This weekend’s bitter cold reminded me of a three-day storm long in the past that makes our modern Nor’easters look positively quaint. On March 11-14, 1888, the “Great White Hurricane” buried the Northeast under 50 inches of snow coupled with 85 mph winds. According to contemporary account in the New York Evening Sun, “It came in whirls, it descended in layers, it shot along in great blocks, it rose and fell and corkscrewed and zigzagged and played merry havoc with everything it could swing or batter or bang or carry away.”
Continue readingA Tale of Two Newtons: Life as a Freshman and Law Student
Before I ever stepped foot onto the grounds of Boston College, I learned that I would be living on the Newton campus my freshman year.
I did not think much of it at first, but as I descended the hill to Duchesne Hall for the first time, I prepared myself for an entire year of living in the lowest place on campus, both figuratively and literally. Although I had some challenges adjusting to my new living situation, I came to love Newton campus and defend it against anybody willing to talk poorly about it. I met some of my best friends in Duchesne and on the Newton bus, and I would not trade those experiences for anything. Only on Newton campus will you see people being hurled down a hill of snow and ice in a trash can and call it “sledding.” Only on Newton campus will freshmen buy BC Law sweatshirts to try to study in the Law Library.
Continue readingFrom Imposter Syndrome to Winning a Jury Trial: My First Semester in the BC Defenders Clinic
This guest post was written by Natalie Reysa, a third-year student at BC Law.
“Oh boy, am I glad to see you!” This reaction was the opposite of what I expected from the first client I met in lockup, on my first duty day in the Dorchester Division of the Boston Municipal Court.
I had imagined this day repeatedly, convinced that my future clients would take one look at me and immediately doubt my abilities to represent them. The potential reasons floated in my head: young female law student, intimidated by public speaking and thinking on my feet, no background in public defense trial work…the list went on.
Continue readingFour Tips for Navigating Grade Disappointment
Once again I am directly addressing the 1L class, and also airing out my dirty laundry. Everything I write below—like all my Impact posts—is what I wish someone could have told me before coming to school. As always, all opinions and experiences are my own, as I can only speak to what I endured during my 1L year.
“Endure” will be the theme here. It’s a strong word I typically find only in my romantasy books. Merriam-Webster tells us it means “to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding.” Very dramatic. But to say a student endures his or her 1L year does not fail to satisfy Merriam-Webster’s definition. Some of you may feel like you’re hanging by a thread, trying to go through the motions of law school one day at a time. You are enduring.
Continue readingHappy New Year: A Time for Renewal and New Beginnings
The New Year has come. This time of the year serves as a period for renewal and new beginnings for law students like myself, who have survived the previous semester. New classes, professors, and classmates provide us with an opportunity to feel rejuvenated ahead of the remainder of the spring semester.
However, after 3 years of being a Massachusetts resident, I’ve found that the weather of this winter season fails to produce the same vibration of revival that is felt upon campus. It seems that spring fits the theme of the new year much better than the snow and 4pm nightfall that this dead period brings. Curious as to why the weather and seasons misalign, I took a quick look into history and found answers within the civilizations of classical antiquity, particularly the Romans.
Continue readingRealistic Resolutions for a 1L (That I Might Actually Keep)
By January of 1L year, the idea of a “New Year’s resolution” feels ambitious at best and slightly delusional at worst. After surviving fall finals and learning, the hard way, what doesn’t work, I’m setting a few resolutions for second semester. Nothing revolutionary, just realistic enough that I might actually end up doing them.
Continue readingA Tool for Accountability and Justice: Meet Leena Alasaad
There are numerous roads to law school, and no one-size fits all path to a successful legal career. Follow along with our series highlighting BC Law students and how they got here!
Previous entries: Sara Womble (Winston Salem, NC); Elias Massion (Nashville, TN); Samina Gagné (London);Alvin Synarong (Murfreesboro, Tennessee); Ruchita Jain (Edina, Minnesota); Nicole Bauer (Michigan);Carlos Robles-Cruz (Puerto Rico); Taha Din (Naperville, IL); Timothy St. Pierre (Brunswick, Maine); Tobias Wilcken Jørgensen LLM ’25 (Denmark).
Name: Leena Alasaad
Hometown: Dracut, Massachusetts
Educational Background: Undergraduate degree in Political Science, with a minor in Philosophy and Law, University of Massachusetts Boston
Supreme Court Questions Broadband Provider Liability for User Misconduct
This guest post by BC Law Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Daniel Lyons first appeared in the AEIdeas Blog.
Intermediary liability—when a company should be liable for users’ misuse of its product by users—has been a long-standing issue in tech policy. Two years ago, the Supreme Court dismissed a case alleging Twitter aided and abetted terrorism by allowing ISIS to recruit on its platform. This week, the Court weighed in again, hearing argument in a case involving a billion-dollar judgment against broadband provider Cox Communications for failing to terminate accounts suspected of copyright infringement. The case raises significant questions about copyright enforceability, broadband providers’ role as gateways to the internet, and digital equity concerns. The justices seemed doubtful that notification of user misuse was sufficient to trigger liability, although they struggled to find an alternative that balanced the equities of the case.
Continue readingReflections on Loss of a Legend: Judge Leslie Harris ’84
In October of last year, Leslie Harris ‘84, former judge at the Suffolk Juvenile Court and one of the founding members of the BC Law Black Alumni Network (BAN), passed away. As highlighted in BC Law Magazine’s profile, Judge Harris was deeply involved in the BC Law community, promoting diversity on campus and in the legal community at large, and mentoring countless students and young alumni. BC Law Impact spoke with current students to reflect on their fondest memories with Judge Harris.
Continue readingThe Nativity and the Birth of a Constitutional Question
Christmas is near. For many, the season begins with Santa Claus, a generous and magical figure that delivers gifts in the quiet hours of the night. However, I did not grow up celebrating a large, boisterous white man breaking and entering into my home as a child, who supposedly provided gifts but in reality robbed my parents of the appreciation they deserved for buying me the newest commodity solicited to me through advertisements embedded within my after school cartoons. At that time, it was probably the newest Game Boy or Nintendo DS. Nevertheless, instead of the aforementioned trespasser, I celebrated the miraculous events of Jesus Christ’s (Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ)) incarnation.
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BC Law: Impact 