The University of Arkansas Celebrates International Education Week

On November 22, the University of Arkansas officially wrapped up its celebration of International Education Week. Read the following excerpt from the Arkansas Newswire to learn more about the events and international student enrollment at the U of A.

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, officially observed Nov. 17-21, as an opportunity to acknowledge the benefits of international education and exchange.

The U of A celebration will begin with a reception for international scholars hosted by Chancellor G. David Gearhart at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13 at Fowler House and will conclude with a Diwali Banquet at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22 at the Fayetteville High School Performing Arts Theater.

Some of the other events that highlight opportunities for international education include:

Taste of Africa – 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, UARK Bowl on Dickson Street. The African Student Organization is creating an African wedding atmosphere to host performances, a fashion show, trivia and more. This is a ticketed event. For ticket information contact african@uark.edu.

International Dress Day – Monday, Nov. 17. Students are invited to wear their favorite international clothing, sports jersey, hat, scarf or other item for this all-day event. An International Dress Day Photo will be taken at 11 a.m. in the International Connections Lounge of the Arkansas Union to officially kick off the week’s events.

International Bazaar – 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, International Connections Lounge. Music, dance, entertainment, traditional clothing, international food and interactive activities will be available.

Hogs Abroad 101 – 4-5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, J.B. Hunt Building room 207. This peer-led information session will provide an overview of the study abroad process, including the tools needed to get started and funding opportunities.

Winter of Discontent – 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences Building room 107E. This film gives an account of Egypt on the verge of revolution through the lives of an activist, a journalist and a security officer.

Hecho en Mexico – 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, Mullins Library room 104. This documentary highlights some of contemporary Mexico’s most iconic artists and performers. A discussion will follow the screening.

Afternoon PositiviTea – 2-4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, Holcombe Hall Living Room. Students are invited to enjoy a cup of tea while learning about tea cultures from around the world.

International education is on the rise at the U of A. The campus saw international student enrollment reach an all-time high of 1,525 students for the fall 2014 term. The number of students studying abroad is also growing, as a record 800 students studied abroad during the 2013-14 academic year.

“As our international student enrollment continues to increase and as the demand for international experiences grows among our students, the need for opportunities to celebrate and learn more about international education and cultures becomes more and more important,” said Kim LaScola Needy, dean of the Graduate School and International Education.

International Education Week is being coordinated by the Office of International Students and Scholars, the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange, Spring International Language Center, the Holcombe Hall International Living and Learning Community and the International Student Organization. A full list of the week’s events may be found at iew.uark.edu.

School of Law Professor Christopher Kelley Teaches Legal Writing to Distance-Learning Students in Ukraine

Every Wednesday, Professor Chris Kelley, like so many university professors, begins his Legal Writing in English class be asking, "do we have any questions about what we went over last time?" The difference, however, is that Professor Kelley is teaching from the LL.M. study in the University of Arkansas School of Law, and his 57 students are at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, in Ukraine. The LL.M. study recently underwent extensive renovations with enhanced technology that allows faculty and students to connect with audiences and experts around the world. Students in the LL.M. program have utilized the technology to discuss food industry regulations with Helena Bottemiller Evich, a Washington D.C.-based journalist with Politico, and debate policy with Michele Simon, author of the EatDrinkPolitics blog.

Professor Kelley's international teaching history makes him both an obvious choice and an asset to the distance-learning program. Professor Kelley was a Fulbright Scholar in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in 2005 and in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, in 2011. He frequently teaches negotiations and legal writing in English variously at universities, law firms, nongovernmental organizations, and business in Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, and Lithuania. He has also taught in Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. Notably, he was the first American law professor to teach at the Belarusian State University Law Faculty in Minsk, Belarus.

In addition to his international work, Professor Kelley teaches in the Agricultural & Food law LL.M. program, as well as the general J.D. program. His courses include Agriculture & the Environment, Regulation of Agricultural Markets, Issues in International Agricultural Law, Administrative Law, Transnational Negotiation, International Commercial Arbitration, Law & Development, and Rule of Law.

Professor Kelley, along with other School of Law faculty, hopes to increase the number of distance-learning opportunities available in the future.

UA Law Professor Teaches Comparative Constitutional Law in Lithuania

In late May and early June, Professor Howard Brill traveled to Vytautus Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania to teach Comparative Constitutional Law to 50 Lithuanian law students. The topics covered in the course included the War Against Terror (including the use of drones and targeted killings), Comparative Free Speech, Comparative Religious Freedom (including the ban on religious clothing worn by women in Western Europe), the protection of minority rights (including the Roma in Europe), and secession from the nation (including Quebec, Crimea, and Scotland).

Upon completion of the program, Professor Brill commented, “all students in Lithuania now begin learning English at an early grade, unlike their parents who learned Russian. Vytautus Magnus University is a new institution. The faculty of law has created a program drawing upon American experiences. I found the students eager to learn, interested in different teaching and learning styles, and most knowledgeable about the world.”

With a population of 3 million, Lithuania is approximately half the size of Arkansas. Though it gained independence after World War I, Lithuania was occupied first by the Germans at the beginning of World War II, then by the Soviets after the liberation. Lithuania remained a part of the Soviet Union until March 1990, when it again declared its independence. Since that time, a democratic Lithuania has sought closer ties with the West, joining both NATO and the European Union.

Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania, has long been a leading center of economic, academic, and cultural activity. It sits at the confluence of Lithuania’s two largest rivers, the Nemunas and the Neris, and is about one hour away from the capital of Vilnius. It was founded in the 11th century and joined the Hanseatic League in the 15th century. Napoleon passed through the city both during his invasion of, and his eventual retreat from, Russia. In addition to this rich history, Kaunas is also famous for its basketball team, Zalgiris.

While in Kaunas, Professor Brill spoke at an International Conference on Legal Ethics, sponsored by Vytautus Magnus University. The speakers were from Lithuania, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Belgium, and the United States. Professor Brill’s topic was teaching methods for Professional Responsibility: the use of role playing, actual cases, and movies.

Inaugural Russia Law Summer Program a Success

Law students Austin Lucas, Benjamin Mackey, Christina Cole, Cristen Handley, Jacob Kerksieck, Kaylyn Turner, Maria Korzendorfer and Nick Stallings all took part in the first ever Russia Law Summer Program, which included two weeks of classes in Fayetteville and eight nights in St. Petersburg. As part of the program, students were required to write on subjects pertaining to Russian Literature, Cinema, and Culture, and attend a variety of lectures addressing topics such as The Russian Constitution, The Russian Legal System, Comparative Religious Freedom, Secession and Breakup of Nations, Russian Civilizations and Cultural Dimensions, and Human Rights. Upon completion of the course, each student earned two hours of ungraded credit.

While in St. Petersburg, the students stayed in a dormitory in the heart of the city, operated by the St. Petersburg University of Finance and Economics, and visited the legal department of INTRATOOL, an oil and gas company, as well as DCO, LLC; a legal consulting firm. In addition to their studies, the students were able to take a boat trip on the Neva River and canals, visit both Catherine Palace and Alexander Palace, tour The State Hermitage Museum, and attend a performance of Swan Lake at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory.

Faculty and students agree that the program exceed all expectations, and efforts are being made to repeat the program in 2015.

Fulbright Program in Ukraine offers Negotiation Workshop by Professor Christopher Kelley

As noted in our previous blog post, School of Law Professor Christopher Kelley was invited to moderate a Negotiation Workshop hosted by the Fulbright Program in Ukraine.

The two-day even was held this week at the Fulbright Program office in Ukraine. An excerpt from the invitation is included below:

This workshop will serve as an introduction to effective negotiation practices which will help you help you develop your negotiation skills. You will learn how to use the concepts of "best alternative to a negotiated agreement" (BATNA), "reservation price," and "bargaining zone," plus various behaviors and psychological considerations that can work for and against you in negotiations. You will also negotiate several exercises so you can "learn by doing." 

Negotiating these problems and reading the workshop’s materials, will help you learn how to plan for negotiations, how to set the negotiating agenda in your favor, how to adjust your strategies as the negotiations proceed, and how to learn and practice other negotiation strategies and tactics. 

All of us negotiate. We negotiate every day. We will negotiate for the rest of our lives. Thus, negotiation skills are life skills – your negotiating skills will help you get what you want. They are also career skills – your negotiating skills will help you serve those who rely on your negotiation skills in your professional life and will advance your career. 

The workshop readings are from Richard Luecke, Harvard Business Essentials, Negotiation (2003), and Leigh Thompson & Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, "Why Negotiation Is The Most Popular Business School Course", Ivey Business Journal (July-Aug. 2004). These materials will be the cornerstones of the negotiation skills library you will build as you advance in your career.

The Fulbright Program, Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation

 The School of Law is proud of it's association with the Fulbright Program and we wish to extend our Congratulations. 

 The article below is copied from the announcement posted on the Prince of Asturias Foundation website. The original article may be found here.

The Jury for this Award –convened by the Prince of Asturias Foundation– was chaired by Gustavo Suárez Pertierra and composed of Pedro Alonso Fernández, Enrique Barón Crespo, José María Bergareche Busquet, Eugenia Bieto Caubet, Gloria Fernández-Lomana García, Enrique Fernández-Miranda y Lozana, Duke of Fernández-Miranda, Ana Ferrer, Diego Hidalgo Schnur, Jerónimo López Martínez, Ricardo Martí Fluxá, Jaime Montalvo Correa, Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, Francisco Pinto Balsemão, Alfonso de la Rosa Morena, Luis Sánchez-Merlo and Alicia Castro Masaveu (acting as secretary).

This candidature was put forward by James Costos, US Ambassador to Spain, and Ramon Gil-Casares, Spanish Ambassador to the USA. It was seconded by Pedro Alonso, Director of Manhiça Centre of Health Research (Mozambique) and Peter Gruss, President of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, 2008 and 2013 Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation respectively, among others.

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 by US Senator James William Fulbright. It is an educational exchange program sponsored by the US government designed with the aim of improving and strengthening ties and mutual understanding between US citizens and participants from around the world. The program currently operates in over 150 countries (it began operating in Spain in 1958). It is run by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, following the general guidelines established by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board –made up of twelve members chosen directly by the President of the United States– with the aid of bilateral commissions and foundations in 50 countries and more than 100 US embassies abroad in addition to other agencies on American soil. Funding for the program comes mainly from the US Congress, although it also receives financial support from public and private entities in the USA, as well as from the countries participating in the program.

During its more than 65 years of existence, what are popularly known as Fulbright scholarships have given students, researchers and teachers the opportunity to learn, research and teach and exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to challenges and interests of a global nature. Students aspiring to enter the program each year are evaluated for both their academic merit and leadership potential. Over 300,000 students have participated in this academic program to date, approximately one third of whom are from the USA, the remainder belonging to the group of countries with exchange agreements. The program offers several options according to the academic level of participants, depending on whether they already hold a PhD or not. The Fulbright NEXUS Program is also worth highlighting. This is a network of young PhD holders, professionals and researchers from the USA and other Western countries who participate for a year in multidisciplinary research teams and in a series of meetings in the form of seminars that enable them to exchange experiences. The program likewise boasts an extensive network of student and alumni associations worldwide –around 70– whose main goal is to strengthen the relationship among and expand the contact network of all participants in the Fulbright scholarships, in addition to contributing to the integration of foreign scholars who visit these countries to further their studies.

The US administration grants 8,000 scholarships annually among the selected students. Throughout its history, more than 150 participants have been distinguished with Nobel, Pulitzer or MacArthur Foundation prizes. In addition, some Prince of Asturias Award Laureates, such as Richard Serra (Arts, 2010) and Muhammad Yunus (Concord, 1998), among others, have also participated in the Fulbright Program.

According to the Statutes of the Foundation, the Prince of Asturias Awards aim “to reward scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out at an international level by individuals, institutions or groups of individuals or institutions”. As part of this spirit, the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation shall be conferred on those “whose work with another or others in areas such as public health, universal education, environmental protection and social and economic development, among others, constitutes an outstanding contribution at the international level”.

There are 20 nominations in the running for this Award from Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Portugal, United Kingdom, United States and Spain.

This is the sixth of eight Prince of Asturias Awards to be bestowed this year, in what is now their thirty-fourth edition. The Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts went to American architect Frank O. Gehry, the Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences was conferred on French historian and Hispanist Joseph Pérez, the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities went to the Argentinian-Spanish cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, Quino, the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research was jointly bestowed on chemists Avelino Corma (Spain), Mark E. Davis (USA) and Galen D. Stucky (USA) and the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature went to Irish writer John Banville. The Prince of Asturias Award for Sports will be announced next week with the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord being announced in September.

Each of the Prince of Asturias Awards, which date back to 1981, comprises a diploma, a Joan Miró sculpture representing and symbolizing the Awards, an insignia bearing the Foundation’s coat of arms, and a cash prize of 50,000 euros. The Awards will be presented in the autumn in Oviedo at a grand ceremony presided over by HRH The Prince of Asturias.

Professor Christopher Kelley to Moderate Negotiation Workshop, Fulbright Program in Ukraine

University of Arkansas Professor of Law Christopher Kelley will return to Kyiv in June by invitation of the Fulbright Program in Ukraine to moderate a two-day Negotiation Workshop.  

Professor Christopher Kelley was a Fulbright Scholar in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in 2005 and in Chisinau, Moldova, in 2011. He continues to teach at universities in Ukraine and Moldova through interactive digital video conferencing and in person. He also has taught and continues to teach in Belarus and Lithuania and has taught in Kazakhstan and Russia. He is a part-time Professor at Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National University and a consultant to the Inyurpolis Law Firm in Kharkiv. 

Professor Kelley has taken University of Arkansas law students to Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus. He was the first American law professor to teach at the Belarusian State University Law Faculty and his Transnational Negotiation students were the first American law students to participate in a course at the BSU Law Faculty. 


Currently the Chair of the Public International Law I Division of the American Bar Association Section of International Law, Professor Kelley previously served three terms as the Co-Chair of the Section’s Russia/Eurasia Committee. He is now a Senior Adviser to the Russia/Eurasia Committee. He also has served as Vice-Chair of the Section’s Committee on International Legal Education and Specialist Certification. He was a delegate on the Section’s International Legal Exchange (ILEX) briefing trips to Poland, Jordan, Lebanon, Australia, and New Zealand. He participated in the World Justice Project’s World Justice Forums I and II in Vienna and the World justice Forum IV in The Hague. Recently he was appointed to an ad hoc working group to advise the American Bar Association’s President on ongoing developments in Ukraine. 

Professor Kelley is a member of the Fulbright Association Board of Directors. He also was a member of the Board of Directors of the Fulbright Academy before the Fulbright Academy merged with the Fulbright Association. Professor Kelley is a member of the editorial boards of the Baltic Journal of Law and Politics published by Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania, and Law and Civil Society published by Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine. 

He was on the Board of Directors of the Fulbright Academy. He also is a member of the International Bar Association. Before joining the faculty in 1998, Professor Kelley practiced in large and small law firms variously in Minnesota, Arkansas, Georgia, and the District of Columbia. He also has been a public defender, a legal services attorney, and staff counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi. He began his legal career in the Solicitor General’s Office of the Minnesota Attorney General. 

Professor Kelley has taught at the William Mitchell College of Law, the University of North Dakota School of Law, the University of South Dakota School of Law, and the Drake University Law School. He is admitted to practice in Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota, North Dakota, and the District of Columbia, though he has active status only in Arkansas.

Registration and Workshop information may be found here.

Clebrating our Faculty: Christopher Kelley

 Celebrating our Faculty: Christopher Kelley

Christopher Kelley is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, teaching in both the LL.M. Program and the J.D. Program. His agricultural law expertise is well grounded in his representation of farmers through firms in Georgia, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Washington, D.C. Prior to his position at the University of Arkansas, Professor Kelley taught agricultural law courses at William Mitchell College of Law, North Dakota University School of Law School, South Dakota University Law School, and Drake University Law School. He has published numerous articles on agricultural law subjects and two comprehensive lawyer's guides on payment limitations and administrative appeals.

Professor Kelley regularly teaches Agriculture & the Environment and will supervise the development of our expanded environmental law curriculum. He also regularly teaches Regulated Markets in Agriculture and Specialized Legal Research and Writing. This Spring he taught our new course, Selected Issues in International Agricultural and Food Law. And, he is developing another new course for Fall 2014, Administrative Process and Practice in Agricultural & Food Law.

As additional evidence of the breadth of his agricultural law expertise, over the years, he has also taught Cooperative Law, Regulation of Agriculture, Agricultural Perspectives and specialized courses on the farm programs and the Packers & Stockyards Act. He is a former recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the American Agricultural Law Association.

In the law school's J.D. program, Professor Kelley's teaches Administrative Law, Transnational Negotiation, International Commercial Arbitration, Law and Development (with Professor Uche Ewleuka), and a Rule of Law Colloquium. These courses are also available to interested LL.M. candidates.

In recent years, Professor Kelley has developed extensive international law expertise and experience. He serves as a board member for the Fulbright Alumni Association and his international law work was recently featured in the association's magazine, The Fulbright Edge. An excerpt is as follows:

Professor Kelley was a Fulbright Scholar in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in 2005 and in Chisinau, Moldova, in 2011. He continues to teach at universities in Ukraine and Moldova through interactive digital video conferencing and in person. He also has taught and continues to teach in Belarus and Lithuania and has taught in Kazakhstan and Russia. He is a part-time Professor at Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv and a consultant to the Inyurpolis Law Firm in Kharkiv.

Professor Kelley has taken University of Arkansas law students to Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus. He was the first American law professor to teach at the Belarusian State University Law Faculty and his Transnational Negotiation students were the first American law students to participate in a course at the BSU Law Faculty.
Currently the Chair of the Public International Law I Division of the American Bar Association Section of International Law, Professor Kelley previously served three terms as the Co- Chair of the Section’s Russia/ Eurasia Committee. He is now a Senior Adviser to the Russia/Eurasia Committee. He also has served as Vice-Chair of the Section’s Committee on International Legal Education and Specialist Certification. He was a delegate on the Section’s International Legal Exchange (ILEX) briefing trips to Poland, Jordan, Lebanon, Australia, and New Zealand. He participated in the World Justice Project’s World Justice Forums I and II in Vienna and the World justice Forum IV in The Hague. Recently, he was appointed to an ad hoc Section Committee to advise the American Bar Association’s President on ongoing developments in Ukraine.

Professor Kelley is a member of the editorial boards of the Baltic Journal of Law and Politics published by Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania, and Law and Civil Society published by Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine. He was on the Board of Directors of the Fulbright Academy. He also is a member of the International Bar Association.

As we post this, Professor Kelley just arrived for a week of teaching in Moldova. He returns on Friday so that he can participate in our graduation ceremonies for this year's LL.M. class.

Affordable Legal Education

U.S. News and World Report released its list of law schools with lowest average student debt, with the University of Arkansas Fayetteville coming in 6th. Read a snapshot below and check out the original article here. 

A law education can easily cost students more than the price of a home in some states.

Law graduates from the class of 2013 who borrowed to fund their law school education carried an average debt of $108,815 – a slight increase from the $108,293 average law school debt among 2012 graduates who borrowed, according to U.S. News data.

Some graduates, though, get their J.D. with minimal debt. Among graduates who borrowed for law school only in the class of 2013 at the Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia, the average debt was $34,645. The school had the lowest average law school debt for graduates who borrowed out of the 181 ranked institutions that reported data to U.S. News in an annual survey.

[Decide if you should work in law school.]


UDC alumni also have something else to brag about: They have one of the lowest salary-to-debt ratios, possibly making their loan payments easier to manage.

Brigham Young University's Clark Law School was one of the highest-ranked schools included on the list of 10 schools with low average debt for grads. The Utah school is ranked No. 36, and 2013 alumni who borrowed had an average debt of $56,053. Three schools with the label Rank Not Published also made the list. A school marked RNP is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.

[Recognize how to make smart decisions for financing a J.D.]

Among the 10 schools where graduates had the lowest average debt, the average debt was $57,314. Graduates from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in California had the largest average debt among all schools that reported the data for graduates – 2013 alumni had an average debt of $180,665.

Below is a list of the 10 schools where 2013 graduates who borrowed for law school had, on average, the least amount of debt. Unranked law schools, which do not submit enough data for U.S. News to calculate a rank, were not considered for this report.
School name (state)Average debt load, class of 2013U.S. News law school rank
University of the District of Columbia (Clarke) $34,645 RNP
Barry University (FL) $47,799 RNP
University of Arkansas—Little Rock (Bowen) $52,205 121
University of South Dakota $54,352 145
Brigham Young University (Clark) (UT) $56,053 36
University of Arkansas—Fayetteville $62,185 61
University of Nebraska—Lincoln $63,435 54
University of North Dakota $66,763 129
University of Wyoming $67,733 129
Southern Illinois University—Carbondale $67,966 RNP

Yeungnam University Professor of Law Kim, Sae Jin to return to the School of Law

Yeungnam University

Last summer, the Law School welcomed Yeungnam University Professor of Law Kim, Sae Jin as part of a cooperative agreement between our two institutions. Professor Kim will be returning this fall to spend his sabbatical year with us, focusing his study on Civil Litigation Discovery. He will bring with him his wife and daughter to share in the experience. Professor Kim was awarded a Fulbright Senior Research Award from the Korean-American Educational Commission to support his studies. We are looking forward to his return, and to meeting his family.

Corporate Counsel reports on IP Sacntions in Ukraine

The article below is a reposting of a Corporate Counsel article. Read the original article here.

The Obama administration has apparently decided Ukraine has enough on its plate dealing with Russia and won’t have to also cope with intellectual property trade sanctions imposed by the United States. The U.S. Trade Representative, which designated Ukraine a “priority foreign country” last year, said it would not take any action against the country for now.
“In light of the current political situation in Ukraine, no action under Section 301(b) is appropriate at this time,” the USTR said in its notice in the Federal Register.
This month the Russian Federation seized military and strategic locations within Crimea and officially annexed the region, which had been part of Ukraine. Russian troops are now also lined up along its border with Ukraine.
Section 301 refers to part of the Trade Act that requires the USTR to each year identify countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights or fair and equitable market access to U.S. companies that rely on IP protection. Most of those identified are placed on a “Watchlist” or “Priority Watchlist” in the USTR’s Special 301 Report, which is published annually on April 30.
But the USTR can also designate “Priority Foreign Countries.” It reserves this label for nations it determines have “the most onerous or egregious acts, policies, or practices” and whose intellectual property policies and practices have “the greatest adverse impact” on U.S. trade. This designation is rarely used, but in 2013 the USTR assigned that designation to Ukraine. It was the first time in seven years that a country was listed in that category. The USTR placed a total of 40 countries on its two 2013 watchlists [PDF].
The USTR provided specific grounds for putting Ukraine in its harshest category last year, including the use of infringing software by Ukrainian government agencies and its online infringement of copyright and related rights. It also said it had not seen any improvement since issues were raised in previous years.
“The 2013 Special 301 review found Ukraine distinct from other trading partners both in its persistent failure to meet its commitments to improve IPR protection, including commitments in an Action Plan negotiated with the United States in 2010, and in the degree of deterioration in IPR protection, enforcement, and market access for persons relying on IPR in Ukraine,” the USTR wrote in its Special 301 report last year. “Ukraine’s actions or inactions are causing significant damage to these industries reliant on those IPR in Ukraine’s market, and in other markets as well."
Since announcing the designation last year, the USTR said officials from the U.S. and Ukraine have held “constructive discussions.” But U.S. concerns, the agency said, “were not resolved.”
“The Trade Representative has determined … that the acts, policies, and practices subject to investigation are unreasonable and burden or restrict U.S. Commerce,” the USTR’s March 13 notice in the Federal Register said.
But it added that in light of Ukraine’s current political situation, it would not take any action “at this time” and looks forward to further engagement with the Ukrainian government “at an appropriate time.”


Read more: http://www.corpcounsel.com/id=1202648282365/Ukraine-Gets-a-%28Temporary%29-Break-on-IP-Sanctions#ixzz2x55pPXLU

Leila Mooney, Diversity Officer to the ABA Section of International Law joins our Rule of Law Course

The School of Law Welcomed Leila Mooney to the classroom today to lead a discussion on the importance of the Rule of Law.

Leila's impressive background is highlighted here. She is the editor of "Promoting the Rule of Law: A Practitioner's Guide to Key Issues and Developments," published by the American Bar Association Section of International Law (ABASIL) and currently serves as ABASIL's Diversity Officer.

UA School of Law Continues to Climb in National Rankings

The U.S. News & World Report 2015 law school rankings are out. The University of Arkansas School of Law is ranked in the top tier of law schools for the sixth consecutive year, increasing 7 points over last year.  It is now tied for 61st place overall and 33rd among public law schools. It has moved up 47 places in the overall ranking since 2008, and 12 places in the public ranking since 2011.

“Our outstanding career placement and bar passage rates speak to the quality education our students receive,” said Stacy Leeds,  Dean of the School of Law. “Our national standing and low tuition reinforce our reputation as one of the best values in legal education.”

The U.S. News ranks law schools based on a peer assessment score, an assessment by lawyers and judges, the student/faculty ratio, bar exam passage rates, post-graduation employment rates, and other measures.

Two other graduate programs at the University of Arkansas showed impressive gains in the rankings in U.S. News and World Report’s 2015 edition of Best Graduate Schools.

The College of Education and Health Professions’ graduate education programs moved up nearly 50 places in the overall rankings; the Sam M. Walton College of Business M.B.A. program moved up 11 places in the rankings, but even more notable, it continued to lead the nation in the number of full-time Master of Business Administration graduates employed at graduation.

“This progress in the recognition of University of Arkansas graduate programs is very impressive, and truly a mark of the hard work that is being done on our campus,” said Chancellor G. David Gearhart. “Strong graduate school programs are one of the hallmarks of any great public research university, and these rankings are proof that we are steadily moving toward our goal, to be recognized as a Top 50 public research university.”

Achieving the Top 50 goal would mean that the University of Arkansas ranks among the top 8 percent of all public research universities in America.

"This is a testament to the entire university's commitment to graduate education," said Todd Shields, dean of the Graduate School and International Education. "Programs in three distinct areas are climbing at significant rates, which happens only through the hard work of many people. Deans Smith, Leeds and Jones should be very proud of the accomplishments shown here."

The full University of Arkansas Press release is available on UA Newswire.

Accelerated JD Program now accepting applications via LSAC

Application season for the Accelerated JD for Foreign-Trained Lawyers Program is well under way, and more efficient than ever thanks to the incorporation of LSAC as an application option. Applicants may now submit their materials directly to the UA School of Law, or, through their existing LSAC account.

Our application process is simple and straightforward. We do not charge an application fee, nor do we require an LSAT score. Applicants may apply online via the Law School Admission Council, or by submitting the documents below following the instructions found here.

• Evaluated Transcripts from all institutions attended (even if a degree was not received) through AACRAO. Applicants must submit a course by course evaluation, not a basic evaluation;
• Proof of English Language Proficiency (see requirements below);
• A current resume or curriculum vitae (CV);
• Two letters of recommendation (we suggest that at least one letter be from a member of the applicant’s law faculty and that at least one be from a judge or practicing lawyer); and
• A personal statement explaining your background, interest in studying law in the United States, and career goals.

For more information, contact us at sxh090@uark.edu.

Maryna Kavaleuskaya: Advocating for the rule of law in Belarus

Today, Maryna Kavaleuskaya joined our Rule of Law Colloquium taught by Professor Christopher Kelley via Skype to talk about practicing human rights law in Belarus and the crisis in Ukraine.

A Harvard Law Record article about Maryna is available here.  Maryna lives in Washington, D.C. with her son and husband, who is completing his master degree at Georgetown. Last December, she co-taught negotiation at the European Humanities University, a Belarusian university "in exile" in Vilnius, Lithuania with Professor Kelley. Her presentation was fascinating and well received.

Among other topics, Maryna discussed the nearly insurmountable challenges she faced during her representation of a jailed presidential challenger as a young Belarusian lawyer.

Maryna also provided an excellent synopsis of the current situation in Crimea and reiterated the importance of Rule of Law. A short video discussing the appearance of armed soldiers in Crimea is below.

Rule of Law in Ukraine

The video and article below are a reposting from Voice of America (VOA). In it, Mlada, a Ukrainian law student, talks about her desire for the rule of law in Ukraine.

 

 

 KYIV — Ukraine is a very different country than it was just a week ago, following a protest movement led by young people who overthrew the Russian-backed government. They now want to take the country in a new direction.

At the Ukrainian Education Ministry, where university students now are in charge, the sign reads "Students Welcome." Just show an ID card and walk right in. Everyone else is expected to stay out, for now.

Inside, students study the portraits of past education ministers, with the newly-ousted minister dubbed "The Destroyer of Ukrainian Education."

The students are organized. A force of mostly young men is ready to defend the building. There is a command center in an auditorium where students meet to discuss issues, or just to hang out. Strict rules forbid smoking, drinking and the destruction of anything. To help ensure that, the students have blocked off whole sections of the building.

"My name is Anton Savidi. I am a student of Lviv University," said one young man in the university.

On the grand hallway outside the minister's office, students have put makeshift seals on all the doors.

"We don't want any documents that can say something to us about corruption to disappear from here," said Savidi.

Ministry of Education, Kyiv, Ukraine

Stopping corruption

The students say they will open the doors later, with investigators and TV cameras present.

At a news conference, their spokesmen said they want input into the selection of the new minister, and reform of the education system.

And long-term, 23-year-old law student Mlada Kachurets said she wants much more.

"This is my real hope, really, to have changes and better life, not by changing faces, but by changing the system, to build a country where the human rights and the rule of law are the most important things," she said.

Those are ambitious goals, though Kachurets said she thinks the nation's young people are better able to achieve them than the older generation has been.

"There is a problem in all the post-Soviet countries - all those older people, they lived inside the Soviet system. This generation, that now are students, they have been growing up in the independent country, in the open world," said Kachurets. "That's why they may propose some new approaches to the system."

Kachurets said she wants her children to grow up in a country where they won't be killed in the streets just because they disagree with the government, what she calls "a normal, civilized country, without fear."

For our Friends in Ukraine

This is a reposting from the LL.M. Program in Agricultural & Food Law Blog at the University of Arkansas School of Law.

The following video has been viewed over 4.5 million times. Our hearts go out to the good people of Ukraine and to the friends and family of all of those killed in the violence this week. At least 70 protestors were killed today and hundreds injured when security forces fired into the crowd.