Lisa Brown, the executive director of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy and one-time counsel to former Vice President Al Gore, will be a guest speaker Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the West Virginia University College of Law.

Her talk and a reception mark the official kickoff of the WVU College of Law Student Chapter of the ACS .

At 4:30 p.m., she will preside over a brief chartering ceremony in the law school lobby followed by a lecture at 6 p.m. in the Lugar Courtroom.

Brown served as counsel to Gore from 1999 to 2001, deputy counsel from 1997 to 1999 and an attorney adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice from 1996 until 1997.

Prior to her government service, she was a partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm Shea&Gardner, where her practice included both litigation and transactional work.

At WVU , she will deliver a talk titledStraddling Two Branches: The Vice Presidencyin connection with a law school course in presidential powers. Both events are open to the public.

We are very excited about chartering a student chapter of the American Constitution Society here at WVU ,said Andrea Marano, WVU College of Law ACS president.Our organization is committed to the goals of the ACS , and we are proud to work toward its vision of keeping fundamental principles of human dignity, individual rights, equality and liberty central to American law. I encourage everyone to attend this event.

The ACS , founded in 2001, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit national organization of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, policymakers, activists and other concerned individuals.

With more than 100 chapters across the country, the ACS works to foster a progressive vision of the law on such issues as affirmative action, civil liberties, consumer rights, criminal justice, freedom of speech, gay rights, international human rights, immigration, labor law, privacy, womens reproductive rights and the environment.

To facilitate this outreach, the ACS sponsors various events throughout the country, including speaking programs and a national convention. Speakers at ACS events have included Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.; Democratic vice-presidential hopeful John Edwards; Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass.; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; former Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis and former Attorney General Janet Reno.