Miscellaneous

Professor Halper

By Anne Skove, Esq.

A sad note from W&L Law this afternoon: Professor Louise Halper passed away.

Property is nobody's favorite subject, but under the guidance of Professor Halper we learned to love it anyway! She was approachable, kind, and made everyone feel welcome. Southern hospitality abounds in Lexington, Virginia, but for those not fitting the mold (or even ever figuring out what that mold was) it can be a difficult place, so her support meant a lot.

Professor Halper was a wonderful teacher. Her approach was simple yet radical (for a law school): a group of 2-4 volunteered to be called on. They would cover all the material and answer all the questions. (Everyone else had to read, too, but would not be called on.) Did it work? Yes. Learning without fear is possible! Now that we know that adults learn by cooperating and doing, this approach makes even more sense.

She supported the fledgling public interest law group, helped founders of the REAL Journal (now the Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice), and served as director of the Frances Lewis Law Center. She was interesting and interested.

She was not only an excellent teacher, she was also a lifelong learner. This is obvious from her range of studies and varied career. Her pre-academic career was spent with the ACLU, legal services, and Environmental Protection Bureau. Her staple course was property I and II, but she also taught a wonderful American Legal History seminar, as well as environmental law, land use, jurisprudence, and a seminar on gender, law and culture. Her recent work concentrated on law in the Middle East. Her C.V. covers topics from regulatory takings to legal realism in Tehran.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, June 29, 1-5 p.m., at NYU School of Law, Vanderbilt Hall, Greenberg Lounge. Please r.s.v.p. to her son, Reuben Halper, at reubenhalper@mac.com. (Coincidentally, this is also the site and time of NY's Gay Pride Parade. Somehow, we think Professor Halper would have liked that. Well, maybe not the traffic.)

Donations in honor of Professor Halper can be made to the Center for Constitutional Rights, NAACP, or the Montclair, NJ, NAACP chapter.

Full post as published by court-o-rama.org on June 24, 2008 (boomark / email).