Author: Rob Rossi

It’s Raining Mens Rea! Week 1: The BC Law Softball League Returns

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Being a lawyer is my second dream job. My first was succeeding Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, and Manny Ramirez in the long line of legendary Red Sox left fielders.

I’ve accepted the fact that I’ll never stand in the shadow of the Green Monster while raking in millions of dollars. But the BC Law Softball League helps me work towards my current dream job while coming as close as I possibly can to experiencing the original.

In this post, I’ll provide some background info about the way the league is organized and run. Then I’ll explain my team’s quest for redemption after a heartbreaking finish last year. Finally, I’ll include the results of this weekend’s games along with the standings, which I will try my best to update weekly until a new softball champion is crowned. Continue reading →

Making an Impact: the Power of Pro Bono

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Editor’s Note: Earl Adams, Jr. is of Counsel with DLA Piper in Washington, DC and Baltimore. Prior to this position, Earl was Chief of Staff to the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. He has also served in several different positions of leadership within the BC Law Alumni Association, including his current position as Vice President of the Alumni Board. All of us at Impact are pleased to be able to host his guest blog post.

earl_adamsBefore joining my current law firm, I had the honor of serving for five years in Maryland state government as chief of staff to the Lt. Governor, and one of the things I enjoyed most about my job was the knowledge that my efforts benefited more than a precious few. This feeling gave me a true sense of work satisfaction. Among the many things that I learned and got out of my BC Law experience was an appreciation of the maxim, “to whom much is given, much will be required.” So, when I decided to leave public service and return to private practice, I was, to say the least, concerned that I might not find the same contentment in my new job. Said more precisely, I was concerned that my work on behalf of individual clients would not be as rewarding. As a result, when I arrived at my firm, I actively sought out opportunities to find socially impactful pro bono work. One particular engagement caught my attention because of the potential to changes the lives of the people involved.

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Preparing for OCI (Part 2 of 3): Interviewing 101

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Editor’s Note: Cara Fonseca is a rising 3L and the incoming Co-Chair of the LSA Career Mentoring Committee, which organizes the 1L Boot Camp Career Prep Series each year. For the second in our series of three posts geared to help rising 2Ls prepare for the on-campus interview process, Cara was kind enough to contribute as a guest blogger. The topic of this post is straightforward – how to interview with law firms as well as you possibly can during OCI and callbacks.

By now, a significant number of you probably have three little letters buzzing around in your head: OCI. You have worked hard all year, made it through two aggressive rounds of final exams, and now it’s summer.  You are probably working somewhere awesome, but you also know there are other new and exciting opportunities on the horizon, especially if you are interested in working for a large firm. You have also probably heard through the grapevine that working at a firm offers the opportunity to get unbelievable training and experience, not to mention to work with awesome clients on fascinating cases. (Totally true!) Ok, so OCI is certainly a worthwhile endeavor, and you’ve decided how you want to bid and sent in (or are about to send in) your resumes and writing samples. So you’re ready for interviews, right?!?!

If you’re anything like I was as a rising 2L, you probably see the interview process as equally exciting and intimidating.  I truly believe the interview is the most important part of the recruiting process. A great interview can get you an awesome summer associate offer, even if your grades are not the best in the class. Although I am by no means an expert when it comes to interview strategy and skills, I’ve provided a bit of my own advice and tidbits from interviewing attorneys, summer associates, and junior associates to compile a list of tips and tricks that I hope you will find helpful as you enter into your own interviewing process:

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Preparing for OCI (Part 1 of 3): Timeline & Breakdown

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Editor’s Note: This post is the first in a series of three geared to help rising 2Ls prepare for the on-campus interview process and provide prospective students with an inside look at the recruiting process during law school. The topic of this post is a general overview and breakdown of the logistics of the OCI process, and tips for navigating it each step of the way.

As hard as it may be to believe, OCI is right around the corner. If you knew the phrase “on-campus interview” before the start of law school, you had a head start on most of the class. And if you found time during 1L to learn a bit about the process, even better.

Leading up to your first round of interviews, it’s perfectly normal to feel excited, impatient, and more than slightly nervous. One way we do not want you to feel is unprepared. As with any advice, the information that follows is not a one-size-fits-all, guaranteed recipe for success. Hopefully, however, you find the suggestions worthwhile and as a result feel more confident heading into the OCI process. Let’s start by laying out the timeline: Continue reading →

Remember “The Why”: A Letter from the Alumni Board President

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Editor’s Note: Kevin Curtin is the Boston College Law School Alumni Board President and a member of the BC Law Class of ’88. He is Senior Appellate Counsel/Grand Jury Director at the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. He has tried approximately 100 jury cases and handled over 100 criminal appeals. Mr. Curtin is also an instructor in the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Workshop and a faculty member of the national trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia School of Law. He is also an adjunct faculty member at BC Law. All of us at Impact are pleased to be able to host his guest blog post.

Commencement is a time for remembering why you chose to become a lawyer. That idea was reflected in the remarks of this year’s Commencement speaker, Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach David Simas, BC Law ‘95. Dean Vincent Rougeau talked about it. It was also mentioned by Class President Lainey Sullivan ’15 (who recently committed to join the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan ’79).

Coincidence? Maybe.

But what about this? Dean Rougeau, University President Father William P. Leahy, David Simas and Lainey Sullivan also spoke about something else: the idea of a tradition shared in common with those who have come before them. Something that makes Boston College Law School special—an essential bond that cannot be seen, but which is continuously affirmed as true.

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An Invaluable Experience Like None Other in Law School

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Editor’s Note: Erica Coray is the incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Boston College Journal of Law & Social Justice.  Erica was kind enough to author a blog about the academic journals at BC Law, and why she chose to join JLSJ. We are very pleased to present our fifth and final letter about the benefits of being on a journal and why 1Ls should participate in the writing competition.

You’ve just finished the last exam of your first year of law school, you’re exhausted and elated at the same time, not quite sure of what just happened, and you follow the crowd upstairs to pick up the writing competition packet for journals. And it is huge. And long. That’s when you start questioning, “do I really want to do this? Two more weeks of research and writing? And Bluebooking? But I just finished, don’t I deserve a break?”

Yes, you do want to do it, and not just because it looks great on your résumé (though it does), but because being part of a journal your 2L year is an invaluable experience like none other in law school. Continue reading →

A Letter from the Incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Environmental Affairs Law Review

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Editor’s Note: Erica Novack is the incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review.  Erica was gracious enough to submit a post about the academic journals at BC Law, and what differentiates EALR from the rest. We are very pleased to present our fourth letter about the reasons to join the staff of a journal, and how students can apply.

I would like to echo what BCLR’s Editor-in-Chief Jennie Davis wrote in her thoughtful letter. The writing competition can be a trying experience, but you will get through it! And when you do, you will have the whole summer to unwind from this year. As you begin this competition, remember, you are all great writers, and you have proven it to your professors and to your peers (and to yourself) all year. Your experiences before BC together with your training this year have thoroughly prepared you for this competition. Continue reading →

O Say Can U.C.C.?

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Editor’s Note: Aaron Williams is the incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest. Despite being busy with things like the end of the second year of law school and taking the reins on the Digest, Aaron was kind enough to author a post about what sets his journal apart both functionally and culturally. We are very pleased to present the third in our series of letters about the rewards of working on a journal, and how interested students can get involved.

O Say Can U.C.C. ?

This year’s 1Ls are nearly next year’s 2Ls. By the time this is posted, the only hurdles left to clear will be a Criminal Law exam … and the writing competition. In theory, the competition is optional. In reality, it isn’t. Or, at least, it shouldn’t be.

I understand that the last thing you’re going to want to do mid-day on Friday is march on up to Stuart’s fifth floor and collect the competition packet, which will rival your Con Law casebook for thickness. But that’s exactly what you will do. Because you’re a law student and, thus, a masochist.

The reward for strong performance in the competition is journal membership. Joining a journal confers myriad benefits. You’ll develop your writing and editing skills. You’ll impress employers. You’ll eventually be able to hang a masthead on your office wall.

UCC Reporter-Digest membership, meanwhile, provides all of that and more. Our publication can be distinguished from BC Law’s traditional law journals in several important ways.

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Why You Should Enter the Writing Competition and Join a Journal at BC Law

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Editor’s Note: Ben Kelsey is the incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Boston College International and Comparative Law Review.  Despite other commitments such as finishing 2L year and taking control of the ICLR, Ben was kind enough to author a post about the academic journals at BC Law, and the benefits that stem from the writing responsibilities assigned to their 2L members. We are very pleased to present the second in our series of letters about the rewards of working on a journal, and how interested students can get involved.

Dear 1Ls,

Allow me to be the 101st person to tell you that, despite the fact that you may be completely burned out after finishing your last final, you should enter the writing competition. You probably already know that journal participation looks great on a résumé and will help you develop skills that are important as both a law student and a lawyer. It also gives you the opportunity to get your work published. These benefits are fairly obvious. Instead of elaborating on them, I want to talk to you about what else you can get from journal participation.

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A Letter from the Incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Boston College Law Review

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Editor’s Note: Jennie Davis is the incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Boston College Law Review.  Despite prior engagements such as final exams and learning how to run an entire publication, Jennie was kind enough to author a post about the academic journals at BC Law, and the writing competition that plays so prominently in membership selection. We are very pleased to present her letter about the rewards of working on a journal, and how interested students can get involved.

Being a member of Boston College Law Review has been the most challenging and rewarding experience of my career thus far. As a result, I would encourage all law students to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to know your peers on a different level, learn what professors do outside of class, and push yourself to become the best writer you can be. To help you make your decision, I’d like to share with you a few of the reasons why I decided to join a journal here at BC Law and how the experience has shaped my legal education. Continue reading →