Advance

The fall semester started out in a full sprint and has only picked up speed over the course of the first four weeks.  The advance planning of our Parris Institute (named for its generous benefactors Rex and Carrol Parris) led to a smooth and inspirational launch week.  Bob Goff headlined the final day with a challenge to students live audaciously into the life God has for them.  Earlier in the week, I had a chance to address the incoming student on the topic of living and practicing law with character.  Still can’t get away from the sports analogies.

A few days later, in Uganda, Henry received another strong set of grades for his second semester of medical school.  He was one of only 200 of the original 500 who started the program to pass all of his classes and advance to the second year (of six).  Last week, he began the fall semester at Kampala International University and is taking Microbiology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Anatomy & Physiology.  He is thrilled to be back in school.

He is even more excited about his upcoming visit to the United States this next February between semesters.  This three-week visit will roughly coincide with the release of Divine Collision – our book that tells the story about how our improbable meeting in a Ugandan juvenile prison in January of 2010 changed both of our lives permanently.  It was surreal receiving a couple boxes last month of what are called “Advance Reader Copies” of the book, which are given to potential endorsers prior to the official release of the book.

So far, I am humbled and honored to have endorsements from many of my heroes in both law practice and in faith, and several more are on the way (Ken Starr, Bob Goff (writing the Forward), Gary Haugen, Judge Edith Jones to name a few).  The hardcover version of the book is scheduled to be in bookstores around the country on January 26^th, though I understand it may ship a few weeks earlier if ordered online where the book is currently available for pre-sale at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other online retailers.

It has also been quite fun to see the documentary film (Remand) near its completion.  We received from the Revolution Pictures a near final cut over the weekend and we will be doing some final editing before the first advance showing.  I am pleased to announce that the first “preview screening” of the film will be Saturday, November 21^st at 7:30 p.m. at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. Prior to the screening will be a Producers’ Dinner at Loew’s Hotel in Santa Monica, which will be headlined by the visionary for our Global Justice Program, Baylor President (and former Pepperdine Law Dean) Ken Starr, and the Executive Producer of the film, former Professor Janet Kerr.  The dinner program will also feature students and alums who lived the events depicted in the film.  At the preview screening, I will be joined in a Q & A by Director Andy Reale and one of the producers (Pepperdine Film Professor Craig Detweiler), as well as several students.  Tickets for both the screening and the dinner go on sale today at the event website.

The month before the preview screening of Remand, we will host a delegation of high ranking Ugandan officials for a one-week study tour, during which Pepperdine and the Ugandan Judiciary will formally sign an expansive Memorandum of Understanding charting the course for the future collaboration between our two institutions.  Among the delegation will be the Chief Justice of Uganda, the Principal Judge (head of the trial court), the Solicitor General, the Secretary of the Judiciary, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Director of the First Parliamentary Counsel (chief legislative drafter for the country), Justice K (Pepperdine partnership liaison), and several others.  The signing ceremony will be at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28^th in the Caruso Auditorium in the law school, and will be preceded by “A Conversation with the Chief Justice of Uganda.”  All are invited to attend.