News Archive
April 8, 2022
Gone the Influencer, Not the Influence
One of the five job offers I had coming out of law school was the one “everyone” wanted. I turned it down. Instead, I chose the job offer out of the five that paid the least. That brought me to Springfield, Missouri and Ransom A. Ellis, Jr. Why? Because he did exactly what I wanted to do (labor and employment law, representing management), he did it in a non-urban area (I did not want to go back to St. Louis, or to any other big city to practice law), and he had an impeccable professional reputation and was highly regarded…
April 7, 2022
MU Law Veterans Clinic surpasses milestone: $10 million for veteran-clients
April 7, 2022 Contact: Sara Diedrich, 573-882-3243, DiedrichS@missouri.edu The University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic recently surpassed more than $10 million in disability benefits returned for its clients. The clinic, which opened in 2014, is staffed by Mizzou law students under the supervision of lawyers specializing in veteran law. The Veterans Clinic team appeals denied benefits cases to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a lengthy process that takes an average of five years. Angela Drake is director of the Veterans Clinic, which has assisted more than 600 veteran clients. She said an important part of…
April 6, 2022
Making a Difference One Can of Paint at a Time
Painting walls, refinishing furniture, building bookshelves: activities not commonly associated with earning a legal education. For Mizzou Law 2L Brandon Bethel however, working to improve his environment is something that comes second nature to him. “It really serves as a creative outlet for me,” Bethel said. “Much of law school doesn’t tap that creative vein, so redesigning spaces to improve our learning and living environment helps serve that purpose for me.” In his less than two years at Mizzou Law, Bethel has been a driving force in improving the physical environment throughout Hulston Hall. Reimagining the space in in the…
March 29, 2022
Mizzou Law LLM Student/Alumna Brings Legacy of Advocacy to the Classroom
Elizabeth Kaganda, who earned her LLM in dispute resolution from Mizzou Law and is currently pursuing an LLM in American law at Mizzou Law, also teaches Swahili at Mizzou. Read this great story about Elizabeth in the Columbia Missourian: https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/kaganda-brings-legacy-of-advocacy-to-the-classroom/article_8445ba6c-a0c1-11ec-850a-0be3dc867a92.html
March 21, 2022
Mizzou Law 3L in Washington DC to Support Confirmation of Supreme Court Judge
Niya Young, a Mizzou Law 3L, is spending the week in Washington to support the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice. Young is joining more than 100 law students from 17 law schools around the country to raise their voices in support of Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to sit on the USSC. “As a soon to be public defender, it was important for me to travel to DC to support and celebrate the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court,” Young said.
March 16, 2022
Professor Oliveri Named Women’s and Gender Studies Alumnae Anniversary Award
Rigel Oliver, the Isabelle Wade and Paul C. Lyda Professor of Law at Mizzou Law, was honored March 15 with a 2022 MU Women’s and Gender Studies Alumnae Anniversary Award. The award was given by the MU Department of Women’s and Gender Studies for Prof. Oliveri’s impressive networking and advocacy work across campus. Congratulations to Prof. Oliveri!.
March 16, 2022
Dean Emeritus Dessem Publishes Op-Ed on Refuting LSAT Scores’ Relevance for Judge Appointments
R. Lawrence Dessem, Mizzou Law Dean Emeritus and Timothy J. Heinsz Professor Emeritus, published an Op-Ed piece in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In his piece, Dessem refutes attacks on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court based on her Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score decades earlier. To read Dean Dessem’s full piece, visit: https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/columnists/dessem-an-admissions-exam-has-zero-relevance-on-judge-brown-jacksons-qualifications/article_ec8920a9-8864-53ba-ad12-406db3369f9d.html…
March 11, 2022
Professor Oliveri Wins Outstanding Volunteer Service Award
Rigel Oliveri, the Isabelle Wade and Paul C. Lyda Professor of Law at the University of Missouri School of Law, has received the 11th Howard B. Lang, Jr. Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service to the City of Columbia. Professor Oliveri earned the award due to her involvement with fair and affordable housing programs and services, which includes her work with the Columbia Housing Authority and other agencies and programs. She currently serves on the Columbia Housing Authority Board and works on providing support services for low-income, public housing residents in Columbia in order to help them improve the quality of…
March 1, 2022
Mizzou Law teams finish first and second in national moot court competition
Mizzou Law 3Ls Andy Krokstrom, Andrew Meyer, and Jessica Schmitz won the national Global Antitrust Institute Moot Court Competition the last weekend on Feb. 27. Taking second place and edging out teams from elite law schools such as Harvard, Virginia, Duke, and Indiana, was another Mizzou Law team consisting of Tate Cooper, Andrew Guinan and Noelle Mack. The Global Antitrust Institute Invitational is the only moot court competition in the United States devoted exclusively to antitrust law and offers a unique opportunity for invited law schools.
Feb. 15, 2022
Veterans Clinic to offer free legal consultations for veterans in Cape Girardeau County
WHAT: The University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic, through its Tigers for Troops program, will offer free legal consultations to veterans in Cape Girardeau County, regarding United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability benefits, discharge upgrades and VA healthcare. This event will be held on Friday, Feb. 18, at the VFW Post 3838, 1049 N Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Veterans can register for an appointment here or by calling 573-882-5733. Registration will close at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 16. WHO: The Veterans Clinic is located in the University of Missouri School of Law. Under the supervision of…