Code,999048
Subject,"Geoffrey Mearns, Dean of Cleveland Marshall College of Law"
Date,6/16/2008
Interviewer,Erin Bell
Abstract,"Geoffrey Mearns, the Dean of Cleveland Marshall College of Law and Louise Mooney, the communications coordinator stitch together the past, present, and future of Cleveland's public school of law. Mearns, explains what is on the horizon for the law school in terms of community engagement. Mooney provides the history of the law school and how that history has affected the schools present. The Marshall College of Law excels in providing a diverse, well-rounded, and accessible law education for students of all backgrounds. As a public law school community engagement is at the centerfold. The Cleveland Marshall College of Law attempts to mirror the ever changing Cleveland community in order to better service the people.  "
Tags:,"Cleveland marshall college of law, Cleveland state university, architecture, law, women, minorities, ethnicity, african-americans, education, lawyers"
Special Notes:,At minute 7 the phone rings. Louise Mooney also answers many of the questions presented in the interview. 
minutes:,
0,"Erin Bell introduces the interview. Geoffrey Mearns, Dean Marshall College of Law. Louise Mooney, the Communications Coordinator. Mearns started as Dean in 2005. Before federal prosecutor then went into private practice. "
1,"He was asked assist on the second Oklahoma Bomber case, 1997. The case was challenging, rewarding, and memorable. "
2,He believes that the US has not learned from combating domestic terrorism. Affects how US combats international terrorism. Before 2001 the biggest threat was domestic terrorism. 
3,Lists some of the terrorist organizations that operate inside the US. Mentions the devastation of the Oklahoma City Bombing.
4,Oklahoma City defendents differences in treatment in comparison to international terrorists. 
5,Failed to learn lessons from domestic terrorism in relation to international terrorism. Hired as Dean because of his past work. 
6,He is from the Cleveland. Fortunate to be at Marshall because of the schools relationship to the Greater Cleveland community. 
7,Explains what he hopes to do as Dean. 
8,The Marshall School of Law is a successor school of the merger of two night law schools. Then the school joined CSU. The schools history. 
9,"Founded to make legal education accessible to all people. Served first generation college students, racially/ethnically diverse, and first school  in Ohio to admit women."
10,The first law schools were in storefronts and office buildings. Mooney provides history of the first schools. 
11,Mooney continues to provide the history of the first schools. They networked at bars. 
12,Hangouts that lawyers and judges frequented. Bar post-work networking is not as important today as it was in the past. Affiliations with other universities. 
13,John Marshall school of Law founded in 1960. Affiliation/break with Baldwin Wallace discussion. 
14,Second affiliation with Baldwin Wallace ended badly. Mooney explains why. Bust of John Marshall by a famous sculpture. 
15,The bust was hidden by students when John Marshall and Baldwin Wallace divorced. International law field becoming a prominent concentration at the school. 
16,Mention of certain staff members and their affiliation with international law. 
17,Mention of certain staff members and their affiliation with international law. Hopes to expand international law to reflect the community. 
18,Affiliation with law schools internationally. Lists the international programs. Informal exchanges of faculty and students. 
19,The process behind appointing a Dean. At CSU the President and faculty appoint the Dean.
20,Law faculty works with other disciplines. 
21,"Wanted to keep the law school at the Justice Center, rather than be located on the CSU campus. "
22,"Explains the close relationship with the practicing community in Cleveland, regardless of being located on CSU campus. "
23,Jones Day Firm moved out of the Public Square area which was the main location of law firms. 
24,"Law firms locations in Cleveland, depends on real estate market. Concentration of law firms remained in the central city with moderate spread east/west. "
25,Law school building has had two renovations since first built in 1970. 
26,The architecture of the law building and the CSU campus. Built during an era that turned the campus away from the community. 
27,Renovations have tried to mirror the mission of the university which is accessibility. 
28,Newer vs. older architecture. More attractive and open. Protest is really innovative thinking. 
29,The university today is more inviting and open to the community. Trying to nurture new talent. Prince Charles dedication of law school building. 
30,"During the ceremony to dedicate the building, students and community members protested Prince Charles. Students were not allowed at the ceremony."
31,"One student in attendance, editor of the school paper. The student shouted out during the ceremony. The student was detained following the outburst and was charged. "
32,The student today is running an environmental organization in Lorain County. Mention of the passing of distinguished alumni Tim Russert. 
33,"Discussion of distinguished alumni. One alumni went on to run a big business, Thomas Properties. Also many are judges. "
34,Louis Stokes and Carl Stokes were alumni. First woman to serve on a federal bench was a graduate. Graduates work in all 50 states. 
35,The training received in law school is an interdisciplinary education. Applicable to all fields. 
36,Tim Russert played a role in the debate coming to CSU in 2008. Discussion of the debate location's choice. 
37,"The law school does not have quotas on admissions, but actively try to seek people that will bring diversity to the school. "
38,Effort in the 1970s there was effort to recruit students from the south. 
39,Mention of the Legal Careers Opportunities Program. 1970s there was a focus of higher education in the south. 
40,In 1972 the dean of the college resigned and explanation is given as to why. 
41,The Dean was the President's choice not the law schools. He was succeeded by a military man. 
42,Wilson Stapleton retired just before the turmoil of the 1970s. Speculates hard to measure up to the golden years of Stapleton. 
43,Affiliation with civic organizations like at the City Club. Faculty has connections with the City Club and other Cleveland community organizations. Need to give back to the community. 
44,"Active pro bono program. Sending students all over the US. Not required of students, but emphasized. "
45,"Student Journal, The Gable. Best law school student newspaper in the country, received this distinction twice. "
46,In an alumni newsletter there was a mention of Marshall Law. The feeling Mearns got from seeing Marshall cited in another schools alumni news. 
47,Rated top 20 in technologically advanced law libraries in the country. Distinguishing feature of the library is the quality of service. Staffs commitment to public service. 
48,Discussion of which segments of the public come to do research in the library. Explains why they come. 
49,"Mention of Judge Capers, researching in the library. Dressed like going to church on Sunday. Mention of NPR interviewing a couple that represented themselves. "
50,Continued discussion of the NPR interview. The couple did much of their research at Marshall Law. 
51,The issue of the couples case explained. Digital law incorporated in the school. Intellectual property law emerging field.
52,Emerging fields include international and intellectual property law. Health law programming expanding. 
53,"The challenge of law schools is program concentration. Need a variety of offerings, but still have a niche. "
54,Law schools develop a character/reputation. Mearns believes those reputations are often times inaccurate. 
55,Marshall law has a reputation of preparing well-rounded students. Students come out with the skills to be leaders in the community. Commitment to serve the community. 
56,"Remember the Ladies, law exhibit described. "
57,The challenges of the Remember the Ladies exhibit. 
58,The women graduates were overwhelmingly suffragists. Graduated women for 23 years before they could actually vote. 
59,"Women could represent people in the court of law, but could not vote for the judge. Lists some of the women highlighted in the Remember the Ladies video. "
60,She mentions the people that assisted on the project. 
61,Many women became law librarians because they could not get into the field. Mention of some remarkable women in the field of law. 
62,Some women set up firms with their husbands or went straight into community organizations. 
63,The accomplishments of women Marshall graduates. Setting up a women's bank. 
64,Wyatt Brownly is the oldest living graduate from Florida. The interview abruptly ends.