Alumni talk with students about law school, access to justice and more at Pre-Law Day

Ohio University students got tips and encouragement about applying to law school and talked with alumni about their careers and timely topics drawn from the headlines at Pre-Law Day on March 2.

Eighteen attorneys from a variety of different legal backgrounds came to Athens to talk, eat and learn with current Bobcats. The morning began with attorneys leading panels on a variety of topics, including law school advice, criminal law, corporate law, and the intersection of law and gender.

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“I was very impressed with the academic and social accomplishments, enthusiasm, and ambition of the student attendees at Pre-Law Day and look forward to seeing many of them joining this profession in the future,” said attorney Marisa Saber of Cozen O’Connor. Saber earned a B.A. in Political Science - Pre-Law from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2003, followed by a J.D. from DePaul University.

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The afternoon keynote was delivered by corporate attorney Leah Recht, a partner at Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe LLP in San Francisco. Recht graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Psychology and an English minor from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2006, followed by a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Recht focused her speech on overcoming impostor syndrome in the legal profession.

"I left Pre-Law Day inspired by these student leaders, their dedicated educators and the other speakers—the future of the legal profession is in such good hands. And I won't wait another 15 years to return to campus!" Recht said.

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Alumni were not the only presenters of the day. Student leaders from pre-law organizations on campus including the ACLU Campus Action Team, Ohio Innocence Project, Mock Trial, Students Defending Students, Phi Alpha Delta, and the Board of Directors for the Center for Student Legal Services had the opportunity to showcase their own experiential learning opportunities.

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The afternoon also gave students opportunities to network with alumni and participate in roundtable discussions on pressing issues in the profession, including access to justice, race and the law, and the Supreme Court.

Judge Sean Gallagher of the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals was impressed by the students, noting, “While the intent was to empower the students, I came away from the experience feeling I personally had grown as a lawyer.” Gallagher earned a bachelor's degree from OHIO's University College in 1978 followed by a J.D. from Cleveland Marshall College of Law.

Finally, several students were recognized for outstanding contributions to the pre-law community and given further funding and support to pursue their legal endeavors.

Taylor Schneider, Carson Sarver, Nick Mamula, Mary Harte, Mia Yingling, Hannah Louck, Elena Baker, and Abi Scherer were awarded the Law School Application Support Fund for 2022-2023.  This alumni supported fund provides support for students as they prepare for the Law School Admissions Test and submit their law school applications. Students are selected on academic merit, financial need, and commitment to law, justice and culture.

Additionally, Victoria Copeland was awarded the Yousef M. Faroniya Scholarship in Law, Justice & Culture. This scholarship was established by the late Yousef Faroniya, an OHIO alumus and Columbus-based attorney, in order to give back and remain actively involved with the OHIO and Athens community. This endowed scholarship is awarded to at least one student enrolled in the Undergraduate Certificate in Law, Justice & Culture.

Finally, Jocelin Arbenz was awarded the inaugural Social Justice Internship Fund and spent last summer interning at the Ohio Innocence Project. The award provides funding for students pursuing social justice internships. This year, as a result of increased alumni funding, the program will be expanded to fund four positions.

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“The day was a great success,” said Larry Hayman, Esq., director of legal engagement and the pre-law program at the Center for Law, Justice and Culture and Center for Advising, Career, and Experiential Learning.

“From alumni career mentoring to celebrating the hard work and dedication of our pre-law students, students and alumni alike came away with a sense of community, connection, and accomplishment,” he said.

Alumni attending Pre-Law Day

• Merisa Bowers, Loss Prevention Counsel, Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company
• Prof. David Crane, ’72, ’73M, founding Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone
• Prof. Robert Foehl, '91, Executive in Residence for Business Law and Ethics, Ohio University
• Hon. Sean Gallagher, ’78, Judge, Eighth District Court of Appeals, Cleveland, Ohio
• Joseph Gibson, ’05, Chief City Prosecutor, City of Columbus
• Kevin Kovach, ’05, Review Manager, Ernst & Young
• Doug Lowe, ’82, Attorney,
• Caitlyn McDaniel, ’15, Staff Attorney, Southeastern Ohio Legal Services
• Tracy Meek, ’03, Chief City Prosecutor, Athens, Ohio
• Mike Muth, ’72, Judge, East Stroudsburg, PA
• Leah Recht '06, Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, San Francisco
• Maddie Rettig, ’16, Associate Attorney, Marshall Forman & Schlein
• John Rubis, ’02, Partner, Ritzler, Doughlin & Paglia, Ltd. Cleveland, Ohio
• Helen Robinson, Attorney, Marshall, Forman & Schlein, Columbus, Ohio
• Micah Siegal, ’05, Chief Legal Officer, PG Group
• Marisa Saber, ’03, Member, Cozen O’Connor
• Hon. Clarke VanDervort, ’75, Retired United States Magistrate Judge, Bluefield & Beckley, WV
• Lydia Wendel, ’20, 3L, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law