Stanford Law School has taken another step toward producing scientifically savvy environmental lawyers-and legally savvy environmental scientists. The school has started offering a joint JD/MS with Stanford’s new Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Environment and Resources.

One chief hails another. Ronald George ’64, Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, is the winner of the 2002 William H. Rehnquist Award, given annually by the National Center for State Courts. Rehnquist ’52 (AB ’48, AM ’48), Chief Justice of the United States, will present the award to George at a ceremony in the coming months.

Stanford Law Professors Bernard Black and Michael Klausner were among the select group of scholars whose works were listed as the top ten corporate and securities articles of 2001. Black was recognized for “The Legal and Institutional Preconditions for Strong Securities Markets,” 48 UCLA Law Review 781. Klausner made the rankings with “Do IPO Charters Maximize Firm Value? Antitakeover Protection in IPOs,” 17 Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization 83 (with Robert Daines).

Mexico’s President Vicente Fox named Jose Cardenas ’77, managing partner at Lewis and Roca, to be a member of the National Council for Mexican Communities Abroad, which will assist in drafting policies that affect Mexican citizens living outside Mexico.

President George W. Bush nominated L.A. County Superior Court Judge S. James Otero ’76 to a seat on the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

Carol Lam ’85 has become interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, as she awaits Senate confirmation (see story p. 69 ) … Richard West ’71, director of the National Museum of the American Indian, has joined the Stanford University Board of Trustees (see story p. 59).