News Center: News Releases

USD School of Law Names Dr. Nilmini Silva-Send First Friedman Energy Law Fellow

San Diego (March 2, 2011)—The University of San Diego (USD) School of Law is pleased to announce Dr. Nilmini Silva-Send as the first C. Hugh Friedman Fellow in Energy Law and Policy. The fellowship will support Dr. Silva-Send's research and teaching in the area of energy law and policy.

The fellowship is funded through a $2 million endowment created in honor of Professor Friedman's 50 years of service to USD School of Law. The endowment results from a settlement in a consumer class-action case.

“The cutting-edge research, study and public education being done at EPIC play an important role in our struggle to preserve and sustain our environment for future generations,” said USD School of Law Professor C. Hugh Friedman. “Nilmini’s significant research and study of energy law and policy make her an excellent choice as the first Friedman Energy Law and Policy Fellow.”

“We are delighted to recognize Professor Friedman’s many contributions to the law school and to the law generally through this appointment,” said USD School of Law Dean Kevin Cole. “EPIC’s important work is consistent with Professor Friedman’s career-long focus on how law impacts real people.”

Silva-Send is an adjunct professor at USD School of Law and senior policy analyst at the law school’s Energy Policy Initiatives Center (EPIC). An expert in international, European and U.S. environmental law, Silva-Send teaches international and European environmental law at USD School of Law. As a researcher at EPIC, she has authored or co-authored several reports analyzing strategies and policies to reduce energy use in the transportation sector. Silva-Send holds a BS in chemistry from the University of California Davis, an LLB from the University of London, and a PhD in International Law and Policy from the University of Kiel in Germany. She is also a member of the International Bar Association.

About EPIC
The Energy Policy Initiatives Center (EPIC) is a non-profit academic and research center of the University of San Diego School of Law that studies energy policy issues affecting the San Diego region and California. EPIC integrates research and analysis, law school study, and public education, and serves as a source of legal and policy expertise and information in the development of sustainable solutions that meet our future energy needs.

About Professor C. Hugh Friedman
After obtaining his BA from Yale University in 1953 and his JD from Stanford Law School in 1956, C. Hugh Friedman began his legal career as a California Deputy Attorney General. In 1958, he began teaching at the newly formed USD School of Law after moving to San Diego to become in-house corporate counsel for a fast-growing corporate conglomerate. He later practiced business law with Friedman, Kahan, Dysart & Frasier, where he was senior partner, before joining USD School of Law as a full-time faculty member in 1977. Professor Friedman teaches and writes in the areas of corporations, business planning and securities law. In 2008, Professor Friedman celebrated his 50th anniversary of teaching at the law school.

About USD School of Law
The University of San Diego School of Law is a center of academic excellence focused on preparing its students for legal practice in the new century. One of the most selective law schools in the country, the School of Law's nationally recognized faculty create a demanding, yet welcoming environment that emphasizes individualized education. USD law school graduates consistently score higher than the state average on the California Bar Exam and go on to practice law throughout the country and abroad, forming an influential network of alumni. USD School of Law is one of only 81 law schools in the country to have a chapter of The Order of the Coif, the most distinguished rank of American law schools. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, nonprofit, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.