May 16, 2008

Christiaan Highsmith (’08) receives ACC Law Student Ethics Award

From left to right - Paul Cushing, Ben Heineman,Christiaan Highsmith and Bill Wise, former ACC-Northeast board member and founder of Wise ethics.

Christiaan Highsmith (’08) was recently honored at the Association of Corporate Counsel’s gala dinner as one of this year’s Annual Law Student Ethics Award recipients. For Christiaan, this was just an exciting acknowledgement for what he considers the real highlight of his legal education.

“Representing indigent clients through the Civil Litigation

Front Row: Julie Carp,Mee Soon Langohr, Rebecca Lobenherz and Margaret Bichler. Back Row: Rachael MacKenzie, Suffolk University Law School, Christiaan Highsmith and Bill Farias.

clinic was my best experience in law school,” said Highsmith, who was nominated by Professor Lois Knight, Director of Clinical Programs, for demonstrating exemplary commitments to ethics during his clinical studies. “Working for these clients was the reason I came to law school in the first place—to represent people who need assistance and to help solve their problems.” In one particular case, Highsmith recalled, he helped his client obtain social security benefits after a private sector lawyer had said the client would not qualify because of the complexity of his injury.

“I am very fortunate to have had an amazing instructor in Professor Knight, who mentored me during the clinic and who nominated me for the award,” said Highsmith. “I learned a tremendous amount working with her over the course of a year, and I feel very fortunate to have had that invaluable experience.”

Highsmith will cultivate his passion for helping others after he graduates this spring. He said he will continue to represent disadvantaged clients through the pro bono program at Goodwin Procter in Boston, where he will be working after law school.