For more information, please contact:
Gwen Osborne, director of public affairs, (312) 906-5251
ADVISORY TO PRODUCERS, COLUMNISTS AND ASSIGNMENT, LEGAL, PLANNING, BUSINESS, AND DAYBOOK EDITORS
CHICAGO--February 6, 2006--Chicago-Kent College of Law, the Stuart Graduate School
of Business and the Center for Financial Markets have experts available to discuss current issues.
To reach any of our experts, call Gwen Osborne, director
of public affairs, at (312) 906-5251. Copies of press releases and earlier advisories are available
on our Web site: http://www.kentlaw.edu/news/advisory.
The Illinois House Criminal Law Committee voted unanimously to require a DNA sample to be obtained from all individuals arrested on felony charges. Dean Harold J. Krent says, “The mere act of being arrested –- regardless of the charge and prior to conviction or acquittal –- would require the suspect to submit a DNA sample for inclusion into the state’s DNA data bank. Unlike with fingerprints, scientists likely will be able to extract enough genetic information from the samples taken to learn whether the individual is susceptible to cancer, bouts of anger, or dementia.” In the early 1990s, Dean Krent filed the lead challenge to the establishment of mandatory collection of DNA samples in Virginia. He also argued before the Illinois Supreme Court to contest administration of the state’s DNA collection rules. He is available for interviews.
Tiffany & Company filed a lawsuit against eBay alleging that the online auction site failed to take proper responsibility for authenticating whether items offered for sale were really produced by the jeweler. Tiffany and eBay worked together to remove counterfeit items from the site, but sales of Tiffany knock-offs on eBay continued. Recently, Tiffany secretly purchased approximately 200 items from eBay, inspected them for authenticity, and discovered about 75 percent of the merchandise was counterfeit. Chicago-Kent professor Henry H. Perritt, Jr., author of Law and the Information Superhighway, is available for interviews about the case. Professor Joel Goldhar of Stuart Graduate School of Business can discuss brand equity issues. Dean Harold J. Krent is available to discuss the dangers of online auctions and “You Don’t Know Auctions!”, a unique interactive Internet game created by students in the Honors Scholars Program in collaboration with the City of Chicago Department of Consumer Services and AT&T to educate the public about online auctions.
President Bush’s State of the Union address included an initiative to invest in medical technology, particularly in computerized patient records. Stuart Graduate School of Business professor Elie Geisler is director of IIT’s Center for the Management of Medical Technology. Professor Geisler, a leading scholar in the evaluation of science and technology and the author of The Metrics of Science and Technology and Creating Value With Science and Technology: How Industry and Society Exploit Innovation for Growth and Prosperity, is available for interviews about the president’s proposal.
The 2006 Winter Olympic Games begin February 10 in Torino, Italy. Sports law attorney and adjunct professor Eldon L. Ham is the author of The 100 Greatest Sports Blunders of All Time. Professor Ham is available for interviews about Olympic blunders that made his list, including the 1994 controversy surrounding figure skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.
Will former Illinois Governor George Ryan take the stand in his own defense? Ryan faces 22 charges of conspiracy, lying to the FBI, mail fraud, racketeering and tax fraud. Chicago-Kent professors Douglas W. Godfrey and Richard S. Kling are available for interviews about legal strategies. Professor Godfrey is a former prosecutor in the Kings County district attorney's office; Professor Kling is a criminal defense attorney.
Enron founder and former chairman Kenneth L. Lay and chief executive Jeffrey K. Skilling are on trial in Houston on charges of conspiracy and fraud. Experts from Chicago-Kent College of Law and Stuart Graduate School of Business are available to discuss juries, possible legal strategies, corporate governance issues, whistleblowing, market short-selling, and corporate bankruptcy.
Hedge fund advisors with more than 14 clients and assets of more than $30 million now are required to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission under new rules that went into effect February 1. Professor Keith C. Black of Stuart Graduate School of Business' Center for Financial Markets is the author of Managing a Hedge Fund: A Complete Guide to Trading, Business Strategies, Risk Management, and Regulations. Professor Black is available for interviews about how hedge funds work and the impact of the new rules and possible loopholes.
Chicago-Kent’s Immigration Law Clinic is seeking those who need legal assistance with immigration, asylum and nationality matters. The clinic is supervised by Professor Matthew I. Bernstein, whose practice includes advising corporations, nonprofit organizations and individuals in all areas of immigration law, including professionals; aliens of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts and business; individuals seeking immigration benefits for family members; asylees; and individuals threatened with removal from the United States by the government. Professor Bernstein is available for interviews about the Immigration Law Clinic.
Chicago-Kent's Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic is seeking taxpayers who have disputes with the IRS. Those who meet certain income criteria may qualify for free assistance with their tax disputes. Students work under the supervision of Professor Jonathan Decatorsmith. More information about the program is available on the Web site. Professor Decatorsmith is available for interviews about the program, but is unable to answer media queries for current tax filing stories.
Cook County residents with domestic relations disputes, including matters of legal separation, divorce, child support, child custody, visitation and guardianships, may qualify for representation through Chicago-Kent's Family Law Clinic. Clients will pay on a sliding scale fee basis, depending on their financial circumstances. Students will work under the supervision of Professor Ira C. Feldman, who is available for interviews about the clinical program.
Downtown Campus Events
February 28: Terence M. O’Sullivan, general president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, will deliver the 7th annual Distinguished Labor Leader Lecture. The program, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Gov. Richard B. Ogilvie Auditorium. The Distinguished Labor Leader Lecture series presents addresses by leading labor leaders on critical issues in the workplace. The program is co-sponsored by the Chicago Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO and Chicago-Kent's Institute for Law and the Workplace. For more information, call (312) 906-5090 or visit www.kentlaw.edu/depts/cle on the Web.
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