For Immediate Release
August 16, 2007
Contact:
Christi Fish
cfish@wilkinguge.com
(909) 390-1239 ext. 105
ULV College of Law Professor Develops Jordan’s First Moot Court Competition
Ontario, Calif., August 16, 2007 – Former dean of University of La Verne College of Law Professor Charles Doskow has recently returned from a three-month stint in Amman, Jordan, where he played a major role in developing the “First Annual Jordan Commercial Law Moot Court Competition.”
While in Jordan, Professor Doskow served as a legal education consultant for the American Bar Association (ABA)’s Rule of Law Initiative, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“Professor Doskow has vast knowledge on the subject of legal education, and his commitment to service is to be commended,” said Dean Donald Dunn of ULV College of Law. “A moot court program is a valuable resource that allows law students to further develop their practical advocacy skills, and we have every expectation Jordan’s Minister of Higher Education will continue to nurture the program Professor Doskow has put in place.”
“A moot court competition provides excellent practical skills training for the students who participate,” said Professor Doskow. “As moot court participants, students must conduct significant research and analysis to master legal principles. They must master the art of oral argument, including proper preparation for argument and strategies for responding to questions from the bench.”
Developed over a period of only several weeks, the Jordan ABA competition was modeled after the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria. To develop the program, Professor Doskow prepared an edited version of a legal problem concerning the United Nations’ Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), drafted the competition’s rules, provided instructions and materials to students and conducted training sessions at universities prior to the competition, held at the Palace of Justice in Amman.
In addition, Doskow prepared summaries of the arguments, drafted bench memoranda and conducted instructional meetings for the judges and bailiffs participating in the competition.
Four teams representing the three law schools with which the American Bar Association has agreements competed in Jordan’s inaugural moot court competition: the University of Jordan (Amman), Philadelphia University and Yarmouk University. The team from the last won.
Aside from developing the moot court competition, Professor Doskow’s visit abroad included a meeting with Jordan’s Minister of Higher Education, the preparation of materials for and teaching of legal ethics practicum courses and presentations on teaching techniques, negotiation and common law torts at various Jordanian universities.
A 28-year veteran of ULV College of Law, Professor Charles Doskow has been instrumental in the law school’s growth, serving as its dean from 1980 to 1985 and witnessing first-hand its receipt of provisional ABA accreditation in 2006. A past president of the San Bernardino County Bar Association, the Western San Bernardino County Bar Association and the Inland Empire Chapter of the Inland Bar Association, Doskow continues to serve the regional legal community as a frequent CLE lecturer, a columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal and San Francisco Daily Journal, and as a legal commentator on public radio. He currently teaches constitutional law, insurance law and professional responsibility.
Those seeking additional information about Professor Doskow’s service in Jordan can contact him directly at (909) 460-2041 or at Dosklaw@aol.com. For general information about the American Bar Association’s CEELI Rule of Law Initiative, visit its Web site.
About the University Of La Verne College of Law
Located in Ontario, Calif., University of La Verne College of Law serves over 3.8 million people as the only ABA-accredited law school in Inland Southern California and an additional 2.2 million people in San Gabriel Valley and Eastern Los Angeles County. Applications are accepted year round. For more information about the College of Law, please call (909) 460-2001 or visit the Web at http://law.ulv.edu.
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The University of La Verne College of Law was provisionally approved by the American Bar Association on February 13, 2006.
