The American Bar Association’s Section of Business Law has been involved with business court growth and development over the last 25 years. This includes, among other things, the Section’s Diversity Clerkship Program and the Business Court Representative Program.
The Diversity Clerkship Program provides summer clerkships with business court judges for diverse second year law students. In 2020, Anthony Curry from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law clerked with Las Vegas Business Court Judge Nancy L. Allf; Diamond Griffith of the Vermont Law School clerked with North Carolina Business Court Judge James L. Gale; Tkisheuna Stewart of the Southern University Law Center clerked with Delaware Vice Chancellor Morgan T. Zurn; and Lourdes Vazquez of the Washington College of Law clerked with Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lawrence P. Fletcher-Hill.
“The Business Court Representative [BCR] Program is designed to provide educational opportunities for judges on cutting edge business law developments. The program is also designed to provide the Section members with exposure to judicial leaders as well as an opportunity to provide their input on those same developments and gain their insights and perspectives on business and commercial litigation. … Business Court Representatives are individuals who are current members of the judiciary who preside over courts or dockets consisting primarily of complex business and commercial litigation. Business Court Representatives need not have been active in the Section previously. One of the purposes of the Business Court Representative Program is to make the Business Court Representatives, and through them other members of the judiciary, aware of the activities of the Section.”
Judges Lita M. Popke of the Michigan Third Judicial Circuit Business Court and Saliann Scarpulla of the New York County Commercial Division stepped down as business court representatives after two years of service. (Judge Scarpulla was appointed to the Appellate Division in July.) It is hoped both Judges Popke and Scarpulla will continue to play a role in the Section of Business Law.
Two new BCRs were appointed in 2020, Judge Meghan A. Adams of Delaware’s Superior Court, and Judge Peter H. Kirwan of the Santa Clara, California Superior Court. Judge Adams is one of the editors of the recently published Business Courts Benchbook. Judge Kirwan previously served as Santa Clara County’s Complex Litigation Judge.
