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Report from the Director,
Career Development Office
I am pleased to report that we have closed an exceptionally good year for our BU Law students. Fall recruiting was robust; well over half of the second year class reported accepting offers by December. Among the four largest Boston firms alone, we have more than 40 students in summer programs. In addition, we have strong representation in the public sector and public interest work with graduating students heading to DA’s Offices in eastern Massachusetts and New York City, the San Francisco Public Defender and the Massachusetts State House, just as a sample. We are also thrilled to report that a BU student received an EJW Fellowship for the first time in a decade and that for an unprecedented third year in a row, a BU graduate has received a highly competitive Presidential Management Fellowship. So it has been a very good year indeed.
Of course, not every student is seeking a large firm or public interest job. The CDO is committed to responding to the needs of all students. We have just completed an effort to benchmark best practices in small firm outreach and placement. The result will be a Small Firm Initiative that will provide students with more information about small firms, more support for small firm job searches and more opportunities to network with small firm alumni. In order for this effort to be successful we will need the support of our alumni to act as panelists, to attend networking events and to provide placement leads. Those of you who are willing to help should contact Viveca Aghassi, who works with alumni here at the CDO.
Perhaps the most pressing unmet need for our students and alumni is to have a better way to contact other BU Law graduates for advice and to connect around career issues. We have an online tool that makes the process easier and enables participants to easily opt in and out when they chose. Now, we need your help. If you are willing to offer advice to students and alumni, or if you would like more information about the program, please e-mail Viveca Aghassi.
Finally, I wanted to update alumni on a change in how BU Law reports student rank. Faculty have voted to bring BU policy in line with that of other top 20 schools, so the School now provides class rank information only for those in the top 10 percent of each first year section and for the top five students in each section- for second and third year students it is the top 10 percent of the class and the top 15 students. When these changes were made, the traditional scholar categories were reassigned- so for example the top 10 percent in a first year section are now Tauro Scholars and the top five students in the section are the Tauro Distinguished Scholars. As this poses a risk of confusion for BU alumni and others who were familiar with the prior system, we have sent out notices about the change to all those who recruit at BU Law but we also hope alumni involved with hiring will also spread the word. If you have any questions or would like a copy of a memo that explains the changes feel free to contact me.
Remember the CDO’s services do not end with graduation. We look forward to working with alumni, so do not hesitate to contact us to see if we can help. I hope all of you enjoy a wonderful summer.
Helen Long
Director, Career Development Office
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BU Law Ranks #20 in US News & World Report's "Top Law School" Listing
In the latest US News & World Report survey results, BU Law ranked #20 (up from #22 last year). The survey ranks 184 accredited law schools in the U.S. In specialty rankings, BU Law placed in the top ten in three areas: Health Law: #7; Tax Law: #8; and Intellectual Property Law: #10.
>>Full story
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Attorney General Martha Coakley Delivers 2007 Commencement Speech
As a Boston University School of Law Graduate with over 20 years spent dedicated to a career in public service, most would agree that Attorney General Martha Coakley (‘79) is more than qualified to administer advice. At the BU Law Commencement, held on May 20th, General Coakley did just this, delivering her variation of rules to follow as graduates embark on their long-awaited careers, as well as life outside the University.
>>Full story
3L Class Gift Campaign Supports School's Annual Fund
Each year, the graduating class has an opportunity to leave its mark on the School by participating in the Class Gift Campaign. By supporting BU Law's Annual Fund through this campaign, students not only show their School – and class – pride, but recognize those who have made an impact on their legal education. This year, the Class of 2007 raised more than $4,700 to support BU Law's Loan Repayment Assistance Program. Donating $20.07 each, more than three quarters (nearly 80 percent) of the class participated in the class gift. In addition, Gerard H. Cohen (’62), Oscar Wasserman ('59) and members of the Class of 2006 agreed to match the 2007 Class gift, adding a significant amount to the School's Law Fund. The Esdaile Alumni Center would like to thank all who participated, especially the 2007 Class Gift Campaign Committee: Ryan Dickey, Tracie Dorfman, Tim Famulare, Elizabeth Feeherry, Sally Gasper, Kendra Kinscherf, Amy Martell, Pratima Narayan, Michael Robertson, Dan Rolde and Manique Wijewardena.
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Thailand's Supreme Court Judges Visit BU Law
BU Law’s American Law LL.M. program attracts a number of prominent students from around the globe, including recent graduate Judge Thanarak Naowarat (LL.M.'07), who traveled a staggering 8,500 miles from his native home of Thailand to study at Boston University School of Law. On Friday, May 4, 2007, he welcomed some company to the School who had made this same trek: the Justices and delegation of the Supreme Court of Thailand.
>>Full story
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Alumni in the News
- Elizabeth Holloway Marston ('18) ("Wonder Woman") Commemorated on Postage Stamp >>Full story
- Susan H. Alexander (’81) and Edward J. Goddard (’90) honored as “Leaders in the Law” >>Full story
- Charles Babcock ('76) and Alan Daughtry (’95) named two of Dallas' Best Lawyers by H Texas Magazine >>Full story
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Edward Brooke (J.D. '48, LL.M. '49) honored with Congressional Gold Medal >>Full story
- Wendell Taylor ('95) named a "Diversity Hero" >>Full Story
- Stephanie Lovell ('85) named vice president and general counsel, Boston Medical Center >>Full story
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Julia Huston ('92) named president of Masachusetts Women's Bar Association >>Full story
- Class of 1995's Derrick Sean Cort, Wendell Taylor, David Wooten and Eugene Holmes establish prize fund for BU Black Law Students Association >>Full story
*Alumni features are automatically populated by a news alert system
Faculty Focus
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Dean O'Rourke Presents to the American Law Institute
On May 14th, Dean Maureen O’Rourke attended the San Francisco meeting of the membership of the American Law Institute (ALI) to make a joint presentation with Professor Robert Hillman of Cornell Law School on “Principles of the Law of Software Contracts.” Their presentation outlined the importance of a “principles approach” (rather than a draft statute or Restatement) to contracts involving computer software. The principles attempt to provide guidance to courts as they adjudicate disputes involving software contracts.
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Professor Stanley Fisher Named First Recipient of Law Faculty Public Service Award
Having spent nearly forty years in the BU Law community working towards the betterment of the criminal justice system, Professor Stanley Fisher was named the first recipient of the annual Boston University School of Law Faculty Public Service Award.
>>Full story
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Professor Tamar Frankel featured in The Analyst on Global IPOs
In April, Professor Tamar Frankel was interviewed for The Analyst on the shift of IPO offerings from the U.S. to Europe and its effect on Wall Street.
>>Full story
Upcoming Events
- June 14: Never Quit Special Engagement with Victor Garo (LL.B. '65) and Dan Rea ('74)
- October 11 and 12: The Role of the President in the 21st Century
- October 26: New Media and the Marketplace of Ideas
- October 29: Edward Lane-Reticker Speaker Series Lecture featuring
Congressman Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee
>>Full 2007 event listing & details
Did you know?
Richard Graber (’81) was one of the longest serving state chairmen (R-Wisconsin) in the country before being nominated by President Bush as U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic in September 2006.
>>Richard Graber's biography