PROFILES
John Vukelj ’03 Engages the Human Element John Vukelj’s journey to Cornell Law School was inspired by events dating back to post– World War II Albania. His grandfather, an anti-communist fighter, was captured and, on the way to what would have been a show trial, executed. His grandfather’s family was declared enemies of the state and lost much of their land. “Suffice it to say that my family’s past helped shape my view of justice and the importance of the rule of law,” says Vukelj.
Picking the single most exciting thing about my work, it has to be the courtroom. The thrill of presenting your case in a complicated matter, hopefully before an engaged judge and against worthy opposing counsel, can’t be beat. — John Vukelj ’03
“It’s a large part of what led me to go to law school.” As for choosing Cornell Law specifically: “My boss at the time—not a Cornell Law grad —encouraged me to give it a look. As he put it, Cornell Law flies under the radar but is highly respected and turns out excellent lawyers. I applied, got in, and then the Cornell gods did that thing where they magically make it 75 degrees and sunny on the day you visit
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campus. Cornell’s small class size, access to faculty, and remote location (seriously!) won me over. It turned out to be an excellent decision.” At the Law School, Vukelj found the rigorous training that would enable him to thrive in the legal field. “Clients don’t want to just hear me recite black-letter law,” he explains. “They want creative and thoughtful solutions to their problems, presented in a way that they can understand. The way Cornell Law professors teach and constantly challenge students to think through issues undoubtedly prepares them to be successful in practice. It certainly helped me.” He also notes the value of the school’s relatively small size: “The human element of our profession is so important. Clients entrust us with their most difficult problems, and
other lawyers within my firm need to be able to trust me too. Being in an intimate environment at Cornell Law indirectly provided some training in dealing with all of the different types of people and personalities in our profession.” Like his educational journey, Vukelj’s career path was determined by a fortuitous choice. While still in school, he took a summer associate position with the global law firm DLA Piper. After graduating, he returned as a first year associate, and he’s been there ever since. Now a partner in DLA Piper’s litigation practice, Vukelj focuses on securities litigation and enforcement matters, white collar and corporate internal investigations, and business litigation. His clients have included public, private, and nonprofit companies, as well as directors, officers, and employees of those companies.