Perspectives: Fall 2014

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Perspectives

WESTERN NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

Attorney Gina Barry ’99 with rescue horse Finnegan

Specialization Leads Estate Planning and Elder Law Experts Down Unexpected Paths

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FEATU

Spe Esta Elde Une

School of Law Hosts Legal Institute for Local High School Students Western New England University School of Law partnered with MassMutual Financial Group and the Just The Beginning Foundation to bring the Summer Legal Institute to western Massachusetts for a second year.

Forty high school students from throughout greater Springfield participated in the weeklong institute. The curriculum is designed to motivate and encourage students on a path toward academic and personal success, while immersing them in many aspects of the legal and judicial systems.

Students watched legal proceedings in Hampden Superior Court, asked questions of a panel of State and Federal Court judges, learned the art of negotiating from staff attorneys at MassMutual, visited major law firms in Springfield and Hartford, and attended a networking reception with judges.

At the end of the week, the student's families joined them for an awards ceremony where students were awarded certificates and prizes for their accomplishments and for their mock trial performances in the courtroom.

H O W T O C O N TA C T U S

Dean’s Office 413-782-1413 Eric Gouvin Email: eric.gouvin@law.wne.edu

Law Development 413-782-1523 Deidre Swords Email: deidre.swords@wne.edu

Career Services 413-782-1416 Paula Zimmer Email: pzimmer@law.wne.edu

Admissions 413-782-1406 Amy Mangione Email: amangione@law.wne.edu

413-782-1335 Andrew Bernstein Email: andrew.bernstein@wne.edu

Student Records 413-782-1402 Terese Chenier Email: terese.chenier@law.wne.edu

Visit us on the Web Our address is www.law.wne.edu.

Law Alumni Relations 413-782-1311 Katherine Pappas Email: katherine.pappas@wne.edu

Law Library 413-782-1616 Pat Newcombe Email: pnewcombe@law.wne.edu

Faculty Members Call 413-782-3111 and ask for specific faculty member.

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

From their alum and G unexp perso a focu Elder

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WESTERN NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

PERSPECTIVES

CONTENTS

FEATURE:

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:

NEW FEATURE:

ALUMNI PROFILE:

Specialization Leads Estate Planning and Elder Law Experts Down Unexpected Paths

Tatenda Chitemerere 3L

Volunteer Honor Roll

Michael Hatchell ’02

The current president of the American Bar Association at the School of Law, Tatenda Chitemerere has high aspirations to serve his adoptive nation.

In a new annual feature, Perspectives introduces the Volunteer Honor Roll to showcase the commitment of time and talent of our alumni and other members of the legal community.

With a passion to help the disenfranchised, this International Examiner for the IRS serves as an inspiring example of how we can volunteer to use our own skills and talents for good abroad and at home.

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From serving the disabled and their families to protecting pets, alumnae Liz Myska LLM’13 and Gina Barry ’99 have found unexpected professional and personal satisfaction through a focus on Estate Planning and Elder Law.

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FACULTY PROFILE:

Professor Harris Freeman Fresh from testifying before a Congressional Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions on the plight of low-wage franchise workers and temporary workers in today's economy, Professor Harris Freeman discusses his passions for education and advocacy for the working public.

NEWS

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DEAN’S MESSAGE

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FACULTY AND STAFF NOTES

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Tuition Freeze Helps Keep the Dream Affordable

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CAMPUS UPDATE

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Reunion 2014

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ALUMNI NEWS

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School of Law Administration Makes Two Key Appointments

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ALUMNI NOTES

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COMMENCEMENT 2014

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IN MEMORIAM

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SPRING SPEAKERS

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Heard Around the Common

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Institute for Legislative and Governmental Affairs

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Alumni Benefits

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DEVELOPMENT REPORT—Scholarships: A Transformative Gift

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

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From the Dean

Dear Alumni/ae and Friends, Since the introduction of the LLM in Estate Planning and Elder Law in 2004, Western New England University School of Law faculty and alumni have gained a reputation for expertise in this growing field. Today we are expanding our academic offerings in this area to professionals in finance, accounting, and insurance through our new Master of Science in Estate Planning and Elder Law program. The new degree will help nonlawyer professionals gain the understanding necessary in these fields to work more closely with attorneys to provide the best service and advice to their clients.

In our feature story, we look beyond the traditional needs of estate planning and into niche areas that may affect not only your own practices, but your personal decisions about estate planning and elder care as well. Attorney Liz Myska LLM’13 offers an inspiring personal journey into serving clients with disabled family members. She took the bold step to enroll in the LLM program just as she herself was deemed legally blind. Her humor and humanity through challenging personal obstacles make her uniquely qualified and understanding of the community she serves. Gina Barry ’99 is an attorney in Springfield with Bacon Wilson. She found ways to marry her two passions: law and animals into a practice that includes estate planning for the care of pets that outlive their owners.

Professor Jennifer Levi offers insight into the special considerations of elder law estate planning for same-sex couples.

In this issue you will also see examples of our School of Law’s international connections. Tatenda Chitemerere 3L, the focus of our Student Spotlight, is originally from Zimbabwe and has just been sworn in as a U.S. citizen. He has a true appreciation for his adopted home and the opportunities it has provided and looks forward to a bright future of public service. Michael Hatchell ’02 offers us all an inspiring example of how we can use our own skills and passions for good abroad and in our own backyards.

I am also pleased to introduce a new annual feature to this issue of Perspectives. It is called “The Volunteer Honor Roll” and provides an overview of the numerous ways in which our alumni and other members of the community share their time and talent to enrich our institution. The generosity of our alumni/ae and the community at large is a huge part of our organizational culture that defines our highly personal approach to legal education. I thank your for your efforts.

Annual Giving and the establishment of named scholarships are among the many ways you support our mission. Our development report shares the motivations of Renee Miller-Mizia ’05, Michael McMyne ’90, and Leonard ’82 and Barbara McCue to give. I hope they will inspire you to follow their example.

As many of y ou have read online and in Law Digest, the School of Law has frozen tuition at current levels through 2017–2018 to help us attract the best and brightest students and ease their financial burden. With your support, we can further reduce the costs of attendance for our incoming students.

Sincerely,

Eric Gouvin Professor and Dean

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Tuition Freeze Helps Keep Legal Education Affordable

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“If a student has the drive and commitment to dedicate three to four years of his or her life to the intensive study of law, we must do all that we can to keep that dream within their reach.”

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Eric Gouvin, Dean, Western New England University School of Law

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o support that sentiment, in May 2014, the University took a bold step and froze tuition at current levels for the next four years— from the academic year 2014-15 through 2017-18.

This decision will keep our high quality, private legal education affordable for students—both today and after graduation.

With fewer people attending law school nationally, strong candidates today have many options.

Western New England University has worked strategically to hone our messages about quality and our strong emphasis on experiential learning that helps our students to be ready to enter the profession at graduation. The administration has also strived to keep budgets in check and improve efficiencies within its operations. These efforts have enabled us to put the tuition freeze in effect to ease the financial burden of our incoming students.

“We are committed to providing a high quality legal education at an affordable cost,” said Dean Gouvin. “Toward that end, the School of Law will hold tuition at current levels through 2017–2018.

With the support of alumni and other donors through scholarships, we can help keep the dream of a legal education attainable.”

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“You have to mourn and grieve, but in my estimation you have to pick yourself up by your boot straps and take control. There are things that I can do now that I never would have done as a sighted person.”

Liz Myska LLM’13

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FEATURE By Mary McLean Orszulak G’10

Specialization Leads Estate Planning and Elder Law Experts Down Unexpected Paths Much has been written in this publication and in the media about the graying of America, and with it, the need for experts to advise this 70+ million strong group about estate planning and elder law issues. Yet within and beyond this age group there are specialty client niches, such as parents of disabled children, pet owners, or same-sex couples. Applying their legal educations to serve these populations has led members of the Western New England University community down unexpected, yet rewarding paths.

With Loss of Vision Liz Myska LLM’13 Finds a New Focus A few short years ago, Attorney Liz Myska LLM’13 had her life perfectly in balance and her future neatly planned out.

She had a solo practice in real estate and conveyancing, a loving husband, and a comfortable life in Worcester, MA. Overnight her world turned upside down. Liz was diagnosed with a degenerative retinal condition, which would slowly erode her vision, impacting her ability to practice law, care for her ailing husband, navigate her multilevel home, and drive to court. Concurrently, her husband was diagnosed with primary lateral sclerosis. “He was having difficulty perambulating,” recalled Liz. “He subsequently has been diagnosed with primary progressive MS.” Fiercely independent, yet a realist, Liz grieved the coming loss of her mobility and filed documents with the state to see if she qualified for services as a legally blind person. By 2007, she had lost much of her peripheral vision due to the hereditary disease of Retinitis Pigmentosa. Liz’s husband went in for elective surgery and ended up in a rehab facility.

Then she fell and broke her foot.

“I was holed up alone in my multilevel condo at the edge of Worcester,” she said. “Then I got a letter from the Commonwealth saying ‘You’re legally blind, surrender your driver’s license.’ It was both an epiphany and the darkest moment of my life. I realized I wouldn’t be able to drive anymore and knew we had to move. I was facing some of the

very same things that the population that I’m now serving must confront.”

Soon, Liz got a home visit from a vocational counselor. She recalls the fear and awe she felt as her totally blind counselor adeptly climbed the many stairs to Liz’s condo. “I thought, I will never be able to do that,” said Liz. “I was already terrified of falling down stairs.”

Despite objections to her counselor that she was not yet in need of “the white cane,” as a legally blind person, that was her new reality. Alone, with her husband incapacitated, she had to find a new home and a new way to support them.

The real estate market had tanked and Liz needed to develop a new focus for her practice. She landed on estate planning and elder law for disabled clients or parents of disabled children.

LLM Opens New Doors A colleague suggested she enroll in the LLM program at Western New England University School of Law. Liz hadn’t set foot in a classroom since graduating from Suffolk Law 26 years earlier and was intimidated by the online format, particularly given her growing visual impairment.

She reached out to Program Director Professor Fred Royal and his assistant, Carmen Alexander Blatch. “They are amazing people,” said Liz. “I’m very proud of what I accomplished myself, but I could not have done it without them. I had my struggles, but they were very encouraging and accommodating.

Walking across the stage at graduation— with my cane—was the proudest moment of my life.”

(Continued next page)

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Finding Your Niche Elder Law and Estate Planning have many other niche needs for client groups. “We have an alum from the LLM program who specializes in planning and elder law for veterans, another is a Medicaid expert in Ohio who works with the agricultural community, while a graduate in Connecticut helps closely-held businesses on succession planning,” said Professor Fred Royal, Director of the LLM and MS programs. “The beauty of opening up your practice to elder law and estate planning through earning your LLM is that you can both capitalize on your core business and acquire new specialization strengths. Financial planners and insurance professionals will find the same benefits in our new MS in Estate Planning and Elder Law.” With same-sex marriage now legal in 19 states, serving this growing population’s unique asset protection and elder law issues offers another niche specialty. Professor Jennifer Levi who has taught in the LLM program sees a real need to help newly married clients navigate uncharted waters. “There is not a lot of legal expertise in the area, partly because it’s such a dynamic area of law so it is a real opportunity,” said Professor Levi. Among today’s many challenges are “the complexity of family structures related to alternative reproductive technology” for both same-sex and different sex couples.

“People can develop parenting plans, and create guardianships that also plan for emergency medical care.”

When a spouse or legal partner is incapacitated, careful planning is paramount. “Family members should not be able to defeat that healthcare proxy as long as it is properly done,” said Professor Levi. “There are all kinds of missteps that people can make along the way—they might think they're protected, but then it turns out that they haven’t properly done the estate planning that they need to do.”

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Though challenging, Liz felt the program gave her tangible tools to take her practice in new directions, and above all, best serve her new clientele. “Law school taught me how to think, but the LLM was very practical, even though it is very humbling in Professor Baker’s class when he puts your documents up on the screen and it has cross-outs and writing in the margins and you think—‘Oh, no, I’ve been doing it all wrong all these years.’”

Liz says the greatest takeaway of the LLM is developing her own set of cutting edge documents along with an in-depth understanding of them: “Unlike some peers, you’re not just opening a form book. I feel that I am also a teacher and if I cannot explain something to my clients, then I have failed.”

While her life is very different today than what she had planned, a wry sense of humor and positivity have carried Liz through. Once horrified at the realization that a presentation on self-defense for the blind at a Dallas conference was a hands-on workshop, Liz has become a certified 1Touch method instructor.

Her love of networking has opened many doors. She is now active in numerous organizations for the blind and disabled, including board memberships on the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, Center for Living and Working, Worcester Commission on Disabilities, and Audio Journal; and serves as Vice President of Memorial Foundation for the Blind.

Liz has become an advocate for hiring the disabled, including her own assistant, a fibromyalgia sufferer who works from home.

Above all, losing her sight and earning her LLM have made Liz an advocate for estate planning for both the abled, and the disabled.

She developed the concept of the Will Party™, at which interested clients invite Liz to make a presentation about creating life care documents to invited family and friends.

“My practice isn’t focused on end of life planning, but on life care planning over the continuum of one’s life,” said Liz. “Live life to the fullest” is the example Liz seeks to model for the blind community, whose members are often self-isolating due to their lack of transportation. “You are your own biggest opponent—if you think you can’t, you can’t. But if you think you can, you’re going to be able to find a way. That’s what the LLM program has taught me. That’s what learning self-defense has taught me. That’s what my life has taught me,” she said.

Gina Barry ’99 Makes Pet Estate Planning Serious Business While extravagant final wishes for the care of pets may make headlines, the reality is that 145 million households in the U.S. have pets that will need to be cared for should something happen to their owners.

A multiyear recipient of the Boston Magazine SuperLawyers Rising Star Award and among the Western Mass Women’s Magazine 2010 Top Five Business Women in Western Mass, Attorney Gina Barry ’99 is a member of the Estate Planning/Elder Law Department at Bacon Wilson, P.C. in Springfield. Her focus is on estate and asset protection planning, probate administration and litigation, guardianships, conservatorships, and residential real estate. Planning for the care of pets has been a growing part of her practice for more than a decade.

“I’ve always loved animals,” said Gina.

“In my practice with estate planning, I had a lot of human contact, but I missed the animals. So I thought, ‘how can I bring animals into my practice?’ And that’s where the pet estate planning came from. It’s become really popular since the passage of the pet trust statute in Massachusetts on April 7, 2011 (General Laws, Chapter 203E, Section 408).”

Previously, Massachusetts law only allowed a human to be a beneficiary of a trust.

“In a pet trust, you should name a caretaker, a trustee, and a trust protector,” said Gina. “The caretaker takes care of the animals, the trustee oversees the financial aspects of the trust, and the trust protector oversees both and can do spot checks of the animals to ensure their wellbeing.” Gina noted a somewhat infamous case in pet trust circles of a black cat that lived well beyond the lifespan of a typical feline. To avoid suspicious substitutions of pets, Gina requires owners to provide photos and a listing of distinguishing marks or characteristics, tattoos, or registrations.

When clients come to Bacon Wilson to create the traditional will, healthcare proxy, and power of attorney documents, Gina also inquires about the care of pets. For her many elderly clients, she also brings into the discussion concerns about potential incapacity issues. “I add a clause to their healthcare proxy that informs medical professionals that the patient has animals at home that they are

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FEATURE By Mary McLean Orszulak G’10

responsible for. If the patient is incapacitated someone needs to take care of these animals.”

They also provide legal protections that an animal cannot be placed in a shelter or euthanized if the owner is temporarily disabled.

While Gina pioneered pet estate planning in her firm, her colleagues have come to realize it’s serious business. “It’s a multimillion-dollar market,” said Gina. “When I first said, ‘I’m going to start animal planning’, my partners showed some concern, but they still supported me as they always have. Now, if there’s a pet issue, they come to me.”

From Lawyer to Horse Rescuer Gina has extended her passion for the care of animals beyond her legal practice. As a young girl, she began volunteering at the Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Holyoke, MA, where she nurtured back to health a rescue horse named Jasper. “I worked with him and he blossomed into this beautiful show horse and won champion ribbons,” she said. Sadly, degenerative hoof issues plagued Jasper despite Gina’s hard work to rehabilitate him; he ultimately shattered the bones in his hoof and had to be put down. Gina was devastated: “It was pure love that had kept him going; we were like a storybook.”

Shortly after earning her law degree from Western New England University, Gina had a revelation while walking her dog. “I real-

ized that I now had the skills and ability to do something to bring rescue horses back into my life and into the life of area youth.”

In 2007, Gina started The Joy of Jasper, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to providing sanctuary to abused, abandoned, neglected or unwanted horses and ponies. Housed at Legacy Farms in Wilbraham, MA, Gina gets great satisfaction seeing the joy the horses bring to young volunteers who remind her of herself and Jasper.

“What they get from working with the horses is just magic,” she said. There are riders of all levels and abilities and there are children who have different conditions like autism or Down Syndrome. It’s a judgment-free zone. So, whether it’s a horse or a person, everyone finds a home there.” ◆

“We take the horses in and agree

to give them as much love as we can and let them pass with dignity when it is time.”

Gina Barry ’99

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Reunion Weekend Brings Alums Back to Where Their Futures Began

Reunion Weekend (June 6 & 7) can be more than just a time to reminisce with classmates and faculty. For the members of Classes ending in “4” and “9,” it provided an opportunity to revisit their own memories about a pivotal time in their personal histories.

PHOTO TOP (Standing L to R) Randall Winn ’94, Dean Eric Gouvin, Prof. Jocelyn Cuffee ’94, and Lynn Scull ’09 (Seated L to R) Lisa Bongiovi ’94, Hon. Robert Howarth ’74, Philip Lauro ’74, and Elyse Lauro PHOTO BOTTOM (L to R) John Vivian, Kathleen Vivian ’79, and Professor Bruce Miller

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Reunion Weekend By Mary McLean Orszulak G’10

Reunion

was a literal trip down memory lane for Linda Fakhoury ’04, Senior Assistant County Attorney in the Dutchess County Attorney’s Office in Poughkeepsie, NY. She took her return to Springfield as an opportunity to revisit familiar sites that are part of her fond memories of her law school years at Western New England.

“The best part of Reunion was just being back in the area and reminiscing about the years I had spent there,” she said. “I drove through Forest Park and different places that we used to visit when I was in law school.”

While more of the Class of 2004 attended the kickoff event on Friday at Champions sports bar in the Springfield Marriott than the formal reunion dinner on Saturday at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Linda was pleased to connect with classmates and explore other familiar city sites.

“We started at Champions and went back to our old stomping grounds on Worthington Street. It just made the night much more memorable and nostalgic in many ways.”

Linda has continued to be active in the School as a member of the Law Alumni Board and as a Class Agent.

“I came back for my reunion because I wanted to continue to be a part of everything that the school had to offer, and to see how it progressed through the years,” she said. “Ten years is a milestone, and it was surprising to see how fast the time flew. Catching up with classmates from my year, as well as other years, was wonderful, as well as catching up with old faculty and new faculty that came in after I had graduated. There weren’t many big changes or surprises—in some instances, I was surprised at the area of law some of my classmates entered into because it didn’t seem like that would be their field of interest—but it was great to see everyone expand and take advantage of all that the Law has to offer.”

Kathy Vivian ’79 drove eight hours with her husband to attend the Reunion dinner at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night. “Every moment of that evening was special,” she said.

“Deans Gaudio and Gouvin were so gracious and made us feel at home again. I enjoyed meeting new and dedicated professors and graduates from other years whom I had never met before. Of course the food and ambiance was great but being witness to and participating in the ‘Western New England University law family unit’ again was most exciting! I am truly grateful to be part of this family and so proud to see its legacy continue in the way it is.” ◆

Plans are already in the works for Reunion 2015. Visit www.law.wne.edu/alumni for upcoming details.

PHOTO TOP (Seated L to R) Marcy Spratt ’10 and Jeremy Bramson ’09 (Standing L to R) Prof. Barbara Noah, Prof. Rene Reich-Graefe, Tod Newcombe, and Associate Dean of Library and Information Resources Pat Newcombe ’01 Photo MIDDLE (L to R) Brett Blank ’09, Laura Stafford, Sarah Biolsi Vangel ’09, and Matthew Madara ’09 Photo BOTTOM (Seated L to R) University Trustee Peter Steingraber ’84, Michael Meloche ’84, and James Horan ’84 (Standing L to R) University Trustee Carmel Caramagna ’84, Kenneth Plumb ’84, and Susan Kudis

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School of Law Administration Makes Key Appointments Amy Mangione, Assistant Dean and Director of Law Admissions DESPITE CONTINUED NATIONAL TRENDS in the lower number of applicants to law school, Western New England University School of Law has met its enrollment goals for the past two years. The Admissions Office is the gateway to the School, making the allimportant first connection with prospective students inquiring about the JD program and remaining connected to them via an integrated stream of communications. This past spring, the School of Law was pleased to promote Amy Mangione to the post of Assistant Dean and Director of Law Admissions. Dean Mangione served as Assistant Director of Law Admissions from 2009 until her new appointment. She reports directly to Michael Johnson, Associate Dean for Law Student Affairs and Enrollment Planning.

The Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions is the Chief Admissions Officer at the School of Law. A senior member of the administrative staff, the Assistant Dean works with the Dean and faculty members, including the Admissions Committee, to assist in the development and implementation of the School’s admissions program and further its mission.

Dean Mangione has spent the past six years in law admissions roles. Prior to joining the staff at Western New England University, she served as an Alumni Admissions Recruiter for Quinnipiac University School of Law. She holds a J.D. from Quinnipiac and a B.A. in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is admitted to the Bar in New York and Connecticut.

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“When the School of Law needed a new leader in Admissions, Amy not only stepped in, she stepped up,” said Dean Eric Gouvin.

“She knows the Admissions process inside and out, yet she also brings her own fresh ideas and enthusiasm to her new position.

With Amy and Michael, we not only have a vision for where our Admissions efforts can take us, they are already making strides to get us there.”

This fall, you will find Dean Mangione both in the Admissions Office and on the road recruiting students for next year’s class.

Together with Dean Johnson, they are immediately mapping out new recruitment strategies to further the School’s reach and reputation, including the launch of a dynamic new website later this fall. As she looks toward the future, Dean Mangione is reaching out to the School’s past to invite more alumni to take an active role in sharing the Western New England University story with people they encounter who are considering attending law school.

“There are simple ways for alumni to play a role in helping us to attract the best and brightest students who will excel in our professionally-focused learning environment,” said Dean Mangione.

“They can do this formally or informally, by sharing their own personal experiences with prospects. The positive experience and success of our graduates is the most compelling story we can tell about our unique brand of highly-personal legal education.”

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By Mary McLean Orszulak G’10 and Brian Zelasko

Kandace Kukas, Assistant Dean and Director of Bar Admissions Programs ON JULY 1, Kandace Kukas joined Western New England University School of Law as the Assistant Dean and Director of Bar Admissions Programs. Dean Kukas will design, administer, and oversee the School’s bar examination preparation efforts and activities, including teaching classes, counseling bar applicants, and working with students on an individual and group basis.

“We are thrilled to have Kandace join the School of Law community,” said Dean Gouvin. “With her impressive experience in student bar preparation strategies, I’m confident Kandace will make a significant contribution to the success of our graduates.”

The Director of Bar Admission Programs position was created to assist Western New England School of Law students with the increasingly complex process of applying to and preparing for the bar examination. Working closely with faculty, staff, and commer-

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cial bar preparation companies, Dean Kukas will be responsible for implementing a comprehensive bar passage program commencing in a student’s first year of law school and continuing throughout the law school program. Her professional background has prepared her well for this unique role. She has worked in test preparation for the Kaplan and PMBR (Pre-Multistate Bar Review) organizations for 18 years, specifically focusing on bar review for nearly 10 years. She has created curriculum for bar preparation courses, taught bar review programs at several law schools as well as tutored and lectured in commercial bar classes. She practiced law for five years before moving into academic support roles.

Dean Kukas received her J.D. from Suffolk University School of Law, and a B.S. in Social Work from Salem State University.

“I am thrilled to join the staff at Western New England,” said Dean Kukas. “The commitment to student success from the School of Law faculty and staff was what attracted me to the position. I know with my test preparation and legal background, I can help students transition from law school to bar exam success.” ◆

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Congrats Grads!

School of Law Celebrates

Commencement 2014

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“Find passion and fulfillment in your work. The law is a noble profession. Through the knowledge of the law that you have acquired here, you can uphold the rule of law and ensure that the fair administration of justice prevails. You control what you do and how you do it. You determine how you undertake your work, and to what greater good and purpose you dedicate yourself. You have acquired the precious tools to make your calling fulfilling, stimulating, and satisfying.” – President Anthony S. Caprio

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Adam VanHeyst ’14

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Hon. Andrew J. McDonald

For 121 students, the steps they took across the stage at Springfield Symphony Hall on May 17 were the final in the long journey of law school and the first toward the adventure of a new career. On that spring morning, Western New England University awarded students with the JD and LLM and some dual degree students earned their MBA and MSA as well.

On a day celebrating the graduates, student speaker Adam VanHeyst ’14 summed up the sentiments of his classmates with his remarks.

“I’m sure I’m not the only one to be a bit surprised to be in the seat they are in now and I must admit as happy as I am to be done, I will miss it,” Adam said. “Sure the sleepless nights and persistent stress may have taken years off our lives, but there is something enjoyable about the journey. Maybe it’s the people and it could be the new experiences; whatever it may be, I’m sure we’ll all miss this place.”

The ceremony was also notable as it served as the first Commencement officiated

by School of Law Dean Eric Gouvin.

“Thank you for becoming part of Western New England University School of Law,” lauded Dean Gouvin on the final day of his first year at the helm. “When you decided to attend our School, you started investing in this enterprise.

You contributed three or four years of hard work, time, and money. And you may have been thinking along the way that you were investing those resources in yourself, and you were, but you were

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Dean Eric Gouvin

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also investing in this institution. It’s been my great privilege to teach here for the past 23 years and an even greater honor to serve as your dean for the past year. I’m invested in this place too. From here on out we’ll be linked to each other and this institution. As coinvestors, we’ll work together to make our School even more valuable.”

The new graduates were also honored by the presence of Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court Andrew J. McDonald, who offered some inspiring words of wisdom as the Commencement Speaker. A former state senator, Judge McDonald previously served as general counsel to the Office of the Governor for the State of Connecticut and practiced at Pullman & Comley, LLC, where he was a commercial litigator.

“If you want to succeed as a lawyer, you must figure out what you bring to the table that has value,” challenged Judge McDonald. “What can you do that other people cannot do? Believe it or not, there are feelings right now that are second nature to you that other people find extremely difficult. Appreciate that and be proud of it. Your skill in legal problem solving is your competitive advantage. Do something with it.” ◆

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Spring Speakers Showcase The Clason Speaker Series

By Alex Lyman BA’12

This spring’s lectures addressed human rights in the state courts, mass incarceration, and due diligence in opening a small law firm.

February 10, 2014 Peter Wagner ’03 Executive Director, The Prison Policy Initiative

“Overdosing on Prisons: Tackling the Side Effects of the United States’ Unprecedented Use of Prison” “We think of criminal justice as a system of individuals. At some point historically, it worked. But we’ve long since passed the tipping point where the actions of the state change the interaction of people with each other. Prisons have existed for a long time, but the practice mass incarceration is a relatively new phenomenon. I discovered there were so many people in prison that it was breaking the electoral system.” —Peter Wagner ’03

March 26, 2014

April 14, 2014

Jared D. Correia, Assistant Director and Senior Law Practice Advisor, Law Office Management Assistance Program Tara Knight, Knight & Cerritelli Ronda Parish ’82, The Law Offices of Ronda G. Parish, P.C. Kyle Guelcher ’02, The Law Office of Kyle R. Guelcher Laura Bradrick ’12, Goldman, Gruder, & Woods Andrea Momnie O'Connor ’10, Hendel and Collins Christopher Todd ’00, The Law Offices of Christopher S. Todd Dan McKellick ’14, Production Editor, Western New England Law Review

Martha Davis Professor of Law and Director of the Human Rights and Global Economy Program, Northeastern University School of Law

“Firm foundations: Managing the Small Firm and Individual Practitioner” “Most solo and small firms and attorneys don’t do data analysis at any level. If you start doing this you can gain a competitive advantage. You don’t necessarily have to access the wide range of data that the big firms have through the expensive accounts.

It’s helpful for you to have data from your own clients and to see what the status of your practice is, and where your clients are coming from. If you have that, you’re ahead of the game.” —Jared Correia

Color of Law Roundtable

“State Courts and Human Rights” “The controversy around judicial citation of international materials has come up in both state and federal courts, particularly in human rights. State courts have a long history of citing international law for purposes of comparison or persuasion. While international law is in the mix in many state courts, it doesn’t always carry the day. Some courts have rejected the relevance of international human rights law to their work. But there is a growing level of comfort with this material in the state courts.” —Martha Davis

March 13, 2014 Bernardo Cuadra ’10, Associate, Shipman & Goodwin

The Color of Law Roundtable is designed to introduce law students to attorneys, professionals, and judges of color, providing them with the opportunity to network with members of the legal community.

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“I think one of the things that attracted me to trust and estates law is the long-term relationship with the client. You can act more as an advisor and counselor over time. When a client’s family member has a legal issue, they are going to call you. I find that attractive; they will call you whether it’s for trust and estates issues, or other legal problems." —Bernardo Guadra ’10

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The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Spring Speakers Series During its Spring Speakers Series, The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship hosted speakers who discussed the risks and rewards of pursuing entrepreneurial ambitions.

In February, software Entrepreneur Bill Bither delivered a talk entitled “Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur,” and in March Michael Semanie, former Director of Pharmacy at Big Y Food Pharmacy and Wellness Center, talked about the importance of customer service during his “Intrapreneurship of Pharmacy Management” presentation. The Series concluded in April with University Trustee and President of Excel Dryer, Inc. Denis Gagnon G’76 talking about his success reinventing his company with the world-renowned Xlerator hand dryer during “One Man's Vision for Xlerating Success.”

The Center also hosted the “123s of Financial Literacy for Small Business” series, following the development of a hypothetical small business, Coffee2Go, as it progressed from start-up to operating concern.

As part of the series, in February University Professor of Marketing Harlan Spotts, Consultant Karen Utgoff, and CEO/President of Six-Point Creative Works Meghan Lynch presented a session entitled “Cost-Effective Marketing.”

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In March Dean Eric Gouvin, Ms. Leslie Ross Lawrence G’84, Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of NUVO Bank & Trust Company and Ms. Sharon Czarnicki, Assistant Vice President of Westfield Bank, offered financial advice for new businesses owners at “Managing Credit and Banking Relationships.”

Finally, in April Ben Garvey, Vice President of the Insurance Center of New England, discussed the liabilities of business owners in his lecture “Insurance-Risk Management Techniques for Small Business.”

On February 28, 2014, the Center hosted the Northeast Regional Round for the National Transactional Law Meet Competition for the third consecutive year. The Transactional Law Meet resembles a moot court for deal lawyers and tests teams of law students as they represent their clients in a hypothetical business transaction. The Western New England University School of Law team placed second for representation of their side of the business deal.

Center for Gender & Sexuality Studies The Center for Gender and Sexuality Studies addresses the legal community and its role in prevalent issues of gender and sexuality.

February 17, 2014

April 2, 2014

“Introduction to the Film Crime After Crime"

“Domestic Violence: a Discussion of Domestic Violence Issues for Non-citizens and Immigrants”

Bonnie Allen ’93, Bonnie G. Allen Law Offices

“The effects of battering have become more well known in the criminal justice system. In 1996 Massachusetts Legislature decided that the effects of battering would be permissible to admit as evidence. The diagnosis of Battered Women Syndrome was also recognized as a defendant who had acted as a result of her abuse. That evidence could be applied in cases where a person acted in self-defense, but also applied where the domestic violence victim now defendant was charged with crime against their children or drug crimes. The theory would be that it was duress or coercion at the hands of their batterer." —Bonnie Allen ’93 F A L L

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Hema Sarang-Sieminski, Law Office of Hema Sarang-Sieminski Hisham Leil, Attorney, Community Legal Aid

“We are in a very anti-immigrant climate right now. The word ‘illegal’ has become very commonplace. It wasn’t at some point. It had changed from using language such as ‘undocumented.’ I would encourage everyone to adopt that language of using ‘undocumented’ over ‘illegal.’ It’s a re-education for all of us to be choosing to use language that is not criminalizing of someone’s status or experience.”

—Hema Sarang-Sieminski

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By Alex Lyman BA’12

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Student Spotlight Tatenda Chitemerere 3L

Perhaps foreshadowing a future in politics, Tatenda Chitemerere was born and raised in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, and seat of the country’s government. The capital has seen both political and economic crises as a result of dissatisfaction with the government and its practices. Looking to provide her son with more opportunities, Tatenda’s mother emigrated to the United States in order to save money for him to later join her.

He fulfilled their dream in January 2000 when he moved to Haverhill, MA. “My mother is an amazing person,“ he said.

“She is driven and accomplishes everything that she sets her mind to do. She wanted me to have a better life so she worked long shifts just to be able to have a roof over my head and food on the table. She instilled that work ethic in me. If you work hard and put effort in what you do, you will succeed.”

Tatenda’s mother wasn’t the only strong motivator in his life. His entire family placed great value on higher education. His uncle, a teacher, made available his library of books, which inspired Tatenda as a child. In particular, he was drawn to reading books on American history, from the Founding Fathers, to the Constitution, to John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government. These books set the stage for Tatenda’s future aspirations.

“In my family, going to college was not an option, it was a must,” Tatenda explained. “Most of my extended family in Africa went to college and earned advanced degrees, so I was under pressure not just to attend college, but also find out what I wanted to do.”

Tatenda went to Northern Essex Community College for two years while working full-time at Liberty Mutual Insurance, and ultimately decided to major in political science at American International College.

“I enjoyed doing politics and constituency services because I like helping people reach different governmental agencies to see if their problems could be solved,” he said. “These experiences were both rewarding and fulfilling. They definitely contributed to me pursuing a career in the law.”

Because he worked full-time while he pursued his baccalaureate degree, Tatenda was not able to participate in campus activities. He wanted law school to be a different experience. He immersed himself in study and practice and found his niche at the Western New England University School of Law. “The program is really flexible, and I have been able to tailor it to my interests,” Tatenda noted. “I want to learn practical skills that I will use when

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I graduate, so I have chosen to participate in the many moot courts and the Small Business Clinic. I feel that I learn better by doing and getting the ebb and flow of practice. The benefits of these programs give students the skills needed to be practice ready when they graduate and pass the bar. I believe this is the strength of the School of Law.” Tatenda has found no shortage of practical experience at the School of Law. This past summer, he worked for Dean Eric Gouvin as his research assistant to update his agency materials on the computerassisted legal tutorial website CALI.org. He also had the opportunity to work for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. When classes are in session, he participates in the Transactional Moot Court Team, AAJ Trial Team, and Mediation Moot Court, among other activities. He is the President of the American Bar Association at the School of Law, the Treasurer of the Black Law Students Association, and the 3L representative for the Student Bar Association.

All of these opportunities have not only kept Tatenda engaged in the School community, but have impressed upon him the importance of lawyering and serving.

“The aspect of solving people’s problems gives me a great feeling,” he said. “Helping people is one of the privileges that comes with being a lawyer. As a lawyer, when a person comes to you, they might be going through a life-changing, traumatic event. They are putting trust in you that you are capable and competent to help. You realize the benefit as you are given that responsibility.”

After graduation, Tatenda is interested in pursing a career in corporate or insurance law. Now a citizen, he hopes to eventually expand into a political career, and ultimately, become a senator. While these goals signify success to many, Tatenda has another view of their validation.

“I would like to make my mother proud, and show my appreciation to her for everything that she has done for me,” he said. ◆

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By Professor Arthur D. Wolf, Director

INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

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SUMMARY OF EVENTS FOR SPRING 2014 This summer we hosted two students from Siena College in another annual program that is designed to expose undergraduates to the work of attorneys and law professors. We had two very talented rising seniors working with Dean Emeritus Arthur Gaudio, and Professor Myra Orlen.

For the eighth year, the School of Law cosponsored the annual Northeast Regional Fair Housing and Civil Rights Conference, which has grown to a major event. Attendance this year exceeded 500 participants. The two-day gathering also marked the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The workshops at the Conference covered a wide range of topics currently on the front burner of civil rights and fair housing. Included were sessions on disability law, public and private enforcement, and human trafficking. Other topics included urban health, community development, veterans affairs, and fair employment practices.

The Conference also featured notable speakers, such as Dick Gregory, activist and comedian; Attorney Jacqueline Berrien, Chair, U.S. EEOC; Harvard Law Professor Charles Ogletree; Ms. Carmen Ortiz, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts; Dr. Rodney Hood, expert on health and race; and Professor Lawrence Watson, teacher, artist, performer, and cultural historian.

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Lindsey Boyle (left) studied with Professor Gaudio, focusing on recent changes to certain HUD regulations (X and Z). At the beginning of her research, she educated herself, under Professor Gaudio’s expert guidance, in mortgage/real estate law. Lindsey learned how to read and understand complicated regulatory text.

While going through the HUD regulations, Lindsey noticed that many of the changes and additions had to do with reverse mortgage transactions. Professor Gaudio taught her the rudiments of reverse mortgages and gave Lindsey some reading and research topics. He was looking for some answers to specific questions, such as the benefits and burdens of reverse mortgages, their marketing, and consumer protection for them.

Taylor Cuomo (left) worked with Professor Orlen on her summer research. The project focused on the relationship between the judicial captioning of cases and the manner in which they are processed and resolved.

She began by updating Professor Orlen’s earlier chart of the states’ formats on captioning for family court, specifically divorce cases. Some states had the typical adversarial captioning, “plaintiff v. defendant.” In contrast, other states used a less adversarial caption, “in re the marriage of” (43, Cal. 4th 751-2008).

After completing the chart, Taylor moved to the next part of the research: to determine if different captioning styles (adversarial vs. less adversarial) impact the outcome of the case. Do the more adversarial captions actually create priming that makes the outcome of the case worse than if a less adversarial caption had been used? Taylor found many informative articles using a variety of databases, including Westlaw, JSTOR, ASP, and expanded academic ASAP. The articles divided into distinct categories: (1) social sciences (psychology and cognitive sciences): how “labeling” can impact receipt of information and affect the outcome of specific inquiries; (2) literature: how titles affect our perception of a piece of writing; and (3) legal scholarship: the impact of metaphor on the resolution of disputes. The scholarly pieces supported the hypothesis that captioning in court cases does indeed have an effect on judicial disposition. ◆

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Development Report By Deidre Swords BA’05

Scholarships: A Transformative Gift Scholarships ensure that promising and deserving students can pursue a legal education, and scholarship donors take great satisfaction in knowing that their gift assists students in making their goals a reality.

While the School of Law is working diligently to keep expenses down and will not be raising tuition through the 2017-2018 academic year, support from alumni directly helps our students with the cost of attending law school. Indeed, expanding scholarship support for students is an important priority for the School of Law. (Clockwise from left) Renee Miller-Mizia ’05, Michael McMyne ’90, and Leonard ’82 and Barbara McCue

Law Alumni Scholarship Fund Over the last several years, approximately 100 generous alumni have annually supported the Law Alumni Endowed Scholarship, which is awarded to students based on academic merit and financial need. For Renee Miller-Mizia ’05, managing partner at Alvarez & Marsal, supporting this endowed scholarship has been an important priority. “Earning a degree in law changed the direction of my career, enhancing my work as a chemical industry business consultant and expert witness,” she says. “It is an opportunity that should be pursued mid-career by others. The support brought through the Law Alumni Endowed Scholarship is essential.” Gifts to the Law Alumni Endowed Scholarship are made in any amount with no long-term pledge required.

Annual Scholarships In 2011, Michael McMyne ’90, Senior Vice President and Chief Claim Officer at IFG Companies, created the William F. McMyne Scholarship, which is awarded annually to an enrolling or existing part-time evening law student based on financial need. “As a graduate of the part-time evening program, I understand the financial challenge of pursuing the degree and the benefits the law school experience and degree has played in my professional career,” he says. “I am happy to ‘pay it forward’ so others may have the same opportunity for a successful career and to do so in honor of my father.”

The School of Law’s Annual Scholarship program allows donors to create named scholarships with a minimum commitment of $1,000 annually. These funds are given outright to deserving students. Annual scholarships are not permanent, and this source of financial aid ends when the donor ceases to make contributions.

Endowed Scholarships

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If you have any questions, or would like more information about creating an annual scholarship, please contact: Deidre Swords BA’05 at 413-782-1523 deidre.swords@wne.edu or Andrew Bernstein at 413-782-1335 andrew.bernstein@wne.edu Advancement Division Western New England University School of Law 1215 Wilbraham Road Springfield, MA 01119-2684

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Donors choosing to make a gift that has a lasting impact can create an endowed scholarship. Endowed financial aid funds provide permanent, ongoing support for scholarships for deserving students. Earlier this year, long-time scholarship supporters Leonard '82 and Barbara McCue of Leonard McCue and Associates, P.A. made the decision to create an endowed scholarship. "We owe our success to Western New England University School of Law,” says Leonard. Barbara agrees: “We feel an obligation to help future Western New England law students.” For endowed funds, a set percentage of their value is spent each year for their intended purpose. Endowed scholarships require a minimum commitment of $25,000, which can be pledged over as many as five years.

Scholarship support allows the School of Law to attract and retain the most qualified students. By making a scholarship gift, you are directly impacting a law student while enhancing the reputation of your law school. ◆ ◆ 19

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Professor Harris Freeman ’93 Has Built a Career as an Educator and Advocate for Workplace Rights

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Nine to Five

Faculty Profile Harris Freeman ’93

By Brendan Payne ’12

For many professors, a research interest emerges from an issue that has touched them in a personal way. For Professor Harris Freeman ’93, his interest in workplace law came to the surface during his pre-law school career as a toolmaker in Detroit for Chrysler in the 1980s.

“This was the era of the beginning of a rapid decline of employment in the core U.S. manufacturing industries,” remembered Professor Freeman. “Contracting out work, the institution of work methods, and automation were eliminating jobs and those that remained were beginning to move to lower-cost, non-union shops. My experience in Detroit as an autoworker, a shop steward, and union activist confirmed my view that strong unions and collective bargaining are essential if we are to avoid the high levels of inequality that are now the norm in the U.S.” As a union activist he had the opportunity to work with civil rights and labor lawyers who were members of the National Lawyers Guild. “I found their perspective on legal advocacy and their role as public interest lawyers to be inspiring,” he said of his decision to change careers and enroll in our School of Law in 1990.

Professor Freeman maintained his passion for these issues throughout law school and his time as a full-time practitioner. He first clerked for the Honorable Michael A. Ponsor at the District Court in Springfield before moving to Lesser, Newman, Souweine, and Nassar in Northampton, MA, where he primarily focused on civil litigation in the areas of civil rights, employment, First Amendment, and personal injury law. “I also worked as a bar advocate doing criminal appeals for the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) and have served as cooperating counsel with the Massachusetts ACLU on a number of civil rights/First Amendment cases,” Professor Freeman added.

He shifted his profession to academics 15 years ago when he joined the faculty at Western New England University but continued his focus on employment law issues. He has published a number of articles on the rapid expansion of precarious and temporary work arrangements and the challenges this poses for workers and employer. “It has led

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to a system of workplace law that did not anticipate the extent of low-wage work that now permeates the U.S. and world economy.” he said. In September, on the heels of nationwide protests at fast food restaurants for higher wages, Professor Freeman testified before a Congressional subcommittee advocating that franchisors share responsibility for the well being of employees with the franchisees who hire and supervise them.

Back in 2009, Professor Freeman’s efforts were recognized on the state level when Governor Deval Patrick appointed him as a member of the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board, which oversees public sector labor relations in Massachusetts.

In December 2013, he took his research to Sun Yat-Sen University’s International Labor Center in Guangzhou, China. He presented guest lectures and spoke with students, professors, labor activists, and lawyers about workplace rights in China and Hong Kong. “I had an opportunity to discuss the concerns arising from the extensive use of temporary workers and the challenge of developing collective bargaining rights for workers in the auto, textile, electronics, and logistics sectors,” Professor Freeman explained.

In addition to labor and employment law courses, Professor Freeman teaches the critically important Legal Research and Writing courses.

“Legal Research and Writing is the gateway to skills and clinical education, which provides law students with an essential framework for practicing law,” he explained. “The writing curriculum has evolved to include upper-level/advanced courses in legal research and writing to reflect the current legal market demand for lawyers capable of practicing law upon graduation.” These are skills required for practitioners to be successful in the field of labor and employment law or any other practice area. ◆

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FACULTY and STAFF NOTES

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Erin Buzuvis, Professor of Law, has been quoted multiple times in major news outlets such as the New York Times and the Chronicle of Higher Education in connection with Title IX issues such as the recent NLRB ruling giving college athletes the right to unionize, the Obama administration’s recent report on sexual assault on college campuses, and an ongoing Title IX dispute at Tufts University.

On Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, Professor Buzuvis attended and presented at the University of Denver Law Review’s symposium, “Revisiting Sex: Fifty Years of the Civil Rights Act.” The law review will publish the paper she presented, which was on the application Title VII’s retaliation provision to cases involving LGBT plaintiffs.

Matthew Charity, Professor of Law, presented “Shelby and the International Obligation of Representation” in July at Touro Law School’s conference on Shelby v. Holder and the Voting Rights Act. Samuel Charron, Assistant Director and Pro Bono Coordinator, Career Services, is serving as the president of the Northeast Law School Consortium. He has also been selected as a member of the Equal Justice Works National Advisory Committee.

Beth Cohen, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Director of Legal Research and Writing, and Pat Newcombe, Associate Dean for Library and Information Resources, wrote a book review of Judge Michael Ponsor’s novel. Their review, The Hanging Judge by Michael A. Ponsor— A Book Review: Capital Punishment— Is the Death Penalty Worth the Price? made the SSRN top ten list under the topic of Judges. It was printed in the Cleveland State Law Review (2014: 62: 493). Dean Cohen also wrote “Writing Can be Taught and Assessed” for the New York Times (Mar. 10, 2014).

Her comments were also reprinted with permission in the Scrivener (Spring 2014: Scribes Publication).

In the summer, Dean Cohen, Jeanne Kaiser, Professor of Legal

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Research and Writing, and Myra Orlen, Director of Academic Success and Associate Professor of Legal Research and Writing, presented “Opportunities for LRW Faculty in the New Normal” at the 16th Biennial Conference of the Legal Writing Institute in Philadelphia.

Dean Cohen attended the meeting of the Board of Directors of Scribes–The American Society of Legal Writers, Dean Cohen is a member of the Brief Writing Award Committee. She served as coordinator of the National 2014 BriefWriting Competition. The Scribes Brief-Writing Committee solicits winning briefs from national moot court competitions and selects the finest of those winning briefs—the best of the best. In addition, Professor of Law Bruce Miller, Professor of Legal Research and Writing Harris Freeman and Pat Newcombe served as 3 of the 46 judges from across the country in the Scribes Competition.

Beth Cohen and Pat Newcombe’s article will soon be published in a book entitled Legal Studies for the Curious: Why Study Legal Studies and they have both been asked to serve on the International Interdisciplinary Advisory and Editorial Board (IIAEB) as part of this project. And Dean Cohen was asked to serve as a member of the Springfield College School of Social Work Advisory Board during the 2014-15 academic year.

Harris Freeman ’93, Professor of Legal Research and Writing, authored two amicus curiae briefs. In the case of Meshna v. Scrivanos, et al., to be argued at the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts this fall, he wrote an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, RocUnited.org, a nationwide workers’ center advocating for improving the terms and conditions of work for lowwage restaurant workers. At issue is whether a franchisee who owns 100 Dunkin’ Donuts stores in Boston violated the Massachusetts Tips Act by prohibiting its employees from accepting tips from patrons.

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He also coauthored an amicus curiae brief in the case of BrowningFerris Industries, Leadpoint Business Services, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, currently before the NLRB. At issue is the right of temporary staffing workers to form a union and bargain with the temp agency and the business where the temps actually perform work. The brief was written on behalf of the Labor Relations and Research Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

This spring, Professor Freeman taught a course, Workplace Law in Capitalist America, at Smith College.

He also convened and moderated a panel titled “Labor Perspectives on the Organizing of Contingent Faculty” as part of the 34th annual conference of the Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, Hunter College, City University of New York.

Professor Freeman also delivered two lectures at the Labor Relations and Research Center at UMass Amherst on developments in the laws affecting precarious workers and his reflections on his lecturing at the International Labor Center at Sun-YatSen and meeting with Chinese and Hong Kong labor activists.

Arthur Gaudio, Professor and Dean Emeritus, gave a talk in Des Moines, IA, in June. He discussed the role that mortgage brokers played in the real estate and economic crisis that followed 2008. He also discussed the new federal SAFE Act, which requires every state to implement and enforce licensing of mortgage brokers following specific guidelines.

Dean Eric Gouvin, made the introductory presentation at the Western New England Law Review symposium “Firm Foundations: Managing the Small Firm and the Individual Practitioner” at Western New England University School of Law, March 26.

On April 7, Dean Gouvin gave a talk entitled “Advice to my Younger Self” at the Springfield Sci-Tech Magnet High School in the Junior Achievement Speaker Series.

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Dean Gouvin also contributed a chapter to the Report of the Connecticut Bar Association Task Force on the Future of Legal Education and Standards of Admission, published in June.

In July he was appointed to the Merit Selection Panel for the Magistrate Judge Vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Kenneth Neiman in the Western Division of the Federal District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

On August 20, Dean Gouvin made a presentation about entrepreneurial resources to inmates at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution who are within one year of being released from prison, Suffield, CT Jennifer Levi, Professor of Law, received the Paula Ettelbrick Award from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association at their annual Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference in Washington, DC, on July 24. She spoke on the plenary panel for their conference in conjunction with receipt of the award.

She also spoke at the Workshop on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues at the 2014 AALS midyear meeting in June and at Vermont Law School and the University of Chicago Law School in early April.

Professor Levi gave the Keynote Speech at the Transgender Law Institute hosted by the National LGBTQ Bar Association at their annual Lavender Law Conference which was held this year in New York City from August 21-24.

Barbara Noah, Professor of Law, published “The Inclusion of Pregnant Women in Clinical Research” in the St. Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy (2014: 7: pp. 353-87). Her article “In Denial: The Role of Law in Preparing for Death” in the Elder Law Journal (2013: 21: pp. 1-31) was reviewed by Attorney Conrad Teitell (2014: WLNR 5821063). Professor Noah also presented: “Overtreatment at the End of Life” for the Mercy Home Care Program in West Springfield, MA, in June, and for the Mercy Hospital Ethics & Justice Committee in Springfield in May.

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Faculty and Staff

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René Reich-Graefe, Professor of Law, published “Keep Calm and Carry On” in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics (2014: 27) and “Calculative Trust: Oxymoron or Tautology?” in the Journal of Trust Research (2014: 4).

He presented one of his current research projects, “The Perpetuation of Class Divides From the Bottom Up: Trust, Groupthink and the Emerging Evidence From Corporate Boards,” at the Association for Social Economics Annual Meeting, held in conjunction with the 2014 Allied Social Science Associations Conference in Philadelphia on Jan. 4. He also presented “The De(con)struction of Fiduciary Loyalty” at the Third Annual Younger Comparativists Committee Conference of the American Society of Comparative Law at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland on April 5, 2014, and at the 2014 Law and Society Association Annual Meeting in Minneapolis in June.

Sudha Setty, Professor of Law, gave a presentation entitled, “Surveillance, Secrecy and the Search for Meaningful Accountability,” at Stanford Law School in early May as part of a symposium entitled Governing Intelligence. On April 24, she gave a presentation entitled “The National Security Agency Surveillance and Anticonstitutionalism” at the Tilburg University Law and Economics Center, in the Netherlands.

Giovanna Shay, Professor of Law, had her work, Inside Out as Law School Pedagogy, included in a recently published volume, Turning Teaching Inside Out: A Pedagogy of

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Transformation for Community-Based Education (Simone Weil Davis & Barbara Sherr Roswell, eds: Palgrave 2013). Also, as part of her work for the Corrections Committee of the Criminal Justice Section of the ABA, the subcommittee, which she chairs, drafted a resolution, adopted by the ABA, based in part on her article “Ad Law Incarcerated,” published in 2009. Professor Shay also spoke on a panel at the Liman Colloquium at Yale Law School April 3. Entitled “Visiting Prisons,” it was composed of the contributors to a recent Yale Law & Policy Review volume on prison visitation policies.

Julie E. Steiner, Associate Professor of Law, had her article entitled “Interim Payments and Economic Damages to Compensate Private-Party Victims of Hazardous Releases” accepted for publication in the Marquette Law Review, volume 98. She presented this article at a faculty workshop at Albany Law School in April. In June, Professor Steiner presented “Municipal Marijuana Cultivation Regulation” at the Fordham Comparative Urban Law conference held in London.

She was also quoted recently in Sean McLernon’s article, “Cape Wind Ruling Paves Way for Offshore Projects,” on law360.com. The quote is related to the effect of the recent 88-page ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton reviewing extensive challenges to the Cape Wind permitting process, what the ruling means for the Cape Wind project and what its effect will be on future offshore wind energy projects.

Erin Buzuvis 3/5/14 Michigan State University-Title IX 3/6/14 Michigan State University-Title IX 4/4/14 Title IX 4/4/14 Title IX 4/4/14 Title IX 4/5/14 Title IX 4/7/14 Title IX 4/18/14 Title IX 4/22/14 Title IX 4/29/14 Title IX Civil Rights 4/29/14 Title IX Civil Rights 5/1/14 Title IX Civil Rights 5/6/14 Title IX 5/8/14 Title IX 5/18/14 Title IX Transparency 6/8/14 Sexual Misconduct on Campuses 6/10/14 Sexual Misconduct on Campuses 7/30/14 Title IX /Ohio State Band Investigation 7/30/14 Senate Considers Measure to Curb Campus Sexual Assaults 7/30/14 Bill to Curb Campus Sexual Assault

Government Technology Lansing State Journal Lansing State Journal US World & News Report New York Times Buffalo News The Valdosta Daily Times Athletic Business Associated Press (many) Inside Higher Ed New York Times Chronicle of Higher Education New York Times Daily Princetonian Daily Emerald University Business Magazine L.A. Times/Chicago Tribune Sacramento Bee Athletic Business The Globe New York Times

Lauren Carasik 3/6/14 UN not above the law

Al Jazeera America

Beth Cohen 3/11/14 Can Writing be Assessed?

New York Times

Eric Gouvin 2/10/14 Regional Entrepreneurial Environment 2/12/14 Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship 2/12/14 Kandace Kukas Appointment 6/10/14 Judicial Youth Corps 7/6/14 Law School Environment 7/8/14 High School Outreach Program 7/18/14 Debtor Jailed for Contempt 7/22/14 Kandace Kukas Appointment 8/6/14 High School Outreach Program 8/12/14 Law School Environment

Republican Republican Online BusinessWest.com Republican Boston Globe ABC40 Daily Hampshire Gazette BusinessWest Republican Plus BusinessWest

Arthur Leavens 4/2/14 Amy Lord Murder Trial

Republican

Bruce Miller 4/11/14 Privacy Rights

Recorder Newspaper

Wendy Murphy 5/6/14 Title IX

Daily Princetonian

Pat Newcombe 9/25/14 Fabrication Labs

Government Technology

Barbara Noah 3/3/14 Death and Taxes

WealthManagement.com

Rene Reich-Graefe 3/26/14 Attorney Employment Study

Virtual Strategy Magazine

Sudha Setty 5/2/14 Civil Rights

Connecticut Law Tribune

Robert Statchen 7/11/14 Small Business Legal Clinic

BusinessWest

Julie Steiner 3/17/14 Cape Wind Project Court Ruling

Law 360

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Western New England University School of Law Volunteer Honor Roll 2013-2014

As the old saying goes, ”it takes a village to raise a child.”

If that adage is true, its corollary must be that it takes a legal community to train a lawyer. In my first year as dean, I was impressed over and over again by the number of people who donate their time and talent to the School of Law to enrich our program and to give back to the profession without asking remuneration in return.

I decided to create the “Volunteer Honor Roll” to recognize the generosity of those people. One thing I noticed is that while many of the people on the list are alumni/ae, there are many other lawyers and members of the community at large who also contributed to the effort.

Of course, the risk in creating a list like this is the likelihood of missing a volunteer and leaving them off the list. I am almost certain that we missed a couple of people here and there. Please let me know if your name should be on the list and I will publish an addendum in the next issue of Perspectives.

To all the people on this list: Thank you very much—we cannot do it without you.

Sincerely, Eric J. Gouvin Dean

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COURT OF APPEALS Hon. Judd J. Carhart Hon. Scott L. Kafker Hon. William J. Meade ’89 Hon. Ariane D. Vuono CAREER SERVICES PANELISTS Douglas J. Brunner ’88 Jennifer K. Derringer Gian DiDonna Melissa Dineen Michael Donnelly Rory Farrell ’13 Michael A. Fenton L’12/G’12 Matthew Fleischner Laurie Frankl Kyle R. Guelcher ’02 James Hisgen Bart Hollander Kady Huff ’14 Kelly Koch L’07/LLM’11 Maren Law ’11 Kaley Lentini ’14 Kevin Maltby Rebecca Michaels ’09 Barbara Pope Anna Rice Rachel Rothman ’11 George D. Royster Stacy Schleif Karina Schrengohst ’11 Ashley Sears ’14 Soudie Tahmassebipour Christopher Todd ’00 Damian Turco

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LUNCH WITH ALUMNI PROGRAM John Bandeian ’09 David Bartley ’05 Justin Dion ’00 John Garber Talia Gee ’10/G’12 Kyle Guelcher ’02 Hon. Robert Howarth ’74 Cristina Ianello BSBA’99/L’02 Jeff Krok ’10 Lisa Lippiello ’06 David McGuire ’06 Amy Megliola BA’92/L’02 Noreen Nardi Barry Ryan Cheryl Smith ’83 Christopher Todd ’00 Christina Turgeon BSCJ’98/L’01 Robert Ward ’82 Danielle Williams ’02 Alicia Zoeller ’97 MENTORS John Bandeian ’09 Kendra Berardi ’08 Gerald Berg ’76 Michelle Bugbee G’92/L’00 Charles Casartello ’87 Christopher Cava BSBA’81/L’89 Jennifer L. Cava ’11 Kevin Claffey ’98 Hyman Darling ’77 Justin H. Dion ’00 James R. Goodhines ’95

Kyle Guelcher ’02 Gerald Hecht ’77 Kelly A. Koch L’07/LLM’11 Julia Lentini-Marquis ’06 Patricia Leonard ’83 Kevin V. Maltby Isaac Mass ’11 James A. McEwan BSBA’72/L’77 Ryan C. McKeen ’05 Rebecca Michaels ’09 Dale C. Roberson ’77/LLM’10 Jasmin Rojas ’09 Cheryl Smith ’83 Angelina Stafford ’12 Lori Wheeler ’02

Danielle Michaud ’09 Frank J. Mottola III ’09 Jeffrey Noonan ’09 Dominic Perito ’96 Edward Pikula ’83 Maria Puppolo ’99 Jacob Riley ’10 Kelli A. Robbins ’11 Elizabeth Rodriguez-Ross ’07 Michael Roundy ’07 Lynn Scull ’09 Brandy Thomas ’12 Dorothy Varon ’95 Jeffrey Weisser ’76 Anthony Zeolla ’97

FIRST YEAR MOOT COURT James Baker ’85 Russ Bonin ’10 Gina Birchall ’95 Michael A. Borg ’88 Paul Caccaviello ’89 Corey Carvalho ’09 Kevin J. Claffey ’98 Talia Gee ’10/G’12 Richard Goldman Amber Gould ’13 Charles Healey III Hon. Robert Howarth ’74 Adam Keating ’09 Nicholas Kocian Kelly Koch L’07/LLM’11 Jason Levine ’10 Margaret Luchansky ’83 Peter K. Menard ’06

GUEST LECTURERS Dennis R. Anti ’85 Laura Bradrick Jared Correia Enelsa Diaz ’05 Janell Forget Kyle Guelcher ’02 Jocelyn B. Jones Dr. Petra Kirz Tara Knight Daphne Moore ’94 William Newman Andrea O'Connor BA’14 Ronda Parish ’84 Christopher Todd ’00 Hector Zavala ’12

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Volunteer Honor Roll 2013-2014 TRANSACTIONAL LAW MEET Justin H. Dion ’00 Antonio DosSanto John Drost BA’88/L’91 Dennis G. Egan Jr. ’04 Scott Foster Ellen Freyman ’88 Craig Kaylor Kevin Kelley ’04 Jennifer LaRese ’05 Timothy Murphy ’90 David Parke Kathleen Porter ’90 Christopher Rixon ’88 Jennifer Rymarski ’04 Robert Sawyer FIRST AMENDMENT TEAM Bernardo Cuadra Eugene Gormakh L’12/G’12 Thomas Marino ’05 Andrew O’Shea ’13 Matthew Paradisi ’11 Kathleen Tetreault ’13 ALUMNI BOARD Jesse Adams ’06 Travaun Bailey ’01 Lisa Ball ’99 John Bandeian ’09 Michael A. Borg ’88 Linda Fakhoury ’04 Hon. Anne Geoffrion ’79 Edward Joy ’05 Kelly Koch L’07/LLM’11 Jon Longobardi ’10 Jonathan Mack ’07 James Martin ’06 Michael McGill BSCJ’02/’05 David McGuire ’06 Randy Milou BSBA’03/L’06 Spencer Naake ’10 Nick Plante ’05 Glen Ringbloom BSCJ’00/L’05 Zach Ryan ’09 Marcy Spratt G’09/L’10 Phil Stackhouse ’99 Christopher S. Todd ’00 Robert Ward ’82

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CONTINUED

EVENT HOSTS Kendra Berardi ’08 Michael A. Borg ’88 Evan Brunetti ’90 Alfred Campos ’98 Hon. Evelyn M. Daly ’82 Hyman G. Darling ’77 Rishi K. Desai ’90 Michelle J. Feinstein ’84 Scott Lessne ’83 Leonard McCue ’82 Kathleen Porter ’90 Stephanie Schlatter ’07 Ellen Teller ’83 Gary Thomas ’76

Timothy F. Murphy ’90 Richard T. O’Connor G’84/L’96 Thomas D. O’Connor ’00 Stephen J. Phillips ’00 Christine M. Pikula ’11 Edward M. Pikula ’83 Katherine A. Robertson ’90 Michael R. Siddall ’90 Gillian B. Szlachetka ’90 Peggy A. Torello ’02 Dennis E. Tully ’76 Dorothy Varon ’95

DIAL-A-LAWYER Jeffrey A. Burstein ’88 Barbara S. Carra ’98 Corey M. Carvalho ’09 Colleen C. Currie ’79 Hyman G. Darling ’77 Mary K. Eaton ’04 Michele J. Feinstein ’84 Theresa Margaret Finnegan ’93 Lisa L. Halbert ’86 Kelly A. Koch L’07/LLM’11 Melissa K. Long ’11 Stephen R. Manning ’75 Isaac J. Mass ’11 Carolyn L. McCaffrey ’00 Amy J. Megliola BA’92/L’02 Susan A. Mielnikowski ’96

CLASS AGENTS John Bandeian ’09 Kendra Berardi ’08 Michael Blanchard ’97 Michael A. Borg ’88 Maureen Burns ’83 Kelley Cooper Miller ’05 Jenny Desch ’01 Linda Fakhoury ’04 Ina Forman ’84 Hon. Anne Geoffrion ’79 Amber Gould ’13 Deb Grover ’79 Michelle Hummer ’08 Judith Jones ’86 Kelly Koch L’07/LLM’11 Lew Kurland ’79

ALUMNI PROGRAMMING Michael Agen BSBA’74/L’78

Maren Law ’11 Holly Lemieux ’93 Julia Lentini Marquis ’06 Marty Martin ’77 Julie McKenna ’11 Rebecca Mitchell ’99 Hon. Tina Page ’82 Kathleen Porter ’90 Walter Powell ’73 Karen Romano ’03 Stephanie Schlatter ’07 Peter Sokaris ’70 Bill Stevens ’81 Katie Stone Harrington ’93 Ellen Teller ’83 Gary Thomas ’76 Jim Winston BA’90/L’00 Jennifer Zalnasky ’01 Staci Zaretsky ’10 CENTER FOR INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP SPEAKERS Jeff Birnn BSBA’72 Bill Bither Denis Gagnon G’76 Larry Hott ’76 Ron Lalli, BSME’61/G'67 Michael G. Semanie Jr.

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FINANCIAL LITERACY SERIES Sharon Czarnecki Ben Garvey Megan Lynch Paul Mancinone ’92 Dr. James McKeon John O’Brien BSBA’74 Leslie Ross Lawrence G’84 Dr. Harlan Spotts Karen Utgoff Dr. Lynn Walter SMALL BUSINESS CLINIC Martin Caine BSBA’86 Timothy Goetz L’10/LLM’12 Kimberly Kirkland ’11 Julie McKenna ’11 William Trudeau SPEAKERS Bonnie Allen ’93 Gina Barry ’99 Bernardo Cuarda ’10 Bruce Eisenhut Albert F. Gordon ’74 Hisham Leil Sarala Nagakla Hema Sarang-Seiminski Wayne Thomas Hector Zavala ’12

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ADMISSIONS Maren L. Law ’11 Joshua Papapietro ’09 Glenn M. Ronney HUD GRANT Jamie Williamson EXTERNSHIP SUPERVISORS Hon. Henry Boroff Hon. William Boyle BSBA’78/L’83 Evan Brunetti ’09 Hon. Vanessa L. Bryant Hon. Judd J. Carhart Hon. Philip A. Contant Hon. Alfred Covello Hon. Evelyn M. Daly ’82 Hon. Carol A. Erskine Hon. Linda S. Fidnick Hon. Robert Fields Hon. Anne Geoffrion ’79 Hon. Barbara Hyland ’83 Hon. C. Jeffrey Kinder Hon. Kenneth P. Neiman Jared Olinski BA’08/L’11 Thomas Ring Hon. Mary Lou Rup ’78 Hon. Francis X. Spina Hon. Dominic J. Squatrito Hon. Daniel Swords ’76 Mark Adams ’92 Meris Bergquist Kathleen T. Breck ’86 Susan Brown ’90

Jeremy Bucci Aimee Cameron-Browne ’90 Susan Cococcia Terri Craig Melinda Decker Wendy DeForge ’06 Tom DeMatteo Lisa DeSousa ’85 Charles J. Dimare Patricia Donovan Sen. Paul R. Doyle BSLE’05 David Fox James Friedman Michael Gillingham ’12 Nathaniel K. Green ’85 Yaw Gyebi Jr. Bart Hollander Cynthia Isales Kimberly Jacobson ’94 Peter Irvine Thomas Kehoe David Kent Patricia King ’79 Susan E. Kinsman Andrew Klyman Jonathan B. Kreisberg Lori Landers-Carvalho ’90 John T. Liebel Lisa Lippiello ’06 Lawrence W. Madden ’89 Andrew Markowski ’05 Carolyn L. McCaffrey ’00 Dennis A. McCormack David J. McGuire ’06 Kimberly Miale

Randy Milou BSBA’03/L’06 Marshall T. Moriarty ’81 Caitlin Morris-Castillo Mark Murphy Lisa Perkins Anthony Rice BSLE’81/L’85 Steve Rich Dean Riggi Jane A. Rothchild Alan Rubin Michael Rye Robert Sawyer Polina Shapiro Haejin A. Shim Paul Smyth Alexander Sohn ’10 Patrick Sparks Kerry Strayer Rosemary Tarantino James Turcotte ’84 Marc C. Vincelette Omar Williams Jamie Williamson COMMENCEMENT Hon. Andrew McDonald ORIENTATION SPEAKER Hon. Charles Groce III ’97 CONVOCATION Hon. Michael Posner

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CampusUPDATE Professor Anthony English Leads On-campus Research and Development into Innovative Cancer Treatment This spring the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center awarded a $500,000 grant to fund equipment related to the development of test and filtration platforms for cancer drug research. Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Anthony English spearheaded the pursuit of this grant. The grant dollars will be used to purchase advanced microscopy, microfabrication, and cell testing equipment for labs in the recently renovated Sleith Hall.

Contract research organizations FloDesign Sonics and Cellular Engineering Technologies will provide a conduit for initial product marketing and research.

Students will play a key role in the research.

“Our students will understand the need for a multidisciplinary approach to developing cost effective, preventative, and curative medical therapies,” explained Dr. English. “They will have to consider the needs of industry and ultimately the individual patient.”

Commented President Anthony S. Caprio: “Western New England University has always focused student learning around the challenges and responsibilities that await them in improving people’s lives. Today, we are committed more than ever to our important role in preparing students for the life sciences.”

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Campus Update Judy Curran

University Board of Trustees Welcomes New Members Western New England University is honored to welcome six new members to its Board of Trustees. The University also expresses its thanks to Robert Carnevale ’68, Robert Dobek, William Dupuis ’79, Frank Fitzgerald, Esq. ’68/L’73, and Michael Konarski ’13 for their service to the Board. Robert Carnevale and Frank Fitzgerald were named Trustee Emeritus. Incoming trustees include the following appointees:

RHEO BROUILLARD ’76 CEO/President, The Savings Institute Bank & Trust

KRISTIN MURPHY, ESQ. ’93 Intellectual Property Attorney, Brooks & Kushman

College of Arts and Sciences Earns High Marks for Accreditation

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COURTNEY CHAFER ’14 (One-year Alumni Trustee), Staff Accountant, Balise Dealer Services

ALLISON WERDER President of MassLive.com

STANLEY KOWALSKI III ’92 Chairman, FloDesign Companies

*

MAURA MCCAFFREY President and CEO, Health New England

Visit www.wne.edu/news for more about these appointments.

Dr. Saeed Ghahramani, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Mathematics is pleased to announce that the Doctoral Program in Behavior Analysis at Western New England University has been approved for accreditation from the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) and that reaccreditation has been granted to the Western New England University Bachelor of Social Work program by the Council on Social Work Education.

“We take pride in these achievements. We are deeply grateful to our visionary President, Dr. Anthony S. Caprio, for his guidance and unwavering support and to the faculty, staff, students, and university administration for all the hard work that they put in during the accreditation process,” said Dean Ghahramani.

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Mama Tunza's Orphanage, where this photo was taken, has more than 200 orphans ranging newborns to 18."Mama Tunza does not receive a dime from the Kenyan government and relies entirely on the generosity of strangers to feed, clothe, and educate every orphan. She also provides love and kindness to the orphans," says Michael.

By Deb Whittemore

One Choice at a Time 30 â—†

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Alumni Profile Michael Hatchell ’02

Michael Hatchell ’02 (pictured second from left) will never forget spending a year in Bolivia as a high school exchange student and being invited to dinner by an indigenous Imara family in a very small, poor village. When the family used one of its only possessions—an old rooster— to make a special soup to serve him, Michael experienced what he calls, “my watershed moment.” He recalls,“I asked myself, ‘How can I not share everything I have?’ I knew then I had to do my part to make a difference in this world.”

Michael was raised in socially conscious San Francisco (“It was the post-hippie era”), where his grandmother used to tell him, “Be careful what you buy—it affects everyone.” While as a young boy, his mind didn’t fully comprehend the profundity of the statement, his heart did.

He learned early on to appreciate people from all walks of life and treat others with kindness and respect.

He grew up and lived abroad in Madrid.

Returning to the states, he taught a year of college Spanish at Central Connecticut State University before enrolling in law school at Western New England where he learned how to use his law degree to effect change. When he graduated in 2002, he went on to get an LLM from George Washington University and worked for Sen. Joseph Lieberman for a time, and then as a speechwriter for Sen. John Kerry during his 2004 presidential run.

Kerry’s loss left him out of a job, but didn’t quell his passion for the plight of those who mainstream society often overlooks: struggling working families, battered women, those dealing with alcohol and drug addiction or facing mental illness, and those inhabitants from nations around the world who make the most of the little they own.

“We have more wealth here in the United States than the vast majority of humanity,” he says. “We aren’t all born with the same opportunities in life.”

While serving in his current position as an International Examiner for the IRS in Connecticut, Michael has volunteered for the Connecticut Working Families Party. He’s also provided free legal advice for women in shelters who are dealing with landlord/tenant issues, filing for restraining orders, and facing other legal issues that sometimes arise for women wanting to rejoin the workforce after an assault, rape or from a significant absence from the workforce due to childrearing, deportation, or even imprisonment.

“They have an inexhaustible amount of hope that they’ll get back on their feet. I have an extraordinary amount of empathy for them,” he says.

“And they inspire me.”

This passion for the disenfranchised, to help do his small part to initiate change, led Michael to partner with Global Citizens Network (GCN) and travel to Odienya, Kenya to help build a medical clinic last year. The NGO works with indigenous populations around the world, allowing local people to identify projects that would most benefit their community, then providing the finances and volunteer labor for the project.

“It was the trip of a lifetime,” he says of the time spent building a clinic that will provide a link to electricity for the first time for this village just 25 kilometers from where President Obama’s paternal grandmother still lives. He spent 10 days loading and transporting adobe bricks, mixing cement and digging the ditches for the clinic’s foundation. He brought his 17year-old daughter along for what turned out to be an eye-opening experience.

“There were no electronics. We played cards, talked, and played with the village kids,” he

“It’s not like I’m some sort of crazy maverick, but I’ve realized that what I do affects other people, even in other parts of the world. Our choices make an impact, whether it’s doing or not doing something.”

recalls. “I think she started to become aware that we really have an abundance of material possessions here. We don’t need nine pairs of shoes— the newest of everything.”

He explains that diamonds in engagement rings may be from Sierra Leone, where child soldiers are fighting and dying in a brutal conflict to protect control of the diamond fields.

Or the T-shirt you are wearing may have been made in Sri Lanka where working conditions are abysmal. “I want no part in that and would prefer to pay more,” he says.

“Our behaviors and choices have an impact,” he says. “We can be more culturally aware of how we affect people. We can choose to not shop at stores where we know they sell things that are not fair trade, that are not made under humane working conditions. We all shop at the mall sometimes, but you can buy pretty much everything you need at garage sales, Craigslist, and from second-hand stores.

“Gandhi said ‘Be the change that you wish to see in the world.’ That’s the question I ask,” Michael says: “If we don’t make the change, then who will?” ◆ If you wish to learn more about the organizations that Michael has collaborated with, please visit: Mama Tunza's Orphanage: www.mamatunzachildrenhome.org Global Citizen's Network: www.globalcitizens.org

Michael Hatchell says you don’t have to travel halfway around the world to have an epiphany.

“Social justice doesn’t have to be international. It can be the way you treat your family or your neighbors. Buy coffee for someone behind you in line at Dunkin’ Donuts. Look homeless people in the face—really look at them and care about how they’re doing,” he says.

“We can volunteer. There’s likely somewhere within a mile radius of where most people live that could use a smiling face, a positive attitude and a helping hand. We can get involved in local politics. We can vote in federal elections. We can be educated about our choices. We can practice random acts of kindness.”

Michael Hatchell ’02

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Reception Roundup and Alumni Events

Alumni News

Alumni reunited and made new connections at alumni gatherings near and far.

Keep informed of upcoming events on campus or in your area, and about the Law Alumni Association by bookmarking www.law.wne.edu/alumni.

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(Photo left) In St. Petersburg, FL, cohost Len McCue ’82 and Dean Eric Gouvin; (Photo middle) Julian Sloan and Mark Nowak ’81/L’84 in Boynton Beach, FL; (Photo right) In Hartford, Bella Glazer, Marshall Glazer ’82, and Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law Art Gaudio.

ST. PETERSBURG February 11, 2014

ATLANTA February 14, 2014

SPRINGFIELD April 3, 2014

REUNION June 7, 2014

A University President’s Alumni Reception was held at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club in St. Petersburg, FL. The event was cohosted by Barbara and Len McCue ’82.

A Law Alumni Atlanta Reception at was held at Fado’s Irish Pub in Atlanta.

Fifty-six guests attended the Law Alumni Springfield Reception at the La Quinta Hotel in Springfield. Prof. Bruce Miller served as the speaker.

Reunion 2014 celebrating the years ending in 4 and 9 was held at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield with an informal gathering held the previous night at Champions Sports Bar in Springfield.

BOYNTON BEACH February 13, 2014 Benvenuto in Boynton Beach, FL. was the setting for a University President’s Alumni Reception.

The host was Phil Suomu G’83.

HARTFORD March 6, 2014 A University Presidential Alumni Reception was hosted by Trustee Neville Bogle BSBA’75/G’81 at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, Autorino Great Hall, in Hartford, CT.

BOSTON May 21, 2014 The hosts for the Law Alumni Boston at Robinson & Cole in Boston were Kathy Porter ’90 and Kendra Berardi ’08. Twentyone alumni gathered.

Law Alumni Board Hosts a Day at the Races

Rob Hassinger ’12, his wife, Betty, and two daughters at the Saratoga Race Track

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Law alumni, family, and friends gathered with Dean Eric Gouvin at the Saratoga Race Track in Saratoga, NY, on August 15 for a buffet lunch—and then it was off to the races. The get-together took place in the Paddock Tent behind the clubhouse, adjacent to the track’s picturesque saddling area, and was hosted by the Law Alumni Board.

Ma U.S U.S sem Dis Me Coh

the Th on tio

First Tuesdays MARCH 4, 2014 The First Tuesdays alumni gathering at the Windham Midtown Atrium in New York City was hosted by Katie Tonkovich ’11, Rachel Barmack ’11 and Adam Zahn ’13.

APRIL 22, 2014 This gathering was actually held on a fourth Tuesday and was hosted by Rishi Desai ’09, Pete Santos ’11, John Hargrave ’77, and Tom Dunn ’80 at Tre Piani Restaurant in Princeton, NJ. The format of this event was changed to an informal sit-down dinner.

Red Sox Outing JULY 6, 2014 Law Alumni took a trip to the ballpark for the Red Sox vs.

Baltimore Orioles game in the new Coca Cola Pavilion Box.

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Photo: Ed Cohen

Broaden your Horizons

Mark Mastroianni ’89, (center) nominated by President Barack Obama as a U.S. District Court Judge in Springfield, was subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Senate, replacing U.S District Court Judge Michael Ponsor, who took semi-retired status. Mark, who was previously the Hampden County (MA) District Attorney, is pictured at his swearing-in ceremony at the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History with Professor of Law Beth Cohen and Dean Eric Gouvin.

Anthony Gulluni ’03/L’07, who also earned his undergraduate degree in Government from Western New England University in 2003, won the Hampden County District Attorney’s primary race on September 9 by a landslide. At 33, he is the youngest DA in the county’s history, and this was just the fourth open Hampden County DA seat in about 60 years. Gulluni was Assistant District Attorney under both William Bennett and Mark Mastroianni ’89. Prior to joining the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, he was an assistant city solicitor for the City of Springfield and a youth program counselor and coordinator for The Salvation Army. He continues to support The Salvation Army by serving on the board of directors. Additionally, Gulluni supports Kiwanis International, a nonprofit, coeducational service club.

Jane F. Collen ’85, a founding member of Collen IP Intellectual Property P.C. in Ossining, NY (left) was at an International Trademark Association meeting in Hong Kong when she met fellow graduate Lisa Bongiovi ’94, who is vice president, IP counsel of United Technologies in Farmington, CT. “It was a wonderful coincidence to meet someone who shared some of my law professors and my great experience at the Law School—and who also practiced intellectual property law—so far from home,” she wrote.

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Attorney Karen Temple LLM’14 studies estate planning and elder law from her home on Maui.

Live, Online LLM Program in Estate Planning and Elder Law 24 credit hours Can be completed in 2 years part-time

Accepting applications for January 2015 For more information visit: www.law.wne.edu/llm.

Professor Frederick D. Royal Program Director 413-782-1422 or 413-782-1426 froyal@law.wne.edu

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

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ALUMNI Notes FALL 2014

Dem

Marty Martin ’77 receives award from the IRS Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division in Washington DC.

1975 40 Years CLASS REUNION YEAR

WANTED:

Reunion Volunteers

1976 Class Agent Gary Thomas gary@wealthtechnology.com James C. Orenstein was named Interim Hampden County (MA) District Attorney by Gov. Deval Patrick last June, succeeding Mark Mastroianni L’89, who was named U.S. District Court Judge in Springfield.

Orenstein, who is not running for district attorney, is serving a sevenmonth term, ending when a new DA takes office in January.

1977 Class Agent Marty Martin marty_martin@martinlegalhelp.com Marty Martin was presented with the Commissioner’s Award from the IRS Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division at a public meeting in Washington, DC. He served for three years as a member of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities and its Exempt Organization subcommittee. Marty is principal for the Martin Law Firm in Raleigh, NC.

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1978

1982

Hon. Mitch Dembin is a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of California. Before his 2011 appointment, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in San Diego and served as the cybercrime coordinator for the office. Last December Mitch released his first CD of original music: Fat Man on Thin Ice (fatmanonthinice.com), which is available for download on iTunes.

Class Agent Tina S. Page tina.page@comcast.net

1980 35 Years CLASS REUNION YEAR

WANTED:

Reunion Volunteers

1981 Class Agent Bill Stevens wmstevens@snet.net Jane H. Schussler, a family law attorney, received York County’s (PA) 2014 ATHENA Award last March. The Award is presented annually to a woman in the community who exhibits the qualities of outstanding leadership, professional excellence, outstanding community service, and is influential in assisting other women in attaining those qualities.

Michael J. Lyon was appointed Vice President-Tax at Kaman Corporation in Bloomfield, CT. A CPA, he was previously Vice President-Corporate Tax at Gerber Scientific.

Michael B. Powers was re-elected a Trustee of the Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York last March. Michael is a partner in Phillips Lytle LLP and the town justice of Clarence, NY.

1983 Class Agents: Maureen Burns meb@pellegrinolawfirm.com Ellen Teller eteller@frac.org Hon. David S. Forrest is a Judge of the Circuit Courts of New Hampshire.

He was nominated by Governor Maggie Hassan in December, 2013, and confirmed by the Executive Council last January. He was previously judicial referee, Eighth Circuit Court, Family Division.

Robert Hurwitz has for the 10th consecutive year been named a Massachusetts and New England Super Lawyer in the field of construction law. Bob, a partner of Wayne, Richard & Hurwitz LLP in Boston, has been recognized every year since 2004.

Mary McNally was appointed Executive Director of the Springfield (MA) Parking Authority. She most recently served as Director of Operations and Chief Financial Officer in the office of Hampden County District Attorney Mark Mastroianni ’89. Mary, who had a private law practice in Springfield for 27 years, is a former Chair of the SPA board and a former member of the city’s police commission.

1984 Class Agent Ina Forman aliforman@aol.com Andrew Rome is now General Counsel at the State (MA) Department of Children and Families. He was formerly deputy general counsel.

Paul Speziale was recently admitted to the bar of the United States District Court, Northern District of New York.

He was also elected President of the Northern Jersey Musicians’ Guild, Local 16-248, American Federation of Musicians. Paul is sad to report his wife of 23 years, Joyce Speziale, passed away on April 22, 2013.

Richard K. Sullivan Jr. recently became Chief of Staff for Gov. Deval Patrick. He will in this position until the governor’s term ends on January 7, 2015. Richard was the Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

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Western New England University School of Law

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1985 30 Years CLASS REUNION YEAR

WANTED:

Reunion Volunteers Elizabeth J. Barton was named Vice President and underwriting counsel for WFG National Trust Insurance Company’s Northern New England group. She is based in the company’s Lynnfield, MA office.

Joseph Calve joined McGuire Woods LLP’s New York City office as the Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer. He was previously Chief Marketing Officer at the New York-based firm Morrison & Foerster.

Joseph J. Patchen was re-appointed a Connecticut magistrate for another term through 2017. The cases he presides over are small claims, housing, and motor vehicle infractions.

1986 Class Agent Judith Jones jonesjh@aetna.com Christopher A. Lacombe is an attorney in the Office of the Attorney General, State of Utah.

1987 Charles R. Casartello Jr. and his wife Carol received the 2014 Jewish Geriatric Services of Longmeadow (MA) Chairman’s

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Curbelo ’91

Service Award. Charlie, a Two-year Law Alumni Trustee, is a partner of Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan and Blakesley, P.C. of Springfield, focusing on personal injury, workers’ compensation, and Social Security law.

1988 Class Agent Michael Borg mborg@SRBLLP.com Leo V. Diana, the Mayor of Manchester, CT, was confirmed as a judge of the Connecticut Superior Court. Leo, who was elected mayor in 2011 and re-elected in 2013, stepped down from the town’s board of directors to take the bench.

Deborah L. Purrington was elected president of the Estate Planning Council of Hampden County (MA) Inc. for 20142015. She currently serves as counsel at Bulkley, Richardson & Gelinas, LLP in Springfield, where she runs the firm’s trustee support services as a member of its Trusts and Estates Department.

1989 Mark Mastroianni was nominated by President Barack Obama as a U.S. District Court Judge in Springfield and was subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He replaced U.S. District Court Judge Michael Ponsor, who took semiretired status. Mark was previously the Hampden County (MA) District Attorney.

David Preleski was appointed as Chair of the Bristol (CT) Charter Commission, which is charged with recommending revisions to the city government’s

Marrello ’92

blueprint. He is a principal in the law firm of Vitrano, Preleski & Wynne, LLC.

1990 25 Years CLASS REUNION YEAR

WANTED:

Reunion Volunteers Class Agent Kathleen Porter kporter@rc.com

1991 Pam Curbelo was named a Women of Innovation finalist in the Small Business Innovation and Leadership category for 2014 by the Connecticut Technology Council. She is partner and cochair of Cantor Colburn’s Chemical, Material, and Life Sciences Department.

Kevin S. Russo was confirmed as a judge of the Connecticut Superior Court. He was previously a supervisory assistant state’s attorney.

1992 Stuart J. LaRose was selected by the New York State Bar Association to be a new executive committee member. He is a solo practitioner concentrating in family law and criminal law in Syracuse, NY. Lisa Marrello was promoted to deputy regional managing partner of the Albany office of Wilson Elser. She has been with

Moriarty ’93

the firm for 15 years and has been instrumental in growing its government affairs practice.

1993 Class Agents: Katie Stone-Harrington bharrington5207@comcast.net Holly Lemieux hlemieux@lynchlynch.com Tracy A. Brune opened her law firm Brune Law Office in Baldwinsville, NY. Tracy, who has 20 years of experience in New York State workers’ compensation law, was previously a senior partner in the law firm of Wolff, Goodrich & Goldman.

Michael Moriarty was honored as a 2014 BusinessWest magazine “Difference Maker.” Michael, president of Olde Holyoke Development Corp., has taken the lead in Holyoke’s Third Grade Literacy Initiative, “helping to put in place an infrastructure and a battle plan to dramatically increase the number of young people able to read by the fourth grade,” according to the publication.

1994 Laura Freedell Lough and her husband Michael, along with their new son’s big brother Michael Jr., welcomed Aaron Christopher into their family on February 10, 2014. Laura is the director of publications for the American Payroll Association.

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ALUMNI Notes FALL 2014

1995 20 Years

1999

2003

Class Agent Rebecca Mitchell proakisbeck28@yahoo.com

Class Agent Karen Romano karen161@msn.com

Cecilia Sardina Guzman has been appointed by the Mayor of Paterson, NY, Joey Torres, to be a Municipal Court Judge. The resolution was approved by the City Council in August.

Rebecca L. Bouchard was named a shareholder of Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, P.C. in Springfield. Her areas of practice include education and employment law and general civil litigation.

2000

Karen M. Romano is a Collective Bargaining Agent for the City of Springfield’s Human Resources and Labor Relations Department.

CLASS REUNION YEAR

WANTED:

Reunion Volunteers Karin Sloan DeLaney opened Sloan DeLaney P.C. in Baldwinville, NY. The boutique law firm provides advice and assistance with trusts and estates, elder law, special needs planning, and tax law. She was formerly a partner at Hancock Estabrook, LLP.

1997 Class Agent Michael Blanchard michael.blanchard@bingham.com Sheila C. Casey was appointed specialty courts administrator for the Massachusetts Trial Court. Sheila leads the development and implementation of educational programs and training for personnel involved in the state’s specialty courts. She was previously the executive director of Neighborhood Legal Services for Lawrence and Lynn, MA. Jonathan D. Edmiston was appointed Divisional Vice President of Loss Prevention for the Kmart Division of Sears Holdings Management Corporation. Jonathan’s previous senior leadership positions include ALCO, The Home Depot, Toys R Us, and Target.

Julian T. Tynes is Director of Labor Relations and Employment Law for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Transportation. He was previously chairman of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

1998 Michael J. Richard, the Principal of West Springfield (MA) High School, was named interim superintendent of schools for West Springfield MA.

15 Years CLASS REUNION YEAR

WANTED:

Reunion Volunteers Class Agent Jim Winston james@jameswinstonlaw.com Kelly A. Burgess was hired as a Grievance Officer at UMass Amherst’s Equal Opportunity and Diversity Office. She has a background in housing and discrimination law.

Justin Dion received 2014 “40 Under 40” honors by BusinessWest magazine. He is an attorney at Bacon Wilson, P.C., in Springfield, and Chair of Bay Path University’s Legal Studies Department.

Stephen Phillips received the Access to Justice Award from the Massachusetts Bar Association in recognition of the free legal assistance he has provided to 130 hospice patients through Baystate Visiting Nurse & Hospice for 13 years. He is an attorney at Dunn & Phillips, P.C. in Springfield.

2001 Class Agent Jenny Desch Jenny.desch@yorkcountygov.com Angela Green is an attorney-mediator, collaborative counsel, at Connecticut Mediation Center.

Become a Class Agent If you are interested in serving as a Class Agent, please contact Kathy Pappas G’98 at katherine.pappas@wne.edu or visit the School of Law Alumni Class Agent webpage in the “Get Involved” section.

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Peter Wagner was awarded the American Constitution Society’s 2014 David Carliner Public Interest Award, which “recognizes outstanding public interest lawyers whose work best exemplifies its namesake’s legacy of fearless, uncompromising and creative advocacy on behalf of marginalized people.”

2004 Class Agent Linda Fakhoury ldfakhoury@gmail.com Essie Hayes founded “Raw Luv Bar” in New York City. “I am following my dream,” he writes, “making raw-vegan snack bars chock-full of superfoods and nutrition.”

Justin Hurst was selected for 2014 “40 Under 40” honors by BusinessWest magazine. Recently elected to the Springfield City Council, he is a lawyer and a former Springfield Public School teacher who now owns Hurst and Crane Investments, LLC. Joseph McManus reports that a daughter, Jane Veronica McManus, was born on January 24, 2014. He is a Partner of McManus Law Offices, LLC in Grafton, MA. Anita Weeks is an Associate Appeals Referee for the State of Connecticut Department of Labor, Appeals Division, in Waterbury, CT.

2005 10 Years CLASS REUNION YEAR

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WANTED:

Reunion Volunteers Class Agent Kelly Cooper Miller kelleycoopermiller@mac.com Pamela R. Green was named a Partner in Parese, Sabin, Smith & Gold, LLP, in Pittsfield MA. She joined the firm in 2011 and concentrates in estate planning, estate administration, elder law, guardianship, and real estate.

Di Stephanie Z. Tao is In-house Counsel at Amaya Gaming, an international gaming provider in Dublin, Ireland. She was previously Corporate Solicitor at William Fry in Dublin.

2006 Class Agent Julia Lentini Marquis juliaklentini@gmail.com Julia K. Lentini Marquis was appointed to a six-year term as State of Connecticut’s first Chief Procurement Officer. She was formerly Staff Attorney for the Connecticut Department of Social Services, Office of Legal Counsel, Regulations, and Administrative Hearings.

Adam T. Mandell was appointed to fiveyear term to the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division (Third Department) Committee on Character and Fitness, which investigates and recommends action regarding applicants for admission to the New York State Bar. He is an Associate Attorney with Maynard, O’Connor, Smith & Catalinotto, LLP in Albany, NY.

An impromptu meeting of the NYC Chapter of the Alumni Association was held at MetLife Stadium during the recent Monday Night Football game between the NY Jets and the Chicago Bears. Mike Borg L’88 and Karin Page L’04 attended, robed in the regalia for their respective teams.

An exchange of team headgear took place whereby the meeting was concluded with one alum departing happy and the other…not so much!

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DeLaney ’95

Richard ’98

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Mary Tzambazakis ’84/L’01 Chief Administrative Officer Hartford Public Library Hartford, CT

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As a Chief Administrative Officer, what types of tasks are you responsible for?

“I am responsible for developing and executing strategic initiatives of the Hartford Public Library for the areas that report to me, including Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Facilities, and Security.”

Tao ’05

Wagner ’03

2007

Justin P. Gorman was appointed counsel at Aetna Corporate Procurement in Atlanta.

Class Agents: Kelly Koch kellykoch32@gmail.com Stephanie Schlatter sschlatter@hotmail.com

Ryan K. Morse was hired as a grievance officer at UMass Amherst’s Equal Opportunity and Diversity Office. He was recently a Title IX investigator at the University of Connecticut.

Daniel Patrick Morrissey joined the law firm of Bacon Wilson, P.C. in Springfield. He will continue practicing in the areas of civil litigation, personal injury, workers compensation, and immigration law.

2009

Margaret R. Solis was appointed Law Clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Mark Mastroianni L’89. She had earlier served as the Law Clerk for former U.S District Court Judge Michael Ponsor.

Marcy E. Spratt joined Wilson Elser in Albany, NY, as an associate attorney.

2008

Class Agent John Bandeian jbandeian@gmail.com

Kevin Tuttle is counsel at Tangoe, Inc. in Orange, CT. He was previously associate counsel at Higher One in New Haven, CT. Taylor E. Bouchard married Matthew Wallin on July 26, 2014 in Santa Barbara, CA.

Class Agents: Kendra Berardi Kendra.berardi@gmail.com Michelle Hummer mhummer@ofalaw.com

Why do you feel it is important to serve and support public libraries, such as the Hartford Public Library?

“Our public libraries serve as the great equalizer in our society, one of the last truly democratic institutions in our country.

They provide the public with free access to reading materials, music, art, and offer a variety of programs where one can explore, learn, and grow as an individual. Libraries provide the resources needed to bridge the digital divide and, if leveraged properly by our communities, they effectively partner with our school systems as an integral part of the learning continuum for our children. Libraries provide pre-K learning, after school, and summer programs to create yearlong learning opportunities and experiences. Our libraries are a place where all belong and all are welcome.”

What do you feel the value of a law degree is today? How did Western New England add value to your career?

“The value of my law degree is immeasurable, something I will have the rest of my life. I liken law school to Marine boot camp, once completed you’re a different person.

“My thought process changed while obtaining my law degree and I approach things more analytically. My coursework in law school was predominately business. I focused on this coursework, thinking about future career opportunities either in the practice of law or to position me for a senior leadership role in an organization. I use my legal education daily, whether I am negotiating a union contract or drafting legal documents as part of my job.

“Western New England University ignited my passion for lifelong learning through the undergraduate program, and helped me create a richer portfolio of knowledge through my law school education. I appreciate having had the opportunity to attend Western New England University School of Law.”

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ALUMNI Notes FALL 2014

Aisling Steller ’10

Elton “Bud” Harvey ’86 Attorney Baillie & Hershman, P.C. West Hartford, CT

2010 5 Years CLASS REUNION YEAR

WANTED:

Reunion Volunteers

Where are they now?

Why you were inspired to pursue a career in law?

“I owned my own title searching business from 1975-1980, and then went into the title insurance industry. I was working with lawyers on a daily basis and enjoyed real estate law, so I started law school. The practice I work at now has an emphasis on residential and commercial real estate transactions, franchise work and real estate related litigation.”

You have pursued numerous passions outside of law, particularly playing rugby and coaching disabled players. How did you get involved in the sport?

“About 22 years ago, I stumbled into the sport of rugby and was immediately hooked. I play for a team called the Connecticut Grey Rugby Football Club. Our team has a connection to the Connecticut Jammers Wheelchair Rugby Team, sponsored by Gaylord Hospital. Ten years later, I was approached by the head of the Sports Association at Gaylord to coach their wheelchair rugby team, and have done so ever since. Wheelchair Rugby is a sport played by quadriplegics, on a basketball court, in specialized chairs designed to hit and be hit just like on the rugby pitch. The athletes must be impaired in all four limbs but be able to push a manual wheelchair. The current players range in age from 22 to 55 and come from Connecticut, western Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. We practice in Farmington, CT and are always looking for new players. Interested players can contact us at Gaylord Hospital at 203 284-2772.”

You recently were recognized with a prestigious award from the Connecticut Bar Association. What did it mean to you?

“I have been involved with the Connecticut Bar Association as a member of various committees and the Real Property Section. I am the current Chair of the CBA Real Property Section. In 2013, the CBA awarded me their Citizen of the Law Award at their Annual Meeting for my work with the Jammers Wheelchair Rugby team. While a lovely honor, my involvement with the Jammers is probably much more beneficial to me than anything I do for them. They are the heroes, overcoming life’s adversities and annoyances on a daily basis and still pushing forward.”

How did Western New England help you shape your passions as a lawyer?

“I got custody of my three children during my 1L year. The dean and staff worked with me to make it possible for me to continue and graduate. That commitment to me as a person made me appreciate the family atmosphere of the School and permitted me to fulfill my dream. Hopefully, I have given some of that back in the last 28 years.”

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Bochman ’13

Fenton L’12/G’12

Crystal Barnes is an attorney at Lyon & Fitzpatrick, LLP, in Holyoke, MA, focusing her practice in civil litigation and landlord/tenant matters.

Rebecca A. Simser is an Attorney at the recently opened firm Carrothers & Clough PLLC in Ogdensburg, NY. Kyle Aisling Steller, a Staff Attorney at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s Elder Law Unit, is one of 42 recipients of the New York Law Journal’s 2014 Rising Star Award for her work on behalf of vulnerable and marginalized seniors. The organization provides free counsel in civil matters for low-income individuals and families.

2011 Class Agents: Julie McKenna Julie.mckejd2@gmail.com Maren Law maren.law@gmail.com Kc T. Garner is an Attorney at the Law Offices of W. Sean Mawhinney in Sandy, UT. Joseph T. Ristau was appointed Law Clerk at the Massachusetts Juvenile Court, Western MA Division.

Kathleen Tonkovich is an Immigration Attorney at Pollack, Pollack, Issac, & DeCicco in New York City.

2012

Michael A. Fenton was sworn in as President of the Springfield City Council in January 2014, making him the youngest person to hold this office in the history of the city. Michael practices at the Springfield law firm of Shatz, Schwartz, & Fentin, P.C., and was honored as one of the top 25 Up & Coming Attorneys in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by Lawyers Weekly.

William M. Newcomb is a Staff Attorney in the City of Holyoke (MA) Law Department.

Theo Theocles is Deputy Director of Procurement for the City of Springfield, MA.

2013 Class Agent Amber Gould amber.m.gould@gmail.com Joshua N. Bochman is an Associate at the firm of Stanger and Arnold, LLC, in West Hartford, CT.

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Kristen Brierley accepted an offer for a twoyear federal clerkship with Magistrate Judge Donna Martinez at the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.

Kayla Salerno is a Captive Consultant, Captive Advisory Group, at Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., in Norwalk, CT.

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Je E. Rhett Towles is Associate City Solicitor for the City of Springfield, MA.

2014 AnnaMaria Kiaresh has been hired as In-house Counsel for Farm Credit Financial Partners in Agawam, MA. She achieved her goal of graduating from law school despite being partially paralyzed in a bicycle accident at age 17 and going through multiple surgeries, as well as two hospitalizations during her last year at the School of Law.

Mario Brown II is an associate Attorney at Law Offices of David T. Schlendorf in Toms River, NJ.

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Heard Around the Common Attorney Hisham Leil of Community Legal Aid discussed the Violence Against Women Act and how it has shaped both domestic violence and immigration issues during a lecture for the Center for Gender & Sexuality Studies entitled “Discussion of Domestic Violence Issues for Non-citizens and Immigrants” on April 2, 2014.

“

Awareness of domestic violence started to come into the forefront in the 1980s.

It is the intersection of domestic violence with immigration law that highlighted the potential for immigration law to be used as a weapon by abusers to keep their victims under control from seeking the help of the courts and accessing benefits.

“The Violence Against Women Act (VOWA) was introduced in 1990. This, among other benefits, allowed immigrant victims of abuse to be no longer dependent on their abusers in order to obtain immigrant status. It also touches on housing rights, access to public benefits, and family law. It is a big deal that this was passed. Initially, it had been met with resistance because it remedied a civil rights issue.

”

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

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Attention Catherine Bean Street Scholars!

Lillian May Cohen ’39/H’01 Paul Frank ’85 Jeffrey Merrill Nolen ’79 Stanley North ’62 Patricia J. Orr ’79

Perspectives is looking for recipients of the Catherine Bean Street Scholarship for a special “Where are they now?” feature to share with our readers how their legal educations and receiving this scholarship has impacted their lives and careers.

If you would like to be considered for inclusion in this article or online, contact the Law Alumni Office at 413-782-1311 or email katherine.pappas@wne.edu.

Howard Reed ’84 Bert Scannapieco ’69 James V. Thompson ’77 James Eugene Weir ’94

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: katherine.pappas@wne.edu

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Perspectives HR_P 11/14/14 3:56 PM Page 40

LAW ALUMNI

Benefits & Services

As an alumnus/a of Western New England University School of Law, the following benefits and services are available to you: The Alumni Healthful Living Center (AHLC) Law alumni are welcome to use the facilities of the AHLC free of charge.

Popular amenities include the fitness center, pool, and track. For details, call 413-782-1518.

Alumni Association ID Card The Alumni Association ID allows alumni to use the resources on campus, including the Law Library and the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

For details, call 413-782-1311 or email katherine.pappas@wne.edu.

Alumni Finder and Alumni Website Use our website to receive news from the School, access library resources, or find other Western New England University School of Law alums through our “Alumni Finder” feature. Once you have created an account and logged in, you can use the Alumni Finder online tool to search for fellow alums by different criteria such as state, grad year, or area of practice. Visit www.law.wne.edu/alumni.

Continuing Legal Education Programs Our highly successful CLE programs in conjunction with the Massachusetts Bar Association have covered topics ranging from probating an estate to trying OUI cases. All alums get a discounted rate of $80. For details, visit www.law.wne.edu.

Career Services Alumni seeking career advice or offering employment can take advantage of the services of the Office of Career Services. The office assists with résumé writing, employment correspondence, interviewing preparation, career decision-making, and job search strategy. Through the online Intercollegiate Job Bank, alums have access to job listings from law schools across the country.

The office can also coordinate reciprocity of job postings with over 50 law schools. Contact Career Services at jobpost@law.wne.edu or 413-782-1416.

Networking and Referrals Networking opportunities for alumni include many area receptions, “First Tuesdays” and other events such as Reunion. These events allow you to network and reconnect with classmates and faculty. In addition, the alumni finder feature on the website is a great resource when looking for a colleague to refer a case to. Visit www.law.alumni.edu/alumni.

J.D. Course Auditing For a nominal

Alumni of the School of Law receive the full-color Perspectives magazine twice a year, the Law School Digest newsletter two times a year, and The Law School Minute, the Dean’s email, throughout the year.

fee, J.D. courses in the School of Law may be audited on a space-available basis with the permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs by an alumnus/a who has completed the J.D. degree at Western New England University School of Law. Call 413-782-1402 or visit www.law.wne.edu/alumni.

Transcript Requests Law transcripts are issued by the Student Records Office at the School of Law. For more information, call the Student Records Office at 413-782-1402 or fax your request to 413-796-2067.

Replacing a Diploma If your diploma is lost or damaged, you can replace it by calling Student Administrative Services at 800-325-1122 ext. 2080.

(A $50 service fee is required.)

The University Bookstore There’s no better way to proudly display your law school connection than with a shirt or memento from the University Bookstore. For more information, call 413-782-1284 or visit www.wne.bkstr.com.

Insurance Discounts As a graduate of Western New England University, you may qualify for a special group discount on your auto, home, and renter’s insurance. For details, call 413-782-1311 or visit www.law.wne.edu/alumni.

D’Amour Library

Western New England Law Review

The D’Amour Library serves as a valuable resource for alumni undertaking professional research or expanding their personal reading enjoyment. Alumni I.D. card required. Call 413-782-1535 or visit http://libraries.wne.edu.

Law Review is now electronic!

School of Law Library Free access to western Massachusetts’ only academic law library is an outstanding alumni resource. For hours or information, call 413-782-1457 or visit the School of Law website at www.law.wne.edu/library.

Law alums are allowed immediate access to the Law Library on weekdays until 7:00 p.m. For library use on the weekend or after 7:00 p.m. on weekdays, alums must have an Access Card to enter the building. To obtain an Access Card, free of charge, complete the Library Access Form (available online at www.law.wne.edu/alumni or at the Public Safety Office) and bring it to the Public Safety Office, along with an Alumni Association ID Card and a photo ID, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. Once obtained, the Access Card will provide access to the building on subsequent visits.

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Alumni Publications

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Volume 36, Issue 1 was published entirely online in spring 2014.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

WESTERN NEW ENGLAND LAW REVIEW 1215 Wilbraham Road Springfield MA 01119-2684

or call 413-782-1463

Learn more about alumni benefits and services.

www.law.wne.edu/alumni The Office of Law Alumni Relations serves as a resource to our members, committees, and regional chapters. Feel free to contact Carol Thompson at 413-782-1311 with questions about benefits, events, or volunteer opportunities.

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

Perspectives HR_P 11/14/14 3:56 PM Page 41

FALL 2014

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 MARY MCLEAN ORSZULAK G’10 Editor JUDY CURRAN ALEXANDRA L. LYMAN BA’12 MARY MCLEAN ORSZULAK G’10 BRENDAN PAYNE ’12 DIEDRE SWORDS BA’05 DEB WHITTEMORE BRIAN ZELASKO VARIOUS FACULTY/STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS Writers BARBARA MOFFAT DEBORAH PORTER SAVOIE Editing KATHERINE PAPPAS G’98 Alumni Notes Editor and Faculty Notes Editor

When Our Students Reach Out How Will You Answer the Call?

The Phonathon for the Annual Fund for Western New England University is underway.

Our student callers will be reaching out to our generous alumni and asking for your support with a gift to the fund. Your gifts will help our law students in many ways. When you give, you invest in scholarships, curriculum and faculty development, classroom and technology upgrades, and Law Library resources.

EVERY GIFT MAKES A DIFFERENCE When foundations look to support institutions, a major consideration is the percentage of alumni that give to the institution, not the size of the gifts they make. Your gift of any size can make a real difference.

When our students come calling, please consider what’s really on the line.

To make a gift today, contact Andrew Bernstein, Director of Annual Giving at (413) 782-1335 andrew.bernstein@wne.edu

DEBORAH CHAPPELL Creative Director LENARD DESIGN GROUP Design & Production MERIDIAN PRINTING Printing PAUL SCHNAITTACHER Principal Photography BRIAN ZELASKO Additional Photography

Perspectives HR_P 11/14/14 3:55 PM Page BC2

PA I D Springfield, MA Permit No. 896

Office of Law Alumni Relations 1215 Wilbraham Road Springfield, MA 01119-2684 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

CALENDAR of EVENTS

NOVEMBER 2014 7

Hampden County Bar Association 150th Gala, Log Cabin, Holyoke, MA

11

Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, “How to Handle an IRS Audit,” Paul Mancinone ’92, Blake Law Center, 3:00-5:00 p.m.

17

15th Annual Dinner for Students and Alumni of Color, Carriage House at Barney Estate Forest Park, Springfield

18

Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Common Legal Mistakes of Small Businesses, Dean Eric Gouvin, Prof. Robert Statchen, Michele Feinstein ’84, Scibelli Enterprise Center, STCC, 9:00 a.m.

MAY 2015 19-30

Alumni Panama Canal Cruise

22

University Alumni Bus Trip to New York City Bus departs from the Kevin S. Delbridge Welcome Center at 7:30 a.m. and leaves New York City at 8:00 p.m.

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10

17 Law Commencement Ceremony Alumni Healthful Living Center Western New England University

FEBRUARY 2015 26

JANUARY 2015

University Alumni and Families Great Wolf Lodge Water Park Getaway, Fitchburg, MA

University President’s Alumni Reception in Boston

Minority Law Day 9:00-3:00 p.m.

Blake Law Center

visit www.law.wne.edu

For more information, visit www.law.wne.edu/alumni or contact Kathy Pappas G’98 at katherine.pappas@wne.edu or 413-782-1478.

FALL 2014

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage