widener university school of law ~ harrisburg … · though, alex has taken up residence in...

THE DIGEST

WIDENER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW ~ HARRISBURG CAMPUS law.widener.edu

VOLUME 2011/2012 ISSUE 18 JANUARY 9, 2012

THE DIGEST

January 9, 2012

Dear Students:

Welcome back! I hope you had a restful break and are looking forward to the opportunities awaiting you this semester. As I reflect on how far our law school has come in a relatively short period of time, I am excited about your future. The preparation you are receiving today will provide you with the tools you need to be successful and to make a positive contribution. I would like to share my thoughts on a tool that is critical to the success of any aspiring lawyer: professionalism.

As a lawyer, you trade on the strength of your reputation every day. A stellar reputation can open ca-reer doors, build a client base, or persuade the opposition. Conversely, a bad reputation can stunt your career growth, cause financial ruin and create insurmountable challenges in attracting and maintaining clients. It is important to recognize that, as a law student, you are building the founda-tion of your reputation now. While your current activities may not appear to have lasting implica-tions, they do. You can and should take control of the image you are projecting and exercise extreme care in all of your interactions.

The legal profession is particularly conservative and requires adherence to a strict code of profes-sionalism. By now, you already may be aware of aspects of this code such as honoring your agree-ments and meeting deadlines. Other aspects may be less obvious. For example, you should be pre-pared to address all judges, lawyers and legal professionals with whom you come in contact either in person or by e-mail with respect, civility and humility because your reputation and opportunities can be diminished by the smallest of slights. Often these individuals have a tremendous bank of knowl-edge but can be easily convinced not to share it with you in the face of rude behavior or an ambiva-lent attitude. Moreover, I urge you to exercise particular care when sending e-mails. Although they may be one of the most efficient forms of communication, they are completely ineffective when the tone is disrespectful, sarcastic or condescending or the format is too casual given the audience.

On a related subject, during Professional Development Day you were advised of the potential bene-fits and pitfalls of social networking sites. Some legal employers regularly check these sites looking for any information they can find about a prospective candidate. Specifically, they are interested in finding those red flags or items that suggest that your values or lifestyle would be at odds with that of the organization. Although you may think that your pages are private, they are not. Legal employers are finding ways around privacy restrictions. I mention this not to infringe on your First Amendment rights but to ensure that you are using these social networking sites to your greatest advantage. For example, sites such as LinkedIn can be a powerful networking tool if used properly.

(continued)

In some ways, the preceding points exist on the most basic level of professional competence. For the modern-day lawyer, however, this code of professionalism goes further and is more subtle. To-day’s legal employers require that lawyers possess not only intelligence but also present them-selves professionally at all times, and exhibit skills such as problem solving, emotional intelligence and leadership. These skills are essential in building and retaining a client base. Widener Law is committed to helping you build all of these important skills.

Some final thoughts:

To the first year students, I know the wait for grades can create anxiety as you return for second se-mester. As you begin your second semester, take the opportunity to re-evaluate your study habits to ensure you are maximizing your chances for success in law school. Studies show that the best indi-cator for success on the bar exam is success in law school. When grades come out, if your grades ex-ceed your expectations, be sure to continue your hard work. If your grades are not where you would like them to be, make changes to your study habits early and you will have plenty of time to see re-sults from your efforts.

To those who will graduate in May, congratulations! Although you are preparing to enter the legal profession during a challenging moment in our national history, you can be confident that your law degree is able to withstand the winds of any potential change. Refuse to be paralyzed by what you see or hear in the media. Instead, commit to redoubling your efforts, shoring up your personal and professional networks, and seeking out advice and opportunities through the Career Development Office, trusted faculty and mentors. The entire Widener community is dedicated to helping you suc-cessfully transition from student to lawyer. It is important to budget adequate time to study for the bar. Start now by reviewing your course materials. Make sure you are aware of the subjects covered on your bar exam of choice and take advantage of our early bar preparation programs. On a related subject, you also should carve out time to complete the bar exam application. You will be required to complete detailed questionnaires concerning your past criminal and driving history, places of resi-dence, and reference forms from your past employers. It is imperative that you take this fact-finding seriously because lack of disclosure on a bar exam application can form the basis for denial of ad-mission. Similarly, missing bar exam application deadlines carries significant penalties including paying increased fees or possibly waiting until the next bar administration.

I encourage all of you to seize this moment. Study well because the legal issues you are discussing are critical and the world needs critical thinkers. Be diligent in your search for part-time, pro bono summer or permanent positions and your persistence will yield results. I will continue to spread the good news about Widener Law and the wealth of talent that exists here. I wish you the best!

Sincerely,

Linda L. Ammons, J.D.

Associate Provost and Dean

VOLUME 2011/2012 ISSUE 18

WIDENER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW ~ HARRISBURG CAMPUS

Inside this issue: Letter from Dean Ammons 1

Inclement Weather Information 4

January W.O.W.I.E. 5

Alumni Spotlight 6

Widener Summer Abroad Info 9

Mobile Tax Van Information 10

REGISTRAR’S INFORMATION LINE

717-541-1941

STUDENT INFORMATION LINE

717-541-1939

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January

9 Classes Begin 16 Martin Luther King Day (no classes) 19 MLK Program 26 No Thursday Classes/Friday Class Schedule

Followed

February 7 United Way Mobile Tax Van 9 United Way Mobile Tax Van 9 Davor Photography/Graduation Photos 13 United Way Mobile Tax Van 14 In-Service Day (no classes) 15 United Way Mobile Tax Van 17 Law Journal Symposium

March 5-9 Spring Break 14 Jurist in Residence 24 Barrister’s Ball 26 Gedid Lecture Series

January Birthdays Professor Ann Fruth

Keena Neagle, Library

Monica Cliatt, Staff Attorney, Civil Law Clinic

Melissa Sorgi, Library

LEGAL INFORMATION

CENTER REGULAR LIBRARY HOURS Mon. – Thurs. 8:00 a.m. - Midnight

Friday 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Sunday 10:00 a.m. - Midnight

MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY HOURS

January 15 10:00 a.m.—8:00 p.m.

January 16 8:00 a.m.—8:00 p.m.

INCLEMENT WEATHER INFORMATION

Widener University students, faculty, and staff should look to internal Widener University communications channels for information on snow closings and delayed openings instead of television and radio. The options on those stations are too limited and permit no cus-tomization.

Therefore, with the exception of news about the Exton Campus, Widener University will no longer rely on television and radio stations to carry inclement weather announcements. We will continue to announce closings of the Exton Campus on television and radio.

Inclement weather announcements will be posted on these in internal communications channels:

www.widener.edu

www.law.widener.edu

CampusCruiser Widener University Alerts

Widener University Information Line at 610-499-4000, item 3.

e2campus text alerts and emails

Widener University’s email system

Widener University Facebook page

If you have not already done so, please sign up for e2campus emergency notifications. You will receive text messages on your cell phone as well as an email message. Sign up for e2campus no-tifications in the announcements section of Campus Cruiser.

You can also join the Widener University Facebook page at facebook.com/wideneruniversity.

Closings of the Delaware and Harrisburg Campuses will be announced by staff on those cam-puses.


JANUARY’S FUTURE ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT & WOWIE

January’s “Winner of Widener Indispensible Essentials” (WOWIE) and future alumni spotlight is Alex Kadochnikov. Alex’s hometown is Taganrog, Russia. He noted that during the cold war, this town was near a base of the Long Range Aviation. This was a branch of the Soviet Air Force tasked with long range pa-trol or bombardment of strategic targets with nuclear weapons. Most recently, though, Alex has taken up residence in Brooklyn, NY.

This month’s WOWIE earned his undergraduate degree in criminal justice from John Jay College in New York City. While in college, he also practiced Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

After completing his undergraduate coursework, Alex was drawn to Widener Law due to its location being relatively close to home. He plans to return to NYC, in fact, after graduating in December 2012. When he returns to the Big Apple, he hopes to practice immigration, real estate, or trusts and estates.

When we asked this seasoned student if he had any advice for 1L’s, his reply was, “Hornbooks, E&E's and Academic Support fellows - use them.”

The WOWIE award is given to a current student who is selected at random on a monthly basis. Each win-ning future alumnus/a will receive a gift from the Office of Alumni Relations and Development.

“Spend eighty percent of your time focusing on the opportunities of tomorrow rather than the problems of yesterday.”

~Brian Tracy


AALUMNILUMNI S SPOTLIGHTPOTLIGHT::

SSTEPHANIETEPHANIE N NYCUMYCUM D DOLIVEIRAOLIVEIRA, J.D. ‘96, J.D. ‘96 Life before Widener I was born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and attended Westmont Hilltop High School. After high school, I attended Penn State University and re‐ceived a Bachelor’s degree in Labor and Industrial Relations in May 1993.

Widener‐Harrisburg was one of three law schools to which I ap‐plied. I liked Widener‐Harrisburg because it was located in the state capitol, and it was less than 3 hours from home. My best friend (Julie Jakubowski Coyle, ’96) from high school was also planning to attend Widener!

I was inspired to go to law school by a college professor. While in college, I took courses in Labor law and Employment Discrimination

law. I loved both classes, and a professor suggested that I consider becoming an employment attorney. It was late in the game – I was a second semester Junior and decided to apply to law school.

In addition, my dream has always been to lead a large HR department, and I was convinced that a law degree, and experience with employment law, would give me an edge as I was pur‐suing my dream.

CAREER Sheetz, Inc. is a family‐owned and operated

chain of more than 400 convenience stores. Based in Al‐toona, PA, the company operates stores in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia and North Caro‐lina. More than 14,000 retail, distribution, manufacturing, transportation and corporate em‐ployees help to make Sheetz one of the fastest growing privately held companies in America. Sheetz was recently ranked #58 on the Forbes list of largest privately held companies. In addi‐tion, Sheetz has been named as one of the Best Places to Work in Ohio, Virginia, North Caro‐lina and Pennsylvania (10 years consecutively).

In my current role, I am responsible for setting the strategic direction for all aspects of Human Resources for Sheetz. This includes the entire life‐cycle of an employee: talent management (including recruitment, training and development), employee relations, compensation and benefits, and employee engagement.


Current Position

Vice President of Human Resources

Sheetz, Inc., Altoona, Pennsylvania

I spend a lot of time visiting Sheetz stores to meet and talk with our employees. Staying con‐nected to our employees is critical to our success as a company. The best ideas for process im‐provements and new products come from the thousands of employees who work in our stores.

The most challenging aspect of my job is to consistently provide solid strategic planning for our organization’s rapid growth. Each year, we build 25 to 30 new stores. Attracting the right tal‐ent for each store, ensuring every person gets the proper training and development and ensur‐ing we have the right management team at each store is a challenge. In addition, we are com‐mitted to providing a great place to work for every employee. This requires strong employee relations competencies and a great HR team to ensure every employee is treated fairly and consistently. It’s important to us as a company that we are providing our employees with a great environment in which to work!

In order to stay current on employment legislation, as well as best practices in HR, I belong to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In addition, I participate in executive roundtable sessions with other HR executives to uncover best practices.

Other jobs that I’ve held at Sheetz:

HR Manager at CLI Transport, the dedicated petroleum carrier for Sheetz, Inc. (2 years)

Manager of Employee Communications (6 years)

Co‐leader of the Brand Development Department (1 year) – which included oversight of all Public Relations and Consumer Research

Prior to joining Sheetz, I practiced labor and employment law with the firm Andrews, Wagner & Beard in Altoona, PA. This firm represented employers in all types of labor and employment matters. My primary areas of focus were employment discrimination litigation, labor relations, and general em‐ployer advice on employment practices (e.g. Civil Rights Act of 1964, FMLA, ADA, Workers’ Compen‐sation, etc…)

Reflections on Widener & Advice I believe that law school was a great foundation for my career as an HR executive. Skills learned and developed in law school, pri‐marily analytical, communication, and advocacy skills, are very ap‐plicable in the business arena. Leaders in organizations need to be able to thoroughly analyze situations in order to solve problems. Strong verbal and written communication skills, which are honed in law school, are a must in almost any professional setting. As the person responsible for representing the voice of our employees,

advocacy skills are always beneficial when presenting new ideas or concerns to our executive committee.


In addition, while in law school, I held a part time job at the PA Department of Revenue. While it may have been a less‐than‐glamorous job, it helped me to learn to develop a work‐life‐school balance. Learning to balance it all, especially if you land a job in a large law firm or a large corpo‐ration will be critical. It’s not easy to be a new lawyer – you work a lot of hours, doing work that may seem mundane or not exciting, and you don’t necessarily get paid a huge salary. Many of you will then go on to have a spouse and children. Mastering the art of work‐life balance will be a critical point to life‐long happiness and success!

Practicing law outside of a traditional law firm can be extremely rewarding. If you are part of an organization (e.g. in‐house counsel), you have the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of types of law. My advice to students who think that they may want to practice in a non‐traditional set‐ting is to seek out alumni or other contacts that are currently in that role. They will be able to describe the pros and cons of working in that particular setting. In addition, I would recommend that students look for internship experiences in non‐traditional settings – this will give you the real life experience to see if you actually like it!

Additional advice I think that finding what you are passionate about is the key

to happiness in a job or career. People who find jobs that match their personal passion tend to be happier with their career. If you don’t already know the answer to “what do you really care about,” I suggest you figure it out soon. Once you know what ignites the fire in your belly, you can begin to find firms, companies or organizations that match it, and can benefit from your skills and passion!


Sidebar Café January 9-13, 2012

Monday Kettle Classic Chili Soup

Montaque’s Deli Turkey, Bacon Ranch Wrap

Café Feature Egg & Cheese on a Muffin

Itza Pizza Pepperoni Pizza by the Slice

Tuesday Kettle Classic Pasta Fagiola Soup

Montaque’s Deli Hero Sub

Café Feature Egg, Cheese & Tomato Sandwich

Itza Pizza Ham & Pineapple Pizza by the Slice

Wednesday Kettle Classic Chicken Corn Soup

Montaque’s Deli Roast Beef Caesar Wrap

Café Feature Egg & Sausage Bagel

Itza Pizza Meat Lover’s Pizza by the Slice

Thursday Kettle Classic Lumber Jack Vegetable Soup

Montaque’s Deli Italian Sausage Sandwich

Café Feature Egg & Bacon Muffin Sandwich

Itza Pizza Vegetable Pizza by the Slice

Friday Kettle Classic Cream of Mushroom Soup

Montaque’s Deli Chicken Melt Sandwich

Café Feature Egg & Ham Muffin

Itza Pizza Cheese Pizza by the Slice

W E L C O M E B A C K !!

Breakfast from 10:00 a.m.—11:00 a.m. Lunch from 11:00 a.m.—2:30 p.m.

widener university school of law ~ harrisburg … · though, alex has taken up residence in...

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