MACON – The 2012 Mercer Law Review Symposium on Thursday and Friday will focus on “Defining and Enforcing the Federal Prosecutor’s Duty to Disclose Exculpatory Evidence” as part of the 13th Annual Georgia Symposium On Ethics And Professionalism. The symposium will feature nationally renowned scholars and will take place in the moot courtroom of Mercer Law School from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
The focus of the symposium on federal prosecutors is timely, both because of the recent controversy surrounding the prosecution of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and because this is the inaugural year of Mercer’s LL.M. program in Federal Criminal Practice and Procedure.
“This symposium reflects Mercer’s deep commitment to promoting ethics and professionalism among lawyers,” said Patrick Longan, professor of law and organizer of the symposium. “We are grateful to Judge Hugh Lawson, without whose vision and leadership this symposium series, now in its 13th year, would not exist.”
The symposium will kick off on Thursday with a dinner and keynote speaker, Andrew Goldsmith, at Cox Capitol Theater. Goldsmith is the national coordinator of criminal discovery initiatives for the Office of the Attorney General, United States Department of Justice.
On Friday, Oct. 5, the daylong symposium will start with the first session from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m., and will focus on “Federal Criminal Discovery Reform: A Legislative Approach.” Bruce Green, Louis Stein professor at Fordham Law School will be the principal speaker. James Fleissner, professor of law at Mercer Law School, and Peter Joy, Henry Hitchcock professor of law at Washington University, will be the respondent speakers.
During the second session, from 10:45 a.m. to noon, the panel will discuss “Lessons from the Schuelke Report.” The principal speaker is Bennett Gershman, professor of law at Pace University School of Law. The Honorable Marc T. Treadwell, United States District Judge for the Middle District of Georgia, and Seth Kirschenbaum, attorney with Davis, Zipperman, Kirschenbaum & Lotito, LLP in Atlanta, will be the respondent speakers.
The third session, from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m., will discuss “Punishment vs. Education: Do We Have to Choose?” The principal speaker is Kevin C. McMunigal, Judge Ben C. Green professor of law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Jennifer E. Laurin, assistant professor of law at University of Texas School of Law, and Roberta K. Flowers, professor of law at Stetson University College of Law, will be the respondent speakers.
The forth and final session, from 3:00 to 4:15 p.m., will discuss “’But What Exactly Do You Mean?’ The ABA Criminal Justice Standards and the Challenges of Implementation.” The principal speaker is Roy Little, professor of law at California Hastings College of the Law. Executive Director of the Federal Defenders of the Middle District of Georgia, Cynthia Roseberry, and the Executive Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Charysse L. Alexander will be the respondent speakers.
Five CLE credits are available including 2 ethics hours, 1 professionalism hour and 2 trial practice hours. For additional information contact Nancy Terrill at terrill_n@law.mercer.edu.
About Mercer Law School
Founded in 1873, the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and the first one in the state of Georgia accredited by the American Bar Association. Mercer Law School’s educational philosophy is based on a broadly shared commitment to prepare students for the high-quality, general practice of law in a day-to-day learning environment that is both strongly supportive and consistently professional. Its innovative Woodruff Curriculum – which focuses on ethics and practical skills amid small class sizes – earned the Gambrell Professionalism Award from the ABA for its “depth of excellence.” With an enrollment of about 430 students, Mercer Law School is nationally recognized for its exceptional programs in legal writing, moot court, public service, and ethics and professionalism. For more information about Mercer Law School, visit www.law.mercer.edu or call 478.301.5000.
