News
Stephen Wermiel, A72, socializing with students at the TLA reception.
Tufts Lawyers Association - From classroom to courtroom
March 29, 2004
It was not your typical college class.
Tufts students answered questions posed by Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow about the fine points of a nearly 200-year-old court case involving two hunters and a fox. Using the Socratic method, Bacow quizzed the undergraduates on the "simple question" of who took legal possession of a fox - a huntsman who first pursued the animal with his hounds, or the one who ultimately killed the "wild and noxious beast" and took it away.
Fast forwarding to the 21st century, the students broke into smaller groups to consider whether a drunk gardener riding a lawnmower violated a law that prohibits "driving a motor vehicle while intoxicated." This hour-long crash course in property and criminal law in Dowling Hall gave students an up-close-and-personal taste of the first year of law school.
Law Day chair, Debra Moss Curtis, J90, welcomes students to the young lawyers panel.
More than 100 students spent the afternoon of March 4 learning about law school and life as a lawyer at the second-annual "Law Day on the Hill," sponsored by the Tufts Lawyers Association (TLA). In addition to the mock law school class, the students attended panel discussions in which law students, newly minted and veteran lawyers, and a law school admissions director tackled such issues as the transition from college to law school, choosing a law school and the "average day" - or lack thereof - of a lawyer.
For the roughly 30 alumni who returned to campus to mingle with students and serve as moderators, panelists and group leaders, Law Day was a way to give back to the university, one of the primary objectives of TLA. The nearly 200-member organization, among the first professional alumni chapters of the Tufts University Alumni Association, consists of graduates in the legal profession and attending law school.
"Our goal was to engage and educate students about law as a career," said Debra Moss Curtis '90, the chairwoman of this year's Law Day event. "We think that we accomplished our objective. The event was interesting, fun and educational for all involved."
Gina Beck, J97, and Marci Shayavitz, J97 at the closing reception.
Law Day wrapped up with an evening networking reception in Ballou Hall that featured remarks by Jeffrey B. Kindler '77, senior vice president and general counsel of Pfizer, Inc. Kindler discussed the importance of diversity in the legal profession and in the workplace generally. More than 100 students and alumni enjoyed the opportunity to meet one another and share professional resources.
Alumni at the TLA member meeting.
At Law Day, the TLA kicked off a mentoring program that will match up undergraduates interested in the legal profession with alumni with law degrees who are working in legal and non-legal fields. Law Day was sponsored by lead sponsors Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C., Florham Park, NJ, and Kelly, Drye & Warren LLP, New York, NY; as well as by the following contributing sponsors: Davis & Gilbert LLP, New York, NY; Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith Ravin, Davis & Himmel LLP, Woodbridge, NJ; Pepe & Hazard LLP, Boston, Mass.; Stewart, Tilghman, Fox & Bianchi, P.A., Miami, Fla.; and Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks P.C., Boston, Mass.
Post a Comment© Tufts Alumni 2012
617-627-3532 or 1-800-THE-ALUM | alumni@tufts.edu | Contact Us | FAQ | Home | Privacy PolicyFollow us on:
