Temple Law National Trial Team from left: Madison Smith, Steven Armstrong, Marco Granston and Taylor Edwards.
Temple Law’s National Trial Team dazzled at the 2024 Premiere Mock Trial Competition, winning all ballots in each of the four rounds and finishing as champions. The victorious team members — all 2Ls — included Steven Armstrong, Taylor Edwards, Marco Granston, and Madison Smith.
Edwards and Smith were named “Best Advocates” in a field of fierce competitors. Their skill and dedication caught the attention of coaches from across the competition, who also recognized Temple as having the best coaches and judges, thanks to the outstanding feedback and guidance provided by Timmy Miller ‘23, now at Blank Rome, and Professor Jules Epstein.
Reflecting on the competition, Steven Armstrong shared, “It was an incredibly rewarding weekend! So much work was put into this tournament, and we wanted to represent Temple proudly, and I think we did that.”
Marco Granston highlighted the dedication of the entire team, stating, “This weekend was the culmination of many hours spent preparing. It was truly a team effort, and I could not be more proud of my fellow team members and coaches.”
For Taylor Edwards, the competition marked an exciting milestone: “This weekend was an amazing first competition, and I am truly grateful for all of the incredible work done by my coaches and especially my wonderful teammates. Onwards and upwards!”
Coach Timmy Miller praised the team’s success, noting, “Our Premiere team’s success is a testament to Temple’s dedication to training practice-ready attorneys. Even though it was their first competition, each student displayed strong advocacy skills, confidence in the courtroom, and a high level of professionalism—all of which led to their well-deserved victory.”
With this victory, Temple Law’s team has shown not only their skills in the courtroom but also the strength of a supportive, collaborative environment, setting a strong foundation for future competitions and courtroom success.
Temple University Beasley School of Law’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) has received a $50,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue to expand its services and assist more low-income individuals facing state tax issues. This funding, part of a $150,000 initiative supporting clinics at Temple, the University of Pittsburgh, and Villanova, will allow Temple’s LITC to provide pro bono legal representation and guidance on matters such as audits, appeals, and tax collection issues.
Under the direction of Professor Omeed Firouzi, the clinic aims to help clients address state income tax liabilities, navigate collection alternatives, and advocate for those impacted by worker misclassification.
“This new partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue is an incredibly exciting opportunity for our clinic to more dedicatedly focus on state tax controversy issues,” Professor Firouzi said. “For so many clients, state income tax liabilities can be burdensome but with the assistance of a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, taxpayers can engage proactively to deal with these issues. This funding will allow us to deeply dive into programs, collection alternatives, and other avenues for relief for our clients who find themselves dealing with the Department of Revenue.
The Temple Law LITC offers free legal help to low-income individuals dealing with tax issues involving the IRS or Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, with students assisting clients in navigating complex tax processes, including negotiating settlements and filing appeals to reduce or eliminate tax debt. For clients facing collection challenges, such as levies or garnishments, the LITC explores relief options like installment plans and offers in compromise.
“This funding is crucial because not only will it allow taxpayers to seek counsel in resolving state tax matters, but it will give students the opportunity to learn more about state tax controversies, see how tax debt can affect individuals in a range of ways, and also help clients even more to reduce their financial burdens,” Professor Firouzi said.
Abena Ampofo, a 2025 J.D. candidate, shared her perspective as a student advocate in the clinic during the Spring 2024 semester. “I enrolled as a student advocate in Temple’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, helping Philadelphia’s lower-income citizens with their federal tax issues,” she explained. “While an advocate, I was assigned a client who, at first glance, only had federal tax issues. However, during our representation, we learned that he had recently become unemployed and had not paid any taxes to Pennsylvania the year before. Knowing the tax deadline was approaching, we worked to replicate the federal process on the state side to give him some reprieve from instantly paying his taxes while he got back on his feet. Because the clinic had been primarily focused on federal instead of state taxes, I had to do a lot of research under [Professor Firouzi’s] supervision to ensure that the process was accurate.”
Now in her final year of law school, Ampofo credits her clinic experience for solidifying her commitment to tax law and developing key skills in negotiation, counseling, and advocacy.
“The funding for the Temple LITC to also work on state tax issues is long overdue. As a state with a tax system and many processes that require support from knowledgeable personnel, the funding will help taxpayers significantly,” Ampofo said. “Law students will also improve our knowledge as we learn the intricacies of Pennsylvania income tax law.”
This grant strengthens Temple’s commitment to providing real-world training for students while serving Pennsylvania’s vulnerable populations. By partnering with the Pennsylvania Office of Taxpayers’ Rights Advocate, the Temple LITC will further the mission of supporting equitable access to the tax system.
Temple Law School is proud to welcome the incoming 2024 class—a dynamic group of students embodying academic excellence, diversity, and a broad range of backgrounds. With 220 students enrolled, the class includes 189 in the Day Division and 31 in the Evening Division, bringing together a mix of fresh perspectives and seasoned experience. Consistent with the law school’s commitment to inclusive excellence, 38% of the students are students of color, while 3% identify beyond traditional gender categories. Women make up 54% of the cohort, and men represent 43%.
The 2024 class hails from 28 states and 9 countries, bringing with them a wide array of perspectives, with 67 different majors spanning the humanities, science, business, and the arts. Notably, 15 of these students have demonstrated significant leadership experience through service in the military, Americorps, Teach for America, and the Peace Corps. Additionally, nearly 20% come from families where neither parent graduated college, a testament to Temple Law’s dedication to supporting first-generation students.
The academic credentials of the incoming students are the highest in recent history, with a median GPA of 3.67 and an LSAT median of 163. Reflecting the varied pathways into legal education, 11% of the class holds advanced degrees, enriching Temple’s classrooms with perspectives shaped by prior expertise and advanced study. With experiential learning as a cornerstone of the Temple Law experience, students have access to over 25 clinical courses and unique practicums, as well as numerous international study opportunities, including programs in Japan, Italy, China, Ireland, and other global hubs.
Temple Law continues to offer a breadth of curricular options, from dual-degree programs like J.D./M.B.A. and J.D./M.P.H. to certifications in Business Law and Trial Advocacy. Additionally, specialized centers and institutes, including the Sheller Center for Social Justice and the Institute for Law, Innovation & Technology, provide students with the tools and platforms to make significant contributions both locally and internationally.
As Temple Law’s 2024 class embarks on their legal education journey, they bring with them a commitment to justice, a dedication to academic and ethical rigor, and a passion for making a meaningful impact in the legal field and beyond.
Temple Law School proudly congratulates the newest generation of Temple lawyers, as 148 graduates have passed the July 2024 Pennsylvania bar examination. As in past years, the bar will admit more Temple graduates than those from any other law school. Temple’s 90.57% pass rate for first-time test takers is the school’s highest in 11 years.
“Temple Law’s highest strategic priority is student success. These results affirm that commitment,” said Dean Rachel Rebouché. “They also reflect the hard work, talent, and determination of our graduates, and we are excited to see what they will accomplish next as the newest generation of Temple lawyers.”
The development of a comprehensive bar prep curriculum includes doctrinal review sessions and information about test-taking strategies and the bar exam’s structure. In an email to faculty, Dean Rebouché thanked the many faculty members and senior administrators who worked together to ensure students are ready and well-prepared.
The Temple Law Alumni Association held a swearing-in ceremony for successful Temple graduates on October 17, 2024. Temple faculty and alumni were present to congratulate the new lawyers and welcome them to the Pennsylvania bar.
From left: Stephanie Terinoni, Cara Costanzo, and Jen Hance.
Student-advocates in Temple Law’s Federal Appellate Litigation Clinic have won an appeal in prisoners’ rights litigation before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Don Arrington, Cara Costanzo, Jen Hance, and Stephanie Terinoni – now graduates in the Class of 2024 – represented William Webb, who is incarcerated in Delaware’s James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, under the supervision of Professor Mary Levy and Jessica Rickabaugh of the Tucker Law Group. All four students agreed that representing Mr. Webb through the Federal Appellate Litigation Clinic was the highlight of their law school career.
“This was by far my favorite experience of law school and was truly an amazing way to end my law school career,” said Stephanie Terinoni, now a tax associate at Blank Rome LLP. “Getting to represent a real client and give him a voice, when he felt like he didn’t have one, was so rewarding. I also learned so much about the appellate advocacy process that is tough to teach in a traditional classroom setting.”
Don Arrington, judicial law clerk in the New Jersey court system.
Don Arrington, now a judicial law clerk in the New Jersey court system, came to Temple to pursue appellate advocacy. He emphasized the opportunity to experience the appellate process in-depth: “This was the best experience of my time at law school. Getting to represent a client and work on real issues at the Third Circuit taught me so much. I learned about the appellate process of lawyering – how to look through the record for issues, how to narrow and focus my research, and how to draft, edit, and redraft an appellate brief. My writing and research skills greatly improved through my work on Mr. Webb’s case.”
At issue was whether the client, Mr. Webb, had done everything in his power to comply with prison processes and court procedure in litigation over his right to visitation from his daughter, which implicated potential First and Fourteenth Amendment claims. The clinic students, Professor Levy, and Counselor Rickabaugh served as court-appointed counsel and were thanked by the Court for “ably representing Mr. Webb.” “This was an extraordinary team of student-advocates,” said Professor Levy. “They were meticulous in their research, zealous in their advocacy, and compassionate with their client. They each embraced their individual responsibilities and grew as lawyers through their work together. I’m extremely proud of them.”
Jen Hance, now an associate in Stradley Ronon’s Investment Management group, reflected on the opportunity to balance individual and collaborative work product. “The clinic was absolutely the most hands-on experience that I got in law school and really showed the experience of litigating in the Third Circuit, working with a client directly, and being responsible for your own work product. It was also one of the only group-work experiences in law school, which I think is more realistic to working in practice with teams of other lawyers,” she said. “The team was such an amazing resource. Everyone brought different strengths to the table. I learned so much from working with them, and from working with Professor Levy and Jess.”
Terinoni agreed. “Collaborating with my peers, Professor Levy, and Jess was one of my favorite parts of the entire process. Getting to hear how others think about a concept or argument and working through any disagreements only made our legal arguments stronger for the client. Professor Levy and Jess were excellent supervisors, as they would ask questions in response to our findings to make sure we were not missing anything along the way.” Arrington added, “I learned a lot from my colleagues, from different writing and editing techniques, and just different ways to think about legal issues. It was incredibly helpful to have so many brilliant minds working on the case. Our work was so much better because of it.”
Now at Cozen O’Connor, Cara Costanzo reflected on how the clinic has prepared her for practice. “My involvement in the clinic allowed me to develop practical skills that I have already used in my time as a new lawyer, especially with respect to brief writing …. The clinic gave me confidence in my ability to overcome steep learning curves, to produce persuasive, thorough briefs, and to vigorously advocate for my clients. As a lawyer just starting out, when I am assigned an unfamiliar task and I begin to question my abilities, I remind myself that this team successfully handled an appeal with no prior appellate experience.”
“The clinic brought everything from law school into reality, and it really highlighted the privilege and responsibility that comes with being a lawyer,” added Hance. “It’s a real privilege to have access to a high level of education, and to have this job. It comes with a responsibility to give back to the community for people that don’t have the same access and opportunity. It definitely made me more passionate about continuing pro bono work throughout my career.”
In addition to hands-on experience in appellate advocacy, the students gained perspective that will shape who they are as lawyers. “I just really learned a lot about my own research and writing process – what works, and what doesn’t,” said Arrington. “And I learned a lot about how much the law is stacked up against people who are in prisons and jails, and how much the law is skewed against prisoners and poor people – how large of an uphill battle they have to fight to get justice.”
“The work was worthwhile because it allowed our client to know he had a team in his corner,” said Costanzo. “Being able to advocate for changes to prison litigation procedures that enable clearer access to the courts was really rewarding. The clinic educated me on the many obstacles unrepresented individuals face in our legal system and instilled in me a commitment to pro bono representation.”
Terinoni agreed. “One of my big takeaways throughout this entire process is sometimes fighting for a client is a win in itself. Mr. Webb was so grateful to have the clinic take on his appeal because we cared. To me, that was a win before the case was even decided. But, the win at the Third Circuit made the first win even sweeter.”
The second cohort of Duffy Fellows recently completed their public interest internships, gaining invaluable experience in various public defender offices, legal aid organizations, and government agencies. These internships, which add tremendously to the Fellows’ legal education, reflect the commitment of Temple Law School to fostering access to opportunity, hands-on practical experience, and a dedication to public service.
Established by Tom Duffy ’81, founder of The Duffy Firm, the Duffy Fellowship was initially launched in 2012 at the Legal Clinic for the Disabled. Recognizing the importance of supporting future public interest lawyers, Duffy expanded the fellowship in 2023 through a generous gift to Temple Law. This expansion enables more students to pursue public interest work, reinforcing the law school’s mission to provide students with the tools they need to effect meaningful change in their communities.
“It has always been my mission to help the disadvantaged in Philadelphia and the surrounding region, so it is truly an honor to see how many people benefit from the work of these important public service agencies,” Duffy said. “It is also a joy to see how these summer roles provide students with such a powerful professional experience. I am so proud of this partnership between The Duffy Firm and Temple Law.”
Carlene Buccino, 3L, spent her summer interning with the Federal Public Defender in Maryland, where she had the opportunity to represent clients facing serious federal charges. Reflecting on her experience, Buccino shared, “I grew up in Baltimore City and hope to return after I graduate, so this was a dream internship for me. The attorneys and staff in the office were wonderful.” Her work there included extensive research and writing, giving her insight into the differences between federal and state legal practices.
Temple Law has long been committed to offering students robust experiential learning opportunities, and Buccino is no exception. Her journey includes internships at public defense offices and participation in the Defender Association of Philadelphia clinic, all of which have equipped her with the skills necessary to pursue a career in public defense.
“Temple Law has a proud tradition of preparing students for public interest work, but for many students, financial barriers put this career path out of reach,” said Dean Rachel Rebouché. “We’re deeply grateful to Tom Duffy and the Duffy Firm for helping students to overcome those barriers as Duffy Fellows. I know their service will make us proud.”
Assistant Dean Jim Walsh of the Office of Career Services praised the Duffy Fellows program, noting its impact on students and the broader Temple Law community. “Financial obstacles continue to create challenges for students pursuing a career in public interest law, but through Tom Duffy’s gift, we have been able to enhance our students’ legal education and support cohorts of 2L students over the last two years to gain meaningful practical experience that is the hallmark of a Temple Law legal education,” Walsh said. “Mr. Duffy’s work has created a proven model to help us continue to vault our students into careers of impact and substance.”
Buccino’s internship provided her with the opportunity to represent clients in court, a milestone in her legal education. “This was the first time I got to represent clients myself and speak on the record in court,” she said. “I got two clients’ charges dismissed and they were released from jail, which was the best feeling ever.”
Despite the rewarding nature of public interest work, Buccino acknowledges the role of financial considerations. “Public interest jobs are competitive,” she noted, “and at the same time, a 10-week unpaid internship is a financial challenge.” The Duffy Fellowship alleviated some of this burden, allowing Buccino to focus on her internship and spend quality time with family and friends in Baltimore.
For many law students from low-income backgrounds, the pressure to pursue high-paying corporate jobs is significant. Drew Perkoski, another Duffy Fellow who spent his summer with Mobilization for Justice, echoed this sentiment: “Most law students from poor communities are pushed towards high-paying corporate jobs, as if the only reason we’re here is to get a leg up. The Duffy Fellowship let me spend my 2L summer working with low-income clients, like I came to law school to do.”
“At Mobilization for Justice, I worked with individual tenants and tenant groups facing eviction,” Perkoski said. “These tenants lived in public housing, rent stabilized buildings, and assisted living facilities. Our work keeps people in communities they have spent decades in by keeping them in the affordable apartments they already live in.”
Their experience underscores the importance of the Duffy Fellowship in sustaining public interest careers.
“Funding like the Duffy Fellowship can help bridge the gap and proves that a public interest career is not only rewarding, but also financially possible,” Buccino said.
The 2024 EE&CJ Fellows from left to right: Maggie O’Connor, 3L, Bertilio Correa, 3L, and Su Ly, 2L.
Empowering Advocates for Environmental, Energy, and Climate Justice at Temple Law
Climate disruption. Toxic chemicals. Ecosystem degradation. These are not abstract challenges but pressing realities that disproportionately impact poor and marginalized communities. Lawyers working in Environmental, Energy, and Climate Justice (EE&CJ) advocate for legal responses to these issues, and Temple Law is at the forefront of preparing the next generation of advocates. At Temple, students delve into the roles that local, federal, and international law play in addressing environmental injustices—from local battles over cleaning up legacy contamination and creating green spaces to fostering resilience in overburdened communities, and to understanding how federal policies can both promote and hinder the clean energy transition.
The EE&CJ Fellowship program at Temple Law plays a critical role in expanding this work. Fellows collaborate with affiliated faculty to support event planning, content creation, communications, and program development. The Fellowship also offers students an invaluable opportunity to connect theory with practice in environmental advocacy, gaining hands-on experience while contributing to meaningful change.
Voices from the Fellowship
Maggie O’Connor, 3L, began her journey in environmental advocacy during her undergraduate years at Wellesley College, where she focused on divestment from fossil fuels and the transition to renewable energy. After graduation, she continued her community engagement by working at a small garden in West Philadelphia. At Temple Law, Maggie’s interests have broadened to encompass public interest law related to environmental justice, employment, and housing issues.
Since joining the Fellowship, Maggie has been involved in event planning and outreach efforts aimed at strengthening the relationship between students and alumni in the environmental law field.
“As EE&CJ Fellows, we are aiding the department in programming and liaising between students and alums,” O’Connor said. “Right now, Lio, Su, and I are reaching out to alums that work in environmental law to discuss their vision for the future of Temple’s EE&CJ program and where they can fit into that.”
She emphasizes the unique perspective students bring to the table: “We’re adding a student’s perspective to these conversations, which is essential to hosting engaging events that will draw in students.”
Reflecting on her future goals, Maggie says, “I came to Temple Law knowing that I wanted to work in environmental law. Now that I’m here, I’ve expanded my interest to public interest issues more broadly. I’m especially interested in how issues like housing and employment intersect with environmental justice, and how we can take innovative approaches towards progressive policies that help people and the planet.”
Bertilio “Lio” Correa, 3L, grew up in Pleasantville, New Jersey, and served in the Navy before pursuing a degree in International Affairs at Stockton University. His legal studies have focused on environmental racism, the relationship between government regulation and the free market, and energy regulation.
“A lot of the work I do as a Fellow involves strategic thinking. Sustainability is a vital part of decision-making, but it can create barriers to implementation. I like to think my job is to find ways over or through these barriers,” Correa said. “For example, engagement is important to effectuate change, and it increases when there is access to information and to community. As a Fellow, I want to find creative ways to make sure the people interested in this work know where to find us and each other.”
Lio sees his involvement in the Fellowship as a way to develop expertise and network in a crucial area of law. “Being a Fellow allows me to develop an expertise and network in an area of law that has substantial influence on humanity’s ability to live on this planet and gives me a platform to share my experience and that of others. I hope to do that throughout my career as an attorney.”
Su Ly, 2L, brings a wealth of experience from his time as a physical scientist at the EPA and as an environmental educator. Growing up just ten minutes from Temple’s campus, Su pursued undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania before joining Temple Law.
“I was working with Professor Sinden on the Temple Law Sustainability Committee when she first told me about the Fellowship,” he said. “After conversing with her about the goals of the Fellowship, I got interested because it aligned with some of the work I was already doing with the Temple Environmental Law Society (TELS). After seeing the position advertised on the Student Post, I applied and interviewed for the position.”
As part of his Fellowship duties, Su has been compiling a comprehensive list of alumni involved in environmental law in the Greater Philadelphia area. “One of the EE&CJ program initiatives is to build a strong network of alumni and current students. This task has been super engaging, as I’ve been able to research alumni and the wonderful work they’ve done in the Greater Philadelphia area. As a Fellow, I hope that the program can bring back alumni to convene with current students to encourage more work on EE&CJ within the law school, in the University at large, and the city.”
Su’s vision for the Fellowship reflects his broader commitment to community integration: “For me, sustainability work is successful when a program effectively utilizes the resources and synergies around it. I hope to implement an EE&CJ program that is integrated within the culture of the Law School, as well as long-lasting impacts for the Greater Philadelphia area.”
Building a Legacy of Environmental Advocacy
The EE&CJ Fellowship program at Temple Law is more than just an educational opportunity. It is a platform for students to engage deeply with pressing environmental issues, connect with like-minded professionals, and contribute to a legacy of advocacy that extends beyond the law school into the broader community. As these Fellows work to build bridges between students, alumni, and environmental advocates, they are not only shaping their own futures but also the future of environmental justice and sustainability.
Professor Alice Abreu Honorable Nelson A. Diaz Professor of Law Director, Center for Tax Law and Public Policy
Professor Alice Abreu has been named Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation. Professor Abreu, who also leads Temple’s Center for Tax Law and Public Policy and serves as the Hon. Nelson A. Díaz Professor of Law, is the first academic to serve in the role. She will lead the national organization for its 2024-2025 term.
“My involvement with the ABA has been professionally transformative,” Professor Abreu said in a statement released by the ABA. “It has taught me about areas of the law I didn’t even know existed when I was practicing law, and what it has taught me has benefited hundreds of my students. I look forward to amplifying that experience for our members during my year as Chair.”
Professor Abreu is a leading scholar of federal income tax law and policy. She has pioneered instruction in issues impacting low income taxpayers and written about increasing the diversity of the tax bar. At Temple, she has worked to build awareness of the opportunities in tax practice for women, students of color, and first-generation students – as well as the need for their perspectives in shaping tax policy. “I love tax and I’d like every student to do likewise,” she said. “The tax law affects just about every aspect of our lives and reflects our most deeply held values. Although it may seem to be just about money, those who know the tax law know that it is really about what we value as a society. And those values should be informed by a tax bar whose diversity reflects that of American taxpayers themselves.”
Professor Abreu has been a leader in both tax education and tax practice for more than forty years. At Temple, she has been honored with the 2017 Great Teacher Award (the highest award conferred by the university upon its faculty), the 2013 Murray F. Shusterman Award for excellence in teaching from the Temple Law Alumni Association, and the 2007 University Lindback award for distinguished teaching. She has been a visiting professor at a number of institutions, including Harvard Law School and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Within the Section of Taxation, she has served as secretary, vice chair of publications, and chair-elect. Professor Abreu serves as a regent of the American College of Tax Counsel, a trustee of the American Tax Policy Institute and is a member of the American Law Institute. She also previously served on the Board of Directors of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, helmed by Nina Olson.
Pictured from left: Professor Pamela Juliana Aguirre Castro, Director of the UEES Social Legal Observatory; Temple Law Dean Rachel Rebouché; Professor Pablo Alarcón, Director of the UEES Graduate School of Law; and John Smagula, Assistant Dean, Graduate & International Programs.
On July 17, 2025, Temple Law School signed an agreement with Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo (UEES) in Guayaquil, Ecuador to promote dual degree, student mobility, academic exchange, and short-term training programs. Following Temple’s successful Spanish-language trial advocacy bootcamps, which UEES faculty have attended, the law schools plan to work together to expand trial advocacy training in Latin America.
To launch the partnership, on August 2, Dean Rachel Rebouché welcomed Professor Pablo Alarcón, Director of the UEES Graduate School of Law, and Professor Pamela Juliana Aguirre Castro, Director of the UEES Social Legal Observatory to the law school. Dean Rebouché expressed a warm welcome to the guests, learned about legal education and lawyer training in Ecuador, and expressed support for our students and faculty to visit UEES in person or virtually.
Professor Alarcón explained that UEES is the top private law school in Ecuador, has a strong curriculum in civil, criminal, and commercial law, and that many of their students study in the United States during and after their legal study in Ecuador. “The 3+1 LLB/LLM and 1+1 LLM/LLM pathways will be very attractive to our students, allowing them to earn a dual degree before graduating from UEES,” said Professor Alarcón, “and we are certain that our students will greatly benefit from this opportunity.”
In addition to student study abroad, Dean Rebouché invited UEES faculty to come to Temple as visiting research scholars. “Faculty exchange and study abroad are both key parts of a successful partnership,” she said, “and we hope that our faculty will get to know each other and work on scholarly projects of mutual interest, either in person or virtually. We have so much to learn from each other.”
Professor Aguirre Castro, who attended the March 2024 boot camp, reported that she came away from the boot camp with increased litigation skill and a greater understanding of the U.S. trial system. “This helps me expand on the comparative law portions of my teaching and research,” she said, “and the boot camp students and I were all impressed with the caliber of the faculty, thoughtfulness of the curriculum, and practicality of the teaching.”
Assistant Dean John Smagula echoed Dean Rebouche’s remarks, saying, “This is our first partnership in Ecuador, and we are delighted to collaborate with UEES. There has been great interest among Ecuadorian judges, prosecutors, and defense lawyers in our boot camps. We look forward to working with UEES to build upon our programs, expand our team teaching, and create additional training programs in areas of priority and importance to UEES and in Ecuador.”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the Center for Public Health Law Research (CPHLR) at the Temple University Beasley School of Law with the College of Public Health have been selected as a recipient under the National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce Opportunity – Strengthening Public Health Impact, Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health (Notice of Funding Opportunity CDC-RFA-PW-24-0080).
The recipients will use their expertise in legal epidemiology, policy evaluation, teaching, and training to build capacity among transdisciplinary teams of legal epidemiologists within state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments to better understand the impact of law on population health. The purpose of this project is to improve the overall capacity and performance of the public health system by serving legal epidemiologists who can promote and support the effective use of laws and policies to reduce health disparities in the populations they serve.
“This award positions us to bring legal epidemiology to state, local and tribal health departments at a large scale,” said Scott Burris, JD, director of the Center for Public Health Law Research and professor in the Beasley School of Law and College of Public Health. “I could not be prouder of this incredible team and the network of partners we are bringing together to do this important work.”
The project will continue to increase the breadth and depth of available evidence demonstrating the impact that laws and policies have on health outcomes.
It will also bring together professional organizations serving public health departments to build and launch a Legal Epidemiology Competency Center that will increase y capacity across the field of public health — a crucial advancement to improve health, well-being, and equity.
“For the past 15 years, Temple’s Center for Public Health Law Research has pioneered the theory and methods of legal epidemiology, creating a necessary and important infrastructure for public health law. This award marks another great moment as they continue to provide the essential resources and training for health departments and practitioners on the front lines in our country,” said Rachel Rebouché, Kean Family Dean and Peter J. Liacouras Professor of Law, Temple University, Beasley School of Law.
“We are delighted to be recognized for the incredible analytical work that is being done here at Temple through the partnership between the College of Public Health and Beasley School of Law,” said Jennifer Ibrahim, PhD, Dean of the College of Public Health. “We need to take an empirical approach to scrutinize our laws and better understand the mechanisms through which laws can promote and protect health. Through interdisciplinary training, we are generating the evidence to drive our policymaking, as well as training individuals to join the workforce as leaders of tomorrow. The College of Public Health plans to unveil its new WELL and LEED Certified building in 2025. Paley Hall will be more than just a powerful hub for interdisciplinary science and training; it will yield immeasurable social and cultural capital as well, facilitating and serving an unprecedented sense of community. This is truly just the beginning.”
