Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

Lewd and Lascivious Behavior Laws: A Milwaukee Story

Post author:Irene Ten Cate
Post published:November 11, 2013
Post category:Civil Rights Constitutional Law Criminal Law & Process Milwaukee Public Wisconsin Criminal Law & Process Wisconsin Law & Legal System

The Accused

Lee Erickson’s bio attests to his national prominence. Among other things, he served on the Choral Panel of the National Endowment of the Arts and as dean of the American Guild of Organists. But in Milwaukee, he is best known as the conductor of the chorus of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO). Erickson was appointed associate director of the MSO Chorus in 1978, and he has served as the chorus’s director since 1994. By all accounts, the group has flourished under his leadership. The MSO website quotes music director Edo de Waart as saying: “The MSO has the good fortune of having a first-class volunteer chorus. With a chorus of this caliber, the options for performing great works in the repertoire are immense.” Frequent guest conductor Nicholas McGegan has called the chorus “a real gem,” and Tom Strini of the ThirdCoast Digest referred to it as “the jewel in Milwaukee’s cultural crown.”

If you type Erickson’s name into the Google search box, however, these achievements aren’t among the first results that appear on your screen.

Marquette Wins the National Moot Court Competition Regional and Advances to the Nationals in New York

Post author:Melissa Love Koenig
Post published:November 10, 2013
Post category:Legal Writing Marquette Law School Public

I had the privilege of working with two outstanding National Moot Court Competition (NMCC) teams again this year. The Region VIII round of the NMCC was hosted by Marquette this weekend and included ten participating law schools. This year Marquette won the regional competition, winning all five of their rounds and advancing to the nationals in New York City this coming February.

Please congratulate team members Hans Lodge, Brendon Reyes, and Robert Steele, whose team advanced to, and won, the final round of competition (top team out of sixteen). The team additionally received the third highest brief score at the competition. Attorneys Emily Lonergan and Jason Luczak coached the team.

Please also congratulate team members Andy Gordon, Mindy Nolan, and Kaitlyn Reise for their performance at the competition. Attorneys Jesse Blocher and Michael Cerjak coached the team.

The NMCC is sponsored by the New York City Bar and the American College of Trial Lawyers. Over 180 law schools compete across the country.

Guide to Public Speaking for Girl Lawyers

Post author:Lisa A. Mazzie
Post published:November 6, 2013
Post category:Feminism Legal Practice Public

Yes, I wrote “girl” in that headline. And for a very specific reason. Recently, it’s hit the web that global law firm Clifford Chance has provided its female lawyers in its U.S. offices with a guide to public speaking. And while some (nay, even most) of the tips are perfectly reasonable, there are others that smack of such sexism to the extent that one might believe that Clifford Chance thinks of its female lawyers as girls. To wit, one of the points in the guide: “Don’t giggle.” Another: “Pretend you’re in moot court, not the high school cafeteria” (on “‘Like’ You’ve got to Lose ‘Um’ and ‘Uh,’ ‘You Know,’ ‘OK,’ and ‘Like’).

Like, seriously?

On both points, they are equally applicable to male lawyers. (Yes, men do giggle, but the use of that word here suggests something very female, very childish, and very undesirable.) Yet, it was only Clifford Chance’s female lawyers who received this five-page memo. It’s curious to me why this is so. Does the firm believe that there are separate rules for men and women? Does it believe that women need the extra help? Or is it attempting to support its female lawyers? If it is attempting to support its female lawyers, I applaud its desire, but criticize its way of doing so.