Panelists discuss all things law school

BY KIYANNA NOEL Arts & Culture Editor

The Reality of Law School: A Virtual Alumni Panel seminar was an online seminar hosted by the Political Science Department March 1. Dr. Raymond Carmen opened the Zoom by acknowledging the work put in to make this happen by Christine Landry and Quin Lee.

The four alumni on the panel were Claudia Theagene, Danica McBain, Austin Burke and Cole

Fahrenkopf. Theagene graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2021 and is now attending Seton Hall Law School. Burke graduated in 2020 and is now attending Albany Law School. McBain graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2019 and graduated from Baylor University School of Law. Fahrenkopf graduated in 2018 before graduating from Boston University School of Law in 2022.

Assistant Professor John McMahon asked questions about the process of transitioning from undergraduate to law school. Each panelist had the opportunity to answer the questions before students were allowed to ask questions at the end.

McMahon started the discussion by asking panelists what questions they believe students should ask themselves when considering if law school is the right path for them. Theagene responded by explaining how research played a big role in her decision to pursue a law career.

“I would suggest that students who are interested in going to law school would be doing your research on the career path that you would want to take. I’m trying to see if obtaining a Juris Doctor would be something that would be beneficial or if there’s some other type of pathway without getting a JD because I will say like, you know, there’s pride for me personally, I’m a first generation law student,” Theagene said. “So literally applying and everything was com- pletely done on my own. I had no idea that all the information that I was gaining was solely based off me asking questions, nobody’s been doing research. So distinguishing, you know, becoming an attorney, even as a lawyer if you do get a JD you don’t absolutely need to practice. There’s so many different careers and areas that you can end up with a Juris Doctor.”

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