A skilled negotiator and administrator who cared deeply about education and human services, Bryan M. Johnston died in his sleep on June 6, 2008, at the age of 59.

Johnston served as associate dean of the College of Law from 1989 to 1991. He was a founding faculty member of the College of Law’s Center for Dispute Resolution and served as director of the center from 1986 to 1989. In addition, he served as interim president of the University from 1997 to 1998.

"To the many people who knew Bryan through his mediation practice and his work in academia, politics and public policy, he was a respected and valued colleague," said Willamette University President M. Lee Pelton. "To hundreds more in the Willamette and Salem communities, he was a trusted and beloved friend."

Johnston was born Feb.17, 1949, in Chicago. He earned his undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University and his law degree from Loyola University. In addition to his service to Willamette, Johnston’s academic experience included terms as adjunct professor at the law schools of the University of New Mexico, University of Bridgeport, University of Oregon and Pepperdine University. His state service included terms in the Oregon House from 1995 to 1999.

Johnston also served as interim director of the state Department of Human Services. Just prior to his death, he had been named president of Saint Martin’s University in Washington state.

Working in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ), Willamette law students found that U.S. Cellular advertisements promised consumers “free” cellular phones without properly disclosing the prerequisite terms necessary, including the fact that consumers must subscribe to certain and sometimes ancillary services and that consumers would be reimbursed for phone purchases through a rebate program. They also discovered that cellular phone “minutes” were routinely accumulated as users accessed neighboring U.S. Cellular cell towers for service but not reported until the following month, misleading consumers into believing they had more “minutes” available to them than they actually had.

Through the AVC, which admits no law violation, the company and its subsidiary agreed to clearly disclose the terms of “free” offers, including whether or not a service subscription is required, all aspects and details of any rebate program, whether additional purchases are necessary, and the existence and amounts of one-time fees.

“This case is one of several in which Willamette law students enrolled in the Clinical Law Program have assisted the DOJ in pursuing protections for Oregon consumers,” said David Friedman, visiting assistant professor of clinical legal studies at Willamette University College of Law, who supervised students’ work on the case.

Thanks to Willamette’s partnership with the DOJ, students enrolled in the Clinical Law Program have the opportunity to learn firsthand the details of consumer protection law in Oregon under the direction of seasoned legal practitioners. Eric P. Paulson JD’07, Sean K. Downey JD’07 and Lonn T. Johnston JD’08 initiated work on the case. In addition, Jared D. Boyd JD’08, Ashlee D. Stefani-Sharp JD’08 and James B. Fisher JD’08 put in long hours of research and case preparation.

“This is a nice result for the Clinical Law Program and the DOJ,” Friedman noted. “We were investigating an enormous, complex company that had retained premium local counsel. More important, the settlement is good for consumers in southern and eastern Oregon, where U.S. Cellular concentrates its coverage.”

A highlight of the symposium will be a luncheon presentation by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who will receive an honorary degree from Willamette University later in the day.

"Presidential Power in the 21st Century" will be held Sept. 12, 2008, in the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center at Willamette University College of Law. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m., and the event will close at 4:30 p.m. Oregon Continuing Legal Education credits are pending.

For more information on the symposium, please call the Willamette Center for Law and Government at 503-370-6046 or send an e-mail to rmeyers@willamette.edu.

A highlight of the reception was the presentation of the Col. Rupert E. Park Jr. Pro Bono Student of the Year Award, which is given to the third-year student who made the greatest pro bono contribution during law school. The award is named for Col. “Rudy” Park Jr. LLB’47 of Oregon City, Ore. A former JAG Corps officer, Park established an active legal practice in Oregon and contributed a significant amount of time to pro bono activities.

The 2008 Col. Rupert E. Park Jr. Pro Bono Student of the Year Award was presented to Todd Huegli, who amassed an impressive 520 hours of pro bono activities while attending Willamette. Huegli worked at Metropolitan Public Defenders Inc. in Portland and served on the Willamette University Public Interest Law Project (WUPILP) board.

Also recognized during the awards reception were the members of each law class who volunteered the most pro bono hours during the academic year:

• Josh Weissman was named the top volunteer from the Class of 2008 for his work at the Oregon Supreme Court.

• Ruby Herriott, a member of the Class of 2009, volunteered her time to the Sacramento County Public Defender’s Office and Willamette’s Street Law Program.

• Jonathan Strauhal contributed the most volunteer hours from the Class of 2010, working for Street Law, WUPILP, the ACS Civil Rights Film Services, and the Willamette MLK Programming Task Force.

“Most people come to law school because, deep down, they want to help people and they want to make a difference,” said Norma Freitas, assistant director of Career Services. “One of the best ways to experience that sense of helping is to volunteer. Our students have volunteered their time coaching youth sports; mediating neighbor disputes; representing low-income individuals in family law, health and social security benefits matters; and so much more.”

The College of Law is pleased to announce that Gwynne Skinner will join the school’s Clinical Law Program as assistant professor of clinical law this fall. Skinner has considerable experience in the areas of international human rights, refugee law, civil rights, clinical practice and law school teaching.

A former criminal prosecutor and experienced civil litigator, Skinner practiced law for 12 years before leaving her litigation practice in 2003 to found the Seattle-based Public Interest Law Group PLLC, where she engaged in impact litigation in the areas of international human rights and civil rights. In 2005, she was named one of Seattle’s top civil rights lawyers. More recently, she served as a visiting professor at Seattle University School of Law, where she taught the international human rights clinic and significantly contributed to the development and growth of that new clinic.

Skinner holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Northern Iowa (summa cum laude), an M.A. in American studies and a J.D. from the University of Iowa (magna cum laude), and an M.St. (LL.M. equivalent) in international human rights law from the University of Oxford, where she earned Distinction.

Skinner will join Willamette in August and launch the law school’s first International Human Rights Law Clinic. This new clinic will complement the College of Law’s specialized Certificate Program in International & Comparative Law, which was designed to prepare students to meet the challenges of legal careers in an increasingly global profession.

“I am extremely pleased that Professor Skinner will join Willamette’s Clinical Law Program,” said Warren Binford, director of the program. “Professor Skinner has made a significant impact everywhere she has practiced law. We feel extremely fortunate to have her join our program and are looking forward to working with her as she continues to contribute to the advancement of human rights and clinical legal education for years to come.”

College of Law alumna Kate Cooper Richardson JD’00 received the 2007–08 Judge Edward H. Howell Mentor of the Year Award, which is named in honor of the late Judge Howell, an enthusiastic mentor to Willamette law students for many years.

Richardson, chief of staff for the Oregon State Treasurer, was nominated by her mentee Stefyni Allen. A member of the Class of 2010, Allen praised Richardson for providing invaluable guidance and support and for always going “above and beyond” to help her. In addition to meeting with Allen on a weekly basis, Richardson advised her on ways to improve her summer externship prospects and even accompanied her to a Career Services meeting.

“Kate Cooper Richardson has been the best thing that has happened to me since I’ve been attending law school,” Allen said in her nomination letter. “When I first came here … people in Kate’s position were very intimidating to me. Throughout the year, largely due to Kate, I’ve come to realize that people are people.”

In addition to Richardson, other WUCL mentors were honored during this year’s reception, which was expanded to include additional attorneys who received an Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award nomination. Those attorneys include:

• Julie Bates JD’01, mentor to Chris Vandenberg
• Jeff Dover JD’04, mentor to Jennifer Paul and LaReé Felton
• Tom Elden, mentor to Megan Banks and Sarah Hagerty
• Joe Groshong, mentor to Jake Wakeland and Justin Rothboeck
• Elizabeth Harchenko BS’72, JD’76, mentor to Sara Cassidey, Jennifer Hunking and Lauren Miller
• Cathy Highet, mentor to Mary Lang
• Michelle Ing JD’01, mentor to Marianne LaBorde and Meng Ouyang
• Dennis Koho JD/C’04, mentor to Amanda Keller and Lane Toensmeier
• Holly O’Dell, mentor to Jenny Nokes
• Heather Vogelsong JD’05, mentor to Kathryn Stoufer and Alana Guiney

The College of Law’s Mentor Program enables students, early in their legal careers, to forge an individual relationship with experienced legal practitioners who provide great insight into and advice on the practice of law. For more information about becoming an attorney mentor, please contact the Career Service Office at law-career@willamette.edu or register online at www.willamette.edu/wucl/careers/mentor/ for the 2008–09 Mentor Program, which begins in September.

Angel G. Lopez JD'78 recently received the Honorable Paul J. De Muniz Award from the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association during the organization's second annual awards dinner. The De Muniz Award is presented annually to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of professionalism, enhances Oregon’s legal community and makes significant contributions to the state’s Latino community. The inaugural award was presented last year to Paul J. De Muniz JD’75, chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.

Lopez is a partner in the firm of Squires & Lopez PC in Portland. The firm specializes in criminal defense and plaintiff personal injury work, with a sub-specialty in assisting Spanish-speaking clients. Lopez has twice served as chair of the Commission of Hispanic Affairs of Oregon. He is past-president of the Oregon State Bar and the Multnomah County Library Board and was the first person of color to hold these positions in Oregon.

The OHBA awards dinner was on held Feb. 22, 2008, at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Portland.

The Stanford Law Review has published a laudatory review of Dean Symeon C. Symeonides’ latest book, The American Choice-of-Law Revolution: Past, Present and Future (2006).

The following are excerpts from the review, authored by Hillel Y. Levin and published in 60 Stanford Law Review 247 (2007) under the title “What Do We Really Know about the American Choice-of-Law Revolution?”

* * *

“[T]the conflicts giant Dean Symeon Symeonides has been at the forefront of the project [of empirical inquiry]. His highly anticipated and ambitious new book, The American Choice-of-Law Revolution: Past, Present and Future, is the pinnacle of his efforts and aims to be the authoritative word on the impact of the revolution. First delivered as a series of lectures at The Hague Academy of International Law in 2002 and now widely available for the first time, it should be required reading for anyone engaging in conflicts scholarship. . . . Revolution offers the finest, most rigorous account of conflicts doctrine as it functions in the courts, as well as a penetrating and thoughtful analysis on how the doctrine should evolve. . . . Revolution is exemplary within both meanings of the word: it is the best example of conflicts scholarship. . . .

Revolution is both an introduction for the foreign student to contemporary American conflicts doctrine and a serious empirical and normative commentary on the doctrine. As such, it occupies a middle space between a basic text and an academic tome, addressed equally to the beginner and the specialist. Surprisingly, it occupies that space quite comfortably, serving both audiences well.

Revolution succeeds in reaching its first audience, the foreigner unfamiliar with the common law and federalist traditions, by virtue of Symeonides’ patience in explaining core concepts, his easy, uncluttered, and engaging style and clear organization, and his use of easily interpreted tables, charts, and diagrams. Yet, despite his care for the novice, the apparent straight talk belies a deep and rich critical discourse on the law.

[Symeonides] presents his findings with marvelous clarity, which, standing alone, is a gift to anyone who grapples with conflicts theory. To lay plain what courts actually do with the doctrine is an enormous achievement, for it demystifies a complex doctrinal area and provides actual guidance for scholar, judge, and practitioner alike.

* * *

Revolution is Symeonides’ 19th book. His next book, American Private International Law, will be released by Kluwer International in March 2008.

Symeonides will deliver a lecture about his book at Stanford Law School on March 5, 2008.

The conference will be held March 7, 2008, at Willamette University College of Law. Registration will begin at 8 a.m., and the event will close at 4:45 p.m.

Discussion topics are expected to include the Oregon Death with Dignity Act and physician-assisted death; taxation of body parts donations and involuntary tax payments; the use of emotions, mind and facial recognition in law enforcement; stem cell research; and the impact of neural design on the human experience.

Professor David J. Linden of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine will give the keynote address. Linden is author of The Accidental Mind: How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams and God. The book examines how brain evolution has molded certain aspects of the human experience, including why humans are predisposed to love and long-term bonding and why we have a cultural impulse to develop religious and scientific explanations.

Oregon Continuing Legal Education credits are pending. Continuing Medical Education credits [PDF] are available through Oregon Health & Science University, which is co-sponsoring the event.

For conference information on the“Law of the Body,” [PDF] symposium, please call the Willamette Law Review office at 503-370-6186 or send an e-mail to Rachel Crocker at rcrocker@willamette.edu.

Law Professor Dean M. Richardson received the United Methodist Award for Exemplary Teaching and Service at the 2008 Faculty Awards Ceremony, held Jan. 30, 2008. The award celebrates the extraordinary impact a professor can have both inside the classroom and within the community.

Kathy T. Graham, acting dean of the College of Law, presented the award. “Dean Richardson has served this University for more than 30 years,” Graham said. “This professor has been a highly innovative teacher, introducing new courses into the curriculum. His zeal for the subject matter is contagious. His compassion and caring for students also makes him a popular teacher.”

Richardson joined the Willamette law faculty in 1974 and was an NEH Fellow at Harvard Law School in 1980. He teaches Torts, American Indian Law, Products Liability and Sports Law. Richardson also helps direct the school’s tutorial and minority affairs programs and speaks frequently on issues related to racial discrimination. In addition to serving as faculty advisor to the school’s Sports Law Society, he is active in a number of civic organizations as a board member and legal advisor.

WUCL is proud to recognize those alumni who were recognized as Oregon Super Lawyers for 2007:

ADR
Jeffrey M. Batchelor JD’72
Markowitz Herbold Glade & Mehlhaf, Portland

Susan M. Hammer JD’76
Attorney & Mediator, Portland

David A. Hilgemann JD’72
Law Offices of David Hilgemann, Salem

William F. Schulte JD’66
Schulte Anderson Downes Aronson & Bittner, Portland

Sharon A. Williams JD’85
Attorney at Law/Mediator, Portland

APPELLATE
Lindsey H. Hughes JD’81
Keating Jones Hughes, Portland

BANKRUPTCY & CREDITOR/DEBTOR RIGHTS
Mark B. Comstock JD’81
Garrett Hemann Robertson, Salem

BONDS/GOVERNMENT FINANCE
Douglas E. Goe JD’81
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Portland

BUSINESS LITIGATION
Nena Cook JD’91
Sussman Shank, Portland

William B. Crow JD’61
Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, Portland

Jeffrey D. Eberhard JD’87
Smith Freed & Eberhard, Portland

Robert E. Maloney JD’67
Lane Powell, Portland

Loren D. Podwill JD’84
Bullivant Houser Bailey, Portland

Michael R. Seidl JD’83
Landye Bennett Blumstein, Portland

Daniel H. Skerritt BA’65, JD’68
Tonkon Torp, Portland

Julie R. Vacura JD’84
Larkins Vacura, Portland

Timothy Volpert JD’81
Davis Wright Tremaine, Portland

BUSINESS/CORPORATE
Kimball H. Ferris JD’78
Bullivant Houser Bailey, Portland

Henry H. Hewitt JD’69
Stoel Rives, Portland

Donald L. Krahmer Jr. BS’81, JD/MBA’87
Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, Portland

CIVIL LITIGATION DEFENSE
Michael C. Lewton JD’87
Cosgrave Vergeer Kester, Portland

CONSTRUCTION LITIGATION
John Spencer Stewart JD’71
Stewart Sokol & Gray, Portland

CRIMINAL DEFENSE
Donald D. Diment Jr. JD’68
Diment & Walker, Eugene

Steven L. Krasik JD”79
Attorney at Law, Salem

Lisa J. Ludwig JD’95
Attorney at Law, Portland

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS/ERISA
Everett R. Moreland JD’76
Hershner Hunter, Eugene

EMPLOYMENT & LABOR
Paul Hays JD’75
Carney Buckley Hays Marsh & Gibson, Portland

Kathy A. Peck JD’77
Williams Zografos & Peck, Lake Oswego

Richard VanCleave JD’80
Barran Liebman, Portland

EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION: DEFENSE
Robert L. Carey JD’87
Tonkon Torp, Portland

EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION: PLAINTIFF
Craig A. Crispin JD’81
Crispin Employment Lawyers, Portland

ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES
Martha O. Pagel JD’83
Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, Salem

ESTATE PLANNING & PROBATE
John H. Draneas JD’77
Draneas & Huglin, Lake Oswego

Carolyn W. Miller JD’78
Attorney at Law, Portland

Daniel A. Ritter JD’65
Ritter Hobson, Salem

Robert J. Saalfeld JD’74
Saalfeld Griggs, Salem

Timothy R. Strader JD’81
Hanna Strader, Portland

Timothy J. Wachter JD’87
Duffy Kekel, Portland

FAMILY LAW
William C. Crothers BA’66, JD’69
William C. Crothers PC, Salem

Paul J. DeBast JD’72
DeBast McFarland & Richardson, Portland

Tammy M. Dentinger BA’91, JD’94
Garrett Hemann Robertson, Salem

Michele Grable JD’76
Grable & Hantke, Pendleton

William J. Howe III JD’75
Gevurtz Menashe Larson & Howe, Portland

Albert A. Menashe JD’76
Gevurtz Menashe Larson & Howe, Portland

Paul Saucy BA’75, JD’79
Attorney at Law, Salem

Susan H. Williams JD’83
Sorensen-Jolink Trubo Williams Sheazar & Strom, Portland

GENERAL LITIGATION
Win Calkins JD’70
Calkins & Calkins, Eugene

Thomas E. Cooney JD’56
Cooney & Crew, Lake Oswego

GOVERNMENT/CITIES/MUNICIPALITIES
John DiLorenzo Jr. BS’77, JD’80
Davis Wright Tremaine, Portland

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LITIGATION
Renee E. Rothauge JD’90
Bullivant Houser Bailey, Portland

LAND USE/ZONING
Edward J. Sullivan JD’69
Garvey Schubert Barer, Portland

NON-PROFIT
Jeffrey C. Thede JD’79
Miller Nash, Portland

PERSONAL INJURY DEFENSE – MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
Larry A. Brisbee JD’67
Brisbee & Stockton, Hillsboro

Michael D. Hoffman BA’67, JD’71
Hoffman Hart & Wagner, Portland

Michael C. McClinton JD’72
McClinton & Troutt, Salem

Ronald G. Stephenson JD’67’
Bullivant Houser Bailey, Portland

PERSONAL INJURY PLAINTIFF - GENERAL
J. Michael Alexander JD’75
Swanson, Lathen, Alexander & McCann, Salem

William A. Barton JD’72
Barton & Strever, Newport

John M. Coletti JD’94
Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys, Portland

W. Eugene Hallman JD’74
Hallman & Dretke, Pendleton

Timothy J. Jones JD’88
Haglund Kelley Horngren Jones & Wilder, Portland

Ted E. Runstein JD’66
Kell Alterman & Runstein, Portland

PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY: DEFENSE
Richard J. Kuhn JD’81
Hoffman Hart & Wagner, Portland

Frank A. Moscato JD’72
Harrang Long Gary Rudnick, Portland

REAL ESTATE
Randall B. Bateman BS’77, JD’80
Bateman Seidel Miner Blomgren Chellis & Gram, Portland

J. David Bennett JD’71
Landye Bennett Blumstein, Portland

Terry C. Hauck JD’71
Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, Portland

Mark A. Stayer JD’85
Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, Portland

J. David Zehntbauer JD/MBA’96
Dunn Carney Allen Higgins & Tongue, Portland

SECURITIES & CORPORATE FINANCE
Michael W. Shackelford BS’78, JD’81
Ater Wynne, Portland

Gregory E. Struxness JD/MBA’82
Ater Wynne, Portland

TAX
Larry J. Brant JD’84
Garvey Schubert Barer, Portland

Peter L. Osborne JD’72
Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, Portland

Super Lawyers is distributed to lawyers directly and is made available to the public as a supplement in various newspapers and magazines, such as The Oregonian, Washington Law & Politics and The New York Times. For more information, visit www.superlawyers.com.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that Willamette students have exceeded the state average. Willamette’s average passage rate for the last five-year period is 4.4 points higher than the state average for the same period — 81.8 percent versus 77.4 percent.

The school’s 2007 bar exam results are also the highest passage rate since 1995 and the second highest since 1980.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants advertised "free" English language instruction course materials and later charged the consumers exorbitant shipping and handling fees. The defendants also repeatedly demanded payment for products that some consumers never ordered or received. Thereafter, the defendants falsely represented themselves as third-party debt collectors and lawyers and threatened legal action in an effort to extract more money from the victims. In all cases, the victims owed the defendants nothing.

Willamette Clinical Law Program students began work on the case in fall 2006. Third-year student Elan Martinez was involved in the initial investigation and coordinated efforts with local police. Jared D. Boyd, also a 3L, conducted legal research on the admissibility of certain evidence. Laurie Nelson, who is fluent in Spanish and a May 2007 Willamette law graduate, translated affidavits and served as a liaison to consumers involved in the case. In addition, third-year student Lonn Johnston drafted the complaint.

David A. Friedman, visiting assistant professor of clinical legal studies, supervised the students’ work and filed the case in Marion County Circuit Court in conjunction with Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) financial fraud and consumer protection attorneys.

In 2006, Professor W. Warren H. Binford, director of the Clinical Law Program, and Friedman were deputized special assistant attorneys general by the Oregon DOJ. Under their supervision, students enrolled in Willamette’s Clinical Law Program have helped the DOJ investigate and prosecute numerous civil cases involving financial fraud and consumer protection issues. A number of the cases have involved misconduct targeting the Hispanic community.

“Willamette’s partnership with the Oregon DOJ provides a unique opportunity for our Clinical Law Program students,” Binford said. “Many of our law students are committed to public service and using their legal training to protect vulnerable members of our society. Our partnership with the DOJ allows them to act on their commitment in a meaningful way.”

Renowned civil law professor Peter L. Murray will present the second lecture in the College of Law’s 13th Annual Speaker Series. “The Privatization of Civil Justice” will address the growing trend of resolving civil disputes by private entrepreneurial decision makers or facilitators, including private arbitrators and mediators under pre-dispute clauses. Murray acknowledges that public judges render fewer and fewer decisions today, and he believes a likely consequence of this change is the erosion of decisional law and of the image of justice. He asks, “Is it time to consider putting the brakes on the headlong privatization of justice?”

Murray’s lecture will be held Monday, Oct. 29, 2007, at 4 p.m. in Room 217 of the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center, which houses the College of Law. The center is located at 245 Winter St. SE in Salem. A reception will immediately follow the lecture. This event is free and open to the public.

Murray Biography
Peter L. Murray is the Edward R. Johnston Lecturer on Law and the Robert Braucher Visiting Professor of Law from Practice at Harvard Law School. His research interests include trial lawyer ethics and techniques, visual and demonstrative aids in evidence, comparative study of trial practice in common and civil law systems in the United States and Germany, and computers and law practice. Murray is the author of Basic Trial Advocacy and co-author of Problems, Cases & Materials on Evidence and German Civil Justice, a comparative description and analysis of the German legal system.

Throughout the years, Murray has worked extensively in comparative law, with particular emphasis on civil procedure in Germany and Europe. He regularly returns to Germany, Switzerland and Austria to lecture and participate in academic meetings, arbitrations and moot courts. His academic appointments have included serving as a visiting associate professor of law at the University of Maine School of Law and a Fulbright visiting professor at the University of Freiburg in Germany. Murray earned his undergraduate degree and law degree from Harvard University. He is a member of the American Law Institute.

The Willamette Center for Law and Government is pleased to announce that Professor Stephanos Bibas of the University of Pennsylvania Law School will present a public lecture at Willamette University College of Law on the state of the criminal justice system in the United States.

“The Gulf Between Insiders and Outsiders in Criminal Justice” will be held on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007, at 5:30 p.m. in Room 201 of the Collins Legal Center, which houses the College of Law. The center is located at 245 Winter St. SE in Salem. A 30-minute reception will precede the lecture. This event is free and open to the public.

Bibas Biography
Stephanos Bibas brings an ex-prosecutor's eye to his critique of the criminal justice system. He earned his B.A. from Columbia, a second B.A. and M.A. from Oxford, and his J.D. from Yale Law School. He then clerked for Judge Patrick Higginbotham of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Justice Anthony Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court, litigated a wide variety of cases at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., and served as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where he successfully investigated, prosecuted and convicted the world's leading expert in Tiffany stained glass for hiring a grave robber to steal priceless Tiffany windows from cemeteries. Bibas was a research fellow at Yale Law School and taught law at the University of Iowa and the University of Chicago Law School before moving to the University of Pennsylvania Law School last year.