Food and Drug Law Institute 2013 Writing Competition

The Food and Drug Law Institute 2013 Writing Competitions -Due June 7th


The Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) sponsors the H. Thomas Austern Memorial Writing Competitions for law students interested in food and drug law. There are two competitions - one for papers with a maximum of 40 pages, and one for papers between 41 and 100 pages. Papers longer than 100 pages will not be accepted.
 

ELIGIBILITY

Entrants must be currently enrolled in a J.D. program at, or be a 2012-2013 academic year graduate from, any of the nation's ABA-accredited law schools.

 
TOPICS & REQUIREMENTS  

Papers should provide an in-depth analysis of a current legal issue concerning food, drugs, animal drugs, biologics, cosmetics, diagnostics, dietary supplements, medical devices or tobacco. FDLI welcomes the submission of papers prepared for course work, but entrants must edit their papers to address competition requirements. Entrants should access the FDLI website for suggestions of suitable topics.
  

PAPER REQUIREMENTS 

 
Noncompliance with these requirements will affect evaluation and may result in disqualification.
• Papers for the short paper competition shall not exceed 40 pages in length, including appendices (if any) and footnotes, which may be single-spaced. The maximum number of pages for the long paper competition is 100 pages (41-100 pages).
• Submission must include a cover page that includes paper title and a 250 word or less abstract.
• Papers may not include any identifying information.
• Submissions shall be typewritten, double-spaced on 8½ x 11 inch paper.
• The submission must be a WORD® document, printouts of which should conform to all other paper requirements. 
• Papers shall include footnotes, not endnotes. Text and footnote type shall be in 12-pt. Times Roman font.
• Papers shall have one-inch margins (right, left, top, and bottom).  

JUDGES   

Committees of practicing attorneys and law professors with relevant food and drug expertise will judge the papers. The following factors will be considered:
• Thoroughness and depth of legal analysis
• Originality and difficulty of topic
• Evaluation of judicial precedents, statutes, and regulations
• Discussion of conclusions and future impact
• Quality of legal research
• Writing style
• Conciseness; quality will be valued over quantity
• Form and quality of citations
• Conformity with rules of competition
 
About H. Thomas Austern  
These writing awards honor the memory of H. Thomas Austern, who practiced food and drug law for more than 50 years at the firm of Covington & Burling. As a result of his work on the drafting and negotiation surrounding the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and his many scholarly contributions, Austern became known as the "Dean of the Food and Drug Bar." Austern served on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Food Drug Cosmetic Law Journal from its inception until his death in 1984, and was a strong supporter of FDLI since its founding in 1949.

http://www.fdli.org/resources/academics/h-thomas-austern-memorial-writing-competition

BBA: Public Service Panel and Reception on Tuesday May 28th

Giving Back and Paying Forward: A Public Service Panel and Reception
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Boston Bar Association - 16 Beacon Street, Boston, MA

Description:
Please join us for a roundtable discussion featuring three esteemed members of the Boston legal community.  Maureen Monks, Associate Justice of the Middlesex Probate and Family Court, Manisha Bhatt, Senior Attorney in the Family Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services and Susan M. Finegan, Pro Bono Partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. will each discuss how their commitment to pro bono and public service work has shaped their careers, as well as the many ways in which all of us can incorporate giving back into our personal and professional lives.  A reception to directly follow panel.

Sponsoring Section/Committee(s):
• Family Law Section
Speakers:
• Hon. Maureen H. Monks
     o Middlesex Probate and Family Court
• Manisha Hemendra Bhatt
     o Greater Boston Legal Services
• Susan M. Finegan
     o Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C.

Summer Fellowship Information Sessions at Northeastern University School of Law

Northeastern University School of Law is hosting two informational session this Summer about public interest fellowships.

Monday June 24th at noon- Equal Justice Works Information Session with Rhadika Singh Miller, Senior Program Manager of Law School Relations in room 230 at Docker Hall.

Monday July 8th at noon- Skadden Fellowship Information Session with Susan Butler Plum, director and Liza Hirsch a Northeastern alum and Skadden Fellow at Massachusetts Law Reform Institute in room 230 at Docker Hall.

Short-Term Consultant at UNHCR in D.C.

Short Term Consultant, Unaccompanied Children Interviewer
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Washington, DC

Background:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.

Since 2011, the number of arriving unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico has significantly increased in the U.S.  UNHCR is concerned by the lack of comprehensive data concerning the influx of UASC coming to the United States and seeks to determine the specific root causes and “mechanics” of such movements from Central America and Mexico to inform the design of a regional strategy to prevent and respond to the protection needs of these children in a more comprehensive and effective manner.
To meet this goal in part, UNHCR will conduct research focused on examining the triggering events and/or characteristics of the movements of UASC through in-depth interviews with 400 UASC, 100 each from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.  The interviews will be with children in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), released to sponsors in the U.S., in the custody of Mexico’s El Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) and NGO shelters in Mexico. UNHCR seeks to hire a short-term paid consultant to assist in conducting these interviews.

Scope of work:

This position is a short-term (10 week) consultancy from approximately May 20, 2013 to July 26, 2013. During this period, the consultant will travel to multiple locations within the U.S. and northern Mexico to assist in interviewing approximately 200 children in ORR custody, released to sponsors, and in DIF custody or at Mexican NGO shelters.  The consultant, as part of a two-person interview team, will serve primarily as support to the interview team leader during the interviews and be responsible for note-taking.  And after a period of training by the interview team leader, the consultant will then conduct a portion of the interviews him- or herself.  The interviews are to be completed within a ten week timeframe according to the itinerary prepared ahead of time.  The consultant will assist the interview team leader with communication and coordination with UNHCR in Washington throughout the duration of the travel period, including any logistical needs and an email or phone call update for each site where children are interviewed. 

The consultant will perform other duties as needed, including drafting updates to assist UNHCR in reporting on the project and participating in a final de-brief with UNHCR personnel to share lessons learned upon the completion of the interviews.

Essential Job Functions
• Travel to various locations across the United States and into northern Mexico.
• Work as part of a two-person team to interview roughly 200 UASC.
• During the interviews lead by the interview team leader, input the interviewee’s answers into electronic survey.
• Serve as the lead interviewer in a portion of the interviews.
• Communicate with UNHCR on a regular basis regarding the progress made while in the field interviewing.
Requirements
• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree with relevant experience; JD or graduate degree preferred
• Spanish fluency
• Demonstrated knowledge and interest in immigrant rights and children’s rights
• Able to work well on a team
• Experience as an interviewer preferred
• Prior experience working with unaccompanied alien children in ORR custody strongly preferred  
To apply send a letter of interest, resume, completed Form P-11 (available at http://www.unhcrwashington.org/site/c.ckLQI5NPIgJ2G/b.6770627/k.EC45/Vacancies.htm), and two references to Nicole Boehner, boehner@unhcr.org

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. We are seeking to fill this position immediately.

Work-Study Eligible Research Assistant

Research Assistant Needed by Professor Siegel
Work-study eligible research assistant needed for legislative analysis on criminal justice-related issues in May and June for approximately 10 hours per week. Researcher must be an extremely thorough and careful reader, with precise writing skills and ability to rapidly and succinctly distill legislation and judicial opinions. Please email cover letter, resume, transcript and writing sample (authored without assistance or editing, maximum of 3 pages) to Abbagail Geroux at abbagail.c.geroux@nesl.edu.

Michael Varone (2013) Received Ethics Award

Michael Varone, class of 2013, received the ACC Northeast Law Student Ethics Award.
Mr. Varone was nominated by the Center for Law and Social Responsibility based on his Public Interest Clinic work in the area of domestic relations and social security cases. Mr. Varone showed incredible poise and intregity in the face of an opposing attorney who blatantly misrepresented a series of events leading up to the trial. In another case, Mr. Varone balanced a succesful outcome for his client and the ethicial issues he faced when the opposing client was unrepresented. The opposing client continually asked for Mr. Varone's advice and seemed to lack sufficient capacity to settle the case.

Mr. Varone continued his commitment to professionalism and ethics in the Criminal Procedure II clinic where he recieved high praise for his skill at trial and attention to detail in all aspects of the case.

Students Attend 26th Annual Cover Retreat in March

Five students and Professor Dina Haynes attended the 26th Annual Robert M. Cover Retreat which brings together public interest minded law students, academics, and practitioners.  Hayat Bearat, Tristan Brown, Benjamin Jones, Christina Liwski, and Racheal Michaud enjoyed a weekend filled with exciting discussions, interesting topics, and opportunities to relax and enjoy time away from the law school environment.

“We listened to various keynote speakers and panel discussions and were able to select which workshops we wanted to go to. The workshops covered so many areas of practice that I was able to go to international human rights, labor laws in Mexico, and women in the legal profession workshops.” Hayat Bearat ‘2015.

Graduating student Benjamin Jones stated “The Retreat is a tradition that I plan to continue after I graduate-next year as a practitioner. The contacts I left the woods with have proven directly on point with the public interest efforts I am pursuing upon my return to my home state of Maine.”