The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers has presented Professor JaneAnne Murray with a presidential commendation for her “commitment to ensuring justice and due process for all” as a leader with two NACDL clemency efforts: Clemency Project 2014, an initiative spearheaded by the Obama administration, and the recently launched NACDL/FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) State Clemency Project. Also honored was Marjorie J. Peerce, co-managing partner with Ballard Spahr, a New York firm that recently merged with Minneapolis-based Lindquist & Vennum.

Clinical Professor Brad Clary (’75) has been appointed to serve on the Accreditation Committee of the American Bar Association’s Council on Legal Education, the official U.S. Department of Education-approved accrediting agency for the nation’s law schools.

At 9 a.m. on Aug. 28, the members of the J.D. class of 2020 gathered in Mondale Hall for the start of their University of Minnesota Law School orientation. The next four days would be a whirlwind: welcoming speeches from Dean Garry W. Jenkins and other leaders, meet-and-greet moments, section assignments and meetings, no less than three legal writing sessions, insights from professors, introductions to the Law Library and Career Center, a group photo, an ice cream social, mock classes, working lunches, the Great Law School Scavenger Hunt, and much more.

Professor Joan S. Howland, the Roger F. Noreen Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Information Technology, has been elected to a three year term as a delegate to the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, the policy-making body of the organization.

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has appointed Shan C. Wang (’02) to serve as a district judge in the state’s 7th Judicial District, which encompasses Becker, Benton, Clay, Douglas, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns, Todd, and Wadena Counties. In making the appointment, Dayton praised Wang for the “diverse professional and volunteer experience he will bring to this important role.”