Articles in ‘Legal Profession’

Law, Innovation, and Silicon Valley

June 11, 2012 | Issue 86

Identifying the spark for what is now Silicon Valley is sport for some, but for others it’s the focus of serious study—whole university courses are designed to track the origins of this engine of innovation and entrepreneurship, 
perhaps hoping to capture it in a bottle.

Daniel Cooperman
 and the
 Role of the Modern GC

June 11, 2012 | Issue 86

Here’s the scenario: You’re a senior executive in the legal department of a major multinational corporation and you receive a hand-delivered letter from media-
savvy discrimination attorney Gloria Allred alleging sexual misconduct by your CEO. What’s your first action?

Justice Rebecca Love Kourlis: Home On, And Off, The Range

June 11, 2012 | Issue 86

Rebecca Love Kourlis, JD ’76 (BA ’73), is as comfortable in a well-tailored suit as she is in a cowboy hat. Since childhood, this Colorado native has moved easily between rural and urban environs, navigating a course that has culminated in her leadership of the University of Denver’s Institute for [...]

Justice Moreno: The Next Chapter

October 28, 2011 | Issue 85

It was a busy day for 
Justice Carlos R. Moreno, and his schedule was packed with 
meetings. But instead of tending to business on California’s 
Supreme Court, as he had for the last decade serving as an associate 
justice, he was interviewing students at Stanford Law School for summer firm positions. The interviews were going well. “The students were overwhelmingly smart, poised, accomplished, and interested in broader 
issues outside the practice of law—and socially conscious,” says 
Moreno, JD ’75…

The Legacy of Judge Duniway

October 28, 2011 | Issue 85

Benjamin C. Duniway served on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for 25 years, earning the reputation as a judicial heavyweight. According to William A. Norris, JD ’54, who served with Duniway, “he was a judge of outstanding ability, exemplary fairness, and complete integrity.”

JDs As VCs

October 28, 2011 | Issue 85

Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, the Doobie Brothers, and Crosby, Stills & Nash headlined at Shoreline Amphitheater on a gorgeous summer day last August—a benefit for Musicians United for Safe Energy and humanitarian aid for Japan. It was a redux of a 1979 Madison Square Garden concert where the same musicians [...]

From the Dean

May 31, 2011 | Issue 84

Students today put a lot more thought into choosing a law school than they did in the past. And they have access to vastly more information with which to do so. In addition to a surfeit of books offering advice on the best law schools, not to mention U.S. News, they can (and do) turn to blogs and list serves and chat groups to gather information and exchange stories and opinions. On top of this, most schools invite admitted applicants to spend a day or two on campus, where they can learn still more about the school and meet current students and faculty.

I really enjoy these weekends. I love meeting prospective students, each more amazing than the last. I like explaining what we do at Stanford Law and why. I especially enjoy conversations in which someone challenges me to explain why he or she should choose Stanford over some other law school. But this year was different in one respect. A number of admitted students were still undecided about attending law school at all, still looking to be persuaded that a law degree is worth the time and money—still unsure, in the lingo of the moment, that law is a good “value proposition.”

Prospective law students do not have these concerns because of the economy. Hard economic times usually make law school more attractive, as young people sensibly invest in their education while waiting for things to [...]

Law and the Biosciences

May 31, 2011 | Issue 84

A leading expert on the legal, ethical, and social issues surrounding health law and the biosciences, Hank Greely (BA ’74) specializes in the implications of new biomedical technologies, especially those related to neuroscience, genetics, and stem cell research. He is chair of California’s Human Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee and served from 2007-2010 as co-director of the Law and Neuroscience Project, funded by the MacArthur Foundation. Here Professor Greely offers his insights into the growing field of law and biosciences.

Advocating Science

May 31, 2011 | Issue 84

My graduate school advisor, the late Stephen Schneider, liked to ask his students: “Is the scientist-advocate an oxymoron?” As he was fond of pointing out, the two professional value systems are often in conflict. The ideal scientist is a disinterested party with a neutral perspective, while the ideal advocate is [...]

Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe

May 31, 2011 | Issue 84

In this profile, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe ’89 (MA ’89) shares her insights on international human rights, democratic movements in the Middle East, the challenges of working in the United Nations, her path to a career as an ambassador, and more.