UPDATE: The election winners were announced on Friday, March 15. Madeline Baker was elected SBA President; Nick Ahadzadeh as SBA Vice President; Elizabeth Dimaano and Tri Luu as 3L Reps; Harrison Bodourian, Dominic DeMarco, Valeria Loayza, and Stephanie Acheampong as 2L Reps; Dimple Chauhan as ABA Representative; and Tandis Taghavi and Parsa Nozzari as Commentary Editors-in-Chief. Students interested in filling a vacant position, such as SBA Treasurer, Administrator, or SDCBA or FBA Representative, can apply to be appointed to a position for 2019-2020. More details to come.

Vote for next year’s Student Bar Association (SBA) members on Friday, March 15 via an email sent out by SBA! Voting is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please note that The Commentary,  a program of SBA, does not endorse any particular candidates. All candidates were given an equal opportunity to submit materials to The Commentary.

Continue reading “SBA elections corner — Vote 3/15/19!”

By Nick Ahadzadeh and Varun Sabharwal

Professor Roberta Thyfault needs no introduction, but she’s a legendary appellate attorney and one of the best legal writing professors at California Western School of Law. She may seem reserved at first glance, but very quickly she smiles and puts you right at ease.

Professors like Thyfault may expect a lot from us as students, but we should be grateful for these types of academic challenges. With perseverance and determination, we can gain a lot from the experience and effectiveness that these professors exemplify on a regular basis. Coming from a student’s perspective, we’re sure that all of the students who had Professor Thyfault thought about this when making their decision to vote for her.

Professor Thyfault would like to thank all of the students, whether current or past, for the privilege of being able to teach them over the past two decades.

In an exclusive interview with The Commentary, Thyfault shared her thoughts about being named Legal Writing Professor of the Year at Barrister’s Ball on March 2. 

Continue reading “Q&A: Legal Writing Professor of the Year Roberta Thyfault”

• 

• 

Pro Bono and Public Service Week kicked off Tuesday, Jan. 29 with the annual PILF (Public Interest Law Foundation) Auction. Professors and staff auctioned off items and events. Items included law-themed artwork, a spa gift set, and $50 gift cards to Macy’s and Sephora’s. Professor-hosted activities included a group baking session with Prof. Catherine Hardee, surfing lessons with Prof. Tim Casey, and a BBQ with Profs. Lisa Black and Ken Klein.

Continue reading “PILF auction raises $3K”

By Michelle Kellogg, Moot Court Honors Board President

Moot Court Honors Board (MCHB) is extremely proud to announce the Distinguished Advocate Award recipients from this year’s 1L Gafford Trial Skills Competition.

On February 2, 36 1L students competed in the Gafford competition. All competitors were asked to present an opening or closing argument for a fictional criminal trial. Thirteen students advanced to the final round, in which they presented their same opening or closing argument in front of a jury of their peers.

The top three competitors were Kelsey Hamlett (first place), Varun Sabharwal (second place), and Alec Rogers (third place).

Continue reading “Gafford competition shows 1L talents”