JUST DAYS AFTER Professor Leslie Yalof Garfield’s class discussed the propriety of lawyers and judges using Facebook, the American Bar Association issued guidelines on this very topic. “The ABA said judges could
‘friend’ attorneys who appear before them so long as these judges use proper discretion,” says Professor Garfield, who teaches one of Pace Law School’s newest courses— Social Media Law. “Legal issues arise every week, often at the same
time we are discussing the matters in class.” Social Media Law explores the many legal issues that result from the rapidly expanding use of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms. Public use of these forums and the situations that can arise from such use frequently push the boundaries of existing law. Pace Law students enrolled in the class, all 3Ls, grapple with potential legal road blocks, but they also explore ways that social media might be an asset to their legal careers. Class participation includes contributing to their class blog “Social Media and the Law” (http:// socialmediablawg.blogs.law.pace.
Jonina Sauer ’13
Student Profile
New and Noteworthy
Social Media Law on the Cutting Edge
MOST LAW STUDENTS can point to a favorite class. Jonina Sauer can point to one that changed the course of her career—not that she wasn’t already on a remarkable trajectory. The 4E will graduate in May, first in her class of evening students, and step directly into a position with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Though she said she has always known that she wanted to be an attorney, Jonina’s path took several turns to get her to this latest opportunity. Jonina’s original focus was family law. With an undergraduate degree in political science from the Johns Hopkins University and a master’s in forensic psychology from the John Jay School of Criminal Justice, she had worked at The Children’s Village in Westchester County providing in-home family therapy, and advocating for families in legal and educational settings. When she and her husband both decided to go to law school, they chose Pace Law because of the availability of an evening program that included an impressive roster of professors. As she began her legal education, Jonina also started working as a legal
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assistant with Kramer Kozek LLP in White Plains. A month into her first semester, however, she became pregnant. “I took a year and a half off from Kramer Kozek,” she said. “But I continued with my classes and was ranked first in my program each year.” Pressing on with a commitment that has captured the attention of her professors, Jonina participated in Pace Law’s Federal Judicial Honors program where she worked for the Hon. Paul E. Davidson, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York. It was all of this drive, energy, and experience that she brought to her Pre-Trial Civil Litigation class one evening. Professors Greg McLaughlin and Terry McLaughlin had invited law partners to attend a class session and they encouraged the students to ask every question they ever wanted to ask of a practicing attorney. Jonina seized the opportunity and, as a result, caught the attention of a partner at Paul, Weiss. Afterwards, he gave her his card and encouraged her to contact his office. She did, of course, and eventually received an invitation to interview, and two days later, a job offer. Yes, a lot of people at Pace Law have helped both Jonina and her husband, Joe, but one of the interviewing Partners at Paul, Weiss told her the job offer was all her doing.