{"id":86281,"date":"2022-01-12T07:49:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-12T12:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=86281"},"modified":"2022-01-07T14:59:55","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T19:59:55","slug":"access-fund","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2022\/access-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"Access for All"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-box has-media-focus-left-middle has-text-position-x-center has-dark-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"a key in a locked door\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash-992x661.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/jaye-haych-key-and-door-unsplash-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by Jaye Haych via Unsplash<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Giving<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAccess for All\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Two students reflect on the support they received from the Michael J. O\u2019Connor Access Fund, established to provide expenses for summer judicial internships and other needs not covered by traditional scholarships.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">January 12, 2022<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/june-d-bell\/\">June D. Bell<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<h2 id=\"headline-1\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-headline record-block-editorial-headline\">Learning How a Judge Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ibrahim Ahmed Ijaz (\u201923) spent the summer after his first year of law school studying how Judge Zuberi Bakari Williams of the District Court of Maryland\u2019s Montgomery County handled traffic cases, probation and bond hearings, and family law matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image alignfarright\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Ibrahim-Ijaz.jpg\" alt=\"Ibrahim Ijaz ('23)\" class=\"wp-image-86286\" width=\"350\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Ibrahim-Ijaz.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Ibrahim-Ijaz-524x636.jpg 524w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Ibrahim-Ijaz-680x826.jpg 680w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Ibrahim-Ijaz-562x682.jpg 562w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Ibrahim-Ijaz-283x344.jpg 283w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Ibrahim-Ijaz-436x529.jpg 436w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Ibrahim-Ijaz-567x688.jpg 567w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA lot of what I learned came from just watching how a judge speaks, how a judge listens \u2026 and what kind of logical steps they outline as they\u2019re speaking to people in their courtroom,\u201d says Ijaz, one of the first BU Law students to receive stipends from the Michael J. O\u2019Connor Access Fund. The fund, which Dean\u2019s Advisory Board member Michael O\u2019Connor (\u201995) established last year, covers students\u2019 expenses as summer judicial interns, as well as providing other support not included in traditional scholarships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ijaz, a Detroit native, was the sole School of Law diversity intern mentored by Judge Williams through the ABA\u2019s Judicial Intern Opportunity Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy ability to perform a legal analysis and come to a decision was sharpened incredibly,\u201d Ijaz says. \u201cJudge Williams would throw us a case\u2014literally throw a file across the room\u2014and say, \u2018What do I do on this case? Fast!\u2019 The academic mind says, \u2018Here are your different options, and there are consequences to each.\u2019 But the judicial demand is that you give a recommended course of action, and you have to be OK with that. Learning that skill in a real-world setting has made my legal-analysis capabilities much sharper.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The judge also connected his interns to Fortune 500 counsel, public defenders, and prosecutors. \u201cLearning about the law from all these people meant that I was walking into my 2L year really confident that I knew what I was talking about and no longer having this fear of being a first-generation law student,\u201d Ijaz says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"headline-2\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-headline record-block-editorial-headline\">Looking the Part<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to be seen as a lawyer, it helps to dress like one, especially if you\u2019re still a law student. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of the ultimate gatekeeping: You feel like you don\u2019t belong if you don\u2019t dress or look or act like you belong,\u201d says Matthew Choy (\u201923).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image alignfarleft\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Matt-Choy.jpg\" alt=\"Matthew Choy ('23)\" class=\"wp-image-86287\" width=\"350\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Matt-Choy.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Matt-Choy-524x636.jpg 524w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Matt-Choy-680x826.jpg 680w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Matt-Choy-562x682.jpg 562w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Matt-Choy-283x344.jpg 283w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Matt-Choy-436x529.jpg 436w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Matt-Choy-567x688.jpg 567w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Choy knew his casual attire wasn\u2019t going to impress anyone at the firms where he was seeking summer associate positions. \u201cI can\u2019t go into an interview dressed like a real schlemiel,\u201d he says. But investing in a work wardrobe was a stretch for the Brooklyn native, the first in his family to graduate from high school and college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Michael J. O\u2019Connor Access Fund literally suited him, providing $500 for work-worthy attire. After comparing styles, prices, fabrics, and cuts, Choy selected a gray suit, a blue suit, two crisp white shirts, and a conservative tie from Macy\u2019s. Donning those clothes and then looking in the mirror was \u201ca moment of validation that I was on the right track and doing the right things,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I was going to crush these interviews.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He did. Choy will spend the summer with Cooley LLP\u2019s Emerging Companies and Venture Capital practice group counseling entrepreneurs and founders in the firm. He\u2019s drawn to startup culture because his earnings from a startup sales job helped put him through New York University. Choy is copresident of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and a former Matthew Z. Gomes Fellow, as well as student leader of the Asian American Bar Association of New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>O\u2019Connor says he\u2019s gratified to know that the fund he created is doing exactly what he intended: covering incidental expenses not typically included in scholarships. \u201cI wanted money to go to people who needed it, and I felt the dean had the ability to put it to good use,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">O\u2019Connor, general counsel of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, credits his legal education with shaping his life and career. \u201cLaw school was a transformational time,\u201d he says. \u201cBU gave me opportunities beyond what I expected and the tools to capitalize on those opportunities. It\u2019s really gratifying to be able to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-aside record-block-editorial-aside has-light-background\">\n<p>Contribute to the Michael J. O&#8217;Connor Access Fund<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a class=\"wp-block-button wp-block-bu-button record-block-button has-secondary-theme icon-navigateright align-icon-left is-style-outline\" href=\"https:\/\/trusted.bu.edu\/s\/1759\/2-bu\/giving\/interior.aspx?sid=1759&amp;gid=2&amp;pgid=420&amp;cid=1057\">Give Today<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\t<section class=\"wp-block-editorial-collection-billboard record-block-editorial-collection-billboard\">\n\n\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-intro-title\">This Series<\/h3>\n\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-article\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"collection-billboard-media\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"collection-navigation-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"700\" height=\"600\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Trobe-Alexandra-landscape.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Alexandra Trobe (&#039;21)\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Trobe-Alexandra-landscape.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Trobe-Alexandra-landscape-636x545.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Trobe-Alexandra-landscape-401x344.jpg 401w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/01\/Trobe-Alexandra-landscape-617x529.jpg 617w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-media-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2022\/serving-those-who-served-their-country\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-media-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>Serving Those Who Served Their Country<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"collection-billboard-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-small-title\">Also in<\/h4>\n\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/collections\/impact\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>Impact<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"collection-billboard-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">December 4, 2025<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2025\/living-the-dream\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Living the Dream: Professor Sapna Khatri\u2019s Vision for Reproductive Justice<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">November 17, 2025<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2025\/a-principled-pioneer-of-corporate-law\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>A Principled Pioneer of Corporate Law<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">November 12, 2025<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2025\/comrades-in-law-school\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Comrades in Law School<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/collections\/impact\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>Series home<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/article>\n\n\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ibrahim Ahmed Ijaz (\u201923) spent the summer after his first year of law school studying how Judge Zuberi Bakari Williams of the District Court of Maryland\u2019s Montgomery County handled traffic cases, probation and bond hearings, and family law matters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11260,"featured_media":86289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"Giving","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[3742],"record-article-category":[3744,3753,3786,3758],"record-topic":[3914],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/86281"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11260"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86281"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/86281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86294,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/86281\/revisions\/86294"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86281"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=86281"},{"taxonomy":"record-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-article-category?post=86281"},{"taxonomy":"record-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-topic?post=86281"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=86281"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=86281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}