New York Civil Court Judge and Pitt Alumnus ShawnDya Luisa Simpson to Deliver Pitt's Rubash Lecture in Law and Social Work April 9

PITTSBURGH-ShawnDya Luisa Simpson, civil court judge of the City of New York, will deliver the annual Norman J. and Alice Chapman Rubash Distinguished Lecture in Law and Social Work at noon April 9 in the Barco Law Building's Teplitz Memorial Courtroom, 3900 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Simpson's talk is titled "The Blend of Professional Expertise: Law and Social Work in Legal Decision-Making."

In the fifth year of a 10-year-term as judge, Simpson serves on the Manhattan Criminal Court where she hears more than 700 cases a week, ranging from troubled teens to celebrities in disputes. Prior to her election as judge, Simpson was one of the city's most experienced and accomplished prosecutors, having successfully convicted more than 90 percent of the defendants she prosecuted.

Simpson's legal career includes serving as bureau chief of a felony trial unit in the King's County district attorney's office where she supervised more than 40 assistant district attorneys and was responsible for the prosecution of thousands of criminal cases. She has conducted hundreds of Grand Jury presentations and has extensive trial experience involving such felony offenses as homicides, sexual offenses, robberies, burglaries, assaults, narcotics, and firearm possession. Simpson is considered to be masterful at jury selection, oral arguments, opening statements, summations, and direct and cross examination of civilian, police, and expert witnesses.

A visiting professor at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Simpson is a member of the American Bar Association, Brooklyn Bar Association, Association of Black Women Attorneys, Metropolitan Black Bar Association, Women's Bar Association, the National Bar Association, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Simpson, whose stepfather served in the army, traveled extensively with her family as a child, living in Wiesbaden, Germany, and attending high school in Leavenworth, Kan. Simpson completed her education at Pitt, earning a BS degree in 1987 and a JD degree in 1990.

She has had numerous television appearances as a legal commentator on Court TV, MSNBC, "The Geraldo Rivera Show," and the Fox News Channel and has been featured in articles in the "New York Times" and "Essence "magazine.

The Rubash Distinguished Lecture Series was established through gifts from Norman J. Rubash, a 1957 graduate of Pitt's School of Law, and his wife, Alice Chapman Rubash, a 1956 graduate of Pitt's School of Social Work. Each year a distinguished individual in the fields of law and social work is invited to the University to present a public lecture.

This program has been approved by the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Board for two hours of substantive CLE credit. The cost for credit is $25, payable when registering at the door with a check made out to University of Pittsburgh School of Law. For more information regarding CLE credit, call 412-648-1305. Two hours of Social Work CE certification also is available for $10, payable at the door with a check made out to the University of Pittsburgh.

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3/30/09/tmw