The Current Winter 2010

the magazine of the Appalachian School of Law

Winter 2010

the current

To serve

Ready

Law school, military mesh in unique waysfor trio from ASL

Also inside:

tt Judge Glen Williams honored

Natural Resources Center on horizon

Harris awarded major grant for study

2

around campus

photo op uu

Former President George W. Bush spoke to about 75

patrons who gathered at The Olde Farm in Bristol,

Va., for a fundraiser that benefited ASL.

The event, held Sept. 24, also benefited the Appalachian

College of Pharmacy. The Olde Farm, Cumberland Develop-

ment LLC, and Alpha Natural Resources were sponsors.

Longtime ASL supporter and former board member Jim

McGlothlin of the United Companies was one of the

driving forces behind the event.

The evening included a cocktail reception, dinner, a

photo opportunity, and remarks by Bush. The visit came just

ahead of the November release of Decision Points, Bush’s

memoir. His remarks focused on the rationale behind some

of the situations featured in the book, Dean Wes Shinn

said.

Bush was “charming, open, and articulate,” said Wendy

O’Neil, director of development for ASL. “His remarks

were not canned at all.” He shared humorous stories of his

presidency and touching moments regarding the Sept. 11

attack, she said.

Having a headliner of Bush’s stature at a fundraising event for the school “indicates that ASL has achieved recognition

as an institution of higher learning nationally, not just regionally,” Shinn said.

Jason Gallagher ’11, vice president of the Student Bar Association, also attended. The private event was closed to all

media. Bush was presented with an honorary membership to The Olde Farm, a private golf club that opened in 2000. n

Bush speaks at fundraiser for ASL, ACP

the currentis published twice a year by

the Appalachian School of Law. Send

comments, questions, and alumni

updates to [email protected].

Editor, designer: Saundra Latham

Photos: Jason McGlothlin, Saundra Latham, student and alumni submissions

Contributors: Pat Baker, Priscilla Harris, Saundra Latham, Paula Young,

ASL alumni

Cover: Dean Wes Shinn and Jon Marion ‘05 unveil a plaque to be housed at

ASL honoring retired federal judge Glen Williams.

Team “Average Joes” celebrates

its win at this year’s Green Bowl,

held Oct. 9 at Enoch’s Branch field.

Registration fees from the event,

sponsored by the Environmental

Law Society and the Sports and

Entertainment Law Society, are

being donated to the Southern

Environmental Law Center.

Former President George W. Bush and Dean Wes Shinn

Winter 2010 n 3

ASL has purchased the brick home at 1432 Walnut St., just a

short walk from campus, to house the future Appalachian

Natural Resources Law Center and Clinic. The facility

would also house the Appalachian Journal of Law and the Appalachian

Natural Resources Law Journal.

The center would offer the school’s joint certificate in graduate

study in natural resources law, a partnership with Virginia Tech, and

would aim to recruit and hire a specialist to develop a Master of

Laws program in natural resources law.

Representatives of the Natural Resources Law Clinic would

provide legal assistance, advocacy and services to citizens and

organizations from the region. The center also would sustain a

close relationship with the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation.

ASL is one of only 11 law schools on EMLF’s governing board.

“ASL needs to distinguish its program from others,” said Dean

Wes Shinn. “Carving a niche in the natural resources law area is

not only a natural fit with local interests, but is a fit within the

mission served” by ASL.

Renovation plans call for three classrooms, several offices,

student work space, and a caterers’ kitchen, said Wendy O’Neil,

director of development for ASL. Plans would aim to keep as much

of the home’s historical integrity as possible, she said.

The classrooms would be fitted with SMART technology,

including sophisticated computers, networking, software, audience-

response technology, and up-to-date audio-visual capabilities.

ASL hopes to have the 6,000-square-foot facility renovated

and ready for use by the 2012-13 school year.

“The Center will permit us to partner with other institutions in

the region that have academic and research programs in natural

resources, with ASL as the only law school inside the region provid-

ing the currently missing legal analysis component to projects

undertaken by others,” Shinn said. n

Plans for natural resources clinic in works

Fourteen ASL students and alumni attended this

year’s Energy and Mineral Law Foundation confer-

ence, held Oct. 13-15 in Lexington, Ky. The event

draws energy and natural resources professionals

every year, giving members of the ASL community

a chance to network and represent the school.

Pictured, front row, left to right: Leah Norris ‘13,

Rhonda Bruner ‘01, and Joshua Sokolowski ‘11;

Second row: Blair Wood ‘10, Daniel Kostrub ‘05,

Josh deMars ‘13, William Estes ‘11, Christopher

Menerick ‘11, and Katie Madon ‘12; Third row:

Jason Little ‘07, Patrick Baker ‘07, and Troy

Nichols ‘04. Not pictured: Krystal Branham ‘08

and Julia McAfee ‘00.

ASL’s Natural Resources Law Center and Clinic would provide legal assistance to local citizens and organizations.

around campus

ASL held a reception for Judge Glen M. Williams

Nov. 12, honoring both Williams’ long service as a

member of the federal bench and the donation of his

personal collection to the ASL Library. Williams retired earlier

this year.

The judge has “opened his life and given us the privilege

of sharing it with you,” said Charlie Condon, associate dean

for information services and law library director. It is rare for

a school ASL’s size to have the complete collection of a fed-

eral judge, he noted.

Dean Wes Shinn and Jon Marion ’05, one of Williams’

former law clerks, unveiled a plaque to be displayed at ASL

listing all of Williams’ clerks. Nine of them have become

judges themselves, Williams noted, and several have been affil-

iated with ASL in some way.

Williams lauded his “consistently good” law clerks. He

praised Cynthia Kinser, one of his first clerks and an ASL

board member, and wished her well as she begins her term as

Virginia’s new Supreme Court chief justice and the first from

Southwest Virginia. “I couldn’t begin to say what an excellent

job she did,” he said.

“All of us are blessed to have had the opportunity to clerk

for you,” Kinser said. “We owe our success to your teachings.”

The collection includes Williams’ law-school notebooks,

copies of judicial decisions, newspaper articles about his cases,

photos, awards, and notes from family and law clerks. Among

the highlights are an opinion written completely in limericks

and reports chronicling Williams’ involvement in the Pittston

Coal strike. Williams’ family will add to the collection on an

ongoing basis.

The materials are permanently housed in a reserve room at

the library, accessible during normal operating hours. Staff

will periodically rotate items from the collection into a public

display case.

“We take seriously our commitment to preserving his

legacy,” Condon said. “We thank Judge Williams for entrust-

ing us with it.” n

Virginia Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Kinser, a longtime member of ASL’s Board of

Trustees, becomes the court’s new chief justice in early 2011.

Kinser has served on ASL’s board since 2006, and she has frequently spoken at the

school, said Dean Wes Shinn. She delivered the first-ever professionalism pledge to

new students in 2009.

Kinser “continues to provide an important role model for our female students in this

region,” Shinn said. “ASL thanks her for her leadership in our community and for the

profession.”

Leroy Hassell Sr. will complete an eight-year run as chief justice on Jan. 31. When

Kinser takes over, she will become the first woman to lead the court.

Kinser has deep roots in Southwest Virginia. She is a native of Lee County, where

she was elected commonwealth attorney in 1979. She also served as a magistrate

judge for the Western District of Virginia beginning in 1990.

Former Gov. George Allen, a fellow ASL board member, named Kinser to the state

Supreme Court in 1997. Kinser and Allen have both clerked for retired U.S.

District Judge Glen Williams.

Kinser becomes Virginia’s chief justice

Retired federal judge Glen Williams among some of the

memorabilia that he donated to ASL.

ASL honors judge,puts collection on permanent display

4 n the Current

around campus

Aclass of 127 first-years from

across the nation took an oath

of professionalism August 13,

the symbolic kick-off to their studies at

the Appalachian School of Law.

Will T. Scott, deputy chief justice of

the Kentucky Supreme Court, adminis-

tered the oath to the Class of 2013.

Scott, a southeastern Kentucky native,

has long been a friend of ASL, Dean

Wes Shinn noted, previously serving as

a commencement speaker and Moot

Court judge.

Students should embrace their new

role in the community and remember

that their lessons will come outside of

the classroom, too, Scott said.

“You are fortunate enough to be

here among people who are actually

moving mountains to make life better,”

he said. “Grundy is moving up, and

you’re moving with it.”

Scott urged students to apply them-

selves for the next three years. “Sit

down front. Don’t hide in the back … If

you really want this, you will pass. You

are sitting in one of the best law schools

in this region,” he said.

George Shanks, president-elect of

the Virginia State Bar, also spoke.

Shanks, who practices in Luray, has four

decades of experience. He is a member

of the Virginia Bar Association, Virginia

Trial Lawyers Association, American Bar

Association, Association of Trial

Lawyers of America and several other

bars.

“We look forward to including you in

our ranks in three years,” he said, refer-

ring to the 45,000-plus lawyers of the

Virginia State Bar. Membership is manda-

tory for all who practice in the state.

Shanks will serve as president in 2011-12.

Students should heed “the three R’s”

to succeed, he said: Show respect, do re-

search, and remember to relax.

Students pledged to accept the re-

sponsibilities bestowed by the legal pro-

fession, uphold strong ethics and

academic standards, and treat others with

“courtesy, civility, and respect.”

Members of the Class of 2013 hail

from as close as Grundy and as far as

Alaska. n

Members of the Class of 2013 recite the professionalism oath at the conclusion of their first week on campus.

Professionalism oath kicks off school year

Winter 2010 n 5

Scott Shanks

“I promise to adhereto the high ideals of

the legal profession ...and to embrace theprinciples of civilityand professionalismthroughout my legal

education and for theremainder of my professional life.”

- professionalism oath

Winter 2010 n 5

around campus

Nicole Lawson ‘12 at the ASL CARES

pet adoption drive at Food City (1) ...

Students await their turn at the Marsh

Regional Blood Drive in September (2) ...

Students in Priscilla Harris’ torts class

show off costumes based on cases they

studied (Sara Anderson ‘13 won with

her portrayal of an electrocuted pig) (3)

... ASL volunteers man the snack station

at October’s Remote Area Medical Clinic,

held at Riverview in Grundy (4) ... Tara

Bartosiewicz ‘11 visits a coal-fired

power plant in Jersey City, N.J., for her

environmental law class (5).

1

2

3

4 5

around campus

6 n the Current

The Class of 2013 shows off its pink attire in support of

Associate Dean Sandy McGlothlin, who is fighting breast

cancer (6) ... Dean Wes Shinn, a Saints fan, taunts Vikings

fan and Assistant Dean Tommy Sangchompuphen, who

was forced to wear a Saints jersey after Minnesota lost to

New Orleans (7) ... Meghan Scott ‘11, Jessica Nelson ‘11,

Mary McNeil ‘11, and Kelly Johnson ‘11 take a break

from volunteering at the fall meeting of the ABA Section of

Environment, Energy, and Resources in New Orleans (8).

7 8

6

Winter 2010 n 7

around campus

Professor Priscilla Harris has been awarded a grant

through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Public

Health Law Research program to study the intersection of

dental health and law in central Appalachia.

The grant “enhances ASL’s profile and shows that ASL is rec-

ognized as an institution that can make a difference,” Harris said.

It will blend the law, ASL’s community focus, and public health,

she noted.

The study will focus on what legal practices

impact the consumption and purchase of sugar-

sweetened beverages and citric acid drinks that

adversely affect oral health. It will generate

original data from dentists and residents of

central Appalachia concerning oral health,

the consumption and purchase of the

drinks, and the social acceptability of legal

interventions restricting purchases.

“After moving to Appalachia, I noticed

carts full of soda at the grocery stores, and I

started to wonder what the correlation was

between soda consumption and tooth

decay,” Harris said. “I began to do research

and found studies linking dental erosion and

dental cavities with the consumption of cer-

tain beverages.”

Dr. J. Anthony von Fraunhofer, a lead-

ing researcher of enamel erosion due to soft

drinks, has helped Harris with the grant. “At

present we have only anecdotal data that enamel erosion is com-

mon in (Appalachia), but we do not know the seriousness of the

problem or what might be the leading causes,” he said. The sur-

veys compiled as part of this study will help shed light on the

problem, he said.

ASL students will be able to take an independent study course

to learn to conduct interviews and prepare surveys for the study.

They will work with graduate students from East Tennessee State

University’s College of Public Health. “ASL students will share

their knowledge of the law, and the ETSU-CPH students

will share their knowledge of public health,” Harris said.

Edward J. Kelly, general counsel for ETSU and an

adjunct professor of law at ASL, cited the project as an

important collaboration between the schools. “The

synergy created by the combination of law and

health policy will (benefit) not only the two institu-

tions involved, but also the entire Appalachian

region.”

Dean Randy Wycoff and

Professor James Anderson of

ETSU-CPH also have been

helpful, Harris noted.

The study is among 13 new

projects funded by the Robert

Wood Johnson Foundation on the

public health impacts of laws and

regulations. The projects focus on

issues such as lead exposure, vacci-

nations and emergency preparedness.

The grants total more than $3.4 million.

The Public Health Law Research program aims

to promote effective regulatory, legal and policy

solutions to improve public health. The program

is part of the foundation’s public health strategy,

aimed at ensuring that all Americans have quality

public health services and policies.

“The results of these studies are helping us build the evidence

that policy-makers can use to understand how laws and regula-

tions affect public health—not just laws aimed at specific public

health issues,” said Michelle Larkin, director of the public health

team at the foundation.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the nation’s largest

philanthropy organization devoted exclusively to improving the

health and health care of all Americans. n

Virginia mediators honor Young

Harris wins major grant for soda study

The Virginia Mediation Network has presented Professor Paula Young with the Distinguished

Mediator Award. This is the first year VMN has given the award, which recognizes a prominent

member of the state’s mediation community who demonstrates personal and professional

commitment to advancing peaceful conflict resolution.

Potential recipients are evaluated according to several factors, including leadership in

promoting and advancing the field of mediation and innovation in the development of media-

tion programs or creative applications of mediation. Young was also elected to VMN’s Board of

Directors for a two-year period beginning in October 2010.

“VMN attracts as its members some of the most qualified mediators in the state. To be

recognized by this group is an extraordinary honor,” Young said. “Moreover, it reflects posi-

tively on the program we offer our law students in alternative dispute resolution.”

8 n the Current

faculty/staff spotlight

Harris

Tammy Bentley is ASL’s new financial aid officer. She

previously worked as a deputy director in the Ohio Attorney

General’s office for more than 10 years. Bentley grew up in

Grundy and attended Berea College in Berea, Ky. Her daugh-

ter is a student at Hocking College in Ohio.

Crystal Dye has been named new administrative assistant

to the dean. She holds a bachelor’s in psychology from Milli-

gan College in Elizabethton, Tenn., and a master’s in infor-

mation technology from American InterContinental

University.

Adrienne Hurley is ASL’s new student services assistant.

The Grundy native and 2009 Virginia Tech graduate previ-

ously worked as a project manager for Money Savers and

YAY Advertising in Raleigh, N.C.

Sarah Moore is Career Services secretary and events

coordinator. She previously worked as a master control oper-

ator for a TV station, and graduated from Southwest Virginia

Community College with a degree in early childhood devel-

opment. The Oakwood, Va., native is pursuing a degree in

human services and counseling from Lindsey Wilson College.

Dove Powers has joined ASL as a new admissions coun-

selor. The Haysi, Va., native graduated from Virginia Tech in

Blacksburg, Va., where she interned and public relations and

marketing for the University Unions and Student Activities.

Pamela Walsh is the new assistant to the Registrar and

Student Services. She holds a bachelor of arts in interdiscipli-

nary studies from Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Va.

Walsh is a Grundy native and has two sons, Corey and

Andrew. n

Virginia mediators honor Young

ASL welcomes new staff members

From left: Crystal Dye, Pamela Walsh, Adrienne Hurley, Dove Powers. Not pictured: Tammy Bentley and Sarah Moore.

Winter 2010 n 9

faculty/staff spotlight

ASL has added

another face to its

faculty this year: Anne

Rife, who joins ASL as

an assistant professor

of law teaching Legal

Process I and II. Prior

to joining ASL, Rife

was an attorney with

Penn, Stuart, and

Eskridge in Abingdon, Va., and Bristol, Tenn. She practiced

insurance defense litigation with specialties in workers’

compensation defense and Medicare compliance. She re-

ceived her J.D. from Washington and Lee in Lexington, Va.,

where she served as co-administrator of the John W. Davis

Moot Court Competition.

Rife received her bachelor’s from Vanderbilt University

in Nashville, Tenn. Her scholarship has focused on the

Medicare Secondary Payer Act’s effect on the practice of

workers’ compensation law and comparative studies of

federal civil and international procedure. She has been

published by the Journal of Civil Litigation and is a con-

tributing author to Berman and Saliba's The Nature and

Functions of Law (7th ed., Foundation Press 2009). Rife is

a charter member of the National Alliance of Medicare

Set-Aside Professionals and a member of the Virginia

Association of Defense Attorneys.

Anne Rifejoins faculty

Mario Cicconetti’s post-Iraq to-

do list didn’t include much rest

or relaxation. The retired Army

captain from Painesville, Ohio, had bigger

plans: climbing a mountain and going to

law school.

His mission to climb Alaska’s Mount

McKinley was about more than the physical

challenge of reaching the summit, however.

Cicconetti ’13, now in his first year at ASL,

was climbing for the Wounded Warrior

Project, a nonprofit that aids injured troops.

“It was the closest thing I could do that

mirrors the experience of a soldier who has

been wounded in battle,” he said. “The

mountain was stronger than us; we could

put ourselves at a disadvantage and really

get a sense of how it is to live with such in-

juries.”

Cicconetti grew up near Cleveland and

attended Ohio University, where he ulti-

mately received his degree in 2005. During

college, however, he felt “some blank void

... a call to do something greater.”

He joined the National Guard and even-

tually the Army, where he climbed the ranks.

At Georgia’s Fort Benning, he attended air-

borne,

infantry, re-

connaissance

and ranger schools

from 2005 to 2007.

The training “tests your limits,” he said.

“You get to know yourself mentally and

physically. You get to know how you handle

yourself in stressful situations.”

After leaving Fort Benning, Cicconetti

was stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

And in 2008, he was called to serve in Iraq,

where he led an elite combat platoon of

more than 80 men charged with rounding

up terrorists in Baqouba, northeast of

Baghdad. Initially, he conducted operations

from an old warehouse in one of the most

densely populated areas of the city.

“We were arresting terrorists and ulti-

mately trying to prosecute them,” he said.

“We would have to hunt down judges and

bring them to court, too. We were like

bailiffs.”

Two of his men died in one attack, and a

sergeant was nearly burned alive in another.

More than a dozen of his men were injured.

“You can do triage on the spot, but the

fighting doesn’t stop. (My men) would be

taken away, and I wouldn’t really know how

they were doing. Days would pass before I

would get to see them. And none of us

were around to tell them it would be OK.”

After retiring from the Army, Cicconetti

“still wanted to give back and help some-

how.” In his Alaskan backyard, he saw the

perfect opportunity to do so. Cicconetti and

friend Brian Stoltz hatched a plan to climb

McKinley, the nation’s highest peak at

20,320 feet, to raise money and awareness

Soldier.

Student.

For 2 students, alum,serving their countryand learning the lawprove compatible

10 n the Current

for the Wounded Warrior Project.

The nonprofit has representatives at sev-

eral facilities where injured soldiers begin

their recovery, Cicconetti said. The volun-

teers were injured in battle themselves, so

they’re in a better position to comfort

wounded troops. “They can relate,” he said.

“You may have a guy with shrapnel in his

neck talking to an amputee.” Volunteers also

help injured soldiers with educational and

recreational

opportunities

as well as the

transition back

to civilian life.

Cicconetti

and Stoltz pre-

pared to summit

McKinley for

months. They

knew it would be

tricky: Of those

who attempt the

climb each year,

about half finish it.

They started

their climb June 1.

For most, the trip

takes 16 to 17 days.

For Cicconetti and Stoltz, it took 22.

“We were stuck at a camp at 14,000 feet

for 12 days,” Cicconetti said. “We were

stuck between two weather systems, above

us and below us.”

So they waited. And ate. They happily

accepted food from descending climbers:

bagels, peanut butter, pepperoni, salami. “It

was way better than all the dehydrated food

that we brought,” Cicconetti laughed. Still,

even on a diet of 5,000-6,000 calories a day,

he lost 12 to 15 pounds.

The other major snag: The altitude made

Stoltz severely ill. “He would take five steps,

and have to rest 30 seconds,” Cicconetti

said.

Despite those obstacles, the two made it

to the top of McKinley on June 22. “Every-

thing came full circle for me then,” he said.

“I felt really good about what we had done.”

The next challenge was beginning classes

at ASL. Law school had “always been at the

back of my mind,” Cicconetti said. His

father is a municipal judge, and the drive

toward practicing law really ramped up in

Iraq. “It was frustrating.

We would see a guy

blowing up our guys,

and then he would go

free,” he said. “I wanted

to fix it. Seeing that crystallized the desire

for me.”

Even after hunting terrorists and climb-

ing a mountain, Cicconetti said, law school

isn’t easy. But the military prepared him for

it. “It’s foreign material,” he said. “But I can

handle the pressure in a way that others may

find difficult. I can manage my time well,

and there’s no reason to freak out.”

Cicconetti can see himself practicing

some sort of civil litigation or focusing on

natural resources law.

Ultimately, though, he would love to

teach. “I am where I am today because of

all the teachers and mentors who gave me

valuable advice,” he said. “I feel like I can

give that to someone else.”

l l l

Going into his last semester at ASL,

the only classes that stood be-

tween Jarrod Crockett ’06 and

his law degree were Advanced Torts and

Secured Transactions.

But then he got a call from the Maine

National Guard asking him to serve in

Afghanistan. He became a combat advisor

for an infantry company in the Afghan

Army for six months and commanded the

HHC 240th for a year.

The Maine native was able to complete

his classes abroad, taking his exams in a war

zone. “You think law school is bad?” he

joked. “This was so much harder. Having

time to study was terrible, and they sent my

tests to my JAG officer. I took them at a

forward operating base in Afghanistan. The

lights went out, but I had a flashlight, so

they told me to keep going.”

Crockett is the son of a logger and

worked in the family business growing up.

“My dad was a Vietnam vet, and that in-

stilled in me that I would serve my country

at some point. I come from a family that’s

old school. We believe in giving back to

something greater than yourself. And the

Army provided a way to go to college.”

He attended Radford University in

Radford, Va., on an ROTC scholarship,

where he received a degree in political

science in 1999. After that, he became a

lieutenant and was stationed in Fort Wain-

wright, Alaska, until he decided to come to

ASL in 2003.

When he went to Afghanistan in early

2006, ASL friends sent outlines to help him

Before coming to ASL, Mario Cicconetti ’13 led an elite

combat platoon in Iraq and climbed Alaska’s Mount McKinley,

above, to benefit injured soldiers.

student/alumni spotlight

Winter 2010 n 11

study, and professors posted material online

to help him out. “My classmates were really

supportive,” he said. “That’s what I loved

about ASL ... It seems like you’re tucked

away in the mountains, but you’re pretty

tight with everyone by the time you’re done.”

Discipline from the Army spilled over in

law school, he said. “At first, everyone thinks

they are going to read and do everything. I

spent tremendous hours trying to get every-

thing done. But one of the

first things you’re

taught in the

Army is to use the

resources you

have and stop try-

ing to reinvent the

wheel. That kind of

discipline helped

me out a lot.”

Crockett also

became pals with

other veterans at

ASL. “We would go

over to Italian Village

and head upstairs.

Besides drinking an

excessive amount of

beer, we would com-

pare outlines, bond, and just take care of

each other. We had study groups. Some peo-

ple are super competitive in law school, but

in the Army you learn to work with each

other to succeed.”

On graduation day, Crockett had a video

feed so that he could watch the ceremony

from Afghanistan. But the video went out,

and he could only listen by phone. Celebra-

tion was low-key, he said. “A couple soldiers

came to congratulate me, and we had a cou-

ple of O’Douls, since you couldn’t have real

alcohol,” he laughed.

He still had a representative in Grundy,

however: his dad, who stepped up and

received his degree on his behalf.

“Dad still gives me a hard time,” he said.

“He’ll tell me, ‘I’m the one who actually

graduated from law school, just so you

know.’ ”

Crockett stayed in Afghanistan until

August 2007. “I worked with Afghans all the

time, and learned so much about the culture.

Things that you read about the war are often

tainted—it’s not like that on the ground.

Afghans are tena-

cious, and the peo-

ple who actually live

there are not as extreme as they’re painted

to be.”

After returning to the States, Crockett

geared up to take the bar in February 2008.

He was also preparing for a run for office. In

November 2008, Crockett was elected to

represent District 91 in Maine’s House of

Representatives. He was the only Republican

to oust an incumbent Democrat that year.

“My family is not political,” he said. “But

when I was little, a couple of older ladies

would take me to political meetings, and it

piqued my interest.” In college, he interned

for Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine.

Crockett’s experience as a lawyer lent

itself to the state legislature, where he sud-

denly found himself dealing with topics

including adverse possession and civil

perjury law.

He continues to practice with Hanley

and Associates of Maine, where he takes real

estate, state planning, and business associa-

tion cases. “It’s a neat place to work. I helped

write the foreclosure law, and now I’m fight-

ing a couple cases myself.”

He plans to continue serving in public

office, too. His priorities include cutting

through red tape for the state’s small busi-

nesses and implementing an effective evalua-

tion system for Maine teachers. Beyond that,

he’s taking things as they come.

“Some have asked me to run for higher

office, but I don’t know if it’s in the cards. I

do want a family and a real life,” he said.

Whatever he does, he credits ASL for

helping him accomplish it.

“The reality is that the education you get

at ASL is just as good as you’ll get at any

other law school. What you get out of it is

what you put into it.”

l l l

In May, Donna Ridgel ’11 watched

from the bleachers as members of

ASL’s Class of 2010 received their

degrees and kicked off a summer of study-

ing for the bar. She was supposed to be

graduating with them, but the National

Guard member had been called to serve in

Iraq during her 2L year, putting school on

hold.

Commencement speaker and former

Virginia Gov. George Allen told the crowd

about Ridgel, prompting a standing ovation.

Jarrod Crockett ’06 completed coursework for his final

semester at ASL while serving as a commander in

Afghanistan. He is shown at left with his wife, Paige,

during a welcome-home ceremony.

student/alumni spotlight

12 n the Current

“It was very touching. I teared up,” Ridgel said. “I didn’t expect it.

I don’t see serving in Iraq as, ‘I did this for you.’ It was just some-

thing I was supposed to do—just trying to give something back

that’s bigger than myself.”

Ridgel, commander of the Tennessee Air National Guard’s

1/230th Air Cavalry Squadron’s aviation maintenance unit, helped

keep OH-58D Kiowa Warrior attack/reconnaissance helicopters in

top shape from her base in Mosul, Iraq.

She also happens to be the first female Kiowa pilot and com-

mander, as well as the only female Kiowa test pilot. She flew about

350 hours of missions in roughly 10 months.

Ridgel, a New York native, joined the Army reserves in 1991.

From 1994 to 1999, Ridgel was on active duty, stationed in Colorado

and Korea, and was trained as a generator mechanic.

“I chose that because there was a bonus,” she laughed. “No one

wanted to do it. And it turned out that I met my husband in that

class, who had gotten stuck in it after not getting into another class

he wanted.

“Every major milestone in my life was by accident,” she laughed.

In 1999, Ridgel headed to school at Middle Tennessee State,

where she received a political science degree in 2001 and was com-

missioned through ROTC. The same year, she went to flight school

in Alabama, where she graduated in 2003.

In the Army, Ridgel found herself researching a lot of rules and

regulations to build various cases, planting a seed that eventually led

her to law school. “I really found myself enjoying it. When I got to

law school, it was like what I had already been doing.”

After starting at ASL in 2007, Ridgel gravitated toward contracts

and criminal procedure. She has been president of the Criminal Law

Society and sings in the jug band.

Her long history with the military has given her an edge in school,

she said. “You can manage your own time. In the Army, you’re told

what to do 24-7. But you can do law school more on your own

terms. The military teaches you to multitask, how to overcome ob-

stacles. You realize that things change constantly. So I’m not rattled

by the time constraints of law school or the things I can’t control.”

Knowing she could be called up in the near future, Ridgel took an

extra class as a 2L, a couple of summer classes, and is taking a couple

of extras now, too. She’s on track for May 2011 commencement.

Until she deployed in March 2009, many classmates hadn’t even

realized Ridgel was in the military. “I kept it low-key,” she said. “I had

one friend who was so shocked: She was like, ‘You’re a pilot, and

you’re just now telling me?’ It was a little modesty, but it was also that

sometimes people treat you differently.

“I tell my daughters that people should like you for who you are.

I’m a student, you’re a student, and I just want to relate on that level.”

Members of the ASL community sent care packages of food and

holiday decorations. “All my soldiers were so grateful,” she said. “My

office was literally piled with care packages.”

Being a woman in the military is “100 percent what you make of

it,” she said. “You occasionally have to deal with crap, or with men

who have no boundaries. But that’s anywhere.

“At first, some in my unit treated me like a novelty—they would

ask each other, ‘Have you met the woman?’ But then word of mouth

would get out that I’m very strict.”

Ridgel’s unit lost two pilots in February 2010, just before she was

slated to go home. “They were on their way to Kuwait to go home.

It was a very scary time, and it put everything in perspective. So, get-

ting home was just this gift … but it was also bittersweet.”

Knowing that she was simply lucky to be back raised her spirits as

she watched her former classmates graduate. “After everything that

happened, I wasn’t sad that they were up there and I wasn’t.”

The comforts of home have helped make her transition easier.

“I was so excited about the bathroom. We would only have one

on our forward operating base … and it would get pretty nasty. But

everything was so clean when I got home, and I could get up in the

middle of the night and not have to get my weapon to go to the

bathroom. I wanted to just lie there on the bathroom floor.”

Ultimately, Ridgel hopes to get into criminal law—probably pros-

ecution. Perhaps private practice down the road, she said. She’ll also

mark 20 years with the military in 2011.

While she hasn’t ruled out becoming a JAG officer, military life

has taken a toll on her family, she said, and she may prefer keeping

law and the military separate.

“I can only handle so much at once!” she laughed. n

Donna Ridgel ’11 delayed her final year at ASL to serve in

Iraq, where she commanded the Tennessee Air National

Guard’s 1/230th Air Cavalry Squadron’s maintenance unit.

student/alumni spotlight

Winter 2010 n 13

2003

Travis Griffith ’03 successfully repre-

sented a client in a settlement with the

Kanawha (W. Va.) County Sheriff ’s De-

partment. The case stemmed from a

murder-suicide. Griffith practices law

with Olivio & Griffith PLLC in

Charleston.

2004

Jeremy M. Burnside ’04 recently

moved to Portsmouth, Ohio, where he

has opened the Law Office of Jeremy M.

Burnside LLC. He works primarily on

personal injury and wrongful death cases,

but recently expanded into criminal law.

This summer, he tried a child-rape case

and sat first chair in a high-profile dou-

ble murder trial. He has been admitted to

the Kentucky bar and serves on the

board of the Ohio Association for Jus-

tice. Jeremy will head to Grundy in

March for the ASL Memorial 5k with

Justin Marlowe ’04.

Scott Smith ’04 and wife Stephanie

Smith welcomed a son, Mason Wesly, on

Oct. 12. They live in Henderson, Ky.

2005

John D. Fields ’05 is marrying

Audrey Wong of Malaysia on Jan. 2,

2011, in Orlando, Fla. Fields lives in Cel-

ebration, Fla., and has his own practice,

John Daniel Fields Attorney at Law, PA,

in Kissimmee. He practices mediation,

family law, and civil law. Photo 4.

Joe Kincade ’05 joined Asbury &

Gilbert in Wise, Va., as a partner in No-

vember 2009. Kincade and his partner,

Greg Gilbert, successfully defended their

client in an August 2010 murder trial in

Dickenson County Circuit Court.

Russell L. Rabb III ’05 and Elizabeth

Sadler Rabb ’06 welcomed a baby girl,

Lucy Murphy Rabb, in January 2010.

Lucy joins big brother Russell Lenwood

Rabb IV, born in November 2007. The

Rabbs live in Culpeper, Va., and Russ

works as an assistant commonwealth’s

attorney in Fauquier County. Liz has

become a realtor. Photo 3.

Robert S. Rushing ’05 has been made

partner with Carver, Darden, Koretzky,

Tessier, Finn, Blossman & Areaux LLC

in Pensacola, Fla. He practices commer-

cial litigation, banking, bankruptcy and

creditor’s rights, real estate, corporate and

business law.

2006

D.J. Berry ’06 received an LLM in

taxation from the University of Alabama

in August. He lives in Chattanooga,

Tenn.

2008

Ashley Elizabeth Argo ’08 married

Matthew Herman Dunkin ’08 in Fort

Mill, S.C., on May 29. The couple live in

Lawrenceburg, Tenn. Ashley practices at

Harwell, Plant and Williams, and Matthew

at the Dunkin Law office. Photo 5, back

row, left to right: Alexander Ayers ’08,

Lindsey Brubaker Robinson ’08, Re-

becca Shanks York ’08, John York ’08,

Justin Lovely ’09, Matthew Dunkin ’08,

Thomas Amburgey ’07, Bobby Holli-

field ’08, Brandy Roatsey ’08. Front row,

left to right: Kristie McAuley Beck ’08,

Amy Lawrence Lovely, ’08, Ashley Argo

Dunkin ’08, Janet Haney Amburgey ’08,

Lindsey Flaherty ’08, Marta Farmer ’08.

class notes

14 n the Current

2

4

1

3

5

Matthew Coleman ’08 and Sarah

McKinney ’08 were married on August

19 in Destin, Fla. They live in Cleveland,

Tenn. Matthew is an associate at Logan-

Thompson, P.C., and Sarah owns Cole-

man Law Office PLLC. Photo 1.

Amy Lawrence Lovely ’08 and Justin

Lovely ’09 welcomed a son on Nov. 1.

Jackson Cash weighed 7 pounds, 14

ounces. The family lives in Myrtle Beach,

S.C., where Amy and Justin practice at the

Lovely Law Firm. Photo 7.

2009

Robert Black ’09 and Andrea Ketron

’09 were married Sept. 4 in Kingsport,

Tenn. Robert practices with Ross &

Associates in Tennessee and Virginia. An-

drea is an assistant district attorney

in Kingsport, where they reside. Photo 2.

2010

Christopher Seaton ’10 is general coun-

sel for American Parkour Company, Inc.,

the largest community of parkour and

free-running practitioners in the world.

Seaton has also started Quest Conflict

Resolution in Greeneville, Tenn., where

he handles both legal and mediation

issues.

Charles Sidoti ’10 and Anna Midence

’10 were married Oct. 30 at St. Alban’s

Episcopal Church in Auburndale, Fla.

They will be living in Norton, Va.

Faculty/Staff

April Epley Bell, business office clerk,

and husband Brett Bell ’11 welcomed a

baby girl on June 15. Reese Elizabeth was

8 pounds, 4 ounces. Photo 8.

Admissions Counselor Jason McGloth-

lin married Melissa Nuckles at Grundy

Baptist Church on Oct. 9. The pair

honeymooned in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Photo 6.

Brian Ratliff, director of information

services, completed his master’s in

information technology in September

with a 3.9 GPA. The degree was

conferred by Capella University.

In memoriam

James “Jay” Rutledge Henderson

IV of Richlands, Va., died Oct. 9.

Henderson was an adjunct professor

at ASL from 2003 to 2005 and a visiting

professor of law in 2005 and 2006. He

taught Real Estate Transactions, Law

Office Practice and Natural Resources.

Henderson had practiced law in Tazewell

County for several years. A memorial

service was held in Richlands on

Oct. 12.

ASL Alumni Association

2010-2011 Leadership

President/Chair: Tracy McGuire Frick ’03

Vice President/Vice Chair: Suzanne Kerney Quillen ’04

Immediate Past President: Todd Ross ’02

Treasurer: Karen Jordan ’07

To be appointed: Secretary, Parliamentarian

Board members

Jennifer Barton ‘10, Eric Burnette

‘05, Brittany Fortier ‘06, Allyson

Hilliard ’03, Jason Little ‘07,

Stephanie Little ‘06, Career Serv-

ices Director Denise McGeorge,

Vince Riggs ‘06, J. Chris Rose ‘09,

Robert Rushing ‘05, Meghan Scott

‘11, Dean Wes Shinn, Jennifer

Sturgill ‘05

Chapter Leaders

Chris Fortier ‘05, Washington, D.C.area, [email protected]

Josh Collins ‘05, Charleston, [email protected]

Rebecca Rosser ‘05, Columbia, [email protected]

Heather Gearheart ‘05, Eastern and Central [email protected]

Alan McGraw ‘03, Southwest Virginia, [email protected]

Dustin Sullivan ‘06, Wilmington,N.C., [email protected]

Paul Dull ‘00, Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., [email protected]

Stephanie Little ‘06, Myrtle Beach,S.C., [email protected]

Matt Bolton ‘06, Tri-Cities, [email protected]

Winter 2010 n 15

8

7

6

the currentthe Appalachian School of Law

P.O. Box 2825Grundy, VA 24614

www.asl.edu

NONPROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDNORTH TAZEWELL, VA 24630

PERMIT NO. 20

Lending a paw uu Members of ASL CARES mingle with potential pet

owners at Food City in Grundy. The September adoption drive was a combined

effort of the Buchanan County Animal Shelter, Buchanan County Humane

Society and ASL CARES. About 14 animals found homes that day.