The Inaugural Award for Innovation and Excellence

in Teaching Professionalism

Co-sponsored by

The American Bar Association

Standing Committee on Professionalism

and

The Conference of Chief Justices

Supported by the W. Lee Burge Endowment for Law & Ethics

at the Georgia State University College of Law

 

First Prize: $2,000:
--Sophie Sparrow (Franklin Pierce Law Center): Professional Conduct in a 1st Year Research and Writing Course

 

Honorable Mention: $500:

--Leary Davis (Campbell University School of Law): Year-Long Required Professionalism Course in the First Year
--James E. Moliterno (William & Mary Law School): Integrating Legal Ethics and Professional Norms into a Four
Semester Required Course on Legal Skills

 

 

This new national competition for full-time law teachers has been initiated to:

    increase incentives to law teachers and law schools to give a higher priority to the teaching of professional values

    reward and support those teachers and schools who have done innovative and effective work in this area

    create a national clearinghouse and data bank for methods to teach and assess professionalism

    increase collaboration among the many organizations in the bench, bar and legal academy working to promote professionalism

    prompt academic research and publications on professionalism

    develop standards for assessing effectiveness in the teaching of professionalism

 

Any program developed and implemented by a full-time law teacher is eligible for consideration; the competition is not limited to for-credit courses. Prize money is awarded directly to law teachers.

 

 Selection Committee

 

Applications and Supporting Materials

 

Letter from Dennis W. Archer, President, American Bar Association

 

***

 

Award Ceremony and Conference on Teaching Professionalism
Friday, January 30, 2004
GSU College of Law, 220 Urban Life Building (Urban Life Auditorium)
150 Decatur Street, Atlanta GA 30303


Out of a very strong field of 19 applications, three finalists have been selected. These finalists will present their programs on January 30, 2004 as the culmination of a full-day conference on teaching professionalism. Their presentations, including their responses to questions from conference participants, will provide the final information used to select the winner.

 

9:00 -12:00
Workshops on teaching professionalism (Open to the Public)
9:00-9:50 Changing the required curriculum: Judith Wegner (N. Carolina), Patrick Longan (Mercer)
10:00 -10:50 Connecting with practitioners: Paula Frederick (State Bar of Georgia), A. James Elliot (Emory), Joseph Tulman (DC School of Law)
11:00-11:50 Measuring effectiveness: David Stern (Univ. of Michigan Medical School), Roy Stuckey (S. Carolina)

12:00 -1:30 Luncheon (Invited Guests and Registered Conferees Only)
Master of Ceremonies: Georgia Chief Justice Norman S. Fletcher
-The W. Lee Burge Endowment for Law & Ethics: Roy M. Sobelson (GSU)
-The Professionalism Movement in Georgia: Former Georgia Chief Justice Harold G. Clarke
-The ABA Professionalism Initiatives: John Berry (ABA Standing Committee Professionalism)
-The Conference of Chief Justices Professionalism Initiatives: Delaware Chief Justice E.Norman Veasey


1:30 - 2:45
Presentations by the three finalists (Open to the Public)
Moderator: Clark D. Cunningham, W. Lee Professor of Law & Ethics (GSU)
--Leary Davis (Campbell University School of Law): Year-Long Required Professionalism Course in the First Year
--James E. Moliterno (William & Mary Law School): Integrating Legal Ethics and Professional Norms into a Four Semester Required Course on Legal Skills
--Sophie Sparrow (Franklin Pierce Law Center): Professional Conduct in a 1st Year Research and Writing Course

3:00 - 4:00 Award Ceremony (Open to the Public)

The morning workshops and afternoon award ceremony are free and open to the public subject to space limitations, with first seating given to advance registrants. Advance registration is required for the luncheon. Approved by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia for 4 CLE hours, including 1 Professionalism hour and 1 Ethics hour. Registration and payment of CLE fee are required.

 

Click here for driving directions and parking map.
Foreign speakers can click here for forms to process conference reimbursements.

 

Also consider attending the 2004 GSU Law Review Symposium on Rethinking the Licensing of New Attorneys—An Exploration of Alternatives to the Bar Exam to be held on Thursday, January 29, 2004. For more information, visit the Burge Chair Professionalism web page.