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Cleveland State University College of Law Announces the 2026 Hall of Fame Class

Fall Prospective Student Open House: The Journey to Justice

Join us at the Cleveland State University College of Law for an in-depth look at the CSU|LAW student experience and learn how CSU|LAW will help you achieve your career goals. There will be many opportunities to speak with students and faculty and get all of your questions answered. Learn about next steps in the admissions process, meet students over lunch, participate in a real law class and tour our beautiful facility.

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2026 Hall of Fame Honorees

Meet the 2026 CSU|LAW Hall of Fame Class

On Friday, November 6, CSU Law will welcome its 2026 Hall of Fame class, honoring alumni and friends whose leadership and service have shaped the law school, the legal profession, and Northeast Ohio. This year’s class includes a pioneer who opened doors in two professions, a groundbreaking judge, a private equity general counsel, a celebrated trial lawyer, a civic leader, and a rising star in criminal defense.

Book Roundtable: Adventures and Misadventures in International Justice (by Professor Michael Scharf)

Please join us for a lively book talk with Professor Michael Scharf, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, as he shares insights from his memoir, Adventures and Misadventures in International Justice (Carolina Academic Press 2026). Through engaging stories from his career, Professor Scharf explores the real-world challenges of international law—where diplomacy, ethics, and unexpected twists often collide.

AI & the Attorney-Client Privilege: A Dawn of a New Era?

In recent months, as courts wrestle with the new realities of use (and misuse) of AI in legal proceedings, a new claim began to emerge: The information gathered by AI search is protected under the Attorney-Client Privilege (ACP) or the Attorney-Work Product doctrine. Several courts arrived at different results, and the future is far from clear. Several experts with diverse backgrounds in legal ethics, technology, and their intersection will discuss the new developments and their implications for future use.

Imaginal Cell Finds a New Home at CSU Law

On October 8, CSU Law held a ribbon cutting for Imaginal Cell, a sculpture by exoneree and artist Dean Gillispie that is now permanently installed with the Terry Gilbert Wrongful Conviction Clinic. The piece previously stood in the Garden of Hope in Chagrin Falls and was relocated after Chagrin Arts closed earlier this year.

The sculpture carries forty-four butterflies, each engraved with the name of an exonerated Ohioan and the number of years that person spent in prison for a crime they did not commit. New names will be added each fall as more Ohioans are exonerated, making the piece a living record rather than a static memorial.

Alumnus Steve Potash Keynotes IP+ Conference

CSU Law’s annual IP+ Conference on October 2 brought practitioners, in-house counsel, investors, and students together for a full day on where intellectual property law is heading.

The keynote came from one of our own. Steve Potash, Founder and Chairman of OverDrive, traced his path from CSU Law graduate and practicing lawyer to startup founder. He discussed digital library innovation and licensing, artificial intelligence and IP, OverDrive’s trademark dispute with OpenAI over the Sora name, pending legislation, and what founders and their counsel should take from the experience.

Four panels filled out the day:

Tompkins Center Launches Leadership Lunch ’n Learn Series

The P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership and Law Center launched its new Leadership Lunch ’n Learn series in September with “Leading Without a Title: Preparation, Initiative & Leading by Example.”

Three of the Center’s Leaders-in-Residence, Judge Ronald B. Adrine ’73, Kim Bixenstine, and Carter Strang ’84, joined CSU Law students for a candid conversation about what leadership looks like long before anyone hands you a formal title. The discussion covered taking initiative, building credibility and trust, navigating difficult situations, learning from experience, and recognizing the opportunities to lead that come up throughout a legal career.

Baby Doe Screening Brings Law, Film, and Nursing Together

On September 24, CSU Law’s Center for Health Law & Policy and Criminal Justice Center partnered with Cleveland State’s School of Film & Media Arts to host a screening of Baby Doe in the Moot Courtroom.

The documentary tells the story of Gail Ritchey, who grew up in a conservative Christian community in rural Ohio and, thirty years ago, gave birth alone and left her newborn in the woods. Now a mother of three, she saw her life upended when DNA evidence tied her to the decades-old “Geauga’s Child” case, leaving her facing a possible life sentence.

A panel drawn from across campus and beyond followed the film, examining the intersection of criminal law, reproductive rights, and maternal mental health:

MLS Student Tony Mansoor Named to Cleveland’s Cybersecurity Leadership Bench

Tony Mansoor, a student in CSU Law’s Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Master of Legal Studies program, was named to CISO Whisperer’s “Cleveland’s Cybersecurity Leadership Bench,” a September feature on the security chiefs protecting the region’s hospitals, universities, utilities, manufacturers, and financial institutions. He appears alongside security leaders from Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University, FirstEnergy, and Parker Hannifin.