Catching up with the Class of 2015
BU Law’s latest graduates are finding success in diverse positions across the country.
It’s been almost a year since the Boston University School of Law Class of 2015 celebrated their commencement, and they are already on their way to finding success in the legal world. As of March 15, 2016, a total of 92.8 percent of the class was employed, more than 90.9 percent in bar passage-required or JD advantage full- or part-time positions, working in government organizations, large and small firms, nonprofits, businesses, state and federal courts, and elsewhere. They are practicing corporate, litigation, mergers & acquisitions, policy, and tax law to name a few areas, and serving as prosecutors and public defenders. Eleven graduates are serving as clerks for state and federal judges. Three are pursuing an additional advanced degree.
The diverse locations of the Class of 2015’s employers prove how well the BU Law degree travels: they’re scattered along the East and West Coasts, throughout the Midwest and the Southeast, and everywhere in between, from Portland, Maine to Chicago, Illinois to California, Texas, and Alaska.
We spoke with a handful of our newest alumni to learn about their careers and how BU Law helped prepare them for real legal work. Boston University School of Law congratulates the Class of 2015 on all of their successes thus far, and we look forward to keeping in touch as your careers advance!
Law Firm Associates
BU Law has a strong tradition of helping graduates obtain positions with the nation’s top law firms. This year, the National Law Journal ranked BU Law #16 in the country for large firm hiring. Ten months after graduation, 55 (or 26.4 percent) of the Class of 2015 are employed in firms with more than 250 attorneys. Our graduates, however, go on to work in law firms of all sizes, aided by the Career Development & Public Service Office’s Small and Mid-sized Firm Apprenticeship Program. The alumni profiled below represent both of these opportunities available to BU Law graduates.
Danielle Holland – Associate, Mergers & Acquisitions
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
New York, NY
Adam Logan – Associate
Sanghavi Law Office LLC
Brookline, MA
Public Interest Attorneys
Many BU Law graduates choose to pursue work in public interest organizations across the US and abroad. These alumni contribute to the public good by serving organizations that concentrate on a specific issue (affordable housing, disability rights, human trafficking) or constituency (victims of domestic violence, immigrants) with a focus on helping underserved populations meet their legal needs. Read on for one such example of an alumnus working in public interest.
Jack Underwood – Staff Attorney
Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A
Brooklyn, NY
Each year, BU Law awards yearlong Public Service Fellowships to members of the graduating class who have demonstrated a strong commitment to careers in government and public interest organizations. Twelve fellowships were awarded to members of the Class of 2015. We caught up with two fellows to discuss their experiences so far.
Kyra Berasi – Federal Policy & Advocacy Fellow
Center for Reproductive Rights
Washington, DC
Mike Tartaglia – Legal Fellow
Sixth Amendment Center
Boston, MA
Judicial Clerks
Judicial Clerkships offer excellent opportunities to experience the inner workings of the state and federal judicial system and work closely with judges and other court personnel. Every year, a number of successful BU Law graduates enter clerkships at the local, state and federal level. The Class of 2015 has obtained 11 clerkships—2 federal and 9 at the state level. Read about a few of the new clerks below.
Jean-Phillip “JP” Brignol – Judicial Law Clerk
Connecticut Supreme Court
Hartford, CT
Jacquelyn Rex – Judicial Law Clerk
US District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Brownsville, TX
Rosa Sierra – Judicial Law Clerk
Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal
Daytona Beach, FL
Government Attorneys
State and federal governments offer many rewarding professional opportunities for lawyers at any stage in their careers. Thirty-five Class of 2015 graduates have joined various governmental organizations at both the federal and state levels, from the National Labor Relations Board to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Find an example of the work our new government attorneys are doing below.
Christine O’Rourke – Assistant Public Defender
Defender Association of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
In-House and Beyond
Chanel, Medtronic, EMC, athenahealth, State Street, Boston Children’s Hospital: these are just a few of the employers for which the BU Law Class of 2015 grads are working. To see a full list of Class of 2015 employers, visit the 2015 employment statistics. To read about an alumna following her passion for technology and IP law to a career in consulting, see below.
Emelie Kogut – Senior Analyst, Global Security Strategy
Accenture
New York, NY
