Dr. Amanda Higginson L’25 and Dr. Tobias Mattei L’25 are featured in the ABA Journal article “Jurist Doctors: Physicians Return to Law School for New Challenges.” The article examines the trend of physicians returning to school to obtain a law degree. Higginson and Mattei attended the College of Law’s hybrid online JDinteractive program.
Dr. Mattei, Chief of Spine Surgery and Associate Professor, Division of Neurological Surgery at St. Louis University, decided to attend law school during COVID-19 to assist in his review of potential legal cases and other instances where he was an expert witness.
Dr. Tobias Mattei L’25
“I just wanted to be smarter than the attorneys I was dealing with, to make sure I could understand the framework” of legal cases,” says the spinal cord specialist who has a few patent applications. “Very few doctors, especially neurosurgeons, have this special knowledge.”
Dr. Higginson, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Clinical Sciences, and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, is a U.S. Navy veteran who used the GI Bill to attend the College of Law.
“Our office handles all of the policies surrounding the medical students,” she says. “I view those now in a slightly different way, in terms of the language used.”
Some people know from an early age that they want to be lawyers. For others, the path to a law degree comes later, shaped by life experiences and schooling. What is undeniable is that a J.D. degree offers incredible flexibility to chart a successful career, no matter the challenges or circumstances that come along the way.
That’s the experience of Danielle Wild L’15, an Associate Teaching Professor at Syracuse Law and a member of the Legal Communication and Research (LCR) faculty.
Wild’s path back to her alma mater—and into teaching—was not direct or fully intentional.
She originally planned to pursue a career as a forensic psychologist, earning a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice at Roberts Wesleyan College (now University). During her undergraduate studies, she became more aware of and passionate about restorative justice, the Innocence Project, and wrongful convictions.
“When my interests started going in that direction, I decided to graduate early and gain experience in the legal field,” she explains. “Several professors encouraged me to consider law school. I worked as a paralegal for a year, and that confirmed I wanted go this route [to law school].”
While she applied to many law schools, she chose Syracuse Law to stay close to family and accommodate fast life changes. “I grew up in Syracuse, and my whole family is here,” she says. “I was living in Rochester when I decided I wanted to go to law school. I got married a month before starting law school while my husband was finishing graduate school. We decided we wanted to stay near family.”
That decision turned out to be a very fulfilling one for Wild. At Syracuse Law, she competed on the National Trial Team and was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society (now the Travis H.D. Lewin Advocacy Honor Society). Additionally, she served as the Secretary of the Justinian Honor Society, a Law Ambassador, and an editor on the Syracuse Law Review. As a 3L, she was a Legal Communication and Research Assistant to Professor Shannon Gardner.
Wild remembers law school fondly: “I loved law school. I made the most of a variety of opportunities while here. I thrived, and as soon as I left, I missed it. A part of me always thought I’d return to academia, but I didn’t expect to teach until later in my career.”
After graduating, Wild worked at a criminal defense firm in Rochester for two years, handling a spectrum of criminal matters at trial and on appeal. Working at the firm ended up not being a good fit for Wild for various reasons, and when starting a family came into the picture, the flexibility of her J.D. became a lynchpin for her next career step: opening a solo practice focused on criminal appeals and post-conviction advocacy.
“I opened a solo practice because of the flexibility and autonomy it gave me. My first son was only a few months old when I left the firm. I quickly wrapped up my trial cases and focused on appellate work, which gave me more control over my schedule. What started as a necessity based on life circumstances turned into a successful practice. I carved out a niche in the Rochester area and earned a strong reputation. I received some offers to join other firms over the years, but I declined them because I couldn’t see myself practicing law any other way.”
While her practice continued to grow, along with her involvement in the Monroe County Bar Association, the call to return to law school beckoned in Fall 2022, when she was presented with an opportunity to join the Syracuse Law faculty as an adjunct professor. “The doors started opening to teach classes here and there. I loved it, and that led me to pursue a full-time position,” she says.
“I prioritize the mastery of skills alongside legal doctrine. I try to show students how what they’re learning translates into practice and informs the everyday work that lawyers do.”
—Danielle Wild L’15
That full-time position came to fruition in Spring 2024, when Wild joined the LCR faculty, also teaching courses in criminal law and advocacy. Wild draws on her experiences both as a firm lawyer and solo practitioner to shape her teaching.
“I prioritize the mastery of skills alongside legal doctrine,” Wild explains. “I try to show students how what they’re learning translates into practice and informs the everyday work that lawyers do. In my legal writing classes, for example, we work through a mock case over the semester. We begin with preliminary research to understand a discrete area of law, then engage in fact-gathering—such as a client consultation or other simulated exercise—before conducting additional research and refining our analysis. We translate that work into legal writing. I believe this approach helps students see legal analysis as an essential skill and understand how it fits into real-world practice.”
Wild and Setzer meet to discuss coursework in Dineen Hall.
Julian Setzer L’25 had Professor Wild for LCR II and was so impressed with her teaching style he is now taking her Appellate Advocacy class. “Professor Wild communicates her goals for the class very clearly since in law school, there’s not a lot of black and white, there’s a ton of gray areas. The assignment she has given us in the appellate class is very practical.”
“I identify with the level of professionalism and work ethic that it takes to be a professor, a practitioner, and a parent and at the same time be a decent human being. To do all that and smile through it is an admirable trait.”
—Julian Setzer L’25
Wild’s career path is a testament to the versatility of a J.D. degree—one that helped her find her way back to her alma mater and a place she loves.
“I identify with the level of professionalism and work ethic that it takes to be a professor, a practitioner, and a parent and at the same time be a decent human being. To do all that and smile through it is an admirable trait. And I think every law student should take Professor Wild to learn how to achieve that,” says Setzer.
Being able to make your point clearly and concisely. Your reader should only need to read your work once to understand—and agree with—your analysis or argument.
I often tell my students to think of legal analysis like a lab report. Legal analysis is a thought experiment, and like a lab report, it must be meticulously structured and detailed so the reader can follow each step, replicate the experiment, and reach the same result.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit will hold oral arguments at Syracuse University College of Law on March 28 from 10 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. The oral arguments are free and open to the public. Seating is limited.
The court session will be held in the Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom in Dineen Hall, 950 Irving Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13244.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory covers the states of Connecticut, New York, and Vermont, and it has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: District of Connecticut. Eastern District of New York. Northern District of New York. Southern District of New York, Western District of New York, and District of Vermont.
The U.S. Court of Appeals sits just below the Supreme Court of the United States in the judicial branch of the federal government.
“The Court of Appeals from the Second Circuit is one of the most influential courts in the country. It is of great honor for the College of Law to host the Court and provide our students, faculty, and the community at large an opportunity to see jurisprudence in action at the highest level,” says College of Law Dean Terence Lau.
The case and panel of judges will be updated by the Court on their calendar closer to the court session date.
Cameras and video recording devices are not permitted in the courtroom during arguments.
Brett VanBuren L’25 went to college at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with the intention of serving his country. But, his college plans were sidelined by an injury that resulted in an honorable discharge. Still, he remained true to West Point’s mission of creating “leaders of character” who were “ready for a lifetime of service” on a new path that led him to Syracuse University College of Law.
After finishing his bachelor’s degree at Marist College and working in marketing in New York City, he enrolled at Syracuse Law in 2022. Today, VanBuren is a 3L who has made the most of his time at Syracuse Law, taking on leadership roles in several of the School’s societies, including president of the Corporate Law Society and treasurer of the Military and Veterans Law Society, the Intellectual Property Law Society and the International Law Society.
During the 2022-2023 academic year, he served as president of the Class of 2025. And, in 2023, VanBuren was issued the Unsung Hero Award by the Syracuse Student Bar Association (SBA) in recognition for the hard work and achievements in organizing many in-person and virtual events, volunteering at SBA functions and raising the most money in recent history for a first-year class at Syracuse Law. VanBuren is the former law school representative to the Syracuse University board of trustees, which is the highest appointed leadership position for a Syracuse Law student.
“I’m involved in a lot of activities. When I was a 1L, I was the person organizing a happy hour during orientation week, so we could all get to know each other, or, this year, planning the General Counsel Symposium through the Corporate Law Society that brought students together with alumni and other general counsels from across the country,” he explains. “I’m grateful that others see me as a leader and someone who will advocate for them or acknowledge that their complaints or ideas have been heard. I think it’s important to be a leader wherever you go.”
His original intention was to work in corporate law. But, it was Teaching Professor Elizabeth Kubala, director of Veteran and Military Affairs and Executive Director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic, who knew VanBuren had attended West Point and asked if he’d ever considered the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG). According to VanBuren, JAGs serve as lawyers in a wide range of legal roles for the Army, covering a wide gambit of topics. In a legal assistance capacity, JAGs help with divorce, child custody issues, immigration, writing wills and any other legal assistance that soldiers, veterans or their dependents need. They also handle administrative law issues related to labor and employment, environmental law, working with international partners, and issues related to laws or war and laws of armed contract, as well as criminal law and court-martials.
With his interest piqued, VanBuren was accepted into the highly competitive JAG Corps Intern Program, which only takes 30 1Ls each summer from across the country. Following his first year of law school, he spent the summer at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, where he helped soldiers and their dependents in the Legal Assistance Office. The following summer, he continued with the program, this time in Italy, where he was sent to Caserma Ederla, an Italian military base outside of Venice. There he worked with Italian legal authorities and assisted the commander of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade, a contingency response force in Europe. He also enjoyed having the chance to soak up the culture of Italy during his three-month stay. These experiences convinced him that the JAG Corps would be an excellent career path for him. So, when VanBuren was recently offered a commission into the JAG Corps following the completion of law school, he was honored to accept.
“My career path wasn’t the one I had originally planned, but it seems it is working out. Syracuse Law has been a big part of making my dream of being a lawyer come true, while at the same time helping me find my way back to the U.S. Army.”
—Brett VanBuren L’25
“I’m excited to work not only as a lawyer but also as an army officer. It forces me to not only be competent in my legal tasks but also my warrior tasks,” he explains, noting that while he doesn’t yet know where he’ll be stationed, he hopes to work his way up to be a brigade judge advocate, someone who serves as a general counsel to a brigade commander. “It’s really rewarding work assisting a commander in getting the mission done.”
VanBuren poses with classmates and professors outside the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland during the International Tax Law short course in 2024.
While VanBuren plans to stay with the Army for a while, his long-term goal is to be a general counsel for a Fortune 500 company. However, for now, he is concentrating on his studies as a 3L and passing the New York State bar exam, while continuing to be involved with various activities at Syracuse Law.
“My career path wasn’t the one I had originally planned, but it seems it is working out. Syracuse Law has been a big part of making my dream of being a lawyer come true, while at the same time helping me find my way back to the U.S. Army,” he says. ”I’m grateful for everyone here who was part of my law school experience.”
Luis “Lu” Weierbach L’25, a U.S. Army Captain, attended the Military Commissions proceedings at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba this past summer as an observer with the National Institute of Military Justice (NIMJ.) Weierbach was nominated to participate by Professor Elizabeth Kubala, a NIMJ Fellow, and submitted a paper to the NIMJ detailing his observations.
Weierbach flew to Guantanamo Bay along with other trial observers, family members of victims, and personnel from the Pentagon’s Office of Military Commissions. He observed a week of pretrial motions in the 9/11 Case, which is a joint trial of four men charged with crimes tied to the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. Weierbach observed motions from the defense to exclude evidence that the defense contends was derived from unlawful interrogations. Defense expert testimony included extensive evidence from Dr. Charles A. Morgan III, a clinical and forensic psychiatrist and an international expert in memory and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These pretrial hearings were to determine whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Letterhead Memoranda (“memoranda”) that details the Defendants’ confessions will be admissible during the trial which has not yet been scheduled. For most Defendants, the memoranda are a substantial part of the Government’s body of evidence.
In a presentation recounting what impacted him the most, Weierbach encouraged others to put themselves in the place of the family members of the 9/11 victims. “Imagine the family members, boarding a plane with the team that is defending the detainees and the judge who makes the rulings. And imagine, too, the press, a huge organization that has its own tilt. Certain members of the press have advocated heavily for the detainees. Imagine being a family member and being in such close physical proximity to all these individuals on the flight there.”
Weierbach continued sharing his thoughts. “Then, imagine a week of interesting testimony with an expert who is suggesting key evidence against the accused should be excluded. Imagine yourself as a family member of a 9/11 victim being on the flight back with that witness.” Weierbach astutely shared these and other unusual aspects of the legal proceedings occurring in Guantanamo Bay that differ greatly from legal processes back on U.S. soil.
NIMJ was founded in 1991 to advance the fair administration of military justice and to foster improved public understanding of the military justice system. Following President George W. Bush’s order that authorized military commissions, NIMJ studied and commented on the procedures established to hold and prosecute detainees by the Department of Defense. NIMJ continues to appear regularly as amicus curiae in cases involving detainee issues, to publish reports related to the military commissions, and to educate the public on the military commissions through its website.
The Department of Defense invites a few non‐governmental organizations to observe military commissions in an effort to satisfy the right to a public trial. As part of this program, NIMJ has been sending observers to the military commissions at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2008. While several other organizations observe the proceedings, NIMJ’s observations are unique because of the military justice background of NIMJ board members and fellows. NIMJ’s leadership includes former judge advocates, private practitioners, and legal scholars. NIMJ’s observers attempt to put the proceedings in the appropriate historical, legal, and military context.
Syracuse University College of Law continues to demonstrate its commitment to student success with recent bar exam passage rates. Among all jurisdictions, 86% of recent graduates—those who earned their degrees between 2022 and 2024—successfully passed the bar exam in the February or July 2024 administration. In Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) jurisdictions, which covers 41 states, the pass rate for the same cohort was an impressive 88%. These results also reflect a 163% increase in bar success among those students most at risk on the bar exam, which was achieved through individualized, data-driven support strategies.
“By strengthening academic support and bar preparation programs, we ensure our graduates have the best possible chance of success on the bar exam and in their legal careers.”
—Kelly Curtis, Associate Dean of Students
These results highlight the effectiveness of Syracuse Law’s strategic investments in bar preparation and academic support. “Our targeted initiatives are making a significant impact on student outcomes,” said Associate Dean of Students Kelly Curtis. “By strengthening academic support and bar preparation programs, we ensure our graduates have the best possible chance of success on the bar exam and in their legal careers.”
Over the past several years, the College has implemented key initiatives that position grads for the rigors of the exam and their legal careers. These include:
Improved admissions profile with higher median LSAT scores and GPAs.
Curricular enhancements designed to focus on bar-related coursework.
Expanded academic success programming, offering earlier interventions and targeted support starting before the third year.
New staff hires in the Office of Academic and Bar Success and increased resources focused on bar preparation.
The results speak for themselves: This marks a 15-year high for first-time bar takers. In February 2024, Syracuse Law was ranked No. 8 for ultimate bar passage and No. 27 for first-time bar test takers by preLaw Magazine in its Winter 2024 edition. Additionally, for seven of the past eight graduating classes, the College’s ultimate bar passage rate exceeded 90%, demonstrating consistent, long-term success.
“At Syracuse Law, we are dedicated to equipping our students with the tools they need to excel academically and professionally.”
—Terence Lau L’98, Dean
Building on this momentum, Syracuse Law has partnered with Kaplan Bar Review to further enhance student readiness. “At Syracuse Law, we are dedicated to equipping our students with the tools they need to excel academically and professionally,” said Dean Terence Lau L’98. “The partnership with Kaplan strengthens Dean Curtis’s comprehensive approach to bar preparation, ensuring that students receive structured support throughout their law school journey, culminating in a robust bar review program to set them up for success.” This partnership provides expanded resources and preparation strategies, ensuring even greater success for future graduates.
Looking ahead, Syracuse Law is proactively preparing for the NextGen Bar Exam, which launches in July 2026. Faculty and administrators are actively working with students to adapt to this new era of attorney licensure, ensuring that Syracuse graduates remain well-prepared.
Syracuse Law’s commitment to student success is evident not only in its strong bar passage rates but also in its forward-thinking approach to legal education. By continually enhancing programming and investing in student success, Syracuse Law is setting the standard for bar exam preparation and legal education excellence.
(Syracuse, NY – January 23, 2025) Syracuse University College of Law is adding the Syracuse Medical Legal Partnership (SLMP) to its Office of Clinical Legal Education starting with the Spring 2025 semester. Professor Suzette Meléndez will be the co-director of the new clinic along with Dr. Steven Blatt of Upstate University Hospital and Professor Sarah Reckess L’09 of Upstate Medical University.
The SMLP is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the pediatric unit at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University College of Law. SMLP provides legal advocacy to improve the overall health and well-being of vulnerable patient populations. SMLP also works to achieve systemic change through the multidisciplinary education of law students, medical students, residents, and other professionals whose expertise is important to this goal. Doctors and lawyers will learn to work collaboratively to attain favorable outcomes for patients. Through this Partnership, patients receive critical legal assistance while professionals learn about using community resources and employing cooperative strategies to benefit patients and clients in their practices.
“The main goal of the SMLP is to educate law students about the role lawyers can play in positively affecting the lives of children that are facing significant medical and sociological obstacles,” says Meléndez. “Likewise, we hope to educate medical and social work professionals in how to best work with legal representation to deliver the best outcomes to patients.”
The SMLP combines a clinical offering and the Child Health Policy and Legal Practice course for students interested in developing legal skills and policy analysis in children’s health. Students will provide non-litigation legal services (intake, advice, research, and referrals) for a busy pediatric clinic in Syracuse around legal issues that impact healthcare access and outcomes. This may include children’s access to education, safe housing, medical equipment, family court issues, government aid programs, transition-age youth, and more. Special populations served by SMLP will be patients who have complex medical needs and patients who are aging out of pediatric health care and social services and need to preserve their legal rights.
“The SLMP is a unique approach to bridging the legal and sociological gap among a vulnerable population that is often faced with navigating the complicated systems during a crisis,” says Dean Terence Lau L’98. “Likewise, Syracuse Law students will gain critical skills such as interviewing clients and researching legal and policy solutions that are invaluable to their legal careers.”
Students can register for the clinic when they select classes for the Spring 2025 semester. Students enrolled in the SMLP must be co-enrolled in Child Health Policy and Legal Practice as the classroom component of this experiential course.
The College of Law offers students the opportunity to participate in seven clinics: Bankruptcy, Betty & Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic, Criminal Defense, Housing, Sherman F. Levey ’57, L’59 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, Syracuse Legal Medical Partnership, and Transactional Law.
Raised in Austin, Texas, Daniel Tyrone L’25 did not come from a family of lawyers. In fact, his happy, suburban childhood was thanks to the hard work of his parents, who ran their own small businesses. His dad had a contracting company, and his mom owned a small restaurant.
“My first real exposure to law was as a kid interacting with lawyers who would come into the restaurant,” he says. “As I started to get some insight into their world, it quickly became apparent to me the complexities of the situations they had to deal with and that that the job of an attorney included mental deep dives into heavy matters—a perception that never left me.”
After graduating from Texas State University, he admits he was a bit lost, but he could “hold a conversation with a brick wall,” which led him to his first professional job as a headhunter. That led him down a career path working in internal recruitment, employee relations and human resources at a number of companies. Today, he is the vice president for human resources for Bishop Lifting Products, Inc., a private equity-backed organization operating in the industrial lift niche. And, while he intends to stay in his current role, he is eager to soon be adding “legal counsel” to his title.
It was his work in employee relations that reignited his thoughts about studying the law. “As an employee relations specialist, your job is to investigate and mitigate any employee-related matters, particularly those with legal ramifications,” he explains. “I found that I really loved exploring basic employment law and enjoyed the research, as well as the opportunity to talk to some of the employment counsel.”
As he grew to better grasp this type of work, he noticed that many colleagues throughout every job function treated the law as a bit of an afterthought, noting that most smaller companies often do not have the luxury of inhouse legal counsel and avoid getting outside counsel due to cost. “I didn’t understand why others avoided researching the law, but I also realized it was an opportunity for me,” he says.
“Working in HR and also being in charge of legal makes me so much more valuable as an employee.”
—Daniel Tyrone L’25
It was the COVID pandemic that amplified his focus on the need for legal counsel in the workplace. He was still employed but stuck at home, so he took a practice LSAT one day. “I scored much higher than I thought I would,” Tyrone says. “So, I decided to run with it. I studied for the LSATs for four months and got a great score.”
Tyrone wasn’t looking for a change in his career path but an enhancement to the one he already had. “Working in HR and also being in charge of legal makes me so much more valuable as an employee,” he says.
However, he knew he couldn’t put his career on hold and, more importantly, he needed to be attentive to his wife and two children, so he sought out a program with flexibility.
“I didn’t know how limited my options were when it came to finding a hybrid law school,” Tyrone says. “I assumed that JD programs were like MBA programs and that every institution would have an online option, but I was wrong. I cannot tell you how happy I was when I found Syracuse Law’s JDinteractive Program (JDi). Not only was it what I was looking for, but it was at Syracuse University! That’s a brand. Everyone from Texas has heard of Syracuse!”
“My classmates are 25 to 60-plus with careers that range from a brain surgeon, a professional gambler, Fortune 500 execs, a news anchor, a farmer and some stay-at-home parents. Words cannot describe how bright the people in my cohort are. That’s the beauty of this program is that it allows those with limited time and many responsibilities to earn their JD.”
—Daniel Tyrone L’25
Now a 3L at Syracuse Law, Tyrone is well on his way to enhancing his HR career. He has nothing but praise for the way the JDi program allows him to juggle law school with the rest of his responsibilities, but his real admiration is for the diversity in backgrounds of his cohort.
“My classmates are 25 to 60-plus with careers that range from a brain surgeon, a professional gambler, Fortune 500 execs, a news anchor, a farmer and some stay-at-home parents. Words cannot describe how bright the people in my cohort are. That’s the beauty of this program is that it allows those with limited time and many responsibilities to earn their JD,” he says. “I’ve made great memories and formed great relationships, and I have the text chains over the past three years to prove it—filled with law theories, debates, sports conversations, parenting advice and more.”
Tyrone looks at his JDi experience as one of the best decisions he ever made and nothing short of “amazing,” as he looks forward to completing his degree and using his hard-earned legal skills in his career.
“I’m not sure I was anything exceptional to Syracuse Law,” he says with humility, “but Syracuse Law was exceptional to me.”
This panel will focus on the potential contributions of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) to socioeconomics and the study of law. In particular, the discussion will consider the role of the state, mechanisms for achieving full employment (including job guarantees), the relationship (or lack of one) between fiscal policy and inflation, the importance of community investment, and how to make these topics accessible and relevant to law students and legal scholars.
In many respects Fourth Amendment doctrine has evolved to expand law enforcement power to act on suspicions, frequently to the disadvantage of disfavored groups. Reversing these patterns is not just a matter of academic interest but a pressing need, amplified with the advent of more intrusive and pervasive surveillance technologies. Participants in this discussion will address the ways that suspicion is defined and constructed, its role (or failed potential) in constraining government power, the need for alternatives to suspicion to regulate mass data surveillance, and the potential for suspicion to serve as cover for bias.
In alignment with the conference theme of Courage in Action, this year’s program will focus on discussing the difficulties older adults experience in accessing basic needs, including healthcare and utilization of health technology; housing, aging in place, and long-term care; employment and retirement; and estate planning. As we age, we face significant life transitions that intersect with the law in these areas as well as others that can be challenging to navigate.
A key goal of the Section is to support our members in every aspect of their careers, including their scholarship. This panel provides section members with the opportunity to present a work-in-progress and receive feedback from senior scholars and other section members.
The Section believes that it is time to re-think the basic relationship between law and economics. Economics was introduced into legal scholarship as a tool for conservative political positions in the 1980s. It is time to recapture this valuable branch of modern knowledge and apply it to pressing topics such as climate change, automation and employment, and the relationships between the underregulation of finance, corruption, instability, and racial inequality. Participants will explore how a combined legal, economic, and social science approach can be productively applied to these topics.
It has been said that a “law degree is a leadership degree” and much has been written on the need for law schools to educate leaders. Fortunately, many legal educators have responded in interesting and courageous ways. Starting with visionaries like Dean Donald Polden and Professor Deborah Rhode–both of whom courageously fought for their vision of leadership development as part of legal education–the field has continued to evolve and grow. Fortunately, leadership development and leadership education–like leadership itself–is not limited to a one-size-fits-all approach. A plethora of different approaches to leadership development have emerged recently with different focuses, tactics, and desired outcomes. In this discussion group, we will discuss and celebrate these different approaches as we look at how law schools can best develop their students into good lawyer-leaders.
Gabrielle Amaturo L’25, editor-in-chief of the Journal of International Law and Commerce(JILC), was invited to speak at the American Society of International Law (ASIL) Midyear Meeting on the Roundtable for International Law Journal Editors.
Amaturo answered questions about the conference and its impact on JILC.
Why were you invited to the conference?
As the current Editor-in-Chief of JILC, I was invited to speak on behalf of our Journal and to collaborate with others in our field by discussing current events and approaches to running a journal. My attendance would not have been possible without the support of our advisor, Professor Cora True-Frost G’01, L’01, and the entire administration at the College of Law.
What did you learn at the conference?
I learned a lot about the variety of fields that International Law touches. I heard from scholars and professors about their upcoming research publications, and from seasoned legal practitioners about the real-time effects international law and policy have across so many sectors of life.
How will this impact your work on JILC?
From this experience, I was able to take away a deeper knowledge of running a journal and a broadened view of the level of scholarship that is being submitted for publishing. Knowing what legal scholars and professors are researching helps open our eyes to what issues of international law and commerce we want to highlight next.
How will this impact your future legal career?
Personally, this experience showed me the ways legal interests can intersect. As someone who comes from a business background and is now focusing on pursuing litigation while having interests in international law, I saw that there are career avenues that blend it together.
Is there anything else you would like current and prospective students to know about the conference?
I would recommend that students seek out and take up opportunities to attend conferences such as these. It was amazing to listen, learn, and let the legal world know about the amazing programs we have here at Syracuse Law!
First published in October of 1972, the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce is one of the oldest student-edited international law reviews in the United States.