News

The Communication and Legal Reasoning Program brings several members of the Chicago legal community to the Law School in February and March. Don Wall, Counsel to the Circuit Executive, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit; U.S. Circuit Court Judge Diane Wood; and Lawrence Rosenthal, Deputy Corporation Counsel, City of Chicago Department of Law will speak to first-year law students at Northwestern about the various aspects of presenting appellate cases. Currently the presentations are open to only first-year students.

February 9
8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
Donald Wall, Counsel to the Circuit Executive, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Mr. Wall will address the structure of the U.S. appellate courts, including roles of its personnel; how a case processes through the court; the importance of the procedural rules; and practice tips about the procedural rules.

Mr. Wall has worked at the 7th Circuit for more than 14 years. In addition to his current position as Counsel to the Circuit Executive, he served as Senior Staff Attorney and previously as a law clerk. Mr. Wall's legal career also has included employment in the Corporation Counsel's Office for the City of Chicago, nonprofit legal services, and private practice. He is a 1977 graduate of Marquette Law School and a 1974 graduate of Carleton College. His professional appointments include being past Chair of the American Bar Association's Council of Appellate Staff Attorneys, and membership on the Seventh Circuit's Rules Advisory Committee.

February 15
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
The Honorable Diane P. Wood, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Judge Wood will speak about effective appellate brief writing and oral advocacy from a judicial perspective.

Judge Wood was appointed to the Seventh Circuit by President William Clinton on June 30, 1995. She attended the University of Texas for both college and law school, receiving her B.A. with highest honors and special honors in English in 1971, and her J.D. with high honors in 1975. Judge Wood then clerked for Judge Irving Goldberg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1975 term, and for Justice Harry A. Blackman of the United States Supreme Court, 1976 term. Her legal career has included private practice, serving as a federal government attorney, and teaching. In 1981, she was appointed to the University of Chicago Law School faculty, where she served as Associate Dean from 1989 through 1992. In 1990, she was named the Harold J. and Marion F. Green Chair in International Legal Studies. Among the many other highlights of her career, she has published and presented widely in the areas of antitrust law, international trade and business and federal civil procedure. Since joining the Court, she has continued to teach at The University of Chicago Law School as a Senior Lecturer.

March 1
8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
Lawrence Rosenthal, Deputy Corporation Counsel, City of Chicago Department of Law, Appeals and Constitutional Law Div.

Mr. Rosenthal will discuss effective appellate brief writing and oral advocacy from a lawyer's perspective and also will address his experiences as a law clerk and appellate practitioner.

Mr. Rosenthal has served in his current capacity as Deputy Corporation Counsel since 1990. From 1984-1990, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, doing both appellate and trial work. During 1983 and 1984, Mr. Rosenthal clerked for Justice John Paul Stevens. He was law clerk to U.S. District Judge Prentice H. Marshall from 1981-1983. Mr. Rosenthal was first in his class at Harvard Law School (1981) and Articles Editor of the Harvard Law Review, vol. 94. Mr. Rosenthal also was first in his 1978 graduating class from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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