A trademark dispute between OMG Girlz and MGA reversed course after a SCOTUS decision last June that shifted the balance between trademark protection and First Amendment rights without articulating a new test. “I don’t think that the Supreme Court made this inquiry-what is a ‘use as source identification’-very clear … so it doesn’t surprise me that lower courts now need to struggle with those issues,” said Prof. Guy Rub. Read More
California governor Gavin Newsom has signed the SAFETY Act, which bans policies that would require teachers to disclose information about a student’s gender identity to their parents. Prof. Dara Purvis explains the constitutional and legal issues at play. Read More
Temple Law’s 2023 graduates set a new highwater mark for job placement with exceptionally strong performance in law firm placement, public interest, and government jobs. Read More
Thanksgiving celebration with Brooke Banville FOX ’09 This Thanksgiving, Temple alumni opened their homes—and hearts—to students in the Master of Laws (LLM) for Foreign-Trained Lawyers program. Joana Gaizelyte-Lacy JD ’09, Brooke Banville FOX ’09, and Temple friend Tricia Neff each hosted international LLM students at their homes to experience the quintessential American holiday. Thunvath Thorng LLM ’23, reflected on his visit with Joana Gaizeyte-Lacy: Frankly, it was a delightful experience to have a Thanksgiving Feast with a local Philadelphia family, especially a Temple Law alum. This American unifying holiday is where family members gather, indulge in a wide range of cuisines, interactively exchange stories, laugh, and more. This exquisite and well-decorated dinner celebration allows me to realistically see and dive deep into American culture and tradition. I sincerely appreciate the alum’s effort in hosting this event, and hopefully, there will be more for next year, and even years ahead. It surely is one of my most memorable nights in America, as an LL.M. student at Temple. Along with Thunvath, other international LLM students spent Thanksgiving …
As the fall semester got underway, Professor Kenneth Jacobsen took advantage of the cooling temperatures to host twelve executives from northern Italy on a cultural tour of Philadelphia. They started with a private tour of the National Constitution Center, followed by a private audience with the Honorable Cristiana Mele, the Consul General of Italy in Philadelphia, with whom they discussed strategies for expanding business from their region in Italy to the Philadelphia metropolitan area and other parts of Pennsylvania. The group also enjoyed a presentation by the Honorable Felipe Restrepo, Judge of the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, at the US Courthouse on Market Street, on the differences between the state and federal judiciaries in the American legal system. The afternoon was spent on a private guided trolley tour of Philadelphia, with stops at the Art Museum, the Italian Market, the Comcast Tower, and more. The group rounded off their visit at a private meeting with Mayor Kenney in City Hall’s ornamental Reception Hall. The afternoon was spent at the Phillies game, where …
Italian alumnus Matteo Smacchi LLM ’11 has long been committed to professional and personal service. After earning the Professor Samuel Gyandoh Award for rendering outstanding service to Temple Law upon his graduation, Matteo has gone on to a distinguished career in the public and private sector. Matteo currently serves as the Head of Legal and Compliance for the SDA Express Courier services within Poste Italiane—one of Italy’s largest companies with over 120,000 employees. He is directly responsible for all legal and compliance oversight of the express courier business unit and distribution activities. In his role, he particularly appreciates the unique opportunity to engage in strategic decision-making for the company and the ability to interact with other professionals who lack legal backgrounds. Prior to his current role at Poste Italiane, Matteo spent eight years working for large, international law firms in Philadelphia and Rome. He then made the decision to transition out of law firm practice. Playing the role of in-house counsel, Matteo first served as the Head of Corporate Affairs at both Banca Generali and …
Upon the conclusion of the 4-week study abroad program in Rome, students from Temple University Beasley School of Law, as well as other participant students from partnering law schools, reflected on their personal, professional, and academic experiences in Rome. Among the major benefits of the program, students attested to the professional advantages gained by enrolling in international law courses, arriving at Temple’s Rome campus each morning for class lectures, and living in the “Eternal City.” Emphasizing the value of networking with professors and guest lecturers, Alison Maser (a 2L Temple student) mentioned, “I feel like I have gained invaluable mentors through this experience.” Mariah McGuirk from Albany Law School articulated the intrinsic benefits of studying law abroad, as she experienced advantages inside and outside the classroom: “regardless of what the content is in the classes that we take, the skills we are developing and learning will help us through the rest of our educational career as well as our professional careers.” During the summer term, students engaged with guest lecturers, completed written assignments, delivered oral …
May 19, 2022 marked the commencement activities for the Class of 2022 and, returning after nearly two years, the Class of 2020. In his keynote remarks, Leonard Barrack LAW ‘68, chair of the law school’s Board of Visitors and member of the university’s Board of Trustees, congratulated the graduates and their families and shared some words of wisdom. I greet you all here today with a special kind of joy and pride. I greet you as a first generation American whose own father came to this country in 1923 from Ukraine with $25 in his pocket. He had so many dreams. Yes, as Emma Lazarus said, he was among those “huddled masses yearning to be free.” Had he not had those dreams – and yes, that courage – I would surely not be standing here before you today. But he did and here I am. Had he not, he would almost certainly have been shot and buried in a mass grave as his own mother and sisters were for the ‘crime’ of being Jewish. So …
In the wake of a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion indicating that the historic Roe v. Wade ruling could be overturned, Temple Law faculty and staff lend their expertise to national media conversations surrounding this unprecedented development. Interim Dean Rachel Rebouché | Rolling Stone | If the leaked opinion overturning Roe becomes law, it “will have bent the moral arc of the universe backward,” writes interim Dean Rachel Rebouché and co-authors David S. Cohen and Greer Donley in Rolling Stone. Click to read. Interim Dean Rachel Rebouché | Bloomberg Law | Justice Alito’s draft opinion in Dobbs would subject laws regulating abortion to rational basis review. Interim Dean Rachel Rebouché explains what that means and how it might apply. Click to read. Interim Dean Rachel Rebouché | Washington Examiner | Returning abortion regulation to the states will invite laws that disrupt longstanding interstate cooperation, says interim Dean Rachel Rebouché. Click to read. Professor Craig Green | The Philadelphia Inquirer | Justice Alito’s draft opinion in Dobbs may have roots in his very first opinion, a …
In July 2021, Henan, China was suffering from severe rainstorms. Houses were flooded, roads turned into rivers, and public transportation was destroyed. Many civilians were stranded in the middle of the flood, with no water, electricity, or internet. Zhao Jianwei, a 2003 alumnus from Temple’s Beijing LL.M. program and appellate court judge in the provincial capital of Zhengzhou, responded right away to the disaster. Judge Zhao used to be an outdoor rescue team leader, so when he heard about hundreds of civilians awaiting rescue, he picked up his rescue equipment and drove straight to the disaster zone with his colleagues. Soon after he left home, the road was blocked by the floodwaters, making it impossible to drive a car. Zhao unloaded his kayak and let the passengers sit in it, while he was pushing the kayak in the water. When Zhao reached Kangzhuang village, the rescue team was already in action with motorboats. However, due to the complex alleys and roadblocks, the motorboats were unable to reach the center of the district. With no time …
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