Drexel Docket

Welcome to The Drexel Docket – Drexel Law's e-newsletter. The Docket brings you updates about the college; stories about what the faculty and students are doing; and news we think will be of interest to current and prospective students, pre-law advisors, co-op sponsors, alumni of the University, and friends of the law school. If you have comments or suggestions, please send them to us using the link at the end of this issue. We invite you to visit us at http://www.drexel.edu/law.

Building a Diverse Community

Drexel College of Law founders shared a vision to build a law school community that personifies and champions diversity.

"We wanted to start from scratch and do things proactively," said Acting Dean Jennifer Rosato. "But how do you create a community that encourages diversity and brings in people from different backgrounds, experiences, regions, and ages? What ingredients do you need to have to perpetuate a diverse environment?"

The answer, she said, was to infuse the importance of diversity in all aspects of the law school environment — from admissions and financial assistance to mentoring and academic support. She underscores that point in a recent Hispanic Outlook article, "Revolution in Philadelphia at Drexel College of Law."

"I know from having been in higher education for awhile that it's not enough to recruit people, whether Latinos or African-Americans, students or faculty," Rosato said. "You have to build a community in which people of color can feel comfortable, where they can be the best that they can be."

To explore those issues in depth, Rosato recently participated in a statewide summit titled, "Overview of Diversity in the Legal Profession: Making it Real in Pennsylvania." Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the event brought together representatives from regional bar associations as well as minority bar committees and associations in Pennsylvania that included groups representing the interests of Hispanic, African-American, Asian-American, female, and gay and lesbian attorneys along with lawyers who provide services to people with disabilities.

At the summit, panelists discussed current efforts to support diversity in the profession, assessed how well they are working, and identified what areas still need addressing. Numerous representatives reported on diversity progress in law firms, corporate counsel offices, the Pennsylvania judiciary, and federal, state, and local government agencies. In a special panel discussion, Rosato and several other professionals talked about the outreach being made to students not only in law school, but also in pre-law, high school and even middle school to educate them about opportunities in law.

"It was striking to me to hear about so many initiatives that have been launched to address these issues," said Rosato, the only Latina law school dean in the country. "If we could maximize these efforts and increase collaboration, we could make it even more effective. We need to bring everyone in and create communities that believe in a long-term commitment to diversity. I think we have that right here."

One of Drexel Law's highest priorities has been to attract and retain a diverse student body — a goal that administrators feel has been achieved this first year. The inaugural class represents nearly a third of the United States and three foreign countries, comprises 21 percent minority students, and has an age range between 20 and 52. More than half of the first class has some post-baccalaureate work experience, lending the class a more complex collective perspective.

"In admissions, we're looking at the whole person to go beyond the GPA and LSAT," Rosato said. "And economic support is very important for all students, but it's especially important for underrepresented populations." She pointed to substantial merit scholarships for incoming students, diversity fellowships offered by law firms and corporations, and possible externships as ways to help ensure that students of ability can attend the College of Law even if they cannot afford it.

She added that academic support and mentoring are equally important. Drexel Law provides faculty advising, seminars on exam preparation and outlining, written feedback, and individual help for students who may be struggling. It also has affiliation agreements with the region's minority, ethnic, and religious bar associations, enabling interested students to attend association events and begin their careers with the support and mentorship of lawyers in their affinity groups. Rosato said that as "matches" are made, she hopes to nurture mentoring relationships even more.

"I'd like to make a more structured connection between our students and other students and lawyers of color in the community," she said, adding that good mentoring experiences increase the likelihood that today's first-year students will eventually be mentors themselves to new students. "The student divisions of national organizations can help minority law students be proactive in generating mentoring opportunities and participating in formal and informal activities to enrich their experiences."

Commitment to diversity extends beyond the classroom to encompass the greater good, she noted. The pro bono service requirement helps students give back to the community and address unmet legal needs while gaining experience in public interest organizations. Building a welcoming community of students, faculty, and staff who embrace differences, she said, should eventually produce skilled and knowledgeable lawyers dedicated to service and diversity throughout their professional lives.

New Faculty Announcements: The Tradition of Excellence Continues

Drexel University College of Law is pleased to announce the appointment of Susan Brooks as Associate Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Experiential Learning. Professor Brooks comes to Drexel Law from the faculty of the Vanderbilt University School of Law, where she has taught since 1993. Professor Brooks will oversee the College of Law's extensive co-op program as well as its clinics and pro bono program.

"I was attracted to Drexel Law because of the school's commitment to creating excellent co-op and pro bono opportunities," Professor Brooks said. "By emphasizing experiential education, and the value of public service, Drexel Law is giving a big head-start to tomorrow's leaders."

Professor Brooks, who is trained as both an attorney and a social worker, received her BA and MA from the University of Chicago, and her JD from New York University School of Law. She has a deep and wide-ranging background in experiential education. In addition to teaching in Vanderbilt's well-respected clinical program and directing the Children and Family Policy Law Clinic, Professor Brooks is a recognized leader in law school experiential education both nationally and internationally. Most recently, she served on the planning committee for the Association of American Law School's 2006 Clinical Workshop. She is active within the practicing bar, serving as special referee in Davidson County Juvenile Court for five years, as vice-chair of the ABA's Juvenile Justice Committee, and in leadership roles in many other national and regional bar organizations. Professor Brooks's research is focused on issues related to children and the law and she has emerged as a leading voice in the therapeutic jurisprudence movement.

Drexel University College of Law also announces the appointment of Karl Okamoto as Associate Professor of Law and Director of the College's Program in Law and Entrepreneurial Business. Professor Okamoto received his BA, magna cum laude, from Columbia University. He received his JD from the Columbia University School of Law where he was a Harlan Fisk Stone Scholar.

Professor Okamoto noted that "Drexel's entrepreneurial business concentration will train students to add value to the businesses they represent and the transactions they structure. An excellent business lawyer must understand more than legal doctrine. She must have a fundamental understanding of the financial and strategic goals of her client. It's no longer enough for lawyers to say 'that's for the client to decide' and limit themselves to handling the technical legal details. We're teaching our graduates how to make most valuable their human capital in an ever more entrepreneurial world."

Professor Okamoto brings a rich background in law practice, business and academia to this new position. Professor Okamoto served as a partner at the national law firms of Dechert LLP and Kirkland and Ellis. He also worked as a consultant to Soros Fund Management and a senior managing director at Atticus Capital LP, a leading hedge fund. As an entrepreneur, he help establish a start-up internet book retailer and currently advises several early-stage companies. He also currently serves as a director, and chair of the compensation committee, for Champps Entertainment, Inc., a NASDAQ-listed corporation with restaurants in twenty-three states. He previously taught at Rutgers Camden School of Law and the University of Alabama School of Law where he contributed important scholarship in the areas of corporate and securities law and developed a new curriculum for teaching business lawyering.

Co-op Spotlight: Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP)

Officium. The Latin word means "professional duty." For Drexel Law, it recognizes the lawyer's obligation to serve the public good and is a founding principle. Drexel Law is dedicated to encouraging and supporting students to contribute to and make a difference in their communities through public service work. Currently, more than a dozen public interest law projects take part in Drexel Law's fledgling co-op program. And the caliber and breadth of the work handled by some of those organizations is astounding. Take, for instance, the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP).

"We really tried to get the most powerful public interest organizations to sign on, and this is one that's doing incredibly important work," said Karen Pearlman, Drexel Law's public interest coordinator. "A lot of people know about the ACLU and Community Legal Services, but we wanted to highlight local organizations such as PILCOP that cover a wide array of areas and are really fighting for equality. We hope that will inspire students to do co-ops in this area."

PILCOP's mission is to use research, education, negotiation, and court action to achieve systemic reforms that advance self-advocacy, social justice and equal protection for everyone. Its projects focus on children's health care, education funding and quality, disabilities rights, environmental health and justice, fair housing, employment discrimination, and urban policing.

The organization is best known for bringing the case that finally established the fundamental right of all children with disabilities to receive a public school education. This past year, PILCOP filed suit on behalf of Pennsylvania citizens to help ensure electoral integrity by requiring voting machines to include verifiable paper ballots. It also filed a class-action suit alleging that school officials discriminated against selected students by placing them in English for Speakers of Other Languages programs instead of evaluating their needs for special education.

PILCOP Executive Director Jennifer Clarke says she looks forward to welcoming Drexel Law co-op students. "This co-op program is a wonderful, innovative idea, and I'm very interested in seeing it succeed," she said. Clarke, a former partner with Dechert LLP, has spent her legal career defending and prosecuting complex civil cases. "We are very thinly staffed and always need students' help. They have a tremendous opportunity to do a lot of hands-on work here that they might not get to do in other places."

Depending on which cases are current, Clarke said, students may get to write briefs, conduct interviews with clients, prepare for hearings, work on reports, handle factual and legal research, or attend meetings with community-based organizations that PILCOP provides assistance and advice to. She also notes that, because PILCOP has multiple areas of focus and a high-volume workload, students can easily spend their time working on particular areas that interest them the most.

"Ultimately they will learn how we use the law to effect social change and will begin to acquire the tools necessary to do this special practice of law," Clarke said. "We also hope they will get some experience with the craft of thinking strategically and learning how to decide what to do, which briefs to write, which arguments to make, and which cases to bring."

Right now, PILCOP staff members are researching the history of state constitutions and their particular provisions in an effort to address funding disparities that make it difficult to ensure equality in education Clarke said. "People have been trying different legal theories, from equal protection to due process, and we're hoping to add to the evidentiary basis needed to launch these challenges in the future," she said. "We'll have a symposium in the fall for people interested in this litigation and will talk about how we might bring new challenges in state courts. It should be pretty exciting."

Thinking of Applying to Drexel Law? Do It Soon!

If you are thinking of applying to Drexel Law, you may want to do it sooner rather than later. Our class is filling up quickly, so you'll want to make sure we receive your application in time to give it our best consideration. And remember, if you apply online, we'll waive your application fee.

Drexel Law on the Road

While the inaugural class was busy with first-year studies this fall, several recruitment "ambassadors" were logging thousands of miles as they traveled throughout the nation, touting Drexel Law at other universities and law school fairs.

Helen Albertson-Ploucha and Steve Freedman, Assistant Dean and Associate Director for Law Admissions, were joined by Drexel Law faculty and students, as well as pre-law advisor Grant Keener and enrollment specialist Tiffany Part lowe to get the word out about Drexel Law, building on last year's recruitment success.

Their recruitment tour included locations as geographically diverse as the University of California at Berkeley, Boston University, University of Notre Dame, Texas A&M University, Princeton University, Tulane University in New Orleans, University of Colorado, Bowden College in Maine, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a law school fair in Toronto.

"We want to attract the most interesting class we can find, including a wide range of age groups, geographic backgrounds, and work experience," Freedman said. "Having people from a variety of backgrounds makes classroom discussions and the overall law school experience richer and deeper. Students and professors enjoy hearing distinct viewpoints and learning about legal issues, such as immigration or the environment, that play greater roles in different parts of the country."

"We're thrilled to get the word out about our new law school and take the message to places outside our normal reach," Albertson-Ploucha said. "Even students who haven't previously heard about us say they are excited about the co-op program and appreciate the fact that we're committed to investing in students from other regions. They realize it's a unique opportunity and like the idea of a smaller law school with the resources of a major doctoral university."

Upcoming Events at Drexel

On-Campus Information Sessions
January 17, 2007	4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Register Online
February 1, 2007	4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Register Online
February 27, 2007	4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Register Online

Wednesday Information Hours
January 10 , 2007	3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Register Online
January 24 , 2007	3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Register Online
January 31 , 2007	3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Register Online
February 7 , 2007	3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Register Online

If you have comments, questions, or suggestions about The Drexel Docket, please contact us.

Drexel University is fully informed as to the Standards and Rules of Procedure for the Approval of Law Schools by the American Bar Association and is committed to devoting all necessary resources and taking all necessary steps to present a program of legal education that will qualify for approval by the American Bar Association at the earliest permissible time. Visit http://www.drexel.edu/law/accreditation.asp for more information about the ABA accreditation process.