News

In Professor Roberta Karmel’s column, “Securities Regulation,” explores the conflicts between the SEC and CTFC in light of the current economic crisis.  read more

December 17, 2009 – The President of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) praised Brooklyn Law School Professor Elizabeth M. Schneider’s work as “critical not only for its value to education, but for helping to transform legal culture” in her President’s Message in the latest issue of AALS News.  read more

On December 16, Professor Jonathan Askin testified before the New York City Council Committee on Technology in Government and Committee on Economic Development, Technology, Community, Entrepreuneurs, and Developers to share ideas about digital entrepreneurship and discuss the Brooklyn Law Incubator & Policy Clinic (BLIP).  read more

Papers written by Professors Miriam Baer and Jason Mazzone were competitively selected for presentation at the Federalist Society's Young Legal Scholars Panel at the Society’s 12th annual faculty conference to be held in New Orleans in January.  read more

The Brooklyn Law School community lost a cherished member of its faculty with the passing of Professor Eve Cary, who died on September 29, following a brave battle with ovarian cancer. To celebrate her life there will be a memorial service on February 18, 2010 at 4PM in the Moot Court Room at the Law School.  read more

In the days before the 2009 election, registered voters of City Council 34 received prerecorded calls from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the Roman Catholic bishop of Brooklyn, praising City Council District candidate Vito J. Lopez. While the message did not instruct New Yorkers to vote for the bishop’s preferred candidate, it did walk a fine line that limits nonprofit organizations, which have tax-exempt status, from advocating for particular politicians.  read more

Visiting Assistant Professor Charles Korsmo was profiled in AmLaw Daily about his transition from child actor to law professor. Before attending law school, he acted in such films as Dick Tracy, Hook, and Can’t Hardly Wait.  read more

Five artists were arrested for criminal mischief and making graffiti in a protest organized by the Public Ad Campaign to replace billboard advertisements with art. About 80 artists whitewashed and painted over illegal billboards throughout the city.  read more

Nine separate amicus briefs have been submitted asking the U.S. Supreme Court to determine the Sarbanes-Oxley Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) unconstitutional. The briefs were signed by many prominent "friends of the court," including three former U.S. Attorneys General, several law professors and economists, and Professor Roberta Karmel, formerly Commissioner of the Securities Exchange Commission.  read more

Professor David Reiss presented at the Cato Institute's policy forum "Which Way Forward for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?" in Washington, DC. Panelists at the event are policy and economic experts discussed the past and present regulatory structures of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as offer proposals for reform.  read more

Professor Roberta Karmel was quoted in the Washington Post on the debate over the derivatives bill in the House of Representatives. The bill would require banks and firms to meet capital and reporting requirements, as well as trade through clearinghouses in a move towards remaking the nation's financial regulatory system.  read more

New York's top court heard arguments on whether the state can legally seize private property to build Atlantic Yards, the proposed Nets arena. The outcome of the case will determine whether eminent domain can be used as a reason for new private development.  read more

Professor Miriam Baer's article "Governing Corporate Compliance" was listed this week as one of the most downloaded SSRN pieces. Her paper, published in the Boston College Law Review, argues that the key problem with corporate compliance is its regulation through an adversarial system that pits federal prosecutors against corporate defense counsel, fueling distrust between corporate entities and the government.  read more

Professor Christopher Serkin was interviewed at length on the WNYC radio public affairs program, The Brian Lehrer Show, on Monday, September 28. The topic was eminent domain, the power of the government to take property, and its usage in New York City, including in Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards.  read more

Professor Karmel participated in the Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society's program "New World of Financial Regulation," sponsored by the law firm Bingham McCutchen. The debate focused on the different options for creating a more effective financial regulatory system in light our current global economic crisis.  read more

Law students will be better prepared for practice if they are fully aware of the perils, says Professor Anita Bernstein in the American Bar Association Journal. Her working paper, "Pitfalls Ahead: A Manifesto for the Training of Lawyers," presents potential problems--why lawyers lose their licenses and when to fight with a judge, among others--to equip students with a full picture of their future careers.  read more

The Supreme Court will hear rearguments on a case about the documentary Hillary: The Movie, on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The case concerns Citizens United, the conservative nonprofit group who produced the film, who attempted to broadcast commercials for it during the 2008 presidential election but were (ironically) barred by the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. The issue was brought to court with opponents arguing that the restriction violated the First Amendment.  read more

This fall, Brooklyn Law School welcomed seven new members to the faculty. The group includes three tenure-track faculty members, Frederic Bloom, Brian Lee, and Minor Myers; two legal writing instructors, Joy Kanwar and Tom Lin; and two new members of its Visiting Assistant Professor Program, Patricia Judd and Charles Korsmo. These professors not only bring considerable professional experience, but an impressive body of legal scholarship in the areas of corporate finance and governance, real property, intellectual property, civil procedure, international environmental law, and the law of war.  read more

May 19, 2009 – Brooklyn Law School’s Centennial Professor of Law Roberta S. Karmel was the keynote speaker at the University of Tennessee Law School’s hooding ceremony on May 8, 2009 in Knoxville. UT’s Arts and Sciences’ graduation simultaneously featured East Tennessee native and acclaimed musician Dolly Parton, who was presented with an honorary doctorate degree as well.  read more

Professor Samuel Murumba was honored by the Human Rights Watch board of directors on Feb. 5 at a dinner held to highlight his service to the organization. Two other HRW members – Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York; and David Brown, a HRW board member – were honored as well.  read more

The Evidence Section of the Association of American Law Schools presented Margaret Berger, Trustee Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, with the Wigmore Lifetime Achievement Award at the Association’s annual meeting, held January 6 - 10, 2009, in San Diego, Calif. The Wigmore Award recognizes the work of scholars in the field of evidence.  read more