Author: Melissa Gaglia

Dancing the Night Away at Barrister’s Ball

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Barrister’s Ball is one for the books, and I’m not talking about casebooks. Informally known as “law prom,” Barrister’s Ball is a night where everyone gets dressed to the nines and dances away the stresses of law school. This year, it was hosted at the Museum of Science. It was such a fun venue. Dinosaurs photobombed pictures, lightning (safely) struck two of our classmates, and we danced under Mars.  

As a 3L, I felt sentimental about the night. This was one of the last times I would be with everyone before graduating and leaving Boston College. It made me feel like a senior in high school all over again. The anticipation building up to this event was full of excitement and glee: picking out an outfit, getting ready, and asking someone to prom. It all felt juvenile, but in the very best way.  Now, even though “law prom” is over, that sentimental feeling remains.

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Spinning Through Law School

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“Hype yourself up, before you psych yourself out!”  These are the words that I constantly yell at my peers . . . in the spin room. This past August, I became a certified spin instructor. My decision to become a spin instructor was encouraged by my classmate Ben Minerva. Ben knew that I was going to spin classes daily and questioned why I did not just become an instructor.  Fast forward after months of training and making playlists, and I have been teaching spin classes at Boston College’s Margot Connell Recreation Center four times a week. 

The highlights of my week have often been filled with moments from my spin classes. Spin has acted like a safe haven for me from the stresses that come with being a law student. Someone once told me that the feeling of being nervous is identical to the feeling of being excited. I use my spin classes as a way to channel my law school fueled nerves into the exciting energy that comes with teaching a spin class. My spin classes have also been a space where I have grown so much as a person. I learned how to find and use my voice, how to troubleshoot problems on the spot, and how to build trust and rapport quickly with those who barely know me. All of these lessons, in my opinion, are transferable to my legal career. 

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Project Entrepreneur Pitch Sessions

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With the end of the semester upon us, my work with the Project Entrepreneur Clinic is wrapping up. For those who don’t know, Project Entrepreneur is focused on helping citizens with criminal records successfully reenter society and supplying them with a general knowledge of business law necessary for them to grow their business ventures. I wrote more about it in an earlier post here.

My peers and I have worked closely with our clients, helping them come up with a business plan for their ideas, researching legal issues that they have or may run into, and most importantly, helping them build confidence in themselves and their ideas.

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Live, Laugh, Love Tax

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Much like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, I came to law school to find love. Well, sorta… Unlike Ms. Woods, my love story is with the practice area of tax law. 

To be completely candid, I had no intention of becoming a tax attorney when I first applied to law school. I didn’t even intend to ever take a tax class. From the moment I signed up for the LSAT, my Uncle John, who is a CPA, always claimed I was going to be a tax attorney, and I always dismissed him. Tax law, for me, was like the quiet nerd the main character in a rom-com takes forever to see as more than just a friend. 

My “meet cute” with Tax was when I had the last pick time to sign up for classes for my 2L fall, and it was one of the only classes open that fit into my schedule. My Uncle John is always badgering me about becoming a tax attorney, I thought. Why don’t I take Tax I, ultimately fail it, and then never hear or speak of tax law again?

Spoiler alert: This ended up being far from the truth. 

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Project Entrepreneur

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Returning to Newton Campus for my final year of law school has been full of excitement. While there are numerous things I am excited about this fall semester, one of them is my clinic, Project Entrepreneur. 

Project Entrepreneur is designed to help returning citizens with criminal records successfully reenter society and supply them with a general knowledge of business law necessary for them to grow their business ventures. Having an undergraduate degree in business, I am excited to exercise what I’ve learned from both business school and law school, and I am looking forward to helping see someone’s ambitions come to fruition. 

While I have only had one class meeting so far, I am already eager for the rest of the semester. Like many other clinics BC Law has to offer, the class is set up to run like a law firm, with Professor Lawrence Gennari as managing partner. Students meet twice a week: once with our clients to discuss their entrepreneurial efforts and to conduct classes for them, giving them the fundamentals they need to be successful entrepreneurs in a “boot camp” format; and another class to debrief with Professor Gennari and to refine our skillset to successfully counsel our clients. 

The class culminates in a pitch session where the returning citizens pitch their businesses to potential investors. To learn more about Project Entrepreneur, check out this article from BC Law Magazine’s Winter 2021 issue.

Melissa Gaglia is a third-year student at BC Law. Contact her at gagliam@bc.edu.

A Year in Review of a Transfer Student

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August:

The Friday before the start of classes, the school held a social event for new students at The Horse, a local pub. I was extremely nervous, to the point that I was sweating profusely. I went to the bathroom to cool myself down, and noticed a girl I thought I recognized doing the same thing. It was Meg Keown, the other transfer student who had come to BC Law with me. I had looked her up on social media the moment we were put on an email thread together.

From the moment we met in person in that bathroom of The Horse, Meg and I became instant best friends. We always joke that we’re so lucky we liked each other, because if not, we wouldn’t have someone to experience all these firsts with. It was nice to have someone in the same boat as me, who understood the particular anxiety and excitement that came with being a new student transferring from another law school.

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You Got Into Law School. Congrats! Now What?

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If you’re reading this article, I am assuming you have been accepted into law school. In that case, congratulations! You will never have to deal with the LSAT again. Now, you just have to decide where you want to go.  Here are some tips that helped me.

  • If you’re waitlisted somewhere, decide what school you want to attend in the meantime with the mindset that you will not get off a waitlist. You want to pick a school that you can envision yourself at for the next three years. While that might seem hypocritical because I transferred, transferring is not always a guarantee because just like the preliminary law school admissions process, it is unpredictable with a variety of factors that are out of your control. I was very lucky that it worked out for me. You also do not want to have a negative attitude towards your law school–while you do not have to be head over heels in love with your school, you should not feel any regret or dread of attending.
  • Reach out to the admissions office of your law school and ask them to connect you with a law student(s) that graduated from your undergraduate institution. This helps you get an idea of how the transition will be, especially if you are attending a different university than you did for undergrad. I did this at my previous law school, and I gained not only helpful insights and advice, but also mentors and friends.
  • Talk to more than one student about their experience. Law schools are not one size fits all and everyone’s experience is different. You might talk to someone who will write love letters to their school on Valentine’s Day (which, if you have read my previous post, I am guilty of). However, talk to students who have different experiences to try to get a more well rounded perspective.
  • Visit the town/city where the school is located, if possible. You’re not only committing to a law school for three years, you’re also committing to the city, its weather, etc. You have to not only be happy with the school itself, but with your living environment. This may come as a shock, but there is life outside of law school. 
  • Visit the school. With COVID restrictions getting lifted all over, most schools are giving in-person tours again. Seeing the school in-person, especially while school is in session, makes all the difference than looking at pictures online. BC Law is welcoming in-person visitors and giving tours. I might even be your tour guide if you come.

No matter what your admissions outcome is, just know that by getting accepted to a law school, you already accomplished the hard part. Once school starts, you have to just believe in yourself and your future success and that you’re where you are for a reason. It will all work out.

Melissa Gaglia is a second-year student at BC Law. Contact her at gagliam@bc.edu.

2022-2023 Law Student Association Election Results

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The Boston College Law School students have spoken! 

Monday night, the polls closed and the Law Student Association results for the LSA Executive Board of 2022-2023 are: 

President: Taila Weseley

Vice President: Michael Alario

Secretary: Lucy Briody 

3L Rep: Elizabeth Foley

2L: Regine Cooper, Cam Drake, and Mark Kavensky

The Impact Blog appreciates and thanks all the students who took the time to vote. We are excited for what next year will bring. Congratulations to all!

Melissa Gaglia is a second-year student at BC Law. Contact her at gagliam@bc.edu.

Faculty Spotlight: Professor James Repetti

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BC Law Impact Editor’s Note: We pride ourselves at Boston College Law School on our unique community that cultivates an incredible student body with a brilliant faculty. This post is part of an ongoing faculty spotlight Q&A series to help students get to know the members of our faculty on a more personal level. It will run throughout the next year.

  1. Why did you choose to teach at BC Law?
    I am a graduate. I think that it’s a great law school and that the students are fantastic. I couldn’t imagine teaching anywhere else. 
  1. What is your favorite thing about BC?
    The students–still attracting really nice people to study here, and I think that’s a real plus. 
  1. What is your favorite BC Memory?
    That’s a tough one. Probably my favorite memories are of Sanford Katz and Peter Donovan, two fantastic faculty members here. I had the pleasure of taking their courses when I was a student. 
  1. If you were on a baseball team what would your walkout song be?
    Sweet Caroline, keeping with my Boston roots.   
  1. If you weren’t a professor or a lawyer, what would you be doing? What is your dream job?
    Probably I would be in medicine.
  1. What is your favorite thing about Boston?
    I grew up in Boston. I would say the Boston Harbor and the ocean. I spent a lot of time running around Castle Island, a park in South Boston, when I was a kid.
  2. If someone visiting Boston asked you what is the one thing they had to do, what would you tell them?
    Definitely go to a Red Sox game–and do the Harbor walk.

The inaugural holder of the William J. Kenealy, S.J. Chair, Professor Repetti is co-author of the texts, Partnership Income Taxation, Introduction to United States International Taxation, Federal Wealth Transfer Taxation, Problems in Federal Wealth Transfer Taxation, and Tax Aspects of Organizing and Operating a Business. He is also a contributing author to the treatises, Comparative Income Taxation: A Structural Analysis and to The International Guide to Partnerships. For more, visit Professor Repetti’s website.

Melissa Gaglia is a second-year student at BC Law. Contact her at gagliam@bc.edu.

BC, I Still Love You. 

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Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
I am a transfer student,
But everyone forgets that I'm new.

Since it is Valentine’s Day, it is only fitting I declare my love for my valentine, BC Law.  It’s been 170 days since my return, and I have yet to regret my decision of transferring. Like any great love story, it has not been entirely smooth sailing. I’ve had my moments where I experienced imposter syndrome, have been stressed out studying for finals, and pulled all-nighters to ensure I submit assignments on time. I’ve also had my share of new friendships, intramural softball wins, dance parties, and moments where I was smiling so hard my face started to hurt.

In the middle of my first semester, I expressed some self-doubt I was dealing with to my Labor Law professor, Thomas Kohler. After being fully remote for my 1L year, I was already adjusting to BC Law life, and the in-person aspect was just another layer of adjustment. Professor Kohler assured me that I was admitted to BC for a reason and that reason was not because they were pitying me; it was because I am smart and capable. This equipped me with the academic confidence I was lacking in myself.   

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