Name: Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 Welcomes Class of 2027 by University of Virginia School of Law
Duration: 12 min 48 s
Description: Assistant Dean for Admissions Natalie Blazer ’08 talks about what UVA Law students can expect starting school during an “Olympics year.” She spoke as part of the Class of 2027 orientation. (University of Virginia School of Law, Aug. 15, 2024)

Assistant Dean for Admissions Natalie Blazer ’08 talks about what UVA Law students can expect starting school during an “Olympics year.” She spoke as part of the Class of 2027 orientation. (University of Virginia School of Law, Aug. 15, 2024)

Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 Welcomes Class of 2027

On this episode of Free Range, host Mike Livermore is joined by Natalie Jacewicz, a professor at the University of San Diego School of Law.

Livermore and Jacewicz discuss here forthcoming paper, "Crafting a New Conservationism."  In that paper, Jacewicz examines a fundamental tension in environmental law: the conflict between protecting ecological collectives like species and ecosystems, and safeguarding individual animals. Through analysis of over one hundred National Environmental Policy Act documents, she reveals how federal agencies navigate competing mandates when implementing wildlife management programs.

The discussion explores how marquee conservation statutes, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, contain dual commitments to both collective and individual animal protection, yet provide little guidance for resolving conflicts between these goals. Jacewicz identifies systematic inconsistencies in how agencies approach these tensions, ranging from complete disregard for individual animals to positive duties of care. The conversation concludes by examining potential frameworks for incorporating animal welfare concerns into conservation policy more systematically.

S2E25: Natalie Jacewicz on Conservation and Abundance

Greece’s (Ratings) Rise From the Ashes – Wow, but also How?

We study sovereign restructurings, which means we primarily study countries going into and struggling to get out of crisis. Serial defaulters such as Argentina and Ecuador are frequent topics on our podcasts. And given how bad things were a decade ago, and its history of frequent defaults before that, we might have expected that Greece would join Argentina and Ecuador as among our more frequent podcast topics. And, indeed, Greece is back. But not because it is back in crisis. Instead, it is because it has had a remarkable rise from the ashes to almost investment grade. To discuss this rise, our two good friends from Moodys Ratings, Sarah Carlson and Elena Duggar, join us.

Check out an overview of Moodys Sovereign Methodology here: https://ratings.moodys.io/sovereign-methodology

Producer: Leanna Doty

Ep 151 ft. Sarah Carlson & Elena Duggar

Kimberly Emery ’91, assistant dean for pro bono and public interest, joins admissions dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss how the Pro Bono Program at UVA Law helps bridge the justice gap by providing free legal services to clients and communities in need and prepares law students for the significant responsibilities they will carry as attorneys. Through a variety of projects that span nearly all legal disciplines and regions of the world from Charlottesville to South Africa, the program enables law students to develop their professional practice skills and have a meaningful, real-world impact while still in school.

Season 6, Episode 3: The Pro Bono Program at UVA Law

Why Do We Care Who is Behind HRB’s Sri Lankan Lawsuit?

The Hamilton Bank litigation against Sri Lanka appears to be reaching the end. Or is it? The stays that were granted during restructuring talks have implications for future sovereign debt restructurings, we think. Especially Venezuela’s restructuring, which is going to be a huge undertaking. And then, there may be more drama to come in the HRB lawsuit itself. Sri Lanka says it needs more discovery, apparently to dig into whoever might be behind the lawsuit. Why?

Producer: Leanna Doty

Ep 152 ft. Mitu & Mark

First-year law student Colleen Sullivan joins Dean Blazer ’08 to discuss how she navigated one of the most competitive and uncertain application cycles on record. From authentic communication to patience to staying true to her goals, tune in to hear Sullivan’s advice and how her journey brought her to UVA Law.

Season 6, Episode 4: From Waitlist to 1L: How to Shine in a Super-Competitive Cycle

User Fees on the US Treasury Strategic Gold Crypto Reserve

Trump plans to reduce the US debt. We are missing some of the steps, but here are the ones we have identified so far:

1. Golden passports
2. Tariffs
3. Maybe not tariffs
4. Okay, tariffs
5. Something about gold
6. User fee on treasuries
7. Crypto
8. ???

We speculate about what we are missing. Maybe it’s a red Tesla?

Producer: Leanna Doty


Ep 153 ft. Mitu & Mark

What Might a Syrian Debt Restructuring (Eventually) Look Like?

There is little doubt that Syria needs to restructure its debt, among other reasons to pave the way for rebuilding after a long and brutal civil war. It strikes us as too early to envision what that process will look like, but we can identify some of the key issues. The country owes a lot to official creditors, especially Iran and Russia. Much of this was off-books and was used for the military or otherwise to support former President Bashar al-Assad's repressive regime. Not surprisingly, we are already hearing the term "odious debt" raised to suggest these debts need not be repaid; there may be a separate doctrine allowing repudiation of certain war-related debts. We talk about whether these (arguable) doctrines of international law have any relevance here and about the potential role of the U.S. in a debt restructuring.

Producer: Leanna Doty

Ep 154 ft. Mitu & Mark

Back by popular demand, Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 and her microphone venture outside the studio to give listeners a look inside UVA Law’s Admitted Students Open House. Through on-site interviews with admitted students, their guests, current law students, alumni and staff, this episode highlights the admissions cycle’s main event that brought hundreds of visitors to Charlottesville this spring.

Season 6, Episode 5: Inside the 2025 Admitted Students Open House

What if Trump Discovers that Unpaid UK (and French) Debt From WWI?

The current administration has tossed concepts such as “special relationships” with allies out the window. The administration seems willing to apply just about any leverage it has to obtain concessions from allies, including concessions that might reduce the US debt. Seen in that light, what will happen when Trump and the Musketeers discover that the UK and France have hundred-year old unpaid debts? With interest, that unpaid debt would now amount to a few trillion dollars.  Enforcing these debts would be near impossible, except that the UK and France own a whole bunch of US Treasuries. Could the administration try to force a swap of those Treasuries into  longer term obligations? Or try to use the US government's claims against the UK and France as a setoff, reducing payments on US debt held by those governments? Seems loony. But loony is normal these days.

Producer: Leanna Doty

Ep 155 ft. Mitu & Mark

Assistant Dean for Public Service Ryan Faulconer ’08 joins Dean Blazer to discuss how political instability creates an even bigger demand for great lawyers, and how UVA Law students in particular benefit from the customized counseling and support that his office provides. Reflecting upon his 15-year career as a federal prosecutor, which took off at the height of the Great Recession, Dean Faulconer emphasizes the need for flexibility, grit and creativity to navigate uncertain times.

Season 6, Episode 6: We Need Lawyers More Than Ever

To request an audio transcript that is not at law.virginia.edu/news/videos-podcasts, please contact comm@law.virginia.edu. Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.

Admissions Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 Welcomes Class of 2027

University of Virginia School of Law

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