Have you heard the one about the lawyer who…..?  We have all lived though many non-lawyer friends telling us lawyer jokes.  One of our own, Professor Laura Little, the Charles Klein Professor of Law and Government at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and author of the highly rated book, Guilty Pleasures: Comedy and Law in America, will explore the many layers of American law and humor.  Specifically, Professor Little will discuss those lawyer jokes (and judge jokes) and relate them to the law.  She will entertain you with her analysis of cases which are inherently humorous, as well as ways that the law imposes itself on humor.  Professor Little, a constitutional law scholar, will also opine as to whether the law seeks to muzzle some types of humor while protecting and encouraging other types.  Maybe you have some material which she will use for her next book or webinar!

Presented by the FBA’s Professional Development Committee

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Presenters

Panelists for the Session:

Laura Little, James G. Schmidt Professor of Law at Temple University

Professor Laura E. Little serves as the James G. Schmidt Chair in Law. She specializes in federal courts, conflict of laws, and constitutional law. She teaches, lectures, and consults internationally on these subjects and is routinely engaged for training judges as well as for speeches at academic and judicial conferences. She is the author of numerous books and articles, including a sole-authored casebook, Conflict of Laws  (2d ed. Aspen Wolters Kluwer 2018), two treatises: Federal Courts and First Amendment, both in Aspen Wolter Kluwer Publishing’s Examples and Explanations series, and Guilty Pleasures: Law and Comedy in America (Oxford 2019). Among her many awards for teaching and scholarship are several law school awards, a University-wide Lindback award, and Temple’s highest award for teaching, the University Great Teacher Award. The American Law Institute appointed Professor Little in 2014 to serve as Associate Reporter, Restatement (Third) of Conflict of Laws.

Before entering academia, Professor Little practiced law in Philadelphia, litigating commercial cases and representing the print media in First Amendment cases. Prior to her law practice, Professor Little served as a law clerk to Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Supreme Court of the United States (October Term 1986) and Judge James Hunter III of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (1985-1986).

Professor Little has several times taught in Temple’s programs in Tokyo, Japan and Rome, Italy. She has served as a visiting professor at University of Sydney (Australia), and University College of Cork (Ireland). She has also lectured frequently throughout China.

Professor Little’s scholarship has strong interdisciplinary character, integrating law, social science and humanities. She has travelled internationally lecturing on law and humor, and has written several studies on how legal doctrines regulate various forms of comedy. A sample of her writings is available on her publications page.

Moderator:

Bonnie S. Greenberg, Ret.

Bonnie S. Greenberg was with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for over 37 years and currently serves as a Director on the Federal Bar Association (FBA) Board.  She was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Maryland for most of her time at DOJ.

Ms. Greenberg has served the Maryland Chapter of the FBA in a variety of capacities, most notably as Chapter President and Chapter Delegate. Before being elected to the FBA’s Board of Directors, she was Chair of the FBA’s Professional Development Committee and served on several FBA committees, such as the convention committee and the audit committee.

Ms. Greenberg is excited to introduce Laura Little, her long-time friend and law school classmate.

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Registration Fees

  • FBA Member: $0
  • Nonmember: $75

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CLE

Please note CLE will not be offered for this event. 

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