Joshua Fairfield Named Director of the Frances Lewis Law Center
Lexington, Virginia • March 2, 2009 -- Joshua A.T. Fairfield, associate professor of law at Washington and Lee University School of Law, has been named the next director of the Frances Lewis Law Center. He will begin his duties with the Center on July 1, 2009.

Law Professor Testifies on Indigent Defense before Congressional Committee
Lexington, Virginia • March 30, 2009 -- Erik Luna, professor of law at Washington and Lee School of Law, testified last week before a U.S. congressional subcommittee on a state's ability to provide legal services to indigent defendants.

W&L Study Assesses Rockbridge Area Poverty
Lexington, Virginia • March 28, 2009 -- Two Washington and Lee seniors, Melissa Caron and Chris Martin, conducted the Rockbridge Poverty Assessment 2008 to catalogue and assess existing efforts to meet the needs of underserved populations in the county and to propose potential solutions.

Lights Off for Earth Hour on Saturday
Lexington, Virginia • March 27, 2009 -- In response to a request from Washington and Lee’s Student Environmental Action League (SEAL), lights in Payne, Washington and Robinson Halls will be turned off between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28, in observance of Earth Hour.

Staniar Gallery Interns Mount Art Exhibit in Leyburn Library With Opening Reception
Lexington, Virginia • March 27, 2009 -- An opening reception on April 6 at 5 p.m. will celebrate a new exhibit of prints on display on the first floor of Leyburn Library on the campus of Washington and Lee University from April 1 to June 8.

W&L Senior Awarded Project for Peace
Lexington, Virginia • March 24, 2009 -- As far as Washington and Lee University senior Eduardo Rodriguez is concerned, communication is the key to peace. That basic premise underlies the proposal that won Rodriguez a $10,000 grant from the Kathryn Wasserman Davis 100 Projects for Peace program.

The Challenge of D.C. Representation: Opinion Piece by W&L's Mark Rush in Times-Dispatch
Lexington, Virginia • March 24, 2009 -- Mark Rush, the Robert G. Brown Professor of Law and Politics at Washington and Lee University, explores issues surrounding the efforts to gain voting rights of citizens of the District of Columbia in an opinion piece published by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

2009 Lewis F. Powell Jr. Lecture On a Supreme Court Advocate's Perspective
Lexington, Virginia • March 23, 2009 -- The Lewis F. Powell Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series will present the Seventh Annual Lewis F. Powell Jr. Lecture on Thursday, April 2, at 6 p.m. in Lee Chapel on the campus of Washington and Lee University. The event is free and open to the public.

W&L Law Symposium to Explore African Women’s Rights and Health Issues
Lexington, Virginia • March 24, 2009 -- Human rights scholars from around the world will gather at Washington and Lee University School of Law on Friday, April 3, for a symposium exploring women’s reproductive and sexual health as human rights on the African continent. W&L Law’s 2008-09 Scholar-in-Residence, Charles Ngwena, professor of health and human rights at the University of the Free State in South Africa, will chair the symposium.

Recipients of the 2009 Woolley Fellowships Announced
Lexington, Virginia • March 23, 2009 -- The Center for International Education (CIE) at Washington and Lee University has announced the recipients of the 2009 Woolley Fellowships, provided through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Paul Woolley in honor and memory of their son, Erik.

Government Bailouts Topic of Federalist Society Panel
Lexington, Virginia • March 20, 2009 -- Former presidential candidate Bob Barr will be among the participants for an upcoming panel discussion at Washington and Lee School of Law exploring government bailouts.

Applications to School of Law Buck National Trend, Up 29 Percent This Year
Lexington, Virginia • March 19, 2009 -- Law school applications are up nationally 4 percent, running lower than expected during an economic downturn. Washington and Lee School of Law is a notable exception, with applications up 29 percent over last year.

W&L's Sixth Annual Tom Wolfe Lecture/Seminar Features P.J. O'Rourke
Lexington, Virginia • March 19, 2009 -- The opening talk of Washington and Lee University's sixth annual Tom Wolfe Weekend Seminar will be given by political humorist and author P.J. O’Rourke on Friday, March 27, at 4 p.m. in Lee Chapel.

Death Penalty Topic of Law School Panel Discussion
Lexington, Virginia • March 19, 2009 -- Three criminal law scholars will discuss and debate death penalty issues at Washington and Lee University on Wednesday, March 25, from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. in Classroom A of the Law School.

Law Professor Expert Witness on Mutual Fund Case Headed to U.S. Supreme Court
Lexington, Virginia • March 18, 2009 -- Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Lyman Johnson has for the last three years served as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in a mutual case, Jones v. Harris, as it moved through the lower courts and is moving to the Supreme Court.

W&L Safety Officer Praised for Quick Action in Pi Phi Fire
Lexington, Virginia • March 19, 2009 -- Washington and Lee safety officer Jamie Brown spent the longest seven minutes of his career when he responded to the Phi Kappa Pi fire earlier this month.

School of Law Welcomes New Faculty for 2009-10 Academic Year
Lexington, Virginia • March 18, 2009 -- Washington and Lee University School of Law will welcome five new teachers to the permanent faculty for the upcoming academic year.

Professor Jeremy Sarkin to Give Public Lecture on Genocide
Lexington, Virginia • March 18, 2009 -- Professor Jeremy Sarkin, distinguished visiting professor of law at Hofstra University, will deliver a lecture at Washington and Lee University on Thursday, March 26, at 4 p.m. in Room 327, Huntley Hall.

Public Talk With American Playwright Lucy Thurber at W&L
Lexington, Virginia • March 17, 2009 -- Playwright Lucy Thurber will give a talk at Washington and Lee University on Friday, March 27, at 3:35 p.m. (H hour) in the Keller Theater of Lenfest Hall. It is free and open to the public.

Washington and Lee Welcomes New Members into Phi Beta Kappa; Renames Award for Retired Professor
Lexington, Virginia • March 16, 2009 -- When the Washington and Lee University chapter of Phi Beta Kappa inducted 47 members of the classes of 2008, 2009 and 2010 into the academic honor society on March 12, a former W&L faculty member was also recognized when the chapter's award for the top sophomore was named for J. Brown Goehring.

Stacy Doornbos Earns All-America Honors in Pentathlon
Lexington, Virginia • March 14, 2009 -- Stacy Doornbos, a Washington and Lee University senior, became the first Generals' athlete to win All-America honors in women's indoor track when she placed fourth in the pentathlon (3,390 total points) at the NCAA Division III finals on March 13.

John Montgomery to Speak about Business and Philanthropy at W&L
Lexington, Virginia • March 13, 2009 -- John Montgomery, founder and CEO of Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc., will present an address at Washington and Lee University on Thursday, March 19, at 7 p.m. in Northen Auditorium in the Leyburn Library.

Authors Explore the Vietnam War If Kennedy Had lived
Lexington, Virginia • March 13, 2009 -- James Blight and janet Lang, professors at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies, will give a talk about their new book, Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived, on Monday, March 23, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 345 of Washington and Lee University’s Elrod Commons. There will be a book signing after the lecture.

Fire Damages Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity
Lexington, Virginia • March 12, 2009 -- All residents of Washington and Lee University’s Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house were successfully evacuated this morning (Thursday, March 12) when a pre-dawn fire caused major damage to the building at 201 East Washington Street in Lexington.

Topic of W&L’s Annual Sexual Assault Summit is Peer Education and Bystander Intervention
Lexington, Virginia • March 11, 2009 -- Washington and Lee University will host its third annual Sexual Assault Summit on Friday and Saturday, March 27-28, in the John W. Elrod Commons on W&L’s campus in Lexington, Va.

Steven W. Squyres to Speak at Phi Beta Kappa Convocation
Lexington, Virginia • March 10, 2009 -- Steven W. Squyres, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University and the principal investigator of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Project, will be the speaker at the Phi Beta Kappa/Society of the Cincinnati Convocation on Thursday, March 12.

Philosopher Thomas Pogge to Addresses Issues of Poverty in W&L Lecture
Lexington, Virginia • March 9, 2009 -- Thomas W. Pogge, the Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs at Yale University, will present a lecture titled “Do the Global Poor have Human Rights?” at Washington and Lee University on Tuesday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. in Northen Auditorium of the James G. Leyburn Library.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to Speak at W&L on March 16
Lexington, Virginia • March 9, 2009 -- Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will speak as part of Washington and Lee University’s Contact series of speakers on Monday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Chapel. The program is free and open to the public.

W&L's Van Devender Awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
Lexington, Virginia • March 9, 2009 -- Washington and Lee senior soccer star Anne Van Devender has been awarded a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Postgraduate Scholarship. The award is a $7,500 scholarship for academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a full-time or part-time graduate student.

James F. Childress to Deliver Inaugural Johnson & Johnson Lecture
Lexington, Virginia • March 7, 2009 -- Dr. James F. Childress, Professor of Ethics and Medical Education at the University of Virginia, will deliver the inaugural lecture of the new Johnson & Johnson Law and Medicine Colloquium Series at the Washington and Lee School of Law. The topic of his remarks will be "Controversies about Human Dignity: Implications for Biotechnology."

W&L School of Law Receives $2 Million Gift for Third-Year Reform
Lexington, Virginia • March 7, 2009 -- The Washington and Lee School of Law has received a major financial boost with the announcement of a $2-million gift to support the efforts to change the way third-year students prepare for transition from law students to legal practitioners.

William Christenberry to Present Artist Talk at Washington and Lee
Lexington, Virginia • March 5, 2009 -- Artist William Christenberry , whose work is currently featured in exhibition in Washington and Lee University's Staniar Gallery, will present an Artist Talk at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, in the Concert Hall of Wilson Hall at W&L. The lecture is free and open to the public.

W&L Presents Speaker on Iconoclasm
Lexington, Virginia • March 5, 2009 -- James Simpson, the Douglas P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English at Harvard University, will give a public lecture on Monday, March 23, at 7 p.m. in Northen Auditorium in the Leyburn Library at Washington and Lee University.

Yale Law Professor Robert W. Gordon to Lecture at Ethics Institute
Lexington, Virginia • March 4, 2009 -- Robert W. Gordon, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and Legal History at Yale Law School, will deliver the keynote speech at Washington and Lee University’s Legal Ethics Institute on Friday, March 27, at 4:30 p.m. in Classroom A at the Washington and Lee University School of Law (Lewis Hall).