Scholars, judge, writer join annual Convocation Lecture Series

Scholars, judge, writer join annual Convocation Lecture SeriesSeptember 15, 2006Jaclyn D. Grossojgrosso@law.syr.edu

Syracuse University College of Law has announced a slate of prestigious speakers for its 2006-07 Convocation Lecture series “The Law in the Media Mirror,” which will focus on the significance and implications of how the legal system is portrayed in the mass media.

“Through our Convocation series, we hope to encourage our students to aspire to the highest levels of scholarly achievement, professionalism and public engagement by exposing them to accomplished presenters and thoughtful perspectives,” says Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Lisa Dolak L’88. “With this and other initiatives, we want our students to recognize they are members of a vital profession with a central societal role.”

The series begins Sept. 28 with Los Angeles Times writer Myron Levin (pictured, above) and his lecture “Covering the Courts: How the Press Influences Public Perception.” Levin has been a member of the LA Times staff since 1984; he currently works as part of its California investigations desk. Much of his work has involved the legal system, including coverage of business fraud and product litigation against the tobacco industry, auto manufacturers and others. The lecture is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. in Hendricks Chapel.

On Oct. 19, the College of Law hosts Stephen L. Tober L’74, who served as the 2005-06 chair of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary. His lecture is titled, “Law in the Media Mirror: Objects are Closer Than They Appear.” Tober testified on behalf of the American Bar Association before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the nominations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito.

Kicking off 2007, the law school will host Penny J. White, interim director for the University of Tennessee College of Law Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution, on Feb. 6. Before joining the University of Tennessee faculty, White served as a judge at every level of the court system in Tennessee. She will speak on “The Media’s Effect on Judicial Independence: A Kaleidoscopic View.”

For its final series speaker, the College of Law welcomes Michael McCann, Gordon Hirabayashi Professor for the Advancement of Citizenship at the University of Washington. His lecture, “Lawyers, Guns, and Money: Mass Media and the Politics of Responsibility in a Neoliberal Age,” is scheduled for March 22. McCann is a former chair of the political science department and adjunct professor in the University of Washington Law School, and the founding director of both the interdisciplinary Comparative Law and Society Studies (CLASS) Center and the undergraduate Law, Societies and Justice program.