USD Law Advocate, Spring 2026

attorneys, scholars and industry lead ers. Every fourth year, the conference is combined with PatCon—the largest annual conference for patent scholars in the world—when USD Law hosts the event.

The Richard C. Pugh Lecture and Tax Speaker Series features top tax scholars discussing current issues in tax law. With informative analysis on current trends and emerging U.S. and international tax law policies, this powerful series engages local tax lawyers, students and professors while honoring the legacy of distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus Richard Crawford Pugh. The RJS LAW Tax Institute , spearheaded by Adjunct Law Professor Ronson Shamoun ʼ98 (BA), ʼ02 (JD), ʼ03 (LLM), is the premier tax focused event held in partnership with the University of San Diego. The region’s top tax attorneys, CPAs and law/business school professors discuss topics including government loan relief and abuses, challenges in cross-border transactions, and practical and realistic solu tions in trust, estate planning and tax matters. The USD Cyber Law & Risk Symposium is the annual gathering of professionals at the forefront of cybersecu rity, legal risk, governance, compliance and innovation. This highly anticipated event unites legal, business, tech, academic, insurance and public sector leaders from across the country for a day of meaningful engagement, expert insight and interdisciplinary collaboration. The USD School of Law–Chamberlain International Tax Institute brings together top tax scholars from around the U.S. and Mexico to discuss tax topics of inter national importance. Held in Mérida, Mexico, the event’s goal is to increase access to international tax knowledge and promote cross-border education and cooperation between tax attorneys, accountants, financial experts, and other interested business and tax groups. It is through the generosity of donors, the engagement of our alumni and the passion of our faculty that these transformative experiences are brought to life, ensuring that students have access to the voices, ideas and opportu nities that help shape their future. Most events are open to the public. Find more at sandiego.edu/lawevents.

The Richard C. Pugh Lecture and Tax Speaker Series

of new works concerning originalism, the event is open to all scholars who are interested in originalism. The Lesley K. McAllister Symposium on Climate & Energy Law , cohosted by the Energy Policy Initiatives Center and the San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law , brings together legal and policy experts from across the country, including practicing attorneys, policymakers and academic experts. Professor Lesley McAllister was part of the USD Law faculty from 2005 until 2013. During her tenure at USD, she helped to create the Annual Climate and Energy Law Symposium and the San Diego Journal of Climate and Energy Law. McAllister also pioneered the Climate and Energy Law Course and coauthored a book on the subject. The Nathaniel L. Nathanson Memorial Lecture Series was established in 1984 to honor the esteemed law professor who devoted his life to the law and legal educa tion. Nathanson, a graduate of Yale University, Yale Law School and Harvard Law School, served as law clerk to The Honorable Julian Mack of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, as well as to The Honorable Louis D. Brandeis of the Supreme Court of the United States. He taught law at Northwestern University School of Law from 1936 to 1977, where he was named professor emeritus. That same year, he was named a Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of San Diego. He spent alternate semesters at the two law schools until his death in 1983. The Patent Law Conference is sponsored by the Center for Intellectual Property Law and Markets. First held in 2011, the conference brings together some of the top intel lectual property legal minds in the region including judges,

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