Top scholars on Afghanistan and Iraq will meet on the Indiana University Bloomington campus Friday and Saturday (Nov. 13-14) for one of the first collaborative conferences on state-building in both nations. "State-Building in the Contemporary Islamic World: U.S. Intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan" is being presented by the Indiana Democracy Consortium. The two-day event is being held in the Indiana Memorial Union's State Room East and is open to both the public and the media.

Hundreds of university leaders, students, and alumni are expected to be on hand Friday (Sept. 25) for the official naming of the Indiana University Michael Maurer School of Law. The ceremony will coincide with the Law School's second annual Alumni Summit and celebrate a $35 million gift from Michael and Janie Maurer the Law School received last December.

Indiana University Maurer School of Law Professor Gene Shreve will embark on a two-week trek to Liberia to teach a course in constitutional law. It will be the first trip to the African nation for Shreve, who will partner with Jallah A. Barbu, a research fellow at the Center for Constitutional Democracy, to teach "Comparative Liberian and American Constitutional Law" at the University of Liberia's Lewis Arthur Grimes School of Law in Monrovia. The class will run from June 22 through July 3.

Indiana Law alumna Kellye Testy will become the first female dean in the University of Washington School of Law's 110-year history on Sept. 1, after she was approved by the university's Board of Regents on May 14. She also will be named the James W. Mifflin University Professor.

In a historic announcement, Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (PEI) has announced the election of Indiana Law alumnus Scott N. Flanders as its chief executive officer and member of its board of directors. Flanders, JD'82, will become the first non-Hefner to serve as CEO in the company's 56-year history when his new roles begin on July 1.

Laura E. Rogers and Elizabeth R. Sanders were honored May 8 with the Terry & Judy Albright Pro Bono & Public Interest Award for their dedication and extraordinary commitment to public interest service. Both recipients received their awards during the Law School's annual student honors ceremony the night before Commencement.

Speaking to the inaugural graduating class of the school that now bears his name, Michael Maurer encouraged law students to honor the profession, and to find ways to give back to those places and people who made them who they are. The IU Maurer School of Law honored the class of 2009 Saturday, conferring 194 JDs, 23 LLMs, and 16 SJDs to students at the IU Auditorium.

The Indiana University Maurer School of Law recognized some of its finest teachers on April 20, during the School's annual Teaching Awards ceremony. David Williams, the John S. Hastings Professor of Law, was honored with the Leon H. Wallace Teaching Award, the Law School's top teaching prize, which he also won in 1996.

Five Indiana University alumni have been named as recipients of the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Service Award, the university's highest honor reserved solely for IU alumni.

Bolstered by a $25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., the Indiana University Maurer School of Law will welcome six new faculty members in the fall 2009 semester. The school will also welcome returning Professor Fred Aman Jr., who had served as Dean at Suffolk University Law School since 2007.

Five alumni from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law were inducted Friday (April 17) into the School's Academy of Law Alumni Fellows. Two other alumni were awarded President's Medals from the IU Foundation. Induction into the ALAF is the highest honor the Law School bestows upon its graduates, in recognition of personal achievements and dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession.

This weekend (April 18-19), the Indiana University Maurer School of Law will host FutureFirm 1.0, a strategic exercise in which participants are asked to create a new law firm business model that is likely to survive and thrive at least 20 years into the future.

Indiana Supreme Court Justice Frank Sullivan said he usually takes three different approaches into consideration when deciding the outcome of a pending case. He tries to address constitutional issues only when necessary; he considers how he believes lawmakers would want legislation interpreted; and finally, in common law issues, Sullivan looks for neutral principles that bear on the issue.

Alternative legal careers were explored in an IU Maurer School of Law panel discussion by IU Dean of Women's Affairs Yvette Alex-Assensoh, IU Foundation Vice President and General Counsel Philippa Guthrie, IU Assistant Dean of Students Suzanne Phillips, IU Maurer School of Law Director of Student Services Catherine Matthews and Kelley School of Business Professor Jane Mallor.

The Black Law Student Association (BLSA) at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law has voted unanimously to rename the school's annual Barrister's Ball after alumnus Rapheal Prevot Jr., who died last June at the age of 49.

Whenever attorney Marc Kadish hears a joke about the legal profession, he reminds himself of all the good work lawyers do for others, often free of charge. Kadish, director of pro bono activities at Mayer Brown in Chicago, joined panelists discussing the virtues of pro bono work at "Pro Bono Stories: Building Careers, Changing Lives" Feb. 4 at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Six Indiana University Maurer School of Law alumni will be inducted this April into the Academy of Law Alumni Fellows, the highest honor the law school bestows upon its graduates. The awards go to alumni who have distinguished themselves in their careers through personal achievements and dedication to the highest standards of the profession. Previous honorees include U.S. senators, federal judges and managing partners of national law firms.

Two years after joining Legal Aid of Nebraska, Indiana University Maurer School of Law — Bloomington alumnus Dave Pantos has been named the executive director for the organization.

Recognizing the key role played by volunteer leaders in service and philanthropy, the Indiana University Foundation has honored seven individuals as outstanding "Partners in Philanthropy" for Indiana University.

A $2 million gift from Indiana University School of Law--Bloomington alumnus Bill Hunt and his wife Nancy will be used to provide scholarship funds for students working toward a law degree at Indiana Law.

Before a standing-room-only crowd inside the Moot Court Room, former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh went deep into his memory, and convinced audience members that they can make a difference in the world. While Bayh's main lecture focused on separation of church and state issues, he stayed well beyond his allotted time to address a variety of questions from the crowd.

Former U.S. Senator Birch Bayh will return to his alma mater on Thursday, Sept. 25, to present a lecture on the importance of church and state separation. Bayh, JD'60, will give a public talk from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Moot Court Room at the Indiana University School of Law--Bloomington.

Three alumni from the Indiana University School of Law—Bloomington have been named finalists for the 2008 Indy's Best and Brightest Award in the Law category. Matthew Conrad, JD'02, Jennifer L. Rhodes, JD'99, and Rafael Sanchez, JD'02, were named three of the 10 finalists for the award, which is presented by Junior Achievement.

For more than a decade, Sarah Michael Singleton, JD'74, has devoted herself to making sure every citizen of New Mexico has access to legal aid, no matter how much - or little - money they may have. For her efforts, she was awarded a 2008 ABA Pro Bono Publico Award on Aug. 11 in New York City.