"Waysdorf, Tulman and Lee Are the Real Champions"
Joe I am grateful for your presence at DCSL. DCSL is very fortunate to have you. I only wish that you had been at DCSL when I was there. It was demoralizing not having some like you around - someone to help, and fight for the students. Do not worry - I will support you so long as your efforts do not lose sight of MLK's dream, and its role in the legal profession. Just keep up the good work.
For the past 4 years, I have supported GSA in their Public Building Service (PBS). GSA PBS is commonly known as the Real Estate Division of the U.S. Federal Government. My duties and responsibilities relate to commercial real estate transactions that involve the Federal
Government (e.g., lease negotiation and lease enforcement for federal agencies); specifically, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Executive Office of Immigration Review.
I also started an IT and commercial real estate services company with three colleagues. The name of the company is Intelligent Information Technology Solutions, LLC (IITS, LLC). Our web site address is www.iitsllc.com.
Concerning the actual practice of law - my dream/goal is to practice public interest (family) law through the CCAN bar down at Superior Court, or social security benefits law. The General
Counsel's Office here at GSA specializes in government realty transactions and is also a potential career choice, if I ever actually sit for and pass a bar exam. With regard to federal leases, I work closely with the attorneys here.
Any success that I might find will be dedicated to DCSL Professors Susan Waysdorf (Family Law), Joe Tulman (Juvenile Law), and Tony Lee (Criminal Law, Procedure, Evidence, Trial Advocacy)- for their inspiration and selfless examples as legal professionals. Although I seldom interacted with them outside of class, I would not have graduated without their presence at DCSL. They are true legal scholars and committed practitioners who lead by example. They truly care about the law, the indigent, and the law students. Moreover, they do it all without any ulterior motives, self serving agendas or pompous egos. Some people deify legal giants like Cochran, Arthur Miller, and Robert Shapiro. Waysdorf, Tulman, and Lee are the real champions.
Keep up the good work - stay strong.
Todd Sellars, 97
Graves to D.C. Bar Board
Linda Graves, 00, was selected for a two-year appointment to the D.C. Bar Attorney/Client Arbitration Board. This is a voluntary position, and Linda reports being pleased that her federal employer (The U.S. Dept. of Energy) was willing to accommodate her use of annual leave to hear cases.
Linda writes, "In the most ironic first job category, my first paid attorney position was a one-year detail to my agency's Office of Civil Rights and Diversity ironic because I am a white female who did not take a single EEO class in law school. I learned EEO law mostly on my own, supervised by a former US-DOJ civil rights prosecutor. Couldn't parlay that into a permanent position because the organization was being cut back. Still, it counted as one solid year of excellent learning experience classified as a federal attorney. Typically, you need AT LEAST two years attorney experience to compete for a Main USDOJ or U.S. attorney's office position, so I am halfway there... Tell the students: the experience you take away from DCSL is more than the sum of the courses. It includes your interactions with classmates from diverse backgrounds, and knowing people who have had first hand experience with traffic stops, and insightful interactions with our great faculty. You may be surprised how well the DCSL experience may prepare you for an unanticipated job opportunity, as I was."
AF JAG Advice from Erbe
Mr. Libertelli,
I am a graduate of the D.C. School of Law. Currently, I am working at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, D.C., practicing federal labor and employment law. I am also a former Air Force JAG and currently an Air Force reservists. If any of the current students are interested in the JAG Department, they can contact me for more information.
Robert P. Erbe, Class of '94
History Lesson and Question
"By way of a history lesson, the Impact Advocacy clinic at Antioch placed me with a private law firm that was pursuing a first amendment claim against the D.C. cops and the FBI for Nixon's COINTEL-PRO dirty tricks. Julius Hobson & his then wife Tina were the first named plaintiffs. They had been in charge of an anti-Vietnam war group that the feds & D.C. police had harassed etc. I'm pretty sure that Antioch funneled law students to this case throughout its life span...
... I saw the attorneys for the Justice Department years later in a bar in Alexandria. We recognized one another & they were beginning their defense of FBI agents in New Haven, my hometown. The case in New Haven was based upon similar allegations.
We had an interesting conversation to say the least. They told me that they thought the New Haven cops had broken into their hotel room in an attempt to "do discovery." I had to explain New Haven politics and the factional warfare in the police department to them.
In the course of the conversation they told me that Hobson v. Wilson went to trial & came back with the largest 1st amendment verdict (at the time) ever. I think they said 500 grand per plaintiff. Could this be the source of the scholarship fund?"
Tom Ford, 81
(Tom was referring the Julius Hobson Scholarship given to UDC-DCSL students. The answer to Toms question is, no the funds come from another (anonymous) source. - Ed.)
Pathak, 98, Forms Firm
I am currently a partner at a small firm in central NJ and just started a new firm, Pathak and Shah, LLP in October.
I concentrate on Immigration and small business transactions and my partner does real estate, both commercial and residential.
If you still have a need for alumni mentors let me know, I would love to help. Anshu
Update from Upstate N.Y.
Until two years ago, I was in private practice doing municipal, environmental and real estate law. I was a part-time village and town attorney though the village I represented became a 3/4 time project. I consulted with various municipalities on planning (in addition to my other work). I now work for the New York State Department of State. My job is divided between teaching municipal and environmental law to town, village and city (municipal) officials, writing opinion letters and providing legal advice to New York's municipalities. I also work with New York's coastal zone management program, which regulates land use activities in the coastal zone (tidal waters).
Thanks again for your note.
Larry Weintraub
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