Chicago, home of the John Marshall School of Law (JMLS), played host to the annual Faculty Development Fellowship Program Spring Conference 2010.
Under the broad theme of 'Law and Open Society,' scholars and mentors enjoyed innovative and extremely pertinent presentations from experienced faculty. One presenter at the conference was Professor William B.T. Mock, a past program mentor from JMLS who gave the group his thoughts on the need for transparency and global standards to create equitable and meritocratic societies. Discussions on various aspects of law as a basis for open societies was led by Professor Paul Lewis, who spoke on legal educational issues, whilst Professor Susann MacLachlan gave her thoughts on the importance of clinical legal education in community development, citing specific examples of the pro bono efforts of JMLS students in downtown Chicago.
Inevitably, the conference included fellows in the third and final semester of their grants. Third year fellows, Yerzhan Bek-Ali (Kazakhstan) currently under the mentorship of Rafis Abazov at Columbia University and Ia Iashvili, (Georgia) hosted at the University of Montana, shared their thoughts on their time during their scholarship, what they learned, the challenges they have faced thus far, and how they envision applying their knowledge in the future. The fellows were also joined by an alum from 2003, Joldon Kutmanaliev (Kyrgyzstan, Cornell University), who also gave an update on his teaching experiences after his grant.
For one of the first scholars supported under the field of law, JMLS provided an intellectual home. Baadur Kipiani, a Georgian fellow from Tbilisi State University, spent 3 spring semesters in Chicago from 2000-2002. Fortuitously, Baadur managed to join the conference on a business trip to the US from Tbilisi, revisiting his faculty roots and interacting with a new generation of incoming fellows.
The final faculty debate saw JMLS Professors Michael Seng, Doris Estelle Long, and Leslie Reis debating the issue of privacy laws and governmental controls.
Candid insights into the career trajectory ideas of American faculty members were explored in greater depth in an interview by FDFP mentor, Michael Peil. Dr. Peil, Associate Dean for International Programs at Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, answered questions submitted before the event from FDFP fellows, which included why he chose an academic over a corporate law career path and what strategies he uses as a mentor.
The professionalism of the conference was aided enormously by the efforts of Virginia Russell and her staff at the School, who worked tirelessly to ensure all aspects of the conference ran smoothly. OSI staff thank Ms. Russell and all at JMLS most sincerely for their work in making the conference a success.