2015 semester: Professors Jie Cheng and Wei Cui. Cheng taught the course Constitutional Theory and Practice in China, and Cui, Taxation of Individual Income. The exchanges are made possible through the generosity of L. Bates Lea, ’49.

Stan Stroup Stan Stroup

Impact

Stan Stroup, ’69: Supporting Michigan Law's Most Prestigious Scholarship

Smart students who dream of graduating from Michigan Law should have the opportunity to do so without worrying about how to pay for it, Stan Stroup, ’69, believes. Through their bequest gift to establish a Darrow Scholarship, Stroup and his wife, Sylvia, will help make some of those dreams come true.

Theresa Kaiser-Jarvis Theresa Kaiser-Jarvis

@UMICHLAW

Kaiser-Jarvis Named Assistant Dean for International Affairs

Theresa Kaiser-Jarvis—a lawyer and longtime international higher education administrator—has been named the Law School’s assistant dean for international affairs. “I’m thrilled to join Michigan Law’s international team,” says Kaiser-Jarvis.

Beautiful image of the windows at the University of Michigan law school Beautiful image of the windows at the University of Michigan law school

Impact

Cause and Effect: Donors and Their Scholarship Recipient Reflect on Their Connection to Michigan Law

Anita Jenkins, ’74, and Jim Jenkins, ’73, of Midland, Michigan, got their start at U-M, both as lawyers and as a couple (they met in the course registration line as undergrads). Ashley Davis, a 1L from Jacksonville, Florida, is the 2015-2016 Jenkins Scholar and a graduate of Florida Atlantic University. 

UMLS Emeriti Discussion UMLS Emeriti Discussion

Features

A Lively Chat About Michigan Law History with Legendary Faculty Members

Yale Kamisar would like to set the record straight, once and for all. Yes, yes, he threw a book and broke a student’s glasses. Yes, he paid to have the glasses fixed. But it was one book, one time, thrown to make a point about the case of a husband flinging a beer mug at his wife while she held a lit lamp—and the student seemed willfully disinclined to understand the professor’s point.