Longest discusses new law allowing billboard owners to cut publicly owned trees
Environmental Law and Policy Clinic Director Ryke Longest says clinic client Scenic North Carolina is "considering all legal options, including possibly challenging the rules and the constitutionality of the statute itself.” » Asheville Citizen-Times

SJD candidate appointed as IP adviser in Brazilian congress
Pedro Paranaguá is appointed as adviser to Brazilian House leaders for matters related to IP, digital media, cybercrime, and telecommunications.

Bowling comments on proposed labor law revisions for high-tech workers
Senior Lecturing Fellow Dan Bowling says proposed changes seem "necessary to keep a competitive posture and keep jobs in the United States." » Charlotte Observer

Professionals offered career advice during two-day symposium
Tenth annual ESQ symposium brought in alumni to offer advice and answer questions across a broad spectrum of career-related topics.

Lange discusses how freedom of speech applies to the press
In this podcast, Prof. David Lange asks whether freedom of speech means something different from freedom of the press, and examines whether or not new media has made this question more complex. » Suffolk University IP Law Podcast Series

Siegel paper on tax power gets high recommendation
Prof. Neil Siegel and co-author offer distinction between taxes and penalties relevant to pending health care case. » Legal Theory Blog

Beale discusses restorative justice
Prof. Sara Beale discusses how the concept of restorative justice focuses more on redressing wrongs than on punishment. » What is restorative justice?

Sarah Boyce and Chris Ford take the Dean’s Cup
3L teammates prevailed in argument against 2L classmates Oscar Shine – named best oralist – and Phil Aubart.

Frey '85 takes helm of Law and Entrepreneurship LLM program
Kip A. Frey brings entrepreneurial and academic experience to Duke’s Law and Entrepreneurship LLM (LLMLE) program.

What's next for anti-SOPA movement?
An essayist suggests that critics of the current copyright regime have evolved, and might continue to move, in a direction suggested by Prof. James Boyle in a 1997 essay. » Salon

Baxter comments on call to break up B of A
A public interest group says regulators have the power to break up Bank of America for being "too big to fail," a move Prof. Lawrence Baxter calls a stress test of the Dodd Frank financial regulations. » Banking Law Prof Blog

Longest comments on rule change allowing clear cutting for billboards
Senior Lecturing Fellow Ryke Longest directs the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, which is representing a client opposing the new rules. » News & Observer

Charles to brief U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on Feb. 3
Prof. Guy Charles will discuss enforcement of the Voting Rights Act with the bipartisan agency. » NEWS.GNOM.ES

Zelenak comments on Romney's tax returns
Prof. Lawrence Zelenak says "it's kind of remarkable under current law that an extremely wealthy couple like the Romneys don't have to do anything very aggressive at all in order to get their average tax rate down to around 15 percent." » NPR: All Things Considered

Purdy: A productive debate about the economy requires focus on details
Prof. Jedediah Purdy says talking about "the market" is meaningless without specifics. » Huffington Post

Rai assesses top IP law issues for 2012
Prof. Arti Rai comments on some of the issues that could bring major changes in U.S. intellectual property law in 2012. » Intellectual Property Watch. Subscription required.

Coleman, Clotfelter discuss "How Big Time Sports Ate College Life"
Prof. James Coleman and Prof. Charles Clotfelter assess the cultural and academic impact of major college sports on educational institutions. » New York Times

Boyle comments on possible ramifications of SOPA legislation
Efforts to curb online piracy could lead to "the Tower of Babel introduced into IP addresses,” says Prof. James Boyle. » The American Prospect

Supreme Court rules on Death Row case in which DeMott filed amica brief
The Court ruled for an Alabama inmate based, in part, on agency principles, which were the subject of an amica brief filed by Prof. Deborah DeMott. See video. » Bloomberg

Swiss Ambassador Sager ’85 to address global economic crisis at alumni event
Manuel Sager ’85, the ambassador of Switzerland to the United States, will address Duke Law alumni, faculty and guests at the Third Annual Duke Law School International Alumni and Student Dinner.

Bradshaw '57 was successful in practice, politics
Robert Bradshaw founded one of Charlotte's biggest law firms and helped transform the N.C. GOP. » Charlotte Observer

Coleman says system, public enable wrongful convictions
Prof. James Coleman calls on the public to more strongly condemn misconduct leading to wrongful convictions. » Durham Herald-Sun

Schmalbeck discusses estate tax
Prof. Richard Schmalbeck talked about options for taxing inherited wealth during a panel discussion at the American Association of Law Schools conference. » TaxProf Blog

Levi lauds ordinary acts that build extraordinary democracy
Dean David Levi says Chief Judge John Roll, shot and killed one year ago as he stood in line to see Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was "as much on the job as he was when he wore his robe in the courtroom during the regular work week." » National Law Journal

Purdy: Applying personal morality to political and financial institutions is a fruitless endeavor
The morality of personal choices is "at the heart of a lot of important issues, but not this one," says Prof. Jedediah Purdy. "We need to talk about whether the rules are just." » Huffington Post

Wintersession classes focus on practical skills
Top practitioners joined faculty to help students prepare for the profession during Duke Law School’s second annual four-day Wintersession.

Richman comments on Supreme Court's "ministerial exception" ruling
Prof. Barak Richman co-authored an amicus brief in the employment-discrimination case that was the subject of the Court's Jan. 11 ruling. » Chronicle of Higher Education

Gulati says debt investors are delaying deal that could help Greek economy
“If you own a bond that matures in March and it is January, then you have every incentive to delay,” says Prof. Mitu Gulati. » New York Times

Bradley discusses war crimes at AALS panel
Prof. Curtis Bradley debated Congress's power to designate material support of terrorism as a war crime during a panel discussion at the American Association of Law Schools conference. » Lawfare

Coleman says opposition mischaracterizes Racial Justice Act
Attempts to undo the RJA are really about polarizing voters, says Prof. James Coleman. » Yes! Weekly

Purdy examines connections between food movement, climate change
"We should unlock our own utopian imagination to think about living well for the future on the planet we have made," says Prof. Jedediah Purdy. "The cultural change around food is a modest but important reminder that we can." » Huffington Post

Spring Regulatory Governance seminar cited for novel, cross-disciplinary approach
Seminar taught by Prof. Jonathan Wiener and Duke historian Edward Balleisen includes readings from sociology, political science, economics, cognitive psychology, history, and law. » Chronicle of Higher Education

Cox comments on SEC policy change
The SEC's new rule appears to be "a small step forward in addressing the concerns" about settlements, says Prof. James Cox. » New York Times

Fine '11 awarded prestigious fellowship to advocate for children
Lauren Fine was awarded a two-year Zubrow Fellowship in Children’s Law by the Juvenile Law Center.

Carrington says NC voters don't want judgeships for sale
Prof. Paul Carrington calls for judicial election reform. » Winston-Salem Journal

Faculty for Judicial Studies program continues to expand
Linda Greenhouse, John Jeffries among guest lecturers for the inaugural term of the Master of Laws in Judicial Studies program.

Mootz '86 named dean of McGeorge School of Law
Francis "Jay" Mootz has been appointed the next dean of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. » University of the Pacific

Jenkins '97: Rich public domain benefits art, innovation
Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain, writes about repeated extension of copyright laws, which prevent any works published in the US from entering public domain until 2019. » Huffington Post

Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain commemorates Public Domain Day
CSPD celebrates the day when many noteworthy European works enter the public domain, and examines efforts to reform U.S. laws that ensure no work published under U.S. copyright will enter the public domain in 2012. » Public Domain Day 2012

Jenkins '97 discusses balancing intellectual property rights and the public domain
Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain, talks about the works that would be entering the public domain were it not for increasingly prohibitive copyright laws. » Durham Herald-Sun

Gulati co-authors paper on Greek debt crisis
A new paper co-authored by Prof. Mitu Gulati assesses the possibility of private sector involvement in Greek debt restructuring. » Wall Street Journal

Clotfelter looks at obstacles to college sports reform
"History suggests that the prospects for fundamental reform are not bright," writes Prof. Charles Clotfelter » Des Moines Register