Intellectual Life

Dream Big: The Forbes’ Under 30 Summit

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I’m pleased to be able to host a guest blog today by second-year student Leah Herscovici, who attended the recent Under 30 Summit event in Boston.

Boston is known for many things: it’s the city that helped spark a revolution, that holds the sound of Paul Revere’s mighty cry, that is the birth place of political upheaval. It is also the home of thousands upon thousands of Millennials (otherwise known as those who will one day take over the world).

Currently populating colleges and businesses across the nation, Millennials are the people who are holding the latest iPhone, know the difference between Uber and Lyft, and can sometimes repeat stories in 120 characters or less. These people are the driving force behind new ideas and innovations that are constantly appearing online, offline, and on platforms we have yet to even imagine.

For a weekend and one day, I was able to submerge myself among these amazing professionals during Forbes’ Under 30 Summit held in the tech-savvy center of Boston from October 16-19. More than 5,000 young professionals flocked to the massive event to join the many panels and discussions revolving around new media, professionalism in the 21st century, and how to make the next coolest gadget.

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These Shows May Not Have Been Written For You, But It’d Be Super Cool If You Watched Anyway

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We’re coming up on the 60th anniversary of the television becoming a staple in American homes. And I can’t be the only one who’s noticed the spectacularly colorful fall line-up of shows this year.

Marvel’s Luke Cage (Netflix). Insecure (HBO). Atlanta (FX).

But I’m already fearful for these shows’ longevity. Because there are some who feel uncomfortable by their very existence.

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History in the Making

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I’m very excited to host a guest blog from a go-getter BC Law 1L, Brianna Marshall. She is originally from central Pennsylvania, and graduated from Bucknell University in 2015 with a degree in Animal Behavior and a French minor. During her gap year, Brianna lived in New York City, working for several nonprofits dedicated to food policy and global hunger. At BC Law, Brianna is now a 1L Section Representative for the Art Law Society and a Staff Writer for the Intellectual Property and Technology Forum (IPTF) Journal. Have questions about life as a 1L? Contact Brianna at brianna.marshall@bc.edu. 

Election season is fully upon us and, as expected, BC Law is abuzz with many of the same tensions, fears, and frustrations felt throughout the country given the current political climate. Continue reading →

Regulation and Moderation: Lessons from the Subprime Disaster

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I’m James Barasch, a 2L and I’m pleased to writing for Impact again this year! I used to run a book and movie review blog during my time at Tufts University, and I thought I’d continue that tradition here at BC Law.

The great financial crisis of 2007-2009 was an economic Pearl Harbor for many of us at BC Law School. As the Crash of 1929 and the Stagflation of the ‘70s did in previous generations, the failure and instability of many seemingly unbreakable banks, financial institutions, and large corporations caused large ripples of financial insecurity and uncertainty that are taking years to work through the economy.

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The Cases We Read: Pennoyer v. Neff

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What comes to mind when you hear the words, “personal jurisdiction”?

Fear? Loathing? Confusion because you’re a 1L or prospective student who has no idea what this is?

One of the things that fascinated me most when I came to law school was the fact that here we are in the 21st century and we’re still studying cases from close to 200 years ago. Frankly, I was rather annoyed when I realized this—was I supposed to have come into law school with the word “forsooth” as part of my working lexicon?  Continue reading →

My Summer with a Judge

/ Venus Chui / Leave a comment

What’s it like to be a judge?

It’s my sixth week of working for Judge Dineen Riviezzo of the Kings County (Brooklyn) Supreme Court. Judge Riviezzo hears felony cases and Article 10 civil confinement cases. Also, every Friday, she’s in charge of the juvenile offender part, where she hears cases involving 14, 15, and 16-year-olds who would normally be heard in Family Court, but because they commit certain serious crimes, are heard in Supreme Court (but are often afforded youthful offender treatment).

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View of Brooklyn from the Judge’s chambers

So far, I can say that being a judge requires three major qualities.

First, it requires patience. Whether it’s dealing with an attorney’s mistake, sorting out a disagreement between the parties, or waiting for a defendant to be produced or parties to show up, I’ve learned that for judges, every day is a test of patience. Continue reading →

These are a few of my favorite things

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Yesterday was a day of celebration for me and my fellow 1Ls. It was the day that the writing competition was due. It was the day that we could finally embrace summer.

While all of us are understandably eager to have a break from school, I always like to leave a little room for nostalgia. Below are a few anecdotes that I gathered from my 1L friends about their favorite memories from this year, to remind us of what made our first year of law school so special. Enjoy!

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The Primacy of BC Law Clerks

/ Charlene Ochogo / 1 Comment
Hi everyone! I am very pleased to be able to host a guest blog today from the Hon. Denis Cohen, BC Law ’76 and a judge in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, the top level trial court in Pennsylvania. 
 

What do I do now?

It was the fall of 2000. Tom Ridge, who was Governor of Pennsylvania at the time, appointed me as a Court of Common Pleas Judge (the top level trial court in Pennsylvania), and I was confirmed by the State Senate. I was about to preside over many trials. What should my next step be—and what about hiring for that all-important position of law clerk?

As the president of the BC Law Alumni Association’s Philadelphia-Area chapter, I thought it would be great to have a BC law graduate serve as my clerk. Given the distance from Philadelphia to Boston, I didn’t know if that would be possible. I contacted the Director of Career Services, who was thrilled that I had reached out. She knew a recent alumnus who wanted to practice in Philadelphia. Before I knew it, I was interviewing Gabriel. He was impressive, so I hired him.

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A Letter to the Class of 2019 from the President-Elect of the LSA

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Editor’s Note: Alex Porter will serve as the President of the Boston College Law Students Association for the 2016-17 academic year. Much like his predecessor, Alex embodies the very best qualities that BC Law students have to offer. As a member of the Boston College Law Review alongside him, I know for a fact that as incoming students you will be in very capable hands. Without further ado, I am very pleased to present his welcome letter to the Class of 2019.

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President-Elect Alex Porter (second from right) along with three of his classmates.

Congratulations on your admission to Boston College Law School!

This August, you will become the newest (and most celebrated!) members of our truly extraordinary community.  It is a community that eschews one-size-fits-all happiness because we choose instead to value the whole person.  Here, it matters that you were the captain of your track team in college, or served as an aide to the Secretary of Transportation, or had first-hand knowledge of tort law due to an unfortunate car accident.  Here, whether your family came on the Mayflower or whether you just stepped off the plane from Bangalore, your classmates will want to know – and will value – your story. Please understand that this doesn’t mean an easy ride; you will work harder than you ever have in your life, and you will be challenged to achieve more than you thought possible in the classroom and beyond. But you will do it in a supportive, caring environment that lifts you up so we all get there together, rather than tearing you down.

Friendly competition can be a great thing, but cutthroat competition is not, and we won’t stand for that here.

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