For the fifth consecutive year, RWU Law alums were treated to a special professional honor: being admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.  As in years past, alums and their faculty sponsor (this year Professor Emily Sack), plus friends and family toured the stately Court building posing for pictures in front of portraits of professional heroes. 

The first thing I noticed about RWUSOL upon coming here was the warm reception I received.  From day one, the school was very accommodating-- whether it was helping me register for classes or making sure that I had secured housing.  It definitely made me feel like the school was happy to have me.

For years now, RWU law has placed students in fantastic externships with the top lawyers, judges, and government and nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island.  http://law.rwu.edu/academics/institutes-programs/feinstein-institute-legal-service/curricular-programs/externships/publ; http://law.rwu.edu/ac

When I was applying to law schools, I saw these blogs written by students and wished that a student would write about their law school experience. Now I am a law student who has a blog and I thought it would be fitting to write my experience of law school so far. Before coming to law school, everyone tells you how busy you will be and how much reading and studying you will do. This is not a lie but, it is not completely true either. The workload is intense but, at least as I have experienced as a 1L, the workload is more than manageable.

With spring break 2013 on the horizon, I have been feeling nostalgic about my wonderful experiences from spring break 2012. Last year, I participated in an Alternative Spring Break Program, interning with United Mountain Defense (UMD) in Knoxville, Tennessee. This non-profit organization is dedicated to protecting Tennessee’s watersheds, air, mountains, and people.  The trip proved to be an amazing life experience that was not only educational, but also fun.

Since its founding in 1996, the Feinstein Institute for Legal Service has provided hundreds of RWU School of Law students with varied and numerous opportunities for pro bono service that benefit people in the local communities and beyond.  If you are interested in learning about others in the legal profession who are passionately committed to providing pro bono service, here is a list of recent publications in the Law Library along with other resources from the American Bar Association.

Here are some pics from gatherings of enthusiastic alums in Rhode Island, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Rhode Island

LAA Holiday Reception

Jenna Wims Hashway ’11, David Oliveira (Adjunct Professor), Professor Jorge Elorza

Over the semester break, one of the stars of the RWU Law junior faculty, Susan Heyman, had a rare treat: visiting the chambers of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, as part of a delegation of law professors from across the nation.  The occasion was the presentation of the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Association of American Law Schools Section on Women in Legal Education, reflecting Justice Ginsberg’s contribution to the evolution of the law in a career that has included law teaching, litigating on behalf of women’s rights, a decade as a judge on the

John Chandler and Brian Boone, both senior litigators at top law firms, recently debated the correct past tense of “plead” in a post for Legal Technology News.  In “War of the Words: Pleaded vs. Pled,” Attorney Chandler states his reasons for using "pled" while Attorney Boone makes his case for the use of "pleaded."  

The Law Library now offers even more access to recently published books via the Proquest ebrary.  There are more than 70,000 e-books in 15 major subject areas.  The law publications cover various topics in antitrust, business, environmental, immigration, international, history, litigation, and many more.