Drake Law School once again earned a place on preLaw magazine’s list of “Best Law Schools for Practical Training.” Law schools were graded based on key offerings such as clinics, externships, simulation courses, and moot court participation. The annual rankings were featured in the Spring 2022 issue of the magazine.

“At Drake Law, we like to say that ‘practice makes professional,’” said Drake Law School Dean Jerry Anderson. “Practical training is key to ensuring that Drake Law students are ready to excel after graduation. In addition to an outstanding foundation in legal theory, students gain real-world experience through clinical programs, internships, and clerkships. At graduation, they have the skills and experiences they need to hit the ground running, making them strong candidates for many different employment opportunities.”

Drake Law School provides numerous experiential learning opportunities to students, beginning in their first year with two intra-school moot court competitions and the unique First-Year Trial Practicum. Drake is the only law school in the country where all first-year classes shift to a campus courtroom for a week, enabling students to view an actual state or federal trial. The Trial Practicum dissects every phase of a trial, from jury selection to verdict. Not only do students witness a trial, but they also have opportunities to discuss the proceedings with the presiding judge, lawyers and jurors.

Drake Law’s legal clinics give students the opportunity to build valuable professional experience by working with clients in real-world situations. Clinics include the Children’s Rights Clinic, Criminal Defense Clinic, General Civil Practice Clinic, Transactional/Entrepreneurial Clinic, Refugee Clinic, and Wrongful Convictions Clinic.

As the only law school in the capital city of Des Moines, Drake Law students have countless opportunities to participate in internships, externships, and clerkships. Students have served as legislative interns, drafted legislation, tried and won felony jury trials, interned for the Iowa Supreme Court, worked for government agencies and nonprofits, and more.

Drake Law students also develop practical skills in interschool competitions at the regional and national levels. The Law School sponsors nine Moot Court, Mock Trial, and skills teams, which annually are among the best in the nation.

“Many law schools like to say they teach students to think like a lawyer,” said Dean Jerry Anderson. “We teach them to be one.”

— Terri Howard, Law School

Drake University Law School announces that The Ones: Drake’s Campaign for the Brave & Bold has raised $11.8 million against the $20 million Law School goal. Gifts will enhance the Law School’s efforts to produce the next generation of outstanding Drake lawyers.

The Law School is celebrating several leadership gifts that will create new student scholarships, support clinical education, and establish an endowed professorship at the Law School.

“Thank you to the generous donors who have already contributed to the Law School through The Ones campaign,” said Drake Law Dean Jerry Anderson. “These resources are absolutely crucial to our ability to keep student debt down while continuing to offer the highest quality legal education in an ever-changing environment. Alumni support affirms the excellence of a Drake Law education.”

Leadership gifts to the Drake Law campaign so far include the following:

Sheldon (LW’75) and Terry Fleck (PH’74) have contributed $1 million to create the Sheldon T. and Terry K. Fleck Endowed Law Scholarship. The Fleck Scholar Program provides one renewable, full-tuition merit-based scholarship plus an annual stipend for an entering student each year. The Flecks have provided for two scholarships to be awarded in the inaugural year. In addition to the endowment, the Flecks intend to make annual contributions to fully fund this generous scholar program.

Karen Shaff, LW’79, and Steven Jayne, LW’78, have pledged $1 million to endow the Drake Law School Refugee Clinic. Through the Refugee Clinic, second- and third-year Drake Law students develop important lawyering skills while providing free legal services to individuals who are applying for asylum in the United States and other forms of humanitarian relief. Karen and Steve have previously endowed a scholarship fund at Drake Law.

Hon. Mark Wernick (LW’75) and Nancy Entwistle have made an estate gift commitment to endow the Law Opportunity scholarship fund, which provides scholarships to support students from underrepresented backgrounds.

A lead gift from McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC, has established an endowed faculty position, the Edmund J. Sease Faculty Research Scholar. This position will honor the contributions of Ed Sease, LA’64, LW’67, to the Law School’s Intellectual Property program. Mr. Sease practiced law for more than five decades with McKee, Voorhees & Sease, becoming one of the nation’s premier intellectual property attorneys. He has also served as a long-time adjunct professor at Drake Law School, and was instrumental in creating the Intellectual Property Law curriculum.

— Terri Howard, Law School

Drake University Law School is proud to announce this year’s alumni award honorees. David M. Erickson, LW’79, is Alumnus of the Year; Ann Naffier, LW’11, is Recent Alumna of the Year; and Nan Horvat, LW’81, receives the Alumni Distinguished Public Service Award. We will honor award winners at the 85^th annual Supreme Court Celebration Banquet on Saturday, April 2, 2022. Visit the Supreme Court Celebration events page for event and registration information.

Each year, alumni, faculty and staff are invited to nominate individuals for alumni awards. Law School Board of Counselors and Recent Alumni Engagement Board members consider all nominations and vote to determine who will receive the annual honors.

ALUMNI OF THE YEAR

The Alumni of the Year award recognizes Drake Law School alumni who have demonstrated outstanding service to the legal profession, the community, and the Law School.

 David M. Erickson is a senior shareholder with Dentons Davis Brown in Des Moines. David handles all areas of real estate law and represents individuals, business entities and lenders in real estate transactions. He also has an extensive debtor/creditor practice. David is a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Attorneys and American College of Mortgage Attorneys.

David served as a part-time magistrate judge in Polk County from 2009 to 2021. He served on several state and local boards, and as president of the nonprofit “Mentor Iowa,” which pairs adults with children in the juvenile justice system. In 2014, he received the Tidrick Honors Award for his commitment to the youth of Polk County.

David has been an active member of The Iowa State Bar Association, including as a member of the Title Standards Committee and the Real Estate Council. He serves as a member of the Grievance Committee of the Iowa Supreme Court District 5C, and previously served on the Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board.

David received his BA from Drake University in 1974 and his JD from Drake Law in 1979. He is a member of the Law School Board of Counselors, and has taught at the Law School as an adjunct professor. David has served as the program director and speaker for the annual Drake Law School Real Estate Transaction Seminar for the past 35 years.

RECENT ALUMNI OF THE YEAR

The Recent Alumni of the Year award recognizes Drake Law School alumni who have graduated in the past 15 years, have seen a high level of professional success early in their careers, and have made an impact on the community through public service.

Ann Naffier, LW’11, serves as the Managing Attorney and Co-Legal Director of Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice (Iowa MMJ). Iowa MMJ is a state-wide non-profit legal service and advocacy organization that provides free or low-cost immigration legal counsel and representation to low-income immigrants and their families in Iowa. It also advocates for the immigrant community in Iowa and for fair immigration laws and policies.

​​Ann was an attorney and Legal Director of Iowa Justice for Our Neighbors (Iowa JFON) for 7 years before JFON became a part of Iowa MMJ.  Before JFON, Ann was in private practice at the Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines, also practicing immigration law.

Ann graduated from Drake University Law School with highest honors in 2011.  Prior to law school, Ann practiced immigration law as a Board of Immigration Appeals Accredited Representative for almost 12 years with the American Friends Service Committee, a non-profit organization, in Des Moines. Before coming to Iowa, Ann lived in El Paso and Austin, Texas for 3 years, working with Central American refugees on the U.S.-Mexican border.

DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

The Distinguished Public Service Award recognizes Drake Law School alumni who have engaged in exemplary service to the community and demonstrated commitment to public service over the course of their careers.

Nan Horvat, LW’81, has dedicated her 40-year legal career to service with Polk County Attorney’s Office where she currently serves as Bureau Chief of the Major Offense. In that role, she prosecutes felonies including homicides, sexual assaults, and crimes against children.

Nan is a member of the Polk County and Iowa State Bar Associations and the Iowa College of Trial Lawyers. She is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) and currently serves on the ACTL Task Force on Advocacy in the 21st Century.

Nan received her JD from Drake Law School in 1981. She is a past-president of the Law School Board of Counselors, and served on the board from 1997-2003.

Throughout her career, Nan has hired and mentored Drake Law students through Polk County Attorney internships.

— Terri Howard, Law School

More than eight in 10 (80.4%) Drake University students voted in the 2020 General Election, according to a national study published by Tufts University. Drake student turnout exceeded the national average of 66%.

Drake student voter turnout increased almost 10% from the 2016 General Election, when 71.1% of Drake students voted. Drake also saw an increase in voter registration rates (from 88% in 2016 to 91.6% in 2020) and the voting rate of registered students (from 80.8% in 2016 to 87.7% in 2020).

Drake was just one of two participating schools to receive a Platinum Seal, meaning achievement of voting rate between 80–90%. Drake’s full report can be found here. 

Read the official press release. 

Learn more about voting and civic engagement efforts with the Office of Community Engaged Learning.

The Office of Community Engaged Learning is a department within the Academic Excellence & Student Success unit.

— Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning

Congratulations to our CBPA BUS-120 (Communication Leadership for Virtual Teams) student teams who participated in the University of Southern California-Marshall School of Business, Virtual Business Professional Project.

CBPA student Zack Gray and his team were selected as 3^rd place winners by our Google sponsor. Additionally, CBPA student Zach Drummond and his team were also selected to be one of the top three teams reviewed by our SpaceX sponsor. Additional CBPA students participating in this project were Sophia Dehl, Chaz Hancock, Hunter James, Mike Lopez, and Jacob Richard.

VBP project coordinators placed each of our CBPA students on a virtual, globally-distributed team comprised of 4–5 other students selected from 28 countries. In all, 85 teams participated in the VBP project’s consulting challenge—to analyze the social media branding of one of three corporate sponsors—Google, Netflix, and SpaceX. In recognition of their hard work, students who completed the project received a digital badge that may be shared on their favorite social media feeds.

— Lynn McCool, College of Business & Public Administration

The Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA) was started over 40 years ago to provide financial support to promote and advance the field of behavior analysis. The three primary manners by which SABA achieves this are (a) supporting students, (b) globally promoting the science, and (c) providing a platform of recognition for our most impactful and inspiring leaders.

2022 SABA Awards
Each year, SABA recognizes five distinguished individuals or institutions of our field by honoring them and their impact with awards. The opening ceremony of the 2022 Association for Behavior Analysis International convention in Boston will recognize and celebrate these outstanding individuals and institutions and their accomplishments:

Deisy de Souza for Distinguished Service
Steve Higgins for Scientific Translation
Vincent Carbone for International Dissemination
Martha Hübner for Effective Presentation in Mass Media
Drake University for Enduring Programmatic Contributions

We congratulate each of these awardees for their sustained energy and efforts in promoting the field of behavior analysis. Read SABA’s full announcement.

— Maria Valdovinos, Professor of Psychology

Drake Law School is pleased to announce that Mark Kende, Director of the congressionally endowed Constitutional Law Center, James Madison Chair in Constitutional Law, and Professor of Law, has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF). Membership is limited to just one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Members are nominated by their peers and selected by the ABF Board.

The ABF Fellows is a global honorary society that recognizes attorneys, judges, law faculty and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of their communities. ABF Fellows hail from nearly 40 countries and hold a wide variety of influential roles.

Mark Kende has served as chair of the Association of American Law Schools sections on African Law, Comparative Law, and Constitutional Law. He is also a former Fulbright Senior Scholar, and was a Visiting Professor at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Kende’s areas of expertise focus on Constitutional Law, Comparative Constitutionalism, Civil Rights, and Cyberlaw. He has authored: Constitutional Rights in Two Worlds, South Africa and the United States (Cambridge University 2009) and Comparative Constitutional Law: South African Cases and Materials in a Global Context (Carolina Academic Press, 2015).

Notable Fellows include former Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Ruth Bader-Ginsberg, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, former United States Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

— Terri Howard, Law School