Alumni Connection
Spotlight on
Richard Larkin McLay ’17
Benedictine Bar Association
CSB/SJU graduates who work in the law or are law students and current students interested in law careers are welcome at BBA events. For more information, write or call Adam Herbst ’99, SJU director of alumni relations, at aherbst@csbsju.edu or 320-363-3819. Hundreds of CSB/SJU graduates have enrolled in law schools and pursued careers in law—and now many of them have come together to support future Johnnie and Bennie lawyers. The Benedictine Bar Association (BBA) is a CSB/SJU alumni club comprised of alumni who work in the law and those currently enrolled in law school. The club was formed to provide resources for members and current students interested in law. “It’s important for alumni to be examples to students who are interested in law,” says Art Boylan ’01, a shareholder at Stinson Leonard Street LLP in Minneapolis and a member of the club’s Founders Committee. The club also provides networking opportunities for alumni lawyers. Dan Thompson ’89, dean of students at William Mitchell College of Law and a fellow member of the Founders Committee, finds great benefit in this kind of connection.
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“Being in the presence of folks who have had or are having the CSB/SJU experience is very rewarding and a great reminder of the good fortune of being able to go to college at two amazing institutions,” Thompson says. The BBA sponsors two events annually. The Red Mass, at Saint Ben’s, invites alumni lawyers to “seek God’s wisdom in the legal profession,” Boylan says. The club also hosts the annual Benedictine Law Fest, which provides an opportunity for members and students to network. “The BBA allows us to really harness important alumni connections for students,” Thompson says. “There seem to be countless stories of how Johnnies and Bennies get their first professional opportunity through a CSB/SJU connection. The BBA is another way for us to help students with this important first step.”