Akron, Ohio, April 13, 2009 - Professor Nancy Rogers from the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University will visit The University of Akron School of Law on Thursday, April 23 at 4 p.m. as part of the Joseph G. Miller and William C. Becker Center for Professional Responsibility Speaker Series. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place at the UA School of Law, 150 University Ave., Room 152. A reception will immediately follow.
Her presentation, "We're Not Yesterday's Coffee: The Most Rewarding Aspects of Being a Lawyer," will address lawyers weighing in on the ways Americans could more constructively engage with each other about matters of difference. Recent examples include Attorney General Eric Holder's speech on conversations about race and Ohio State Bar Association President Gary Leppla's statements concerning campaign rhetoric about legal practice. Rogers will ask, "If we, as lawyers, are ready to offer our expertise, voice and leadership on these issues, what are some opportunities that we could seize?"
Rogers served as Ohio Attorney General from May 28, 2008 to Jan. 6, 2009, when she re-joined the OSU law faculty. She was dean of the OSU Moritz College of Law from 2001-08. Just prior to that, she served two years as OSU's vice provost for academic administration. Rogers was president of the American Association of Law Schools in 2007.
Rogers received her bachelor's degree with highest distinction from the University of Kansas and her law degree from Yale Law School. After law school, she served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Lambros and practiced law at the Cleveland Legal Aid Society.
She began teaching at the OSU College of Law in 1976; served as associate dean for academic affairs from 1992-97 and was appointed to an endowed professorship as the Joseph S. Platt-Porter Wright Morris & Arthur Professor of Law in 1995. She was visiting professor of law at Harvard Law School in spring 2000. In 2001 she was named the Michael E. Moritz Chair in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Her co-authored treatise on mediation received the CPR Legal Program Book Prize in 1989 and her co-authored short text on mediation received the same national prize in 1987.
Rogers had a gubernatorial appointment as one of Ohio's five commissioners on the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Laws from 1998-2005, and was reporter for the Conference's Uniform Mediation Law. She was a member of the AALS Executive Committee from 2001-04 and 2006-08. She served on the planning committee for the ABA Seminar for New Law Deans from 2002-07, chairing it for two years. From 1993-2003, she served on the board of the Legal Services Corporation, a presidential appointment that requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
The University of Akron School of Law promotes justice, the protection of individual liberty and the rule of law through commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. The law school features a nationally-recognized program in intellectual property, as well as one of four Constitutional Law Centers in the United States. To learn more, visit www.uakron.edu/law.
The University of Akron is the public research university for Northern Ohio. It is the only public university in Ohio with a science and engineering program ranked in the top five nationally by U.S. News & World Report. Serving 26,000 students, the university offers approximately 300 associate, bachelor's, master's, doctoral and law degree programs and 100 certificate programs at sites in Summit, Wayne, Medina and Holmes counties. For more information, visit www.uakron.edu.