This Special Edition of the Monday Morning Message is called CSU|LAW Faculty/Staff Focus. We are very fortunate to have outstanding full-time, adjunct, and emeritus faculty, leaders-in-residence, and staff. I am pleased to share regular updates on their excellent scholarship,presentations, teaching, and service.
Faculty
- Professor Steven Chien was invited by the Clarke Program in East Asian Law and Culture at Cornell Law School to give a talk on Taiwan's citizen judges. Professor Chien discussed the role of Taiwanese prosecutors working within trial units, filling a gap in current literature by illuminating the dramatic changes in Taiwan’s criminal trials, specifically the fundamental reshaping of the prosecutor’s role and institutional culture. On October 4th, the Taiwan Taichung District Prosecutors Office invited Professor Chien for a special visit. He first met with Chief Prosecutor Chang Jie-Qin, where they exchanged views on the practical application of the Citizen Judges Act, prosecutorial ethics, and comparative legal systems between the United States and Taiwan. Following the meeting, Professor Chien participated in a seminar titled “Prosecutorial Work under the Citizen Judges Act.” During this session, he shared his extensive observations of U.S. judicial practices and provided insights on various topics, including prosecutor training in the U.S., prosecutors’ courtroom performance in jury trials, and sentencing investigations. Accompanied by prosecutors of the “Citizen Judges Group,” Professor Chien visited the Taichung District Court to observe a Citizen Judge case, where he gained firsthand experience of the intense adversarial exchanges between prosecution and defense in the courtroom.
- Professor Laura Hoffman presented as a panelist at the Oklahoma Law Review 2024 Symposium focusing on innovation and healthcare at the University of Oklahoma College of Law on Friday, October 4th. The Oklahoma Law Review will publish Professor Hoffman’s upcoming article, “Putting the ‘Social’ Into Social Determinants of Health: Why Policymaking for Improving Health Must Tackle Social Isolation and Loneliness", in which she challenges policymakers at all levels to make addressing social isolation and loneliness a priority due to the significant impact on health.
- Professor Doron Kalir was invited to speak at Kent State University about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The presentation - invited by KSU Jewish Faculty, Staff, and Friends Association, KSU Hillel, and KSU Students Supporting Israel (SSI) - discussed the law of war, the Geneva Convention and its application to the conflict, and the recent decisions by the ICJ. It also presented several viewpoints - both supporting and opposing several claims made by Israel and the Palestinians in international forums. He also gave a similar presentation as part of the Jewish Studies Program of Siegal Lifelong Learning at Case Western Reserve University. The lecture, entitled "What's New(s) in Israel," included a two-hour review of Israel's latest expansion of the War to Lebanon, and the likely geo-political and humanitarian law implications of that incursion. On October 10, 2024, the CSU College of Law, in partnership with Freedom to Learn Advocates (FTLA), hosted an all-day conference entitled "Banned Books and Libraries Under Attack: The Fight for Intellectual Freedom in Our Communities." The event was generously sponsored by CSU Law Alumnus, and CEO of OverDrive, Steve Potash ‘78. Professor Kalir moderated a panel entitled “Legal Advocates Resisting Book Bans: The Courts and Legislation.”
- Professor Christa Laser presented on the main stage at MAICON about legal issues in artificial intelligence for marketing professionals. She also created a series of YouTube videos about patent prior art in the 3D printer space and the Stratasys v. Bambu Lab lawsuit, which has reached over 10k views. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Professor Laser interviewed author Orly Lobel about her book The Equality Machine, regarding the use of AI for good, on her YouTube channel. Professor Laser appeared on 3D Musketeers on YouTube to discuss a 3D printer patent lawsuit.
- Professor Karin Mika was appointed to peer editor for the Legal Communication and Rhetoric Journal (JALWD). She also was appointed to LWI Institutional Memory Project – an effort to ensure the history of the discipline of Legal Writing is made available online. Additionally, Professor Mika presented at two events: (1) the Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference, held in Indianapolis, Indiana from July 17th-20th. Her topic was, "Adapting Legal Writing Education for the Online Environment: Challenges, Innovations, and Lessons.” The presentation discussed how Legal Writing can be taught online, the potential international outreach of online JD programs, and how American law schools with online JD programs must be attuned to the needs (including shifting time zones and even politics) of any students that may be entering an online program. The second presentation was at the Western Regional Legal Writing Conference, held in Seattle, Washington from Sept. 13th-24th. Her topic was, "From Peripheral to Pivotal: The Role of Legal Writing in the Modern Law School Misson." The presentation discussed how the importance of Legal Writing and skills teaching has changed during the past four decades and discussed how Legal Writing necessarily takes a central role in developing material for online JD programs.
- Associate Dean Brian Ray and Adjunct Professor Spence Witten represented the CSU Law Center for Cybersecurity & Privacy Protection at the Greater Cleveland Partnership's (GCP) annual Best of Tech Event. The Center is one of GCP's Tech Network Leaders and participated in the inaugural Tech Network Showcase. The event also featured CSU Law Alumnus Steve Potash ’78, President and CEO of OverDrive in the Tech Unicorn Conversation. Capitol Forum reporter Ethan Ehrenhaft interviewed Professor Ray for his recently published article discussing the risks posed by adtech companies in a recent report by the Federal Trade Commission and how they apply to other data brokers, including Zeta Global. Professor Ray also discussed “reasonable” security at the Ohio Cyber Range Institute Conference.
- Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson spoke as part of the luncheon plenary program at the Ohio Public Interest Environmental Law Conference at The Ohio State University in Columbus on September 19, 2025. The conference was co-hosted by the Ohio Environmental Council and the Environmental Professionals Network. The plenary program was entitled "The Role of Judges in Environmental Law and the Procedure of Standing." Professor Robertson testified at an Ohio Power Siting Board hearing pertaining to the proposed Frasier Solar energy development project. The hearing concerned whether the OPSB should grant Frasier a Certificate of Public Necessity and Convenience, a necessary precursor to obtaining a permit to construct the facility. To prepare Professor Robertson for testimony, Environmental Law Fellow Mark Bank, a second-year law student, worked through all of the citizen testimony from three separate public hearings on this matter. They sorted all of the citizen comments made in opposition to the project into four categories – those that were contrary to fact, those for which the concerns were mitigated through permit conditions or applicant concessions, those that were statements of opinion, and those for which the record neither supported nor disproved the statement. The purpose was to determine whether the citizen concerns amounted to "prominent, one-sided, and compelling opposition to the project – the OPSB's stated standard for denying the requested certificate. They found that although comments in opposition outnumber comments in support of the project by more than a 2 to 1 margin, only a few of the comments were not factually incorrect, mitigated, or statements of opinion. Professor Robertson and Mark Bank conducted this research in cooperation with the Ohio Environmental Council and Robertson's testimony supported the OEC's efforts to assist Frasier Solar's effort to increase Ohio's solar energy production capacity.
Professor Milena Sterio participated as an expert and presenter at the International Humanitarian Law Roundtable in Chautauqua, New York, from August 25-27. Professor Sterio delivered introductory remarks to the Katherine B. Fite lecture. In addition, Professor Sterio moderated a discussion group on the topic of "Crimes Against Children." The International Humanitarian Law Roundtable is a prestigious conference which has been taking place every year since 2007 in Chautauqua, New York; the conference assembles academics in International Criminal Law as well as prosecutors from various international criminal tribunals. Professor Sterio delivered an online lecture for Salem State University on the topic of "The International Criminal Court and the Application for Arrest Warrants Against Named Hamas and Israeli Leaders" on September 23. Professor Sterio's lecture was hosted by Salem State University's Center on Holocaust and Genocide studies. The next day she presented at a conference at Case Western Reserve University School of Law on "The Geneva Conventions at 75: Need for Innovation." On September 26 at a Workshop on Teaching International Humanitarian Law, organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Professor Sterio presented on the topic of incorporating international humanitarian law into her international law courses.
Professor Sterio participated as a guest expert in the Lawyering Peace Hot Takes podcast in an episode that focused on “The Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (2011): Justice on Hold.” The episode is available for streaming here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lawyering-peace-hot-takes/id1755218391?i=1000670435677 Professor Sterio moderated a webinar on the topic of "Gender Parity on the International Court of Justice Bench" on October 14. The webinar was sponsored by the American Branch of the International Law Association and co-sponsored by the Women in International Law Interest Group at the American Society of International Law. The webinar focused on the lack of gender parity among judges at the International Court of Justice, as well as on ideas as to how to achieve more gender parity at the court in the future. The webinar recording is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khTN94N-ZHk Professor Sterio presented at the Centre for the Study of United Nations O.P. Jindal Global University's (India) Second Int’l Roundtable on Advancing Global Justice. The theme of the Roundtable was Strengthening Legal Frameworks In Response to Conflicts, and Professor Sterio presented on a panel on Global Governance Reform: Proposals for Strengthening International Law. Professor Sterio discussed the ongoing Rohingya crisis and the relative lack of accountability for Myanmar leaders, as well as the International Criminal Court's inability to prosecute the crime of aggression in Ukraine, as examples of limits of international institutions.
- Professor Mark Sundahl was a guest on the October 4th episode of John Quinn’s podcast Law Disrupted, where he discussed the many fascinating issues that have emerged in an era of accelerated space activity. From orbital tourism and mega constellations to lunar mining and the militarization of Earth’s orbits, the wide-ranging conversation is the epitome of “law disrupted.”
Dean Lee Fisher spoke on September 18 at a Constitution Day program, Ensuring Trusted Elections and Civics for Ohioans, sponsored by CSU Law, the ABA Task Force for American Democracy, the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (CMBA), and University of Cincinnati College of Law. The program focused on election issues and how they affect democracy and civic engagement as a vehicle to address misinformation and disinformation. On September 20, Dean Fisher spoke at the 50+ YearLCOP Celebration and Reunion to celebrate the CSU Law Legal Career Opportunities Program (LCOP), a groundbreaking program, established in 1972, that admits students whose applications, when viewed in their entirety, have demonstrated strong academic ability, perseverance, and promise for success, but whose standardized test score does not reflect their great potential. On October 1, Dean Fisher moderated a panel discussion, Campus Free Speech: What it Means, What it Doesn't Mean, and Why it Matters. The panelists were CSU Law Professor Kevin O’Neill, Sonali Wilson, CSU Vice President/General Counsel & CSU|LAW Leader-in- Residence, and CSU Distinguished Professor of Communications Richard Perloff.
On October 8, Dean Fisher, Chair of the Leadership Section of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS), moderated a panel discussion, Leadership for Equity Amid Political Turbulence. The panelists were Kellye Testy, AALS Executive Director & CEO, Heather Gerken, Dean and Professor of Law, Yale Law School, and Tamara Lawson, Dean and Professor of Law, University of Washington School of Law. On October 1o, Dean Fisher spoke at a conference at CSU Law, Banned Books and Libraries Under Attack: The Fight for Intellectual Freedom It was a first-of-its kind national conference addressing the surge in book banning and the defense of First Amendment rights. Steve Potash ’78, President and CEO of OverDrive, Member, CSU|LAW Hall of Fame, and Katrice Williams ’23, Legal Director, Freedom to Learn Advocates, spoke at the conference and were instrumental in organizing the conference. On October 16, Dean Fisher had a 90-minute public conversation with former U.S. Senator Rob Portman, Conversation with Former U.S. Senator Rob Portman: Richard Pogue Leadership Conversation Series. The series was made possible by Dick Pogue, Member, CSU Law Board of Visitors Executive Committee; Member, CSU|LAW Hall of Fame. In 2010 then Congressman Rob Portman and Dean Fisher were the respective Republican and Democratic nominees for the U.S. Senate. Congressman Portman won the election, and Senator Portman and Dean Fisher discussed that election campaign and the need for bipartisanship, civility, and open and inclusive dialogue not only in American politics but in society at large. On October 25, Dean Fisher spoke at The University of Tennessee College of Law symposium on Leadership in Law and Lawyering: Institute for Professional Leadership - 2024 Symposium - University of Tennessee College of Law.
Leaders-in-Residence
- Sonali Wilson, CSU General Counsel and CSU|LAW Leader-in-Residence was named one of Crain’s Cleveland Business’ Notable Black Leaders. Ms. Wilson, Professor Kevin O’Neill, and CSU Professor Richard Perloff participated in a panel discussion entitled, Campus Free Speech – What it Means, What it Doesn’t Mean and Why it Matters. Dean Lee Fisher moderated the discussion.
Emeriti Faculty
- Professor Emeritus David Barnhizer started a Substack blog in July. He has posted over 40 analyses during that time. The issues covered are wide ranging and include Rule of Law, immigration, university education, K-12 education, Artificial Intelligence and the impact on society, job elimination and AI, speech suppression and Orwellian tactics to control what we say and even think, the evolving "Age Curse" in terms of how we cope with the incredible expense of assisting an aging society as birth rates decline and social costs escalate. Additionally, Professor Barnhizer has appeared in over 25 podcasts across the US, UK, Canada and Costa Rica discussing his book, Conformity Collegespublished by Skyhorse.
- Professor Emeritus David Forte provided three lectures to the summer seminar of the James Wilson Institute in Alexandria, VA: “The Moral Place of the Positive Law;” “Speech and the American Campus;” and “John Marshall and the American Regime.” He also served as a panelist at Michigan State University Law School reviewing recent Supreme Court decisions. Professor Forte participated in a debate with Professor Jonathan Weinberg at Wayne State University Law School on “The Moral Command of Originalism.” Finally, he provided the Constitution Day speech to the Republican Club of Cuyahoga County entitled, “When Federalism is a Danger.” Professor Forte was appointed financial secretary of the Knights of Columbus Council #733.
- Professor Emeritus Brian Glassman taught a five-week course at Case Western Reserve University / Siegal Lifelong Learning from September – October 2024: “The Other Side of the (Art) World: Thefts, Fakes, and Forgeries.”
- Dean Emeritus & Professor Emeritus Steven H. Steinglass was quoted in an article in the Christian Science Monitor on Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor and her efforts to get Ohio voters to approve an anti-gerrymandering constitutional amendment. Link here.
Adjunct Faculty
- Adjunct Faculty and Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge John J. Russo ‘92 has been sworn-in for a two-year term, beginning October 1, as Chair of the Ohio Judicial Conference (OJC). The OJC is a statutory agency within the judicial branch of Ohio government, charged with the responsibility to engage all of the state’s 722 judges. Judge Russo will help lead the work of committees that are active in areas of judicial ethics, public confidence, and community outreach.
Clinic Directors/Staff Attorneys
- Laura Greig, Director of the Terry Gilbert Wrongful Conviction Clinic was featured in Cleveland State Magazine. The article noted that, as part of our Criminal Justice Center, the new Clinic will provide legal assistance to incarcerated individuals convicted of a felony in Ohio with claims of actual innocence or manifest injustice.
Staff
- Assistant Dean for Student Success, Nick De Santis, has accepted a nomination to serve on the Board of Advisors for the University of Pittsburgh School of Law's innovative Fostering Resilience and Engagement in Law Students project. The goal of this initiative is to develop a dynamic program of research and practice that promotes adaptive mindsets in law students—encouraging them to view difficulties as challenges they can overcome, rather than as fixed or discouraging reflections of their worth—while addressing their evolving social and academic needs.
Affiliate
- Professor Eric Tucker co-authored, “When Education Isn’t Enough: The Compliance Model of Labour Standards Enforcement in Canada’s Federally Regulated Private Sector” (forthcoming, Canadian Labour and Employment Law Journal). He also presented a paper on the labour law legacy of Bora Laskin at a conference, Founders and Shapers of Labour Law: National and Transnational Perspectives, at the Max Planck Institute of Legal Theory and Legal History in Frankfurt, Germany, Sept 3-4, 2024.
Have a great day. Have a great week.
The views and opinions expressed in my Monday Morning Message are solely my own and do not reflect the views and opinions of the law school or the university.
For copies of past messages, please go to this link: Monday Morning Messages
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My best,
Lee
Lee Fisher
Dean, Cleveland State University College of Law
Joseph C. Hostetler-BakerHostetler Chair in Law
1801 Euclid Avenue, LB 138 |Cleveland, Ohio 44115 -2214
216-386-8688 | lee.fishernull@csuohio.nulledu