Take a few minutes to watch the following video profiling Professor Ingrid Hillinger, who is one of BC Law’s most respected professors . She is known for her demanding but rewarding teaching style and her tireless devotion to members of the BC Law community. One of her students told me she has, at times, sent emails in the wee hours of the morning, and that she is rumored to be the one who unlocks the school in the mornings.

Her reputation isn’t restricted to our campus, either—she was named one of the “26 best law teachers in the country” in the book What the Best Law Teachers Do (Schwartz, 2013). See a BC Law Magazine article here  about what makes her so good.

I have not had the privilege of taking a class with Professor Hillinger, so I turned to two of my classmates for their perspectives:

“I am finishing up my 7th year at Boston College—undergrad and law—and Professor Hillinger embodies BC perfectly. She is a tireless advocate for all of her students both professionally and personally. She has the same high expectations for everyone, including herself. She will accept nothing less than 100 percent and she will give you nothing less than that as well.”

—Bernard Zapata-Kim, Class of 2017

“Professor Hillinger pushed us hard in Secured Transactions, but she was also quick to recognize the mini victories of her ‘Code Warriors,’ whether they were comments in class or revelations during office hours. Her enthusiasm extends beyond Article 9 of the UCC. She actively seeks the opportunity to help her students network, find jobs, and figure out class schedules.”

—Maria Rouvalis, Class of 2017

Professor Hillinger’s work is not done when students graduate. She is known to be a fierce advocate for BC Law students and alumni in the field. She keeps in touch with many of her former students, and has played a role in their personal lives as well. Zapata-Kim told me that she checked in regularly with him and his wife as they expected and delivered their first child, and she has not only attended but has presided over alumni weddings. Check out the comments on the following Facebook post, where alumni have shared some of their experiences with Professor Hillinger: https://www.facebook.com/BostonCollegeLawSchool/
videos/vl.976535402452351/1257169907677509/?type=1&theater/.

Professor Hillinger is another example of why I love BC so much. Her teaching philosophy can be applied to BC as a whole: It will teach you to death, work you to death, and love you to death, and I wouldn’t want my law school to be any other way.

Thanks to Bernard Zapata-Kim ‘17 and Maria Rouvalis ‘17 for their input and quotations.