Perspectives: Spring 2017

LAW WESTERN NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

SPRING 2017

Perspectives Child Welfare Law: Serving Our Most Vulnerable Citizens

in this issue

Legislative Institute Series President Trump’s First 100 Days

New Course Explores Impact of Marijuana Legislation

Dear Alumni/ae and Friends, In case you missed our new and improved digital edition of Law Digest, I am happy to report that our Negotiation Teams made a clean sweep at the ABA Region 1 Negotiation Competition in November, taking first, second, and third place. In this issue of Perspectives, you can read more about their win and how they got there. If you want to make sure you receive our August and future issues of Law Digest, please share your email address with Kim Roeder in our alumni office.

You will also enjoy reading this spring’s feature. As officers of the court, lawyers can influence many facets of society, but one of the areas where we can impact the future of our communities the most is in child welfare law. Our lead story focuses on the important work in this field being carried out by three alumnae of the School of Law: Kathryn Foster ’09, Aimee Cameron-Browne ’90, and Laura Flowers ’11, and provides information on how you can volunteer to fill a critical need for representation.

One family that continues to make an impact on the School of Law is the Cooley family. Judge Sidney Cooley of the Class of 1941 passed away in early 2014 just weeks after turning 100 years old. He served 23 years as special justice in Franklin District Court in Greenfield and as presiding justice for Western Hampden District Court in Westfield. While he earned his degree back when we were still a part of SpringfieldNortheastern College, Judge Cooley, and his wife, Anne, were lifelong supporters of the School of Law. Our interview with his son, Larry, shares how the Cooley family is continuing to honor his legacy at the School of Law. You will also learn about Assistant General Counsel and Compliance Officer Russell Thompson ’90 (Mariner Investment Group, LLC) and how our welcoming academic environment provided the springboard to launch his career. Current student Claudia Quintero shares what her legal education means to her as a formerly undocumented immigrant turned stellar law student.

No one has to tell you that there has been a whirlwind of changes impacting the legal profession in recent months. Our focus on a new course addressing the legal implications of recent marijuana legalization and the Legislative Institute’s series on President Trump’s first 100 Days provide important must-reads.

It is such change that reminds us of the special responsibility we hold as members of the bench and bar and the unique role your law school can play as a resource to you and the general public. Please support us in these efforts and in educating the future legal professionals who will uphold that promise.

Sincerely,

Eric Gouvin Dean and Professor of Law

LAW

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WESTERN NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

contents SPRING 2017

Perspectives Perspectives is a publication of Western New England University School of Law ERIC GOUVIN Dean and Professor of Law

BARBARA MOFFAT Vice President for Marketing and External Affairs

CHERYL BRODOWSKI Director of Donor Relations and Communications

MARY MCLEAN ORSZULAK G’10 Editor

JUDY CURRAN PAT GAGNON BRIAN FITZGERALD G’16 ALEXANDRA L. LYMAN BA’12/G’16 SPENCER NAAKE ’10 MARY MCLEAN ORSZULAK G’10 KIM ROEDER VARIOUS FACULTY/STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS Writers

2 LARRY and MARINA COOLEY

Honor His Parents’ Legacy of Helping Others

CHERYL BRODOWSKI MEREDITH CERVASIO BRIAN FITZGERALD G’16 BARBARA MOFFAT KIM ROEDER DEBORAH PORTER SAVOIE Proofreading

KIM ROEDER Alumni Notes Editor and Faculty Notes Editor

DEBORAH CHAPPELL Creative Director

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LENARD DESIGN GROUP Design & Production

HADLEY PRINTING

NEGOTIATION TEAMS

Printing

Make a Clean Sweep at Regionals

PAUL SCHNAITTACHER Principal Photography

BRIAN ZELASKO Additional Photography

also in this issue

HOW TO CONTACT US

LEGISLATIVE INSTITUTE SERIES: President Trump’s First 100 Days

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New Course Explores Marijuana Legalization

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Claudia Quintero 3L

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2016 Speaker Series Showcase

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FACULTY NOTES & IN THE MEDIA

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ALUMNI NEWS

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BOARD REPORT

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ALUMNI NOTES

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CAMPUS UPDATE

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Dean’s Office 413-782-1413 Eric Gouvin eric.gouvin@law.wne.edu Admissions 413-782-1406 Amy Mangione amangione@law.wne.edu

22 ALUMNI PROFILE

Russ Thompson ’90

Law Development 413-796-2316 Robert Ziomek robert.ziomek@wne.edu Law Alumni Relations 413-782-1311 Kim Roeder kim.roeder@wne.edu Career Services 413-782-1416 Sam Charron scharron@wne.edu Student Records 413-782-1402 Terese Chenier terese.chenier@law.wne.edu Law Library 413-782-1616 Pat Newcombe pnewcombe@law.wne.edu Faculty Members Call 413-782-3111 and ask for specific faculty member.

Visit Perspectives alumni magazine online at wne.edu/alumni/law

Main Fax Number 413-796-2067 Mailing Address 1215 Wilbraham Road Springfield, MA 01119-2684

alumni giving

Anne Cooley and Judge Sidney Cooley

Larry Cooley and His Wife, Marina, Honor His Parents’ Legacy of

Helping Others

Some scholarships are poignant reminders of what good can be accomplished by lives well lived. Indeed, Judge Sidney M. Cooley L’41/’84LLD(hon)/’01HD(hon) and his wife, Anne V. Cooley, were always known for their generosity, their involvement in the Springfield community, and their dedication to Western New England University. In honor of his late parents, their son, Larry Cooley, and his wife, Marina Fanning, recently made a $25,000 contribution to their endowed scholarship.

The Judge Sidney M. and Anne V. Cooley Endowed Scholarship is for law students with demonstrated academic merit and financial need. Larry said he made the gift to continue his parents’ extraordinary legacy of giving back. “I want to help make it possible for future generations of lawyers-in-training to follow in what my dad considered to be a truly noble profession,” said Larry.

A passion for helping others has long been a family affair for the Cooleys. Because of their outstanding service to the community, Judge Cooley and his wife were each honored with numerous awards, including the prestigious William Pynchon Award, awarded by the Ad Club of Western Mass for distinguished service to the community.

Judge Cooley, a legendary figure in Massachusetts law, is remembered for his wisdom and compassion on the bench—with a reputation for not being interested in delivering punishment as

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much as justice. “In every case, he was looking for the fairest and most humane resolution,” said Larry. He served as a special justice in Franklin District Court in Greenfield, MA, from 1960 to 1973.

Then he was appointed presiding justice of Western Hampden District Court in Westfield, MA, until his retirement from the bench in 1983.

His eagerness to assist people in need was evident when he was a major in the U.S. Army: after serving in the European Theatre in World War II, he was appointed judge and then military governor in Bayreuth, Germany, where he relocated displaced survivors of Nazi concentration camps. He also set up an agricultural school in Bayreuth so that Jews emigrating to Israel would have a marketable skill when they arrived. “This experience was a major influence on his path in life,” said Larry.

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ALUMNI GIVING By Brian Fitzgerald G’16

“

I want to help make it possible for future generations of lawyers-in-training to follow in what my dad considered to be a truly noble profession.”

As a judge, he instituted a number of innovative programs to reduce criminal recidivism and rehabilitate criminal offenders. When Judge Cooley retired from the bench in 1983, he re-entered the law firm of Cooley, Shrair P.C. where he continued to serve as counsel until 2013.

Among Judge Cooley’s numerous recognitions for service to the community are the Herman E. Snyder Award, the Channel 22 Outstanding Service to the Public Award, the Western New England Law School Outstanding Alumnus Award, and the Robert B. Cowles Award from the Springfield Boys Club.

Anne “Pudsie” Cooley was a graduate of Louisiana State University and received a master’s degree in rehabilitation from Springfield College and an honorary degree from Elms College. She was an active volunteer for decades at Wesson Women’s Hospital at Baystate Medical Center, Meals on Wheels, the Jewish Nursing Home, the Massachusetts Association for the Blind, Rachel’s Table, the Gray House, and the Work Opportunity Center, having served on the board of directors of several of those organizations.

In 2006, when Judge Cooley was honored by the National Conference for Community and Justice with its Human Relations Award, he remarked, “I credit my wife with most of what I know about nobility and the true meaning of charity. With more Pudsies, the world would truly be a kinder and gentler place.”

Larry wasn’t surprised by this statement. “My mother came from a family in the South that prioritized giving back,” he said. “My dad was the kind of person who remembered and appreciated everything good anyone had ever done for him. He knew what it meant to struggle, having been deeply shaped by the Depression and by his service in World War II.” Western New England University played an important part in the couple’s lives, and their longstanding support of the University’s many initiatives and endeavors was exemplary. “My dad worked his way through night school and credited the University with making his career in law and on the bench possible,” said Larry. His parents’ special relationship with the University, which includes two honorary degrees for Judge Cooley, “was deeply enhanced and enriched by their close friendship with President Caprio, whom they loved and admired.” ◆

Larry Cooley and Marina Fanning Larry Cooley founded MSI, an 800-person Washington, DC-based international development firm, in 1981 with his wife. He is now president emeritus and senior advisor to the company. A specialist in strategic management, public sector performance and organizational development, he has served as an advisor to cabinet officials in seven federal agencies and in more than a dozen countries. Before founding MSI, he worked at the World Bank, UNDP, and as a Peace Corps volunteer.

Larry holds a master’s degree in Economics from Columbia University, an MPA in Public Policy from Princeton, and an M. Phil. in Management from the Cranfield School of Management in the United Kingdom.

Marina Fanning, MSI’s long-serving executive vice president, retired in 2015. During her three-plus decades at the company, she helped to implement and manage hundreds of projects for U.S. and foreign government agencies, most recently in Mexico, Morocco, and Pakistan.

Marina holds a master’s degree in Organizational Development from American University.

Standing behind Anne and Sidney Cooley are (L-R) their daughter-in-law Marina Fanning, sons Larry and Michael Cooley, son-in-law William Hadden, and daughter Deborah Cooley.

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The family unit is the very heart of our society. When circumstances threaten that unit and children’s welfare is at risk, it becomes a matter for our courts. But there are no easy solutions: each case is as unique as the individuals involved.

Whether working to preserve families or finding children new homes where they can thrive, there is enormous responsibility weighing on the shoulders of our dedicated alumni who choose to serve in the field of child welfare law.

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feature

FEATURE By Mary McLean Orszulak G’10

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Working with children and parents who are suffering is very emotionally challenging,” explains Attorney Kathryn Foster ’09. “Sometimes it is hard to maintain emotional distance from our clients’ cases, and I have had many conversations with other juvenile welfare trial attorneys who lay awake at night thinking about their clients and wishing we could do more to help their families.”

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hat desire to do more has inspired Kathryn to get creative about how she can better serve her clients. Creativity isn’t a term one would usually associate with child welfare law, but it is the vision behind a new partnership she is undertaking with Attorney Madeline Weaver Blanchette ’08, MSW, JD. Kathryn has been in solo practice since being admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2010, the same year she became a member of the Committee for Public Counsel Services Children and Family Law Division Trial and Appellate Panels. This fall, she is joining forces with Madeline to form a new firm, Foster and Blanchette, headquartered on Main Street in Springfield. Both are members of the Appealing Women, a social network for western Massachusetts appellate professionals (Perspectives, Spring 2016), who prioritize court-appointed cases.

“We are still in the planning and visioning phase of establishing the firm, but we would like to be thoughtful and creative practitioners of child welfare law,” she explains.

She says there is a need for such an approach because “each family and case is unique unto itself; each requires creativity in responding to the specific and individual facts of the case. Since the law pertaining to child welfare is relatively narrow, there is a lot of room to use the law that exists to find creative ways to advocate for each individual family.”

Kathryn cites the high volume of case filings (Care and Protection filings are up 16% in Hampden County) as creating a shortage of attorneys to advocate for all of the families that become involved with the Department (See the box on page 7 for how you can help).

“This leads to a failure of due process in the court system when cases are continually delayed while children languish in foster care,” she says. “These children might have been returned to their families if the case had been heard in a timely manner.

These families suffer significant trauma due to separation that

is entirely independent of whatever caused the family to become involved with the Department in the first place. This trauma lingers long after the children are returned, and many families will never be the same. There is a great need for skilled attorneys to handle these cases in western Massachusetts.”

An alumna of Brandeis University, Kathryn has been one of those skilled attorneys since graduating from Western New England in 2009. Faced with a judiciary hiring freeze at the time, she volunteered for Hampden County Superior Court, which led her to go into private practice and immediately into appellate work.

She was also exceedingly well-prepared thanks to her participation in a myriad of classroom and cocurricular experiences.

Among these were Legal Research and Writing with Professor Myra Orlen (Kathryn was named Best Defense Oral Advocate), arguing on the Frederick Douglass moot court team mentored

by Professor Bridgette Baldwin, intensive appellate brief writing in her International Human Rights course with Professor Art Wolf, Law Review, and seven CALI awards.

She applied those skills in externships and internships at the Superior Court of Massachusetts, Western Mass Legal Services, and the City of Springfield Department of Housing Code Enforcement.

“It was important for me to see people meaningfully pursuing careers in the public interest to affirm my choice to do the same,” says Kathryn.

Today, she finds meaning in each case, but one in particular hit home. “I represented a mother of a child who was not yet four,” she recalls. “Despite all of the mother’s work completing every service, the Department continually added to her service plan. Her obviously gifted parenting, and the many providers advocating on her behalf not withstanding, the Department had made up its mind to separate her child from her and changed the goal of the case to adoption. While we filed motions and fought in court, there were times when I held my own daughter, the same age as my client’s child, and I cried. I cried because my client was at home without her child, longing for him. I had to separate my own feelings of helplessness and empathy so that I could focus and fight creatively on her behalf until her child was returned home.”

She says that she has “deep sympathy for my parent clients, who suffer significant trauma when their children are separated from them, sometimes permanently; and for my child clients who experience the ‘inevitable trauma’ of separation from their parents and, in many cases, their extended families—forever.”

Kathryn is steadied by her faith and deeply held belief that “every person, regardless of income, race, gender, or ability is entitled to dignity and kindness. Sometimes, I am limited in what I can get for my clients. But, I want them to know that, no matter what happens in the case, their story was heard and appreciated, and that I was on their side.”

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feature Fighting the Cycle Since childhood, Aimee Cameron-Browne ’90, regional counsel in the Department of Children and Families in Springfield, MA, has been drawn to advocate for the rights of children and families. Initially studying to be a nurse midwife at SUNY Plattsburgh, Aimee changed majors and the trajectory of her life after being inspired by Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro’s nomination acceptance speech at the 1984 Democratic Convention.

“I realized I didn’t need to get into medicine to help children and families; I could become a lawyer and fight for them in a different arena. The next day, I changed my major to political science with the hope that I could go to law school,” she says.

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he next step for the Glens Falls, NY, native was Western New England, where she felt both inspired and challenged.

After taking her first family law course (Representing Children) with Professor Michael Donnelly, Aimee was hooked. “I took every course on children and families while I was at law school. I loved them. When I graduated, I met with another alumna, Joanne McCarthy (’85), who worked with the Juvenile Court as an attorney and court investigator. She called over to DSS for me to see if there were any openings. I applied that day and have been working with families and children ever since,” she says.

Aimee has served the Department of Children and Families in Springfield since 1991.

In her present role, she acts as senior manager of the department of 17, 12 of whom are fellow alumni of Western New England University School of Law. Two new hires this spring are also alumni. She also sponsors interns from Western New England. “The students that come to us are very excited to learn. They want to get into the courtroom and try their hand at ‘lawyering.’ At least four of our attorneys started as interns,’ she says.

“As attorneys for the Commonwealth, our office works almost exclusively with the Juvenile Courts handling Care and Protection petitions,” Aimee explains. “These petitions encompass adjudicating children in need of care and protection, termination of parental rights, guardianships, and adoptions. We also practice before the probate court with Care and Responsibility Petitions, guardianships of young adults with disabilities and sua sponte orders of custody.”

While poverty is a root cause of many child welfare issues, in her 15 years at the Department,

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Aimee sees the opioid epidemic as the biggest challenge facing area families today.

“Almost every case that comes through our doors has some form of opioid addiction attached to it,” she says. “The drugs are everywhere and they are fairly cheap. Parents are in and out of rehabilitation services. We have trouble finding the appropriate services for clients. Finding beds for inpatient services can be very challenging.

Finding services that will work with families in their native tongue is also difficult, especially in rural areas. The drug addiction leads to neglect of children, so it’s a Catch-22 situation. Until the drug addiction is addressed, nothing will improve for the children.

“Parents are clean and then they relapse and this happens over and over again,” she explains.

“To feed that addiction, they will do anything to get their drugs, including prostitution, selling food stamps, and selling their own children’s medications. Many times children are exposed to criminals and sexual offenders.”

Faced with this endless cycle, many children head down the pathway to adoption.

“I am most proud when children who have come through our system are able to find forever homes,” says Aimee, who has dedicated a wall in her office to photographs from National Adoption Day, a rare day of celebration at the courthouse.

“The court has a celebration where not only do the parents adopt the children, the children adopt their parents. The faces of love and hope are inspiring. There are not too many happy days in Juvenile Court, but when a child knows that they are staying in a home where they will be safe, warm, well taken care of, and loved, it is overwhelming.”

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FEATURE By Mary McLean Orszulak G’10

Putting Kids First “I have absolutely found that working with all parties closely, including defense counsel, is integral in getting a result that best serves the children in the Commonwealth,” says Laura Flowers ’11, assistant regional counsel for the Department of Children and Families in Pittsfield, MA. “In working together, I really feel strongly that we are able to put the kids first. Sometimes we don’t always agree on the path, but working together certainly accomplishes more in terms of benefits for the children.”

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ike Aimee, Laura says that the drug abuse is the number one reason our most vulnerable population is at risk. She calls opioid abuse “the scourge of our time.”

Today, Laura is on a mission to manage and prioritize the department’s high volume of caseloads brought on by the epidemic.

“My legal education taught me to hone my ability to focus on and pick out the real issues, and not to get lost in all of the other things in a particular case that can get you off track,” she says. “Good lawyering, I’ve learned, focuses on what needs to be focused on, and has an ability to put the rest aside. To this day, I remember those repetitive lessons from my Western New England professors in which they drove this point home.”

The Salt Lake City area native and graduate of the University of Utah always knew she wanted to be a lawyer, but enjoyed a wide range of experiences prior to relocating to western Massachusetts and enrolling in law school. She says working with political campaigns, living in other countries, and developing other professional interests informs her legal perspectives and helped her embrace her law school experience.

“I loved every minute of my time at Western New England,” says Laura. “The small class size, the genuine sense that my

instructors were truly invested in my legal education, as well as the opportunity I had for my internship—all this has shaped my legal career.”

Beyond an internship with her present department, she took full advantage of the School’s emphasis on the development of practical lawyering skills. These included the Trial Team and the Rendigs Product Liability Team, which taught her about brief writing and appellate argument. “I still use those skills in my life as a litigator today,” she says. Influential mentors include Professors Bill Childs, Sudha Setty, Tina Cafaro, and René Reich-Graefe. “In my entire time at Western New England, I never had a professor who didn’t add to my education in a positive way,” she says.”

Like Kathryn and Aimee, Laura takes heart in the successes she sees and seeks the best resolution for each individual child and family— whether it is reunification or placing the child in a safer environment. As a mother of three herself, she feels a sense of fierce protectiveness of any child, but she has also witnessed occasions when the power of a mother’s love has overcome the draw of addiction.

She has witnessed overwhelming reunifications. One particular mother was literally at the rock bottom of her drug addiction, and her daughter had been removed from her care because of it.

“When she hit that rock bottom, she had a choice to make,” says Laura. “She could have easily given in to her substance abuse issue, but she made the conscious choice not to do so. When I have heard her speak about it, she has indicated how hard it was—not because she didn’t love her daughter, but because substance abuse is so powerful. But she made the choice to do it for herself, and then for her daughter, and was successful. At the beginning of the case, I never thought I would see the day that she would be successful—it was that bad. But she was, thanks to a supportive social worker, an attorney who was a great advocate for her, and her own determination.”

Such successes help Laura marshal on. “It makes me feel strongly that families need this loving relationship if we can make it happen in a way that is safe for the child, but that no adult—no matter who they are—gets to hurt or neglect these vulnerable kids.” ◆

Western Massachusetts Families Need Your Help The Children and Family Law Division (CAFL) of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is looking for attorneys interested in representing parents and children in child welfare cases in western Massachusetts. In the past year, Hampden County alone has seen a 16% increase in care and protection filings, a process where the state removes children from their parents’ custody and places them in foster care. Parents and children are each entitled

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to an attorney in these proceedings to protect their constitutional and statutory rights. There are currently 100 litigants without counsel in Hampden County. CPCS must increase the number of attorneys handling these cases in order to ensure that everyone is provided zealous and timely representation. Members of the bar interested in becoming certified should contact Dawn Messer at 508-443-5431 or dmesser@publiccounsel.net.

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The School of Law Negotiation Team took the top three spots in the regional competition. (L to R) Joseph Masse 2L, Kim Roche 3L, Egzon Beha 3L, Rachna Khanna 3L, Matthew Minniefield 4L, and Thomas Holman 3L.

Negotiation

TEAMS

Make a Clean Sweep at Regionals

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{

NEGOTIATION TEAMS By Alex Lyman BA’12/G’16

Western New England University School of Law enjoyed a stunning success at the American Bar Association (ABA) Region 1 Negotiation Competition, building on a history of strong competition at the negotiation table. After two days of intense competition, the three Western New England University teams finished in first, second, and third place, in a rare clean sweep.

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total of 16 teams from throughout New England and New York State, including Boston College Law School, UConn Law, Boston University School of Law, Albany Law, Quinnipiac University School of Law, Syracuse University College of Law, and New England Law, competed at the event held at the University of Connecticut School of Law. “I’m pleased for the students,” said Professor René Reich-Graefe. “This type of experiential learning is hands-on, so it sticks with them more. I always have students who are clever and smart, but the academics of law school might be challenging for them. This is a game changer for them.

What happened in the classroom now looks very different in application.”

The path to such success began at the School of Law in the weeks prior, where an interschool competition was held in order to fill three vacant spots on the negotiation team (the other spots were filled by returning members). All schools bring two teams of two, and Western New England was fortunate enough to be granted a third team in order to even out the competition bracket.

After that, the ABA releases the competition’s fact pattern to competitors.

In keeping with tradition, the negotiation team had dinner at advisor Professor ReichGraefe’s home to pore over the material together and strategize. In the weeks to follow, meetings were held as a group and in individual teams in order to hash out all possible scenarios that the negotiations could evolve into.

“The last several weeks of intense preparation and practice were exhilarating, but worth all the effort,” remarked law student Rachna Khanna 3L.

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“We weren’t stressed or overworked, but we tried our hardest to make sure that we got the best deal for our clients,” added her teammate Egzon Beha 3L. “I learned that we all do better with a partner and team members that are enjoying the whole process together.”

After weeks of meticulous planning, realistic practice, and preparation, the negotiation teams traveled to the University of Connecticut for the regional round. Each team participated in two rounds of competition, consisting of the negotiations as well as a self-analysis session with the judges, in which each team acknowledged what went well, and what could have been improved upon during their negotiation session.

At the end of the day, the top four teams, who would compete in a new round of negotiations, were announced—three of which were the teams from Western New England. This created something of a dilemma: when a school finds two teams in the top four, they are given the same side to argue so that they can prepare together.

However, with the odd number of teams, one School of Law team would have to argue on the opposite side. To avoid any conflict of interest or concerns of favoritism, Professor Reich-Graefe opted to send each team their separate ways to prepare, without his guidance.

While it was difficult for him not be able to work with students before finals, it was also satisfying for Professor Reich-Graefe to step back and know that his students succeeded through their own merits. That is where the value of a Western New England education is evident—in the student’s knowledge, the confidence in their own

skills, and a sense of comradery as a team.

“Being on the negotiation team was a wonderful experience,” said Kim Roche 3L. “We did so well because we all truly cared about the success of each other. This allowed us all to support one another in a positive way, while providing constructive criticism to strengthen our negotiation skills.”

“Practice makes perfect, and having the experience of negotiating situations will benefit me throughout my career,” added Matthew Minniefield 4L. “Law firms want first-day ready attorneys. The negotiation team is one of the many ways you can obtain practical lawyering skills.”

In the end, Thomas Holman 3L and Joseph Masse 2L came in first place. Matthew Minniefield and Kimberly Roche placed second, and Rachna Khanna and Egzon Beha rounded out the top three.

“It feels great to reap the rewards of the hard work, sacrifice, and determination,” said first place team member Thomas Holman. “As we continue to work hard in preparing for the national competition, I am confident we will represent the university proudly in Chicago.”

“The negotiation team has been a defining moment in my law school career,” added his teammate Joseph Masse. “Winning first place was an amazing accomplishment, but getting to just be involved with the team was the greatest experience.”

The first and second place teams recently competed in the national competition in Chicago, among some of the top schools in the country, including Columbia School of Law, Washington and Lee University School of Law, and Southwestern Law School. Both Western New England teams tied for seventh place in the national finals. ◆

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INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

By Professor Arthur D. Wolf, Director

SERIES EXPLORES “PRESIDENT TRUMP: THE FIRST 100 DAYS” During the spring semester, the Institute for Legislative and Governmental Affairs, together with the Springfield Public Forum, sponsored a series of public discussions entitled: “President Trump: The First 100 Days.” President Franklin Roosevelt coined that phrase in 1933, his first term, to describe the actions he intended to initiate to address the Great Depression. The phrase has been used ever since to describe the plans of the new president for the early weeks of his first term, when the President’s influence may be at its maximum.

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INSTITUTE for LEGISLATIVE and GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

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Read more about the Institute at law.wne.edu/ilga.

Our series began on January 19, the day before the Inauguration, with a discussion of the Electoral College. Professor John Baick of our History Department opened with an examination of the history of the method by which we select our presidents; not directly by the people but indirectly through electors. President Trump prevailed in the Electoral College, while Secretary Clinton won the popular vote (a result that has happened five times in our history).

Professor of Law Bruce Miller then explored an option that, while keeping the Electoral College, would tie the result to a majority of the voters without amending the Constitution. He noted that since states essentially control the voting process, they could require their electors to cast their votes consistent with the popular vote.

The following week, Professor Baick and Professor of Law Sudha Setty examined the history of inaugurations and the content of President Trump’s inaugural address. Historian Baick noted some of the most memorable addresses, such as Lincoln’s Second Inaugural, was delivered just before the Civil War ended. President Harrison died one month after his speech, when he caught pneumonia, having given the longest address.

Professor Setty noted themes from President Trump’s address, including its “dark side” reference to “carnage” in America. It contrasted with the usual positive inaugural speeches, such as President Reagan’s “Morning in America” address.

Baick

Setty

Miller

Wolf

Our third session focused on “The Future of Healthcare,” including the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Attorney Ali Bers from the Center for Medicare Advocacy is an expert on Obamacare, Medicare, and Medicaid. She examined the principal features of the ACA that many Americans covered by it support, and the provisions that others oppose. Bers discussed the features that opponents might include in their “repeal and replace”bill, which the House Republicans included in a bill they filed a few weeks later.

Immigration matters have dominated President Trump’s early days in the White House. Professors Miller and Wolf explored the civil action between the states of Washington and Minnesota and President Trump in which the states challenged his Executive Order relating to immigration. They examined closely the procedural and substantive aspects of the litigation, including the district court’s temporary order preventing nationwide enforcement of the President’s order, the appealability of the district court’s order, and the ruling of the Court of Appeals affirming the injunction. President Trump issued a second immigration executive order, which at this writing, was blocked by another temporary restraining order by Judge Derrick Watson of Hawaii.

At the halfway mark of the 100 Days series, Professor Julie Steiner, our resident expert on environmental law, discussed the impact the Trump Administration is having and will continue to have on policies affecting climate change, water and air quality, pipelines, and related matters. She examined the views of new appointees to critical positions, including their justifications for altering policies environmentalists support. ◆

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Steiner

Attendees participate in a series of public discussions sponsored by The Institute for Legislative and Governmental Affairs together with the Springfield Public Forum. A variety of topics were presented by Professor of History John Baick, Professor of Law Bruce Miller, Director of the Institute Professor Arthur D. Wolf, Professor of Law Sudha Setty, and Professor of Law Julie Steiner.

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Cannabis: New Course Examines the Impact of Legalization of Marijuana

Professor Julie Steiner

Current state: In November 2016, Massachusetts voters passed Ballot Question 4, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. Included in the new Massachusetts law is the ability of individuals who are at least 21 years of age to now possess up to one ounce of marijuana outside their residences and up to 10 ounces inside their residences. Additionally, the law permits marijuana to be commercially available to anyone over 21 in stores that will be licensed, taxed, and regulated in a manner similar to alcohol.

By Patricia Gagnon

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HOT TOPIC: Cannabis

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his past fall, Western New England University School of Law began offering a course called Marijuana Law and Policy. This course, taught by Professor Julie Steiner, takes an in-depth look at the history and current evolving approaches to marijuana regulation, including preemption, legal, professional, and business ethics, and enforcement policy. “It is both challenging and exciting to teach in such a cutting edge arena,” says Professor Steiner. “There is no legal casebook and the landscape is ever-changing.”

Students enrolled in this popular class do advanced reading and use class time to discuss the current legal framework, ethics, and policy. Sarah Morgan 3L, who plans to practice civil rights and criminal law, enrolled in the class because of her interest in the criminalization of marijuana and how it has impacted mass incarceration. “I was also interested in how lawyers, especially criminal lawyers, should advise and defend clients whose actions, albeit legal according to state law, nonetheless violate the federal Controlled Substances Act,” says Sarah.

Professor Steiner agrees that the marijuana law is complex and particularly timely with the current shift in drug law and policy in the United States. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA) identifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug with no recognized medical benefit and a high potential for abuse. In spite of the CSA, many states, including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have defied federal law and decriminalized and/or legalized marijuana. “The legal landscape intersects issues of federalism, separation of powers, enforcement, public policy, vice regulation, criminal and social justice, equal protection, due process, economics, health, municipal law, and legal ethics, just to name a few subjects,” notes Professor Steiner.

Currently, Professor Steiner is researching the useful organizational depiction of marijuana law and marijuana liability issues in order to help guide modern day legal practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders. In Professor

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Sarah Morgan 3L

Steiner’s research she first looks at society’s attitudes toward marijuana that can influence a legal response. “I believe we need to deconstruct what we think we know about marijuana and reframe our understanding in a way that more accurately, objectively, and neutrally approaches the subject,” she says. She looks particularly to the historical context to address the impact that marijuana laws have had on certain segments of society and the development of the marijuana industry. Additionally, she addresses the current “federalism” conflict between federal and state laws. In so doing, she posits that the federal government has thus far skillfully avoided a fullblown federalism crisis through carefully controlled federal enforcement policies contained in congressional appropriations bills and administrative guidance documents.

Professor Steiner’s research also addresses issues relating to marijuana in educational institutions and the workplace, driving under the influence of drugs, and the impact of marijuana decriminalization laws on the state’s probable cause to arrest standard. “Because it is presently illegal on the federal level, lawyer representation of marijuana clients creates ethical concerns,” notes

Professor Steiner. “Some state bar associations have taken the position that any legal representation of the marijuana industry is tantamount to advising on criminal activity and therefore attorneys may be sanctioned and/or disbarred.”

Her research addresses accomplice liability, coconspirator liability, and prohibited legal services.

In Professor Steiner’s Marijuana Law and Policy course, each student is required to write an in-depth research paper and individually present their research in the format of a TED talk.

Law student Sarah Morgan researched the potential retroactive application of state marijuana legalization laws seeking to determine whether, and in which states, legalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana would affect prior state marijuana convictions. “What I discovered is that retroactivity of criminal laws has complicated roots in English common law and United States criminal law theory, and that for legalization to apply retroactively, states must assert this intention in either their ballot initiatives or legislative measures,” Sarah explains.

“Without such an unequivocal statement of intent for retroactive marijuana reform, most states have statutorily created general presumptions for non-retroactivity, which prevail over legislative silence.”

Sarah says that although she came from a criminal defense and civil rights mindset towards marijuana reform, the Marijuana Law and Policy course challenged her to consider the opposing view. “Several of my classmates were current or former law enforcement officers whose research dealt with discrete issues marijuana poses for officers making determinations about individuals’ level of intoxication and the danger they may pose when driving. Approaching marijuana law and policy from this perspective, my colleagues’ work demonstrated how advocates of legalization cannot ignore these, and other, practical implications when crafting such policies (such as policing, banking, taxing, etc.),” she says. “I will be a better lawyer and policymaker for developing the skill to see reform—marijuana and otherwise— from multiple angles.” ◆

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students Speaking the Same Language: Claudia Quintero 3L Reaches Common Ground Through Advocacy for the Marginalized

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT By Alex Lyman BA’12/G’16

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Claudia Quintero came to the United States from Mexico at only a year old. Though she may not remember ever living outside of Los Angeles, she was brought up around music and dance, particularly those styles that reflected her heritage and kept her close to her culture. Growing up, Claudia was an ambitious and busy student, and dreamed of going to college and building her future.

Yet, despite the fact that Claudia had lived in the United States for almost her entire life, she was undocumented, and that complicated her plans of higher education. Her immigration status made her ineligible for any sort of financial aid and paying out of pocket wasn’t an option. “I felt like all of my dreams and aspirations had come crashing down on me,” Claudia said. “However, I felt motivated to find a way.”

And find a way she did. She discovered Public Counsel, a legal nonprofit that assists immigrant children. Under the Special Juvenile Immigration Status Law, Claudia could become a permanent resident if the legal process was completed before she came of age. At 17-and-a-half, Claudia was dangerously close to legal adulthood. However, her lawyer expedited the process so that the law would still apply to her.

It was this lawyer’s zealous advocacy and willingness to help her achieve status in this country that motivated Claudia to become a lawyer and help those in similar situations.

“Specifically, I want to give back to the Latino community,” she noted. “I know that being able to connect through our shared language, Spanish, is invaluable in helping bridge the mistrust in the legal system. I know that having the ability to speak to clients in their language ensures that they receive the best services possible.”

Claudia’s keen attention to the importance of good communication in law and in life led her to earn both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication studies. She also teaches Principles of Communication to undergraduates in the Department of Communication here at the University.

This aspect of her education is an asset to her career aspirations.

“I know how to de-escalate a situation or act as a mediator,” she said. “I am cognizant that we all communicate differently and am sensitive to other’s needs and communication differences, which I think will make it easier for me to navigate the adversarial system.”

Now, Claudia was able to return to the organization that helped her remain in the country, as a law clerk.

Claudia says returning to Public Counsel—this time on the other side of the table—was an invaluable experience.

Besides paying it forward, Claudia, who is a Public Interest Scholar, gained real experience in that area of law. This included drafting documents for asylum seekers, Deferred

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Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, visa applicants, and other individuals seeking immigration relief.

Most of the work she did was in Spanish, and she saw firsthand the need for bilingual lawyers and advocates to work with immigrant communities to make the legal system more accessible.

A dangerous work situation at her first job out of high school also impacted Claudia both personally and professionally. Her experience showed that protections for workers were limited, and she wanted to find a way to improve them, particularly in terms of sexual harassment. She even explored these policies through her master’s thesis, which is when she decided to pursue work with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

This past summer, Claudia fulfilled that goal at the EEOC Office of Legal Counsel in Washington, DC. She worked on policy issues to protect the rights of transgender employees and their use of restrooms at work, drafted a religious discrimination fact sheet to inform youth about their rights in the workplace (now on the EEOC website), researched rampant age discrimination in Silicon Valley, and suggested that the EEOC update its Age Discrimination regulations to provide stronger protections for employees over 40.

If that weren’t enough to keep a law student busy, on campus, Claudia is equally as engaged. Among other activities she is the sourcing editor for Western New England Law Review, the content editor for Lex Brevis, copresident of the National Lawyer’s Guild Student Chapter, and a member of the Public Interest Law Association. Most notably, Claudia is the president and founder of the Latino/a Student Association (LLSA). The group has already implemented an immigration pro bono initiative to assist legal permanent residents in the community in completing Naturalization forms.

“I felt the need for a LLSA because there are so many resources for Latino/a law students that we aren’t aware of,” she said. “LLSA has helped create an identifiable group for outside community members and lawyers who want to share experiences and opportunities with Latino/a students.”

Overall, Claudia feels that the atmosphere at Western New England is conducive not only to her education, but as an open and representative learning environment that stimulates academic discussion and peer camaraderie.

“Our professors are always willing to help us achieve success,” she said. “Each group on campus works hard to be inclusive and promote diversity. We have that feel-good, tight-knit community.” ◆

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speakers

{

2016 SPEAKERS SHOWCASE

The spring 2016 speakers discussed how the law intersects with real life through familial contracts and abortion rights and access. During a contentious election season, the fall 2016 speakers focused on bringing awareness to a climate that endangers civil rights. From the dangers of racial profiling in the context of law enforcement, to preserving the rights of the incarcerated, these lectures presented valuable insight to what marginalized groups face on a regular basis.

The Clason Speaker Series

The Clason Speaker Series provides a forum for legal experts to present works in progress on current legal topics.

January 28, 2016

February 22, 2016

October 24, 2016

Martha Ertman

Dr. Danielle Bessett

Carole & Hanan Sibel Research Professor, University of Maryland School of Law

Assistant Professor of Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies affiliate at the University of Cincinnati

Professor Frank Rudy Cooper

“Love and Contracts” “Contracts are friendlier than people think. The pushback I always get is that contracts are cold, mean, and selfish. Family is altruistic, warm, and loving. I think both of those are partial truths. There is immense “us-ness” when entering any type of contract, or you wouldn’t be in this reciprocal relationship. Moreover, there is self-interest in families as well.”

To view full speaker lectures, visit http://digitalcommons.law.wne.edu/ and select Lectures and Presentations.

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“Sociology and the Law: Collaborating to Improve Abortion Access” “SCOTUS identified a lack of data measuring the impact of women’s abortion on mental health and wellbeing.

Sociologists have since produced a substantial body of scholarship on the questions of regret, mental health effects, and other consequences of abortion, as well as the consequences of the barriers to abortion. Whole Woman’s Health social science researchers reviewed the evidence and concluded that the most rigorous studies showed that laws that create barriers to abortion services harm, rather than improve, women’s health.”

Suffolk University School of Law

“Trumped Up Racial Profiling?: Enforcing Civil Rights and the Policing of Black Men in the Era of Black Lives Matter” “A lot of people are talking about police killings of unarmed civilians and the implicit bias that helps to bring about those deaths. I think that’s important. But I want to talk about explicit endorsement of bias in policing. I see racially disparate police shootings and racial profiling in general as the product of three things. First, explicit calls for law and order. Second, police officers’ explicit beliefs that men of color are disproportionately criminal. Third, the Supreme Court’s explicit enabling of racial profiling.”

P E R S P E C T I V E S

SPEAKERS SHOWCASE By Alex Lyman BA’12/G’16

Gender and Incarceration Symposium The Gender and Incarceration Symposium was an interdisciplinary discussion related to contemporary issues facing incarcerated individuals. Topics included sexualitybased segregation, sexual violence, pregnancy, parental rights, and the intersection of race and gender in confinement.

Color of Law Roundtable The Color of Law Roundtable brings local professionals to speak candidly about their legal education and career, as well as to inspire and encourage current students.

February 24, 2016

October 29, 2016

Jacquelyn Lee-Washington

Maurice Powe ’01

Attorney

October 14, 2016

Professor Jen Manion Amherst College

“I am extremely humbled by the fact that I am charged with making sure that an individual is treated fairly within our system of government. I’ve learned that the client is number one. Clients appreciate when you work hard for them. They are in the midst of a mess and unpleasant situation, and they are looking at me to help them through it. They need to know that I believe that their rights must be preserved and that I will work hard to represent them.”

Attorney

“Life experience is very important. You might not be able to relate to each client you have, but you can empathize. It’s not about being a lawyer, but having a conversation and being there for someone. You can say, I may not have walked the same road, but a similar one.

Many clients are distant because they don’t think their lawyer can relate. People want to be heard. They just want someone to hear what they are saying, so listen. Don’t give up. It’s not going to be easy. There will be times you want to quit. But don’t.”

“Prisons Prior to Mass Incarceration: The Ideological Foundations of Women’s Dependency” “The nation’s first penitentiary helped to advance a role for women that was principally that of domestic partners to men. It promoted what I describe as a ‘heterosexual political economy,’ in which the only viable role for women was to partner with, submit to, and remain functionally dependent on a man. This was done by the carceral state to target and punish women who were independent economic actors and not receiving economic support from a man. Once in prison, these women were denied the opportunities given to men to develop trade or marketable skills.

Instead, they were forced to do the domestic labor of the institution. This cycle punished women with initiative, creativity, skills, and resourcefulness for doing the very same things that men were rewarded for doing.”

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Mini-Law School The School of Law held its biannual Mini-Law School from April 12-May 10, 2016 in order to help non-lawyers gain a basic understanding of legal topics. The five-week lecture series focused on the evolving issues of gender, sexuality, and families. ◆ 17

faculty notes Our faculty members inspire students through their important contributions to the body of legal scholarship.

They are active in academic, legal, and other professional organizations and serve the greater good through pro bono work.

BALDWIN

BOROFF

Bridgette Baldwin, professor of law spoke on a panel, organized by the Western New England Department of Sociology, titled “Difficult Dialogues: Talking About Race in a Post-Ferguson America,” last October.

Hon. Henry Boroff, visiting professor of law, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Boston Bar Association and an award from the Diversity Task Force of the Massachusetts Bankruptcy Court last spring. He addressed the Hampden County Bar Association Bankruptcy Committee in September on his experiences as the first Bankruptcy Judge assigned to western Massachusetts and on the state of bankruptcy practice in western Massachusetts.

In November, he was a panelist and assisted in organizing the 15th Annual Western Massachusetts Bankruptcy Symposium held at the School of Law. Since its inception, the Symposium has been the premier continuing legal education program in bankruptcy law in central and western Massachusetts. In January, he served as guest judge in Springfield Federal Bankruptcy Court as a component of the M. Ellen Carpenter Financial Literacy program provided to high school students (in this case, Holyoke High School). The program was cosponsored by United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts and the Boston Bar Association.

Erin Buzuvis, professor of law, coauthored a chapter called “Inequality, Discrimination and Sexual Violence in U.S. Collegiate Sports,” which was included in Transparency International’s 2016 Global Corruption Report. She published “Hormone Check: Critique of Olympic Rules on Sex and Gender” in the Wisconsin Journal of Law,

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Gender & Society (2016: 31, 29). She also published “As Who They Really Are: Expanding Opportunities for Transgender Athletes to Participate in Youth and Scholastic Sports” in Law and Inequality (2016: 34, 341). Professor Buzuvis presented “Hormone Check: A Critique of Olympic Rules on Sex and Gender” in May at the Athens Institute for Education and Research 16th Annual International Conference on Sports: Economic, Management, Marketing & Social Aspects, in Athens, Greece. She copresented “LGBT Issues in Sport” at the Austin Bar Association Continuing Legal Education program in April and “Gender Equity in Intercollegiate Athletics” at the NCAA Inclusion Forum, Indianapolis, IN, in April. She presented a forthcoming article last September about reverse-discrimination claims by a student disciplined for sexual assault at the Montana Law Review’s symposium about campus sexual assault. She also presented “Transgender Issues & Title IX” at the annual conference of the Association of Title IX Administrators, The 2016 ATIXA/SCOPE Joint National Conference, Philadelphia, last October.

Tina Cafaro ’95, clinical professor of law, helped organize, moderate, and was a panelist for two programs put on by the Hampden County Bar Association. The titles were “209A Abuse Prevention Orders & 258E Harassment Prevention Orders” and “Evidentiary Foundations.” Art Leavens, professor emeritus, and Sam Stonefield, professor of law, also presented at the second event.

Lauren Carasik, associate dean of clinics and clinical professor of law, published several articles in Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy in 2016, including “The United Nations Comes Clean After the Cholera Epidemic

CARASIK

in Haiti,” “Obama and the Court,” “Hands Off Haiti: Why International Interference Is Hampering Recovery,” “A Voice for Honduras’ Voiceless: The Lasting Legacy of Berta Caceres,” and “Jimmy Morales Can’t Fix Guatemala.”

She continues her commentary pieces for Al Jazeera America: “New UN Secretary General Must Commit to Accountability,” “Can Hillary Clinton Placate the Divided Left?” “Donald Trump’s Dangerous Demagoguery,” “Requiem for a Media Pioneer,” “El Salvador Must End Immunity for Wartime Crimes,” “Washington Should Avoid Repeating Plan Colombia’s Failures,” “US Environmental Injustice Goes Well Beyond Flint,” “Obama Must Halt Raids on Central American Refugee Families,” and “Impunity in Tamir Rice Killing Intensifies Demands for Systemic Reform.”

Matthew Charity, professor of law; Harris Freeman ’93, professor of legal research and writing; and Sudha Setty, professor of law and associate dean for Faculty Development & Intellectual Life, participated in a three-day conference reflecting on 25 years of liberalization and globalization, held at the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru, India, last July. In addition to chairing and moderating other panels, each professor presented a paper, and those papers will be part of a forthcoming book published as part of the NLSIU book series.

Professor Charity’s presentation was titled “Human Rights AntiGlobalization in a Multi-National Corporatized State.” Professor Freeman’s presentation was titled “Law and the Rise of Non-traditional Forms of Worker Organization in the Neo-Liberal, Globalized Labor Market.”

Professor Setty’s presentation was titled “Neoliberal National Security: Wielding Counterterrorism Powers to Protect Economic Growth.”

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FACULTY & STAFF NOTES by Kim Roeder

CHARITY

COHEN

Professor Charity was elected to the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of SALT (the Society of American Law Teachers) last June.

He was also elected as the Chair of the Human Rights Commission in Amherst in June. He spoke on a panel titled “Domestic Humanitarian Law” for the section on International Human Rights at the Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting, San Francisco, January 2017.

Beth Cohen, associate dean of academic affairs and director of legal research, published “Why Study Legal Studies?” in Legal Studies for the Curious (2016: Kishor Vaidya, ed.). She also published, with Patricia Newcombe ’01, associate dean for library and information resources, Law Library, “What Legal Writers Can Learn from Paint Nite” in Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing (2016: 25, 1). The two also presented “Collaborating for the Community: Mini-Law School–A Civic Education Project” at the Social Justice Panel on Community Engagement with LRW Classrooms at the LWI Biennial Conference in July in Portland, OR. This session described the surprising success of the Mini-Law School Program.

Dean Cohen was recently elected to serve as secretary for the Board of Directors of SCRIBES, the American Society of Legal Writers. She was also reappointed to the Springfield College School of Social Work Advisory Board and is serving as a member of a subcommittee of the Supreme Judicial Court Professionalism Committee.

Dean Cohen, along with Dorothy Varon ’95, participated on a panel held at the Law School on September 28, 2015, titled “Pro Bono Advocacy and Developing a Culture of Professional Volunteerism” featuring

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GOUVIN

Justice Geraldine Justice Hines, Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the SJC’s liaison to the Court’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services; The Hon. Dina E. Fein, First Justice, Western Division Housing Court and Special Advisor for the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission; Sarah Scharf ’11, Assistant Chief Housing Specialist, Western Division Housing Court; and students Brogan Kirkman and Claudia Quintero ’17.

Harris Freeman ’93 and Jeanne Kaiser ’93, both professors of Legal Research and Writing, spoke at the panel titled “Walking the Walk: Staying in Touch with Legal Practice through Social Justice Lawyering” at the LWI Biennial Conference in July in Portland, OR. This panel discussed how various avenues for faculty engagement with social justice advocacy outside the classroom enhances the teaching of legal writing. Professor Freeman was invited to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, which held a hearing in June to address the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) recent ruling on joint employer status and the impact it would have on small business. Professor Freeman’s testimony defended the NLRB’s 2015 ruling in Browning Ferris Industries of California, which makes it easier for workers in the temporary staffing industry and franchised fast-food restaurants to join labor unions and engage in collective bargaining.

Professor Freeman also provided testimony on this subject to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business in March. He also published “Temp Organizing Gets Big Boost from NLRB” Labor Notes (August 2016).

KAISER

KUKAS

In addition, he coauthored an op-ed in the Daily Hampshire Gazette last September on the future/fate of the UMass Labor Center.

Eric Gouvin, dean of the School of Law, was appointed to the Executive Committee of the AALS Section on Agency, Partnership, LLC’s & Unincorporated Associations at the AALS Annual Meeting in New York City in January. He was a panelist for “Innovations in Transactional Law and Skills Pedagogy” at the AALS Annual Meeting, New York City in January. At the same meeting, he moderated and facilitated the Deans’ Breakout Session on Staff Morale and Motivation. He and the Honorable Kenneth Neiman presented the first class of the MiniLaw School on campus last spring with a session on “Legal Analysis and Legal Reasoning.” Dean Gouvin published that paper in New England Law Review on Remand (2016: 50, 92). Last June he presented “What’s Law Got to Do with it? The Power of Brand and Corporate Culture in a Battle Between Managers and Directors” at Market Basket Online Mini-Symposium, New England Law, Boston and with E. Barron, P. Kosuri, A. Luppino, and K. Okamoto, he presented “Using the Other ‘Case Method’ for Teaching Transactional Skills,” at “Method in the Madness: The Art and Science of Teaching Transactional Law and Skills,” at Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, GA. Also in June, Dean Gouvin was named an ex officio member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Supreme Court Historical Society. He was reappointed to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of Community Legal Aid last September. Recently in January 2017, he presented “So You Want to be a Dean…”

LEAVENS

at the Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting, San Francisco.

Jeanne Kaiser ’93, professor of legal research and writing, argued a case of first impression on November 7 in the SJC. The case involved whether children in the federal unaccompanied refugee minor program can be freed for adoption by their foster families. Jeanne represented a mother whose children came to the United States from a refugee camp in Nepal in 2010. The children’s parents were able to reach the United States several years later, but were settled in another part of the country. The children’s foster parents want to adopt them and the question before the court was whether existing federal regulations permitted the termination of their parents’ rights so they could be adopted.

Kandace Kukas, assistant dean and director of bar admission programs, presented “Diversity in the Bar through Bar Passage Mentorship” at the Association of Academic Support Professionals Annual Meeting at CUNY Law School in Queens, NY, last May. Arthur Leavens, professor emeritus (law) has been hired by Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni BA’03/L’07 as director of legal education and training for his office.

The new position is designed to develop and implement a standardized orientation for new prosecutors, a curriculum for courtroom advocacy, advance trial and motion practice, and legal updates, Gulluni said. Leavens taught at the School of Law for 32 years, retiring in 2015.

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MILLER

faculty notes

LEVI

NEWCOMBE

NOAH

Jennifer Levi, professor of law, with K. Barry, B. Farrell, and N. Vanguri, published “A Bare Desire to Harm: Transgender People and the Equal Protection Clause,” in the Boston College Law Review (March 2016: 57, 2).

Bruce Miller, professor of law, was appointed to be a member of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the governing body of the Commonwealth’s Public Defender and Bar Advocate programs. He started his service on the committee last May. Pat Newcombe ’01, associate dean for library and information resources, School of Law Library, was elected by the NELLCO Board of Directors to serve as vice-president/president-elect for the 2016-2018 term. Service on the Executive Committee at this level is a five-year commitment. She will serve as president for the 2018-2020 term, followed by a year as immediate past president.

Barbara Noah, professor of law, published “The (Ir)rationality of (Un) informed Consent,” in the Quinnipiac Law Review (2016: 34, pp. 692-704).

And with N. Feigenson, she published “Avoiding Overtreatment at the End of Life: Physician-Patient Communication and Truly Informed Consent,” Pace Law Review (2016: 36, pp. 737-800). She presented a paper on informed consent and shared decision making at the end of life at the Health Law Professors’ Annual Conference in Boston in June.

Professor Noah was a visiting scholar at Queen’s University, Faculty of Law, Kingston, ON, Canada, during the Summer of 2016 conducting comparative research on end-of-life law and practices in Canada. She has been invited as the Schulich Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Dalhousie University, Schulich School of Law, Halifax, NS, for spring, 2017, where she will teach a course on

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PARROT

comparative aspects of end-of-life law and conduct comparative research on end-of-life law and practices in Canada.

Myra Orlen, associate professor of legal research and writing and director of academic success programs, presented “Using Academic Success Strategies and Legal Writing in a Blended Classroom” at the LWI (Legal Writing Institute) Biennial Conference in Portland in July. Professor Orlen is serving as the cochair of the LWI Awards Committee for two years. She has been a member of the awards committee for the past two years.

She participated as a trainer in the divorce mediation training of The Mediation and Training Collaborative (TMTC) in the spring and provided training regarding drafting mediated agreements and served as a role-play coach. TMTC is located in Greenfield, MA, and is part of Community Action.

Margot Parrot ’03JD/’07LLM adjunct professor of law, LLM program, as Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women presided over three public hearings in North Adams, Salem, and Leominster, MA. Renee Rastorfer, head of research services, School of Law Library, and L. Rosenof, published “Mentoring Across the Generations: The Training of a Millennial Librarian” in the Law Library Journal (2016: 108, 4: pp. 101).

René Reich-Graefe, professor of law, presented one of his works in progress, “Corporate Boards and Calculative Trust: Theory,” at the 7th Annual Meeting of the National Business Law Scholars Conference at The University of Chicago Law School in June. Professor Reich-Graefe was appointed as a visiting scholar by the Faculty of Law at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, where he conducted

RASTORFER

REICH-GRAEFE

comparative research on international business organizations law and on the legal organization and institutionalization of hybrid research innovation from June to August. He was awarded an institutional fellowship grant by the Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation in Boston to provide travel support for his onsite research on Canadian and U.K. business organizations law at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, Canada.

He also published “Intermediation in Intermediation: Triple Helix Innovation and Intermediary Legal Organization” in Triple Helix (2016: 3: 10, pp. 1-45).

In addition he presented “Knightian Uncertainty, Profit-Seeking and Corporate Sustainability” at ClassCrits IX Workshop, Loyola University Chicago School of Law in October. He also presented “Institutionalized Calculative Trust: The Coleman/Williamson Farmer Example” at the Third Annual Conference of the World Interdisciplinary Network for Institutional Research (WINIR) in Boston last September, at a Faculty Workshop at Albany Law School in October, and at a faculty forum at the School of Law in January.

Sudha Setty, professor of law and associate dean for faculty development & intellectual life, published “Obama’s National Security Exceptionalism” in the Chicago-Kent Law Review (2016: 91, 1) and “Student-Edited Law Reviews Should Continue to Flourish” in the Touro Law Review (2016: 32, 235). She presented the following: “The First 100 Days: President Trump’s Inaugural Address,” at Western New England University, January 26, 2017; “Freedom and Justice for All? Civil Rights in the Age of Trump,” Critical Connections and the Karuna Center for Peacebuilding, January 25, 2017; “Surveillance, Human Rights and Constitutionalism,” at International Law Weekend, hosted by the 95th Annual Meeting of the American

P E R S P E C T I V E S

FACULTY NOTES & IN THE MEDIA by Kim Roeder

SETTY

STATCHEN

STEINER

WORTHINGTON

{

In the MEDIA

Bridgette Baldwin

Branch of the International Law Association, New York City, last October; “U.S. Constitutionalism in the Global Context,” Western New England University, Constitution Day, last September. She also was the moderator for “A Forum on Immigration Issues in Hampden County,” at Western New England University, Feb. 3, 2017; “The All Writs Act,” University of Connecticut School of Law, Connecticut Law Review symposium on Privacy, Security and Power: The State of Digital Surveillance, January 27, 2017; “Domestic Responses to Declared and Undeclared National Security Emergencies,” Section on National Security Law, Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools, San Francisco, January 6, 2017. She was also a speaker on the panel titled “Domestic Humanitarian Law,” Section on International Human Rights, at the same conference.

Robert Statchen, assistant clinical professor of law, presented at the 15th Annual Transactional Clinical Conference last April at the University of Baltimore School of Law, on a panel discussing student assessment methods.

Julie E. Steiner, professor of law, authored two articles. The first is a Foreword for the Symposium Edition of the Western New England University Law Review titled “Environmental Accountability in an Age of Consequences,” (2016: 38, 307.) The second, also for the Law Review, is titled “Guardians of Municipal Public Trees: Commonwealth of Massachusetts Tree Wardens’ Authority and Accountability” (2016: 38, 377). Professor Steiner was an invited panelist at the Massachusetts Tree Wardens’ and Foresters’ Association 103rd Annual Conference held in Sturbridge, MA, in January 2017. The panel was titled: “The Shade Tree Law, M.G.L. Chapter 87: The Public Shade Tree Hearing.”

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Mark Worthington, director the LLM in elder law and estate planning program and professor from practice, presented the following: “Selected Trust Income Taxation Issues” and “MassHealth Treatment of Transfers under 42 USC §1396p(c)(2)(B)(iv)” at the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. Annual Elder and Disability Law Conference last May. He copresented with Annette Hines, “Special Administration of Special Needs Trusts” at the annual ALI-CLE program on “Representing Beneficiaries and Fiduciaries of Estates and Trusts” in Chicago, last July. In addition the two presented “Medicaid Waivers and Other Useful Programs for Disabled Younger Adults and Children,” a webinar for the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, in July. He also presented “Special Administration of Special Needs Trusts” at the WealthCounsel/ ElderCounsel Annual Symposium last October in Reston, VA, and “Summary of Special Needs Planning Webinars,” Open Forum Expert on Medicaid Waivers, at the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys: Special Needs Advocacy Forum last October in Newton, MA. Professor Worthington was admitted into an elite society of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys known as the Council of Advanced Practitioners. He attended his first of their annual meetings in Chicago in August. He is also on the Planning Committee for the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Annual Meeting in Boston in April 2017. Professor Worthington, along with Annette Hines, published “The Pitfalls, Potentials, and Unknowns of ABLE Accounts” in the October issue of The Elder Law Report.

2/12/16 7/19/16 7/20/16

DNA Evidence Setting More Convicted Criminals Free The Castle Doctrine Readers React to Murder Charge Against Chicopee Man

WWLP MassLive MassLive

Senators Challenge Legality of U.S. Guidance on Campus Sexual Assault Videckis v. Pepperdine University Trial Title IX Blog (USA) Out of Balance Inside the Inequality that Plagues Women’s College Sports More College Men are Fighting Back Against Sexual Misconduct Cases Armour: Let Baylor be Turning Point in Assaults Separate Physics Labs Updates on the Michigan State University Women’s Lounge Controversy No Longer a Lounge of Their Own Recent Title IX Lawsuit, Note Plaintiff’s Burden of Proof Duke’s Handling of Sexual Assault Reports Under Scrutiny Data Show UA’s Response in Sex-violence Cases Title IX Policy has Gaps in Implementation Title IX Win for Students Georgia Lawmaker Wants to Stop Colleges from Investigating Rapes

Myinforms.com

Erin Buzuvis 1/7/16 2/5/16 4/4/16 4/14/16 5/5/16 5/17/16 5/27/16 7/17/16 8/8/16 8/8/16 8/19/16 8/23/16 9/4/16 9/23/16 10/13/16 1/13/17

Pepperdine-graphic.com Genderidentitywatch.com Insidehighered.com Revealnews.org Canmua.net Delawareonline.com Insidehighered.com AEIdeas Insidehighered.com Duke Chronicle Duke Chronicle NWA Online Daily Tar Heel Insidehighered.com BuzzFeed News

LAUREN CARASIK 6/21/16 7/31/16 8/28/16 9/4/16 12/21/16

Berta Cáceres’s Name was on Honduran Military Hitlist

Guardian News and Media Limited Can Hillary Clinton Placate the Divided Left?

Yahoo! News UK New UN Secretary-general must Commit to Accountability RocketNews Donald Trump Doubles Down on Deportation Plan Yahoo! News UK Donald Trump’s Cabinet Bodes Ill for the Planet RocketNews

HARRIS FREEMAN 8/3/16 11/29/16

Rallying to Reverse ‘Joint-Employers’ Decision Corporate Technology used by Franchisees

Hreonline.com Bloomberg BNA

3+3 Law Program Agreement with Elms College Naturalization Ceremony Deans: Homework Key to Applying for This Job Trump First 100 Days Series

MassLive Republican Diverse Education Republican

ERIC GOUVIN 6/22/16 10/28/16 1/9/17 3/21/17

JENNIFER L. LEVI 4/27/16 5/28/16 1/10/17

A Challenge to North Carolina’s HB 2 Bathroom Access/Supreme Court Bathroom Access

Rewire.news Reuters Boston Globe

SUDHA SETTY 11/22/16 11/30/16 12/23/16 1/30/17 2/12/17

Changes to Federal Refugee Policy Muslims in U.S. Carmen Ortiz’s Resignation Trump’s Executive Order on Immigration Impact of Trump on Does Trump have Authority to Send in Feds

NEPR Ludlow Community TV NEPR WWLP LA Times

JULIE STEINER 3/3/16 11/17/16

Award in Chicopee Cumberland Farms Death Likely Faces Appeal State Marijuana Legalization Laws

MassLive NEPR

◆ 21

al mni rofile The Road Taken: Russ Thompson ’90 seizes a moment to build a career all his own 22 ◆

l a w . w n e . e d u

Sometimes in people’s lives there are pivotal moments that turn out to be life changers.

For Russ Thompson ’90 that moment came as a chance encounter in Western New England University’s Admissions Office.

P E R S P E C T I V E S

ALUMNI PROFILE by Patricia Gagnon

Russ Thompson is the son of a military man and spent his early years on Air Force bases. He was born in Germany and lived at Bitburg Air Base until his father was transferred to Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, MA. A few years later, his family moved to Liberty Street and then the Sixteen Acres neighborhood of Springfield. As Russ was nearing graduation from Classical High School and saw his friends planning for college, he was eager to take that next step as well. Russ’s family didn’t have a lot of extra money and no one in Russ’s extended family had gone to college.

A

bright student, Russ was accepted as a post-graduate student at Deerfield Academy, but his minority scholarship fell through after his acceptance when the Federal program was canceled. “By chance my old American International College summer camp basketball coach Hilton White, who had recently taken the men’s head coaching job at Westfield State University, saw me at the mall one day and asked where I was going to school,” recalls Russ. “I told him my dilemma and he convinced me to attend Westfield State.” After his freshman year, he was looking to change his Computer Science major. His mother thought he would be a good lawyer. “She said it was because I talked a lot,” laughs Russ.

He earned his undergraduate degrees with academic honors from Westfield State University in pre-law and political science. At Westfield State, Russ was a member of the Student Judicial Board and a standout basketball player, AllAmerican, and was inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

Law school was the giant next step and as he worked through his financial challenges and through a variety of other circumstances, he found himself in Western New England University’s Admissions Office past the application deadline and asking if he could still apply for the upcoming semester. “I remember the woman behind the desk looking at me with sad eyes,” recalls Russ.

“At that exact moment, Dean Ron Blanchette was passing through the office and overheard our conversation. He took me to his office and listened to my story, paused for a minute (which seemed like a lifetime) and then said to me ‘go to Westfield State right now and get your transcripts and I will consider it, but I can’t make any promises.’” Russ

thanked him profusely, shook his hand, looked him in the eye and said “If you help me, I promise I will not let you down.”

One year later, Russ was shaking the Dean’s hand again but this time thanking him while he found himself sitting at the top 10 percent of his class and a member of the Western New England Law Review. He immersed himself in his classes; joined several clubs and programs, including Western Mass Legal Services (an internship program designed to assist indigent public housing tenants); and continued to excel at one of his favorite sports, basketball.

He recalls some of his favorite professors who had a particularly positive impact on him; Bruce Miller, Sam Stonefield, Arthur Leavens, and Arthur Wolf to name a few. “I really feel that Western New England University School of Law taught me critical thinking skills. I knew that I didn’t want to go into the conventional practices of law such as litigation, but I knew that I would receive the educational foundation and skill sets I needed to excel in whatever area of law or business that I decided to pursue in the future,” Russ says.

Immediately after graduating cum laude from Western New England University School of Law, Russ worked for the federal government in the New York Regional Office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 1990 to 1994 as an enforcement attorney. During that time he pursued other outside interests and provided pro bono legal representation and guidance to young entertainers and athletes. One of his most well-known and successful clients was actor and comedian Tracy Morgan, whom he helped to launch his career, along with several well-known

Russ and his wife, Kerri enjoy vacation with their son, Austin, and daughter, Alaine

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professional athletes primarily in the sports of basketball and tennis. In 1994 he left the SEC and served as General Counsel to a record label and entertainment company located in the Atlanta area.

From 1994 to 1999 Russ was an assistant general counsel and compliance officer with Prudential Insurance Company of America’s home office in Newark, NJ, and from 1999 to 2004 he served as a managing director and chief compliance officer for MacKay Shields, a New York City-based investment adviser and subsidiary of New York Life Investment Management. In 2004, he took a position with Mariner Investment Group, LLC another New York-based investment adviser specializing in alternative asset management where, today, Russ is a member of the senior Management Committee and serves as its deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer. “In short, I oversee the firm’s Compliance Program and supervise a team of compliance professionals in an effort to ensure compliance with all applicable U.S. and foreign federal securities and commodity related laws,” says Russ.

Today, Russ lives in North Haledon, NJ, with his wife (and Westfield State University sweetheart), Kerri. He and Kerri have two children— 21-year-old son, Austin, who works full-time in NYC and 16-year-old daughter, Alaine, who is a junior in high school and honor student. Outside of work Russ still likes to play sports (primarily golf and tennis), camping, fishing and pursuing his ministry. Russ is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and hopes to expand his nonprofit volunteer work in the near future with that Christian organization, assisting in areas of need both in the United States and around the world.

“I think of myself as a kid from Springfield who started with relatively humble beginnings,” says Russ. “I’ve worked for the federal government on interesting cases, I’ve worked on Wall Street with traditional money management firms and alternative asset managers, such as hedge funds. I’ve worked in the world of sports and entertainment with some pretty interesting characters. I’m so thankful for my education at Western New England University School of Law, which has helped me to be successful in many of these endeavors,” he says. “I think back to that moment in the Admissions Office when Dean Blanchette took a chance on me. I’m thankful and I hope I’ve made him and others who have helped me along the way proud.” ◆

◆ 23

alumni news

Alumni Ranks on Display at Connecticut Bar Association Conference The second largest alumni population for the School of Law is in Connecticut. Back in June, the Connecticut Bar Association held its annual conference. As a way to connect with the law alumni, the dean hosted a breakfast prior to the start of the conference. Alumni such as Ellen Carter ’81 and The Hon. Winoa Zimberlin ’80 stopped by to network and catch up with him.

Northampton First Thursday with Anne Fitzgerald Pittman ’11 (left) and Professor Erin Buzuvis

First “First Thursdays” Event a Success First Thursdays kicked off in December with an event at the Northampton Brewery. Host Lisa Lippiello ’06 and faculty members such as Erin Buzuvis and Julie Steiner helped greet guests. More than 20 people attended. The corner of the bar area was packed.

While not technically a Thursday, another social event was held in Washington, DC on January 18. Stephen Button ‘06, president of the Alumni Association, traveled from New York for his Supreme Court swearing-in ceremony and cohosted the gathering with the Office of Alumni Relations in Alexandria, VA. Elaine Kolish ’80, Mary Braisted ’91, Lynn Williams Kincaid ’89, Jeff Houle ’91, Stephen Button ’06, Spencer Naake ’10, and their guests enjoyed the atmosphere of Murphy’s Irish Pub in the heart of Old Towne Alexandria.

Alumni Volunteers are always in demand. Ed Pikula ’83 recently volunteered at an Open House for prospective students. He shared “war stories” with the 40-plus attendees on the value of internships and clinics. Whether hosting an event or speaking on a panel, alumni are needed. If you have an interest in volunteering, please contact Kim Roeder at kim.roeder@wne.edu.

Join us on

24 ◆

l a w . w n e . e d u

Stephen Button ’06 (right) was sworn in at the Supreme Court of the United States on January 19, 2017. He and his sponsor, Jonathan Gradess, executive director of the New York State Defender’s Association, posed for pictures outside the court.

Updated several times a week, the School of Law LinkedIn page features articles and information about our alumni, School of Law events, and current students.

Finding us is easy—search Western New England University School of Law.

P E R S P E C T I V E S

ALUMNI NEWS By Kim Roeder

LLM in Elder Law and Estate Planning Jon Longobardi ’10 speaking to students and recent alumni at the Etiquette Lunch.

Etiquette Lunch Offers Important DOs and DON’Ts Teaming up with the Career Development Center at the School of Law, the Alumni Relations Office hosted an etiquette lunch for students as well as recent alumni. Law Alumni Association Board of Directors also attended. Nicole Murray ’05 and Kaley Lentini ’14 sat with students and alumni during the presentation. Jon Longobardi ’10, another board member, addressed the gathering, sharing a few etiquette stories and reasons why this program is invaluable. “I am still learning new rules of etiquette,” he said. “I wish they had had a program like this when I was in school.”

Professor Bruce Miller discussing voter registration laws at the Hartford Road Show

Choose the only live, interactive, real-time, online LLM in Elder Law and Estate Planning • Study online—Earn your LLM in 24 credit hours.

• Interact in real-time with classmates in courses capped at just 15 students.

• Learn from recognized experts in Elder Law, Estate Planning, and Special Needs.

• Complete your degree in two to three years part-time or one year full-time.

Road Show Takes Legal Dialogue to the Streets Another well-received program, sponsored by the Alumni Association, was the Road Show in Hartford. In the conference room at Shipman and Goodwin, alumni came to hear the presentation by Professors Art Wolf and Bruce Miller on Voter Rights and the 2016 Presidential Election: What to look for on November 8. Raymond Carrasquilla ’94 and Jon Fries ’14 were two of 33 attendees. The presentation filled the space and had lively dialogue. More road shows are planned in Springfield and Boston.

Keep informed about speakers, events, and other news from the School of Law by visiting law.wne.edu. For news about the Law Alumni Association, visit wne.edu/alumni/law.

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• Create a complex plan and develop your own set of planning documents in a double-credit intensive capstone.

Accepting applications for September 2017.

Apply today.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

visit wne.edu/llm, or contact Professor Mark Worthington, Program Director 413-782-1426 • 413-796-2041 mark.worthington@law.wne.edu

◆ 25

alumni board

Law Alumni Association Board Report

By Spencer Naake ’10

The School of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors continues to focus on building a more engaged alumni community under the leadership of President Stephen Button ’06. He has effectively led the Board in creating programming that is instrumental in enabling alumni to develop stronger ties to the School of Law. Central to the success of the Board is not only the efforts of its members, but also its alumni volunteers.

Linda Fakhoury ’04, chair of the Communications Committee, has worked diligently on recruiting alumni to be class agents. Connecting with an alumni base that spans decades has been rewarding work for her committee but it would not be possible without class agents such as Ina Forman ’84 stepping forward.

Law Alumni Association Members (Clockwise from top) Alumni Association President Stephen Button ’06 and Linda Fakoury ’04; Lisa Lippiello ’06; Mike Borg ’88 with President Anthony S. Caprio; Ina Forman ’84; and Linda Fakoury ’04 with Michael Johnson, associate dean of law student affairs.

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“

The Alumni Association Board of Directors is committed to strengthening the bonds that tie our alums to their alma mater. Through enhanced social media and alumni outreach, the Board will continue to seek to engage the alumni in a more diverse manner to enhance the experience of our graduates. —Stephen Button ’06

The Board’s outreach would also not be as effective without event hosts. Lisa Lippiello ’06 recently hosted a First Thursday in Northampton. Lisa shared with the Board that “it was so wonderful to see old friends and meet new ones from the Western New England law alum community. Smiles were abundant.” These gatherings are central to the work of the Events Committee and help to create and sustain connections among our alumni in different regions.

Members also encourage you to volunteer your time and talent.

Class agents, event hosts, and committee members are needed to help foster a spirited and connected alumni community.

Volunteering your time is also a great first step if you are looking to serve on the Board.

“

Two members, Mike Borg ’88 and Jon Longobardi ’10, have found their service to the Board so rewarding that they are currently serving an additional term. Their renewed commitment coupled with the commitment of the hundreds of alumni volunteers from our Law Alumni Association is a testament to the strength of our institution.

The Board encourages you to join other alumni in giving back to the School of Law. We also invite you to join the LinkedIn page or Facebook group and to look for our enewsletter in your inbox. Stay connected by emailing Kim Roeder at kim.roeder@wne.edu.

Acting as a Class Agent for the class of 1984 keeps me in touch with the School of Law and my peers. I strongly credit my fellow students for making my law school experience interpersonally comfortable, non-competitive and fun so it’s always special to hear about their lives and varied career paths.” —Ina Forman ’84

P E R S P E C T I V E S

alumni notes SPRING 2017

Become a Class Agent If you are interested in serving as a Class Agent, please contact Kim Roeder at kim.roeder@wne.edu or visit the School of Law Alumni Class Agent webpage in the “Get Involved” section.

Darling ’77

Schildhorn ’77

1976 Class Agent Gary Thomas gary@wealthtechnology.com Hon. Bruce C. Beal was appointed resident circuit judge in Fulton County, Ninth Judicial Court (GA) in September.

John Gilbert has been retired for a number of years and enjoys spending time with his grandchildren and the development of his new hobby—woodworking.

Lawrence R. Hott of Florentine Films is an Emmy award-winning and Academy Award-nominated producer and director of documentary films. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, and a board member of the Maine Media Workshops. In 2015 he won a Fulbright grant to teach film in Vietnam.

Mary Hurley was sworn in as a member of the Massachusetts Governor’s Council. She spent 19 years on the bench as a district court trial justice and was a two-term mayor of Springfield.

Recently opening a law practice in Danielson, CT, Hon. James Kelley was also reappointed to an additional term as Magistrate for the Connecticut Probate Court System.

Hon. Francis Leddy II was reappointed as the Municipal Court Judge in Emerson and Franklin Lakes, NJ Courts and was appointed as the Municipal Court Judge in both Englewood Cliffs and Englewood, NJ. John Mayotte Jr. was elected to the United States Tennis Association New England Hall of Fame in June, 2016.

John played tennis in college and then professionally before starting law school. He still plays in the senior circuit and lives in Clarksville, MD. He is the corporate director with Hospitality Partners in Washington, DC.

Hon. James Pagones was appointed to serve as a member of the New York Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics in 2015.

In addition to his small private practice representing clients who have business before the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Stanley Peck owns an antique lighting business, Old Lights On, in Farmington, MA.

1977 Class Agent Marty Martin Marty_Martin@martinlegalhelp.com Richard “Rick” Bailine lives in Great Falls, VA, and is now fully retired after spending the majority of his career with KPMG National Tax Office, where he most recently worked as the senior corporate tax partner.

Hyman Darling has been elected president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He is an adjunct faculty member of our LLM program, and chair of the Estate Planning and Elder Law Department at Bacon Wilson, P.C. Richard Isacoff is in limited practice in Pittsfield, MA, and is back in Financial Services, licensed as an RR and IAR (series 7 & 66).

Lynn Lowe (Ellis) plans to retire this year from her practice, Ellis & Ellis.

She remarried two years ago and enjoys playing “at” bridge.

Gary M. Schildhorn still enjoys his practice as a partner in Eckert Seamans. He works with commercial transactional law, represents banks in front end and distressed lending, handles real estate transactions, and tries commercial cases. He and his wife travel extensively and recently visited Patagonia.

1978 Wanted: Class Agent

1979 Wanted: Class Agent The Honorable Dennis Kehoe of New Jersey will retire from the bench this year.

1980 Class Agent: Hon. William O’Grady wogrady@parkerandogrady.com Michael Georgetti is semi-retired, but continues to serve part-time for the State of Connecticut Judicial Department as counsel to the New Haven Grievance Panel. He and his wife live part of the year in Italy and have two grown daughters.

Steve Hill is now retired and living in Alabama, but still likes to get back to Vermont a couple of times a year to visit his children and go skiing.

Elizabeth Scheibel was appointed in December to the Board of Trustees for the University of Massachusetts system.

1981 Wanted: Class Agent Steven A. Bolton was appointed the chief legal officer for the city of Nashua, NH. FitzGerald Morris Baker First, P.C. of Glen Falls, NY, announced the addition of James D. Horwitz as counsel. His practice is focused on healthcare law.

Mark Hosken received the 2016 Charles F. Crimi Award from the Monroe County Bar Association (NY).

The award was given in recognition of his fearless and unselfish dedication to the principle that the poor and disadvantaged are entitled to equal treatment under the law. Mark is the Supervisory Assistant Federal Public Defender in Rochester, NY.

Brocade, an IP Services company, appointed Phil O’Reilly as its new vice president of federal sales. O’Reilly will lead the Brocade sales and partner ecosystem that supports the U.S. Department of Defense, civilian agencies, and intelligence community.

After a 29-year career, James Williams retired from Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, where he was a vice president and associate general counsel in April. He and his wife now live in the Florida Keys.

1982 Class Agent Tina S. Page Tinag.page@comcast.net Keith Hood is employed by the University of Connecticut in the Office of Faculty and Staff Labor Relations.

As Managing Partner of Green Miles Lipton, LLP, Roger Lipton oversaw the expansion of the firm in Westfield, MA. Leonard McCue III raced his vintage British 1953 Nash Healey at the Schenley Park race in Pittsburg, PA. He won his class for this race.

Jeffrey L. Morris Sr. retired from The Hartford and is now self-employed as an ARIAS certified arbitrator.

Richard M. Riccobono was appointed to the Board of Directors of First Financial Northwest, Inc. in Seattle, WA. Chris Ziogas was sworn in as a Connecticut state representative in January.

1983 Wanted: Class Agent Brian Haynes, with Bond, Schoeneck and King of Syracuse, NY, was named the 2017 Best Lawyers in America “Lawyer of the Year” for his practice area.

Edward Whitesell retired after 31 years with the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office (NY).

(Continued next page)

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Become a fan on

facebook Western New England University School of Law

Jonathan Lissmann ’12 Staff Attorney New York Legal Assistance Group Brooklyn, NY Wilson ’86

Where are they now?

What drew you to work for the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG)? What is your role there?

“From the time I began my legal studies, I was always interested in the nonprofit sector. Helping clients in dire need of legal services has been incredibly rewarding. At NYLAG I am a staff attorney in their Immigrant Protection Unit working on a project called NYCitizenship. This program helps Lawful Permanent Residents naturalize.

These are clients who are eligible and want to be U.S. citizens, but who cannot afford a private attorney navigate the immigration process on their own.”

What is most fullfilling about your work?

“The most rewarding aspect has been seeing the difference my work makes in the life of my clients.

Navigating the path to citizenship can seem like nothing more than filling out forms and gathering documents.

However, I’m making a great difference in the life of this individual and his or her family. I especially enjoy accompanying clients to their naturalization interviews.

To an outsider, the process is intimidating, but when I have defended a case well that would have been denied otherwise I am incredibly satisfied.”

You balance a tough day job with being a comedian.

Where can we catch your act?

“You can catch me at a couple of open mics a week in New York City; most often in Greenwich Village, but I like to explore all the open mics that the city has to offer. When I feel I have a good enough set of new material I reach out to the talent-bookers at comedy clubs in New York.”

1984

1987

Class Agent Ina Forman aliforman@aol.com

Class Agent Marc Gaffrey mgaffrey@hoaglandlongo.com

Patrick Alair was recently named Corporation Counsel for West Hartford, CT.

Nancy Winkelman is a partner and appellate lawyer for Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis in Philadelphia. She is also the president of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.

After a successful career in public affairs for Ogilvy & Mather’s Public Affairs Offices, PepsiCo and YUM Brands, Jonathan Blum is now retired, splitting his time between Martha’s Vineyard and Santa Barbara. He owns Bad Martha Beer Company, a craft beer company distributed in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Burt Cohen, a partner with Murtha Cullina LLP, was reelected to a third term in the House of Delegates of the Connecticut Bar Association.

Paul Speziale has served in a couple of officer roles for the American Federation of Musicians, including president of the Northern New Jersey Musicians’ Guild, Local 16248, vice president of the New Jersey State Counsel, and the president of the Eastern Conference of Locals.

1985 Wanted: Class Agent Robert “Bobby” Marino retired from the Springfield District Court after a 36-year career.

Linda Yelmini was hired as a part-time consultant and legislative researcher for the Connecticut GOP to help with the labor agenda.

1986 Class Agent Judith Jones jonesjh@aetna.com

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1988 Class Agent Michael Borg mborg@SRBLLP.com

1989 Wanted: Class Agent Doug Fleming is the competent authority analyst for IRS-LB&I. He leads the analysis and development of bilateral advance pricing agreements primarily between the United States and Japan, Korea, and Philippines.

Hon. Bruce Fox was appointed chief judge for the Pueblo of Laguna, a Native American tribe headquartered 45 miles west of Albuquerque, NM. Hometown Health Centers (HHC) of Schenectady, NY promoted Paul Jesep to chief administrative officer and general counsel in addition to his role as chief ethics and compliance officer.

1990 Class Agent Kathleen Porter kporter@rc.com

Malcolm Chisholm Jr. celebrated 25 years in his own intellectual law practice in Lee, MA.

Edward P. Hourihan Jr., with the law firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King, was named as the 2017 Best Lawyers in America “Lawyer of the Year” for his respective practice area.

Lynne R. Wilson, partner with Shuffield Lowman, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America.

A partner with Koler, Abbott & Presser, Timothy F. Murphy was listed in Best Lawyers in employment law.

P E R S P E C T I V E S

alumni notes

SPRING 2017

Hourihan ’90

Hewig ’00

Amatul-Wadud ’05

1991

1994

1999

Wanted: Class Agent

Wanted: Class Agent

Lori Ashline is an assistant teaching professor at Northeastern University College of Professional Studies in Nonprofit Management.

Kristi Bodin is in solo practice in Amherst, MA.

Class Agent Rebecca Mitchell Proakisbeck28@yahoo.com

as a 2016 New England “Super Lawyer” in Boston Magazine. Chris is a partner in the trusts and estate department of LaTanzi, Spaulding & Landreth, PC in Orleans, MA.

Mary Anne Doherty was elected in 2013 to a ten-year term as a Syracuse City Court Judge in NY.

2002

2000

Wanted: Class Agent

Michele Felasco Cano celebrated 25 years as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in the Antitrust Division.

Joanne Ludovici-Lint has been with McDermott Will & Emery LLP for 19 years in Washington, DC. She was selected as a Super Lawyer in DC Intellectual Property in 2016.

Janice Peterson retired after 24 years as the managing attorney for the New Hampshire Defender Program. She received the Champion of Justice award in 2010 from the New Hampshire Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Pedro Rivera was hired by Project HOPE as its new director of leadership gifts.

1992 Wanted: Class Agent

1993 Wanted: Class Agent Marylou V. Fabbo of Skoler, Abbott & Presser, has been named as one of Mass Lawyers Weekly’s Top Women Of Law. Melissa Schwalbach Migliaccio and Mark Migliaccio live in West Granby, CT, with their three sons. Melissa is assistant counsel for the Connecticut State College and Universities in Hartford.

She is also the vice-chairperson for the Granby Board of Education.

Jeffrey Fialky was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2017.

He is a partner with Bacon Wilson in western Massachusetts.

1995 Wanted: Class Agent Jennifer Goodman was promoted to chief human resources officer for Health Services Advisory Group, Inc. in Arizona.

1996 Wanted: Class Agent Susan Fentin was named one of the Top 50 Women in Law in October 2015. Last spring she received the Distinguished Law Review Alumna Award. She also has four grandchildren.

Class Agent Jim Winston james@jameswinstonlaw.com Chad Brown is the Fulton County District Attorney in Georgia.

Rosemarie Ciarmiello Hewig competed in the Borrego Springs 6-12-24 Hour World Time Trial Championships in Borrego Springs, CA. She placed third for women and set a new record in her age category (50-59), 104.4 miles.

Darren Lee recently started his own firm of Courtney, Lee & Hamel, P.C. in Pittsfield, MA. Sean Quigley joined Genesys as a senior account executive in July 2016.

1997

2001

Class Agent Michael Blanchard Michael.blanchard@bingham.com

Class Agent Jenny Desch jenny.desch@yorkcountygov.com

Dennis Guthinger is the deputy commonwealth’s attorney in Newport News, VA.

Leslie R. Lightholder is a partner with Nichols, DeLisle & Lightholder, PC in Massachusetts, which specializes in assisted reproductive technology law.

She is married to Paul Klisiewicz ’02 and has three children.

Andrew C. Ryan was named to the 2016 list of Connecticut Super Lawyers.

He is a partner with Cantor Colburn’s Litigation Practice Group in Hartford.

1998

Debra Thurley Dreibelbis was promoted to executive director of research compliance at Penn State last summer.

Class Agent Jeremy Colvin jcolvin@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Christopher J. Ward was selected as a Fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He was also selected

Timothy Netkovick is now with Royal, P.C. in Springfield. His practice focuses on labor law and complex employment litigation.

2003 Wanted: Class Agent Heidi Remick is now the prosecutor for the special investigations unit (sex crimes) for Vermont. She is also serving a three-year term on her local school board and supervisory union board.

2004 Class Agent Linda Fakhoury ldfakhoury@gmail.com Christopher F. Girard was promoted to assistant vice president in The Hartford’s law department.

2005 Class Agent Kelley Cooper Miller kelleycoopermiller@mac.com The Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation added Pamela Green to its board of directors in October.

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly named Tahirah Amatul-Wadud as the honoree of the 2016 Top Women of Law award.

(Continued next page) S P R I N G

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Tammy Hui ’08/G’09 Deputy General Counsel The Climate Reality Project Washington, DC

Williams ’05

Visser ’09

Janice Ward was promoted to senior vice president, wealth advisor and senior fiduciary office for Berkshire Bank.

Where are they now?

Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial partner Kevin Williams was included in The Best Lawyers in America 2017.

What is The Climate Reality Project and what is your role there?

2006

“The Climate Reality Project is a nonprofit corporation founded by Nobel Laureate and former Vice President Al Gore in the wake of momentum created by the Academy Award-winning film An Inconvenient Truth. We’re working to drive a planet-wide turning point on climate change and build overwhelming popular support for high-level policy measures to address the crisis.

I am deputy general counsel and am responsible for the day-to-day operations of our small in-house legal team, which works to provide thoughtful and creative counsel on a wide range of legal and risk management matters.”

How do you see your skills as a lawyer and business professional impacting the trajectory of climate change?

“I’d like to think that my work is helping to ultimately solve the climate crisis, but it’s a complex global problem that requires action from every angle imaginable. No one person can impact the trajectory of climate change. It takes a movement and the combined work of many individuals dedicated to make the threat of continued climate change a thing of the past.”

How has your education at Western New England helped you pursue a career you are passionate about?

“Looking back over my career, every job and educational opportunity I’ve had has been a stepping-stone to where I am today.

I wasn’t sure where law school would take me, but it was an opportunity to try something new and could equip me to be an advocate. I moved from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to Springfield, without having ever visited Springfield or Western New England. It was a bit of a gamble, but I put every ounce of effort into law school (and the joint MBA program), and it paid off.

“I never imagined that attending law school would lead me to where I am today. I am fortunate to be able to represent a client and a cause that I truly believe in.”

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Class Agent Julia Lentini Marquis juliaklentini@gmail.com David McGuire, a nine-year veteran of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, was named the organization’s executive director.

2007 Class Agents: Kelly Koch Kellykoch32@gmail.com Stephanie Schlatter sschlatter@hotmail.com Beth L. Barnhard is a partner in WanderPolo & Siegel and is a certified elder law attorney in northern New Jersey. Her practice concentrates on elder and disability law.

Mark Riley was promoted to partner/principal at his firm of Conway Stoughton in Connecticut.

His practice focuses on personal injury and insurance defense matters.

2008 Class Agents: Kendra Berardi Kendra.berardi@gmail.com Michelle Hummer mhummer@ofalaw.com Justin Gorman was named associate general counsel for United Healthcare for the southeast region provider networks.

L. Alexandra Hogan and David Webber were appointed shareholders of the firm Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C. of Springfield, MA.

Weinshank ’09

2009 Class Agent John Bandeian jbandeian@gmail.com Aziza Ashy-Jones announced the birth of her son, John Hudson Jones. She is an associate attorney with Landrum & Shouse LLP in Kentucky.

Vanessa Donatello was promoted to senior counsel at the New York City Law Department in the Special Litigation Unit.

Christopher J. Visser was named partner with Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP. Joshua Weinshank ’09/LLM’10 was named partner with Cramer & Anderson, LLP.

2010 Class Agent Hirak Shah Hirak.sh@gmail.com James Murtha was part of the team that conducted the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission’s investigation that found Merrill Lynch violated the Customer Protection Rule by misusing customer cash. The result was $415 million settlement.

Sandra L. San Emeterio is the project manager attorney for Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut, Inc. where she manages several grants enabling access to justice for low-income communities.

Christopher J. Sugar and his wife, Liz welcomed a daughter, Madeline Lee Sugar. They reside in Middletown, CT. Staci A. Zaretsky married Chris Merritt ’12.

2011 Class Agent Maren Law Maren.law@gmail.com Amanda J. Morris has opened a practice, St. Louis Morris, P.A., in Miramar, FL. Amanda specializes in bankruptcy, real estate, and estate planning.

P E R S P E C T I V E S

alumni notes

SPRING 2017

We are always interested in hearing from you. If you have news of career advancement or change, professional accomplishments or activities, marriages, births, changes in address, or any other news, please share it with us.

Email: kim.roeder@wne.edu

In Memoriam The magazine has received notice of the deaths of the following members of the School of Law family.

O’Connell ’12

Joseph “Jack” Reardon was certified by the National Elder Law Foundation as a certified elder law attorney.

Kelli A. Robbins was appointed town administrator for Holland, MA.

2012

Lindsay DiSantis George argued a pivotal alimony case at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in October to determine the standard for the commencement of the durational limit in alimony awards (decision pending).

Ahsan Khan is serving as assistant general counsel for Smith & Wesson in Springfield, MA.

Class Agent Erika Scibelli Erika.scibelli@gmail.com Halloran & Sage LLP in Connecticut announced that Casey O’Connell was named to Super Lawyers’ 2016 Rising Stars list.

2013

Michael Patrick Miller founded Magnolia Trust & Estate, LLC in MA. Kathleen Duke Tracy has returned to private practice after serving as a probate attorney for the Los Angeles Superior Court.

2014

Class Agent Amber Gould Amber.m.gould@gmail.com Sarah E. Champion is President & CEO of the problem-solving firm Scouticus Consulting, LLC in Tacoma, WA.

Class Agent Rachel Rosenberg Quinlan Rachel.rosenberg2015@gmail.com

Chris M. Erchull joined Bulkley Richardson in its Springfield, MA offices.

Jack Arovas ’63

2015

James J. Costello Jr. ’88

Col. Archer B. Battista ’77 Joseph B. DeLeo ’68

Class Agent Lenore Montanaro Lenore.montanaro@gmail.com

Gerald H. Dupont ’71

Robyn Barkow is now a trial attorney for GEICO in NJ.

David J. DeFreest ’11 Vernon L. Gorton Jr. ’81

Salomon Louis is now with MassMutal.

Bruce Clement Hasbrouck ’77

Richard K. Sullivan III has joined the firm Crevier & Ryan, LLP in MA.

Dr. Emerson W. Hibbard ’56

2016

Paul Karl ’93 John David Millgate ’63 Francis S. Oleskiewicz ’61

Wanted: Class Agent

Edward Walter Pepyne Sr. ’78

Sarah Normandie is employed as a judicial law clerk for the State of Connecticut.

Thomas J. Price ’81

Carolyne Pereira is now with The Grove Law Office in Ludlow, MA.

Paul C. Snow Sr. ’71

Michael Schiffer ’80

law alumni benefits As an alumnus/a of Western New England University School of Law you receive all the benefits available to all graduates of the University. School of Law alumni, however, have additional benefits: Publications

Transcripts

School of Law publications such as Perspectives magazine printed twice a year and the Law Digest electronic newsletter emailed two times a year.

Request through the Student Records Office at the School of Law. Call the Student Records Office at 413-782-1402 or fax your request to 413-796-2067.

Replacement Diploma

JD Course Auditing

If your diploma is lost or damaged, contact Student Administrative Services at 800-325-1122 ext. 2080 (a $50 service fee is required).

This is offered for a nominal fee and on a space-available basis. You must obtain the permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Law Library

Career Services

Use of the School of Law Library is another benefit. Alumni need to request an access card by visiting University Police and showing your School of Law Alumni Card.

The School of Law offers assistance in résumé writing, employment correspondence, interview preparation, career decision-making, job search strategy, and access to electronic job postings.

For more information, contact Career Services at jobpost@law.wne.edu or call 413-782-1416.

For specific information visit wne.edu/alumni/benefits-services S P R I N G

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CampusUPDATE

By Judy Curran

42nd Basketball Tournament a Slam Dunk The School of Law held its 42nd Annual Basketball Tournament on February 10-12 to great success. Twenty-two schools participated, including Harvard Law School, Quinnipiac University School of Law, Suffolk Law School, and last year’s Men’s Division winner Duke University School of Law. The 2017 winner of the Men’s Division was the University of Maine School of Law, and for the second year in a row, the Women’s Division champion was Syracuse College of Law.

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SCHOOL OF LAW MEN’S TEAM

SCHOOL OF LAW’S WOMEN’S TEAM

Back (L to R): Jeremy Saint Laurent 3L, Austin Provost 3L, Terrell Murdaugh 1L, Salomon Louis ’15, and Alex Mazzella 3L. Front (L to R): Peter Iannuzzi 3L, Iman Farimani 2L, Jaime Kruse 3L, Kwame Akuffo 3L, and Kedar Ismail 2L.

Back (L to R): Lorina Murphy 3L, Gabby Minicucci 2L, Kimberly Roche 3L, Claribel Morales 1L, Corryn Fojut 3L, Kelsey Cullen 3L, Emily Cintorino 1L, and Ashleigh Rousseau 1L. Front (L to R): Cherish Wright 2L and Arielle Aikens 3L.

New U.S. Citizens Take Oath at Naturalization Ceremony

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program to Launch This Fall

On October 28, the School of Law hosted naturalization proceedings for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Several western Massachusetts residents took the Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America, and were sworn in as U.S. citizens.

U.S. District Court Judge Mark Mastroianni ’89 ruled on the motion to accept the new citizens, administered the Oath of Allegiance to the applicants, and challenged them to embrace their new privileges and responsibilities.

Western New England University is accepting applications for a new Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program scheduled to launch this fall. The entry-level OTD is a three-year program completed over nine semesters, including summer sessions. It is designed for students who will have a bachelor’s degree and all prerequisite courses completed prior to beginning the program. The program has been granted Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education and is enrolling for fall. Learn more at wne.edu/otd.

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P E R S P E C T I V E S

How your Gifts to the School of Law Make a Difference Every Day. • Provide student aid to attract and retain high-quality students.

• Fund travel to Moot Court competitions where students gain hands on experience.

• Enhance curriculum to support academic success for students.

• Support bar passage programs.

Your gift every year makes a difference every day.

Make your difference for the School of Law today at www.wne.edu/giving/thefund

To make a gift today, contact: Deidre Swords BA’05 Associate Director of Annual Giving Western New England Univerity 1215 Wilbraham Road Springfield, MA 01119 deidre.swords@wne.edu Phone 413-782-1335 Fax 413-782-1450

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Springfield, MA Permit No. 896

Office of Alumni Relations 1215 Wilbraham Road Springfield, MA 01119-2684 law.wne.edu

Law Calendar MAY 2017 4 20 21

FIRST THURSDAY / Location TBA Springfield, MA / 6-8:00 p.m.

Law Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting / School of Law Graduate Commencement Alumni Healthful Living Center

JUNE 2017 11 12

Alumni Event: Red Sox vs. Detroit at Fenway Park Alumni Breakfast at the Connecticut Legal Conference / Hartford / 8:00 a.m.

AUGUST 2017 12

Alumni Event: Yankees vs. Red Sox at Yankee Stadium

visit law.wne.edu

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