l0:20-12:00 am Sunday, January l6, 2005 - Congregation Beth Israel
Narratives of Retributive and Non-Retributive Justice and Genocide
Professor William Schabas - "Challenges to Reconciliation: The Truth Commission of Sierra Leone"
Professor Terry Phelps - "The Far Side of Revenge: Quilts, Plays, Museums, and Truth Reports"
Wanda M. Akin, Esq. - "Literary Realism and Is Justice 'On the Cheap' Really Just?: A Report from the Defense on the Special Court for Sierra Leone"
Raymond M. Brown, Esq. - "You have 48 hours to Turn Yourself In! A Meditation on Choice, 'Otherness' and Atrocities"
Allan Gerson, Esq. - "Accountability: From Nazis to Facilitators of 9/11. The Banality of Evil Writ Large"

Wanda M. Akin, was formerly the Managing Attorney for Chubb & Son, Inc.'s, New Jersey House Counsel law firm, Scanlon & Akin, and a Senior Trial Attorney and Of Counsel to Podvey, Sachs, Meanor, Catenacci, Hildner & Cocoziello from November 1994 through January 1998. Ms. Akin now maintains her solo practice knows as Wanda M. Akin, Attorney at Law in Newark, NJ and is an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall University School of Law and Assistant Professor at Seton Hall University's School of Diplomacy and International Relations.

Akin has over 20 years of experience as a trial lawyer in a wide variety of types of cases including criminal defense (in US and International Courts), complex product liability, property claims, construction accident litigation, catastrophic personal injury, employment/labor, trademark and other complex litigation (representing two New Jersey Municipalities and their respective Police Departments in complex employment and personal injury litigation). She has been trial counsel in numerous cases in New Jersey State Courts and Federal Courts, New York State and Federal Courts, Maryland State Courts, and in many other Federal Court actions throughout the United States. She is currently co-counsel, with her husband, Raymond M. Brown, to an Accused at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

She is a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court's Committee on the Rules of Evidence, for 18 years was a Trustee of the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey, formerly a Master in the Seton Hall Law School Alumni Association Inn of Court and served as a Presidential Appointee to the New Jersey State Bar Association's Committee on Judicial Administration. In 1999 she served as the President of the Seton Hall School Alumni Association.

Ms. Akin has taught International Criminal Law in the Seton Hall Law/American University in Cairo summer program in Cairo, Egypt during the summers of 1998, '99, and '00 and at the Seton Hall University School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Winter/Spring 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. She teaches Criminal Trial Practice at Seton Hall Law School and ahs lectured widely in the areas of trial advocacy, media and persuasion, publishing/literary ventures and criminal trial preparation to lawyers, students, bar groups and to a wide variety of businesses and other citizens on various topics.

Ms. Akin is also a periodic guest commentator on Court TV, MS-NBC, Fox News Channel's In Depth and Fox On Family, CNBC's Rivera Live, CNN's Talk Back Live and NJN (New Jersey Network); UPN 9 News and is CN8 It's Your Call's (Comcast) Legal, Media and Political Observer. She covered the delivery of the acquittal of O.J. Simpson for America's Talking and discussed the reaction of African American Women to the verdict on Rivera Live. In Febrary 1997 Ms. Akin was again called upon by the media to comment on the verdict in the Simpson civil case. For CN8 It's Your Call, Wanda made numerous appearances on the matter of the Impeachment of President Clinton. She was MS-NBC's political commentator during 2000 Republican and Democratic National Conventions and the 2000 Presidential Election. She is a frequent panelist/lecturer and seminar producer on issues concerning the trial bar and in particular, International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. Ms. Akin organized and chaired the Chicago '96 Symposium: Addressing the African American Agenda where well known African American authors debated the African American Agenda before the start of the Democratic National Convention. Wanda is also counsel to three publishing houses as well as authors and writers in literary matters. She has appeared on TODAY, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Entertainment Tonight and NewsChannel 4 with respect to cases and with clients on literary matters. Other practice areas include Employment Discrimination, Business Organization and General Advice, and consultation to professional athletes, coaches and organizations with respect to communications, employment and motivational issues.