The Red Velvet Lawyer

Annual Meeting of the International Association of Law Schools,  Al Mukhtasar Ballroom,  The Ritz Carlton, Doha  November 11, 2018  Panel 3: Emerging Voices in Law & Legal Education  * * *  Summary of Decolonising the Law Movement in Africa:  Emerging Voices in Law and Legal Education  * * *  Lethokwa Mpedi  Executive Dean, University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Law, South Africa  From colonization (the laws, rules and regulations; its cultures, customs and values) to decolonization (independence, apartheid, and reconolonization), Mpedi reflected on what people are teaching and its relevance to Africa’s location and social context. The key players are academics, students, judiciary, legislature, and civil society. Academics must ask who is teaching, what is being taught, why/how is it taught, and how is it assessed? Academics must also ask if they know/understand their students, ...

Getting Students to Think Like Baby Lawyers In lab this week, students conducted an interview of our client.  As I noted in my last posting , my good friend, Jessica, played the role of Fatma Alhamad, the co-owner of three gourmet chocolate shops in Qatar. She and her husband, Mohammed, want a competitor to quit using the same trade name, "The Chocolate Drops," and a similar trademark in his own chocolate shop business.  That's the basic outline of the simulation. To supplement these facts, I have provided students with memos either from me or the "senior associate" about the client, the alleged infringer, and the chocolate industry. With this background information, I required them to draft ten questions for the client.   The exercise helps students develop listening, note-taking, summarizing, strategic planning, and questioning skills.  The students in the male section met first with the client.  I was excited to see that mos...

"Extreme Reading Habits" This morning I read this article on the habits of some well-known people. They read about five hours a week.  Just to learn stuff. This transition to Qatar took a toll on my reading habits. Basically, I have been too tired to read at night.  Also, good books are hard to find here.  We have one book store and it mostly sells office supplies.  In addition, TV is just too easy an option. So, as part of my 2017 reset, I am committing to reading five hours a week.   This week, I finished the November/December issue of Foreign Affairs .  It focuses on the rise of populism, but it also had good articles on the leaders in Egypt and Turkey.  I am also about a third of the way through the fourth book in the Harry Potter series. This weekend, I started reading a book on the culture of Taiwan because I will be travelling there for the Chinese New Year later this month. Soon, I will start a book for my book club calle...