USE FULL SCREEN OR CRTL + TO VIEW AT FULL SIZE


Rowe Allowed to Take Bar Exam from Unaccreditated Law School

...when even the judge has a substandard education. The International School of law was never accredited and never could be. It finally merged into George Mason Law School. Judge Rowe took advantage of this time to apply for attorney privileges in WV. Somehow he convinced the Bd of Examiners to grant him permission to take the bar exam despite the fact that the Supreme Court sets the rules and we have found no evidence that the Bd of Examiners had any right to grant an exemption.

We requested Rowe to recuse himself because it is this very issue of qualifications that we are raising with Denise Spatafore who we have charged was not a licensed attorney during her time on our case.

Spatafore, an administrative law judge, quit taking her continuing legal education credits in 2001 and did start back unto 2008 when she was suspended.

We are asking Judge Rowe to let us have an evidentiary hearing before a fully qualified judge but we have discovered that he, himself, has a less that qualified educational record.

He himself graduated from a substandard school that the ABA had not accredited. This means that we cannot expect to have full "due process" of law in our case unless we have a fully qualified judge.

Judge Rowe is asking the chief justice to make the decision. Chief Justice Benjamin doesn't handle "recusals" very well. (You remember the big issue about Blankeship) We doubt that Benjamin even knows what the words means!!!

On Wed, 5/20/09, Norman Alderman wrote:


From: Norman Alderman
Subject: Clarification of Rowe recusal matter.
To: "supreme court" , "James Rowe" , "chip williams"

Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 5:47 PM

Dear Justice Benjamin:

You should have received a letter from Judge Rowe this day indicating that I had asked for his recusal due to information that I have in hand that indicates that he may be unqualified to serve as a circuit judge due to allegations that he graduated from an unaccredited law school, International School of Law.

I wanted to clarify that I am not merely referencing the material in the David Ryder case but also have done an independent study of the question in hand which included researching the rules for the time in question, 1978 and I have found no reference in the rules to WV allowing graduates of an unaccredited law school to take the bar exam. I also checked the Acts of the Virginia Assembly to determine if they had made some exception when they approved the merger of International Law School into George Mason law school and I found no exemption granted for its graduates. To the contrary, there seems to be adequate evidence to indicate that it is not traditional for law schools to retroactively grant JD degrees to their non accredited predecessors. I have found no exemption in WV Law which would have permitted a graduate of an unaccredited law school to take the exam in WV. I traveled to Washington Lee University law school and examined the rules for 1978 and I have found no exemption.

I am a teacher and we are required by law (to maintain our state approved license) to maintain a CE regimen. Failure to do so can cause us the loss of our positions. It seems that the WV Bar feels strongly about this too because they have reaffirmed the need for ALJs to maintain their CLE credits.

The questions of CLE's with ALJ's and judges graduating from unaccredited law schools have formed a conjunction in my case against the Pocahontas County Board of Education. It appears to me that I am being made the double victim of the legal educational system in this matter. I have asked Judge Rowe to send certified questions to you regarding the ALJ matter.

There are hundreds of us who are impacted by Denise Spatafore's six year furlough from taking her CLE credits. I am raising the issue of "due process" in the ALJ case and I will be raising the "due process" question should Judge Rowe be allowed to hear my case.

I like Judge Rowe but this is my livilihood, my career that we are talking about here. I desire only to have a full and fair hearing before a qualified and competent judge.

I have already informed the West Virginia Grievance Board that I plan to file a civil rights action against them for violation of my due process rights. They should have been minding the store instead of allowing two of their ALJ's to go on for so many years without monitoring.

With this in mind please understand that I am not seeking Judge Rowe's recusal out of any sense of vindictativness but I must insist that there be no question as to my due process rights to a fair hearing. I contend that I have yet, after three years, to have a lawfully mandated hearing before a competent judge (namely Denise Spatafore who was unqualified). I hope that you will render a judgement in my case which honors the integrity of the judicial system.

Thank you very much.

Norman Alderman

bump

The school he graduated from wasn't accredited AND NEVER WAS ACCREDITED!

If you find all of this to be true, what happens to all of the cases Rowe has had anything to do with. Pretty messed up he has been a judge for so long. Going to be alot of lawsuites!!!!! I have a case in front of Rowe. What can I do????? You guys are doing a great job, keep it up!!!!!!!

You need to let your lawyer know about the Rowe question. Our argument is that he has a substandard education and is not qualified to be a judge.

It would appear Rowe's substandard legal education did not include legal ethical standards and could explain why he does not understand them or how due process of law is a Constitutional right.

So can a substandard lawyer provide "due process" of law!

The bar examination is the ONLY measure of whether a lawyer is "sub-standard." Rowe passed. Therefore, he is not "sub-standard."

Furthermore, and this shows your total lack of understanding of the process, what is taught in law school amounts to very little of what makes a good lawyer. Law schools are theoretical; practicing in the real world is the only way one gains the experience necessary to be a good lawyer.

Bottom line: the bar exam exists to weed out the "sub-standard" wanna-be lawyers. It did NOT weed out Rowe. You are dreaming if you think Rowe's license will be revoked on this issue.

My question is a little different: I am questioner whether he can provide "due process." Due Process is that standard of law that requires a judge to render all of the law that is required in a specific situation. Obviously, someone who has a substandard education cannot provide due process.

How is Rowe's education "sub-standard"???

Despite his "sub-standard" education, he passed the bar exam in VA and WV. Under your theory, someone with a "sub-standard" education could not pass a bar exam. Not the case here. Twice.

In simple terms, "due process" is the safeguarding of all the rights a person has. Rowe has a long history of protecting persons' due process rights. That is why he has been twice elected as a judge, despite people like you Norman who have railed against him. He is seen as a very fair judge, despite your vendetta against him. It is no surprise you are in the distinct minority in your opinion of Rowe.

No, you place too much emphasis on a single "test". I myself who was trained in secondary education once took a test to teach elementary school. Passed! Never had an elementary course in my life!