7/24/2024

Founder's Vision Award

Recently honored with the Founder's Vision Award from the National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium, Professor Jennifer Morrell's dedication and impactful contributions to the veteran’s clinic community have set a high standard of excellence. This prestigious award recognizes her significant efforts in teaching, providing legal services to veterans, and improving systems that serve our veteran population.

Professor Morrell's leadership of the Veterans Law Clinic has been transformative. Established nearly 30 years ago as one of the first clinics of its kind in the nation, the Veterans Law Clinic has recovered $17 million in benefits for low-income and disabled veterans. Under her guidance, the clinic also assists with discharge upgrades, simple wills, and engages in vital policy and leadership work through the Consortium. Her dedication to our veterans and their families is a testament to her commitment to justice and public service.

Beyond her legal expertise, Professor Morrell's creative talents have also been recognized and celebrated. With an undergraduate degree in English and experience as a business writer and copy editor, she has always had a passion for creative writing. This year, her literary skills were acknowledged when she received a fellowship from Delaware’s Division of the Arts. This fellowship, awarded to artists of outstanding quality, highlights her creativity and the depth of her talents beyond the legal realm.

Her work will be featured in the Award Winners XXIV exhibition at the Biggs Museum of American Art and will travel to CAMP Rehoboth and the Cab Calloway School of the Arts. This recognition not only celebrates her artistic achievements but also underscores the value of diverse skills in the legal profession. Professor Morrell's ability to blend creative expression with legal expertise enriches her teaching and advocacy, making her an invaluable asset to our community.

Constitutionalism Conference Student Achievements

In Spring 2024, Delaware Law School teamed with Haub School of Law to host the conference, Climate Constitutionalism: Issues and Answers, held on the Pace University campus in Manhattan, NY.

Delaware Law students from the Climate Rights Seminar, taught by Distinguished Professor James R. May, in conjunction with the Global Environmental Rights Institute, played a huge role in the meeting’s success. They helped shape the program, made presentations, and coordinated roundtable discussions. Most notably, they published peer-reviewed essays on various subjects in GreenLaw, the blog of the Pace Environmental Law Review, including:

"Environmental & Constitutional Law Professors for Climate Rights in Montana in which Jack Garvey (L’25) and Austin Anderson (L’25) discuss the issues they examined in an amicus brief filed for 60 law professors in Held v. Montana, the world’s first climate trial.

"Constitutional Pathways: A Legal Blueprint for Climate Justice,” in which Kelly Bachich Sheehan (L’24) and Kevin Kidayat (L’24) consider the potential of leveraging the silent spaces within the U.S. Constitution to advocate for redressing climate disruption.

"The Challenges of a Winning Climate Case,” where Jacob Ford Ridgeway (L’25) and Jisoo Kim (Visitor, ’24), address how the Constitution accommodates a right to a stable climate.

“Democratic Mobilization for Climate Justice in the Disinformation Age,” in which Alan James Hitchner (L’24) and Dohee Kim (Visitor, ’24), examine the 1st Amendment implications of misinformation about climate disruption.

“Charting A Path To Climate Rights,” where Rachel Neave (L’24) & Drew Mulcahy (L’24) shine light on the complex intersectionality between constitutional frameworks, legal strategies, and social movements in the fight for climate rights.

Exclamation Points – Climate Constitutionalism Conference, Climate Rights Seminar, and the End of Law School (!!!),” in which Sarah Kane reports on the breadth and depth of the works of 18 students enrolled in the Climate Rights Seminar at Delaware Law School during the Spring 2024.

Sarah Kane, a student in Professor May’s Climate Rights Seminar, spoke of her experience at the conference.

“Professor May’s Climate seminar encouraged me to think optimistically and emphatically outside the box while learning from text and engaging with climate rights scholars,” she said. “The energized room of students and scholars at the Climate Constitutionalism Conference, filled with hopeful, yet cautious, optimism and problem-solvers, made me eager to really begin my legal career.”

The dedication and innovative thinking demonstrated by Delaware Law School students at the Climate Constitutionalism Conference underscores their readiness to tackle global environmental challenges and contribute meaningfully to the evolving field of climate law.

Dignity in the Criminal Legal System: A Policy Guide for Advocacy and Reform

Professor Erin Daly’s exciting digitial book entitled "Dignity in the Criminal Legal System: A Policy Guide for Advocacy and Reform," was recently published. This free publication re-envisions the U.S. criminal legal system by emphasizing the inherent worth of every person.

Published by the law school’s Dignity Rights Clinic, the book explores how focusing on human dignity can transform the criminal justice system. It covers dignity law globally, identifies dignity violations, and offers practical advocacy points for reform.

Key features include detailed analyses of police encounters, pretrial detention, bail, sentencing, incarceration conditions, prison discipline, and re-entry. The book also discusses the treatment of youth in the adult system.

Over 20 students from the Dignity Rights Clinic contributed papers on various aspects of the criminal legal system, which Daly reviewed and revised into this comprehensive guide. Intended for policymakers and reform advocates, the book acknowledges the significant contributions of the students.

Power Player Award

Our distinguished alumnus, Jordan Strokovsky, was recently honored with the prestigious Power Player award at the Pennsylvania Legal Awards, organized by The Legal Intelligencer. This accolade recognizes Jordan’s remarkable influence, leadership, and impact in the legal profession.

Jordan, founder of Strokovsky LLC, has dedicated his career to representing catastrophically injured clients in complex cases, including medical malpractice, civil rights, and product liability. His tireless advocacy and integrity have led to significant verdicts, including a landmark $25.9 million medical malpractice verdict, one of the largest in Pennsylvania history.

Jordan graduated as valedictorian from our law school and further honed his skills with a Master of Laws in Trial Advocacy from Temple University Beasley School of Law. He has also served as co-chair of the State Civil Litigation Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association and now co-chairs the Civil Rules and Mentorship Committees. Additionally, Jordan contributes to legal education as an adjunct professor and seminar speaker for personal injury lawyers.

Jordan’s commitment to justice and excellence embodies the values we strive to instill at Delaware Law School.