The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone who has a well-founded fear of being persecuted based on one of five factors, including his or her political opinion. But what constitutes a political opinion? A group of judges and academics gathered at Michigan Law to develop guidelines for this unsettled area.
An authority on federal courts and jurisdiction, Professor Gil Seinfeld acknowledges that it is a rare occasion when the public’s attention is captured by a case that aligns with his scholarly interests. Google Inc. v. Hood was just such an exception.
One of the things that David Guenther, ’99, enjoys about teaching in the International Transactions Clinic is helping clients that are charting new territory. “The clinic is doing fascinating work in places all over the world that very few lawyers have done before,” says Guenther, who was named director in May.
Long before American television viewers awoke to reports of a suspected terrorist attack in Australia, Geeti Faramarzi, LLM ’13, was watching the chaotic scene unfold live outside her Sydney office. “I was told that an armed robbery was taking place next door at the Lindt Café,” recalls Faramarzi, a solicitor at the Office of the State Coroner of New South Wales (NSW).
Russell Smith’s clients are slimy. Really. They number in the billions, don’t communicate, and move constantly. He willingly allows many to get the death penalty. Smith, ’86, is deputy assistant secretary for international fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
When the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) was reintroduced with bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate in June, it was a personal victory for Dina Leshetz Bakst, ’97. Bakst helped to draft the legislation, which provides stronger legal protections for pregnant women in the workplace.
According to Daniel Matzkin, ’09, his typical day as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida is just like everyone else’s in that same position. And if you ask whether law school was particularly challenging for him, he’ll tell you that it is equally challenging for nearly everyone.
Just as he has represented U.S. and European companies with investments and cross-border transactions in Asian countries throughout the past two decades, Samuel Zhang, LLM ’85, is now assisting companies from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan that seek to conduct business in the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world.
Larry Elder, ’77, has offered his wisdom on his talk radio show, now on the air for some 20 years. It would be difficult to find another U-M alum who can mix it up like Elder can. He represents a small category: black conservatives. Suffice it to say that the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have not been on Elder’s show.
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