Welcome to Our October Bloggers!

honore_daumier_la_salle_des_pas-perdus_au_palais_de_justice_d5447224hThanks to our September guest bloggers Michelle Velasquez and Christopher Guthrie, and welcome to our guest bloggers for October.

Our Alumni Blogger of the Month is Brandon Buchanan, Class of 2012.  He practices bankruptcy law in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  Brandon is also a former City Councilman for the City of Eau Claire.

Our Student Blogger of the Month is Carolyn Garski.  Ms. Garski is a current 2L at the Law School and a graduate of the School of Business at Marquette.  After graduation, she hopes to practice in business and commercial real estate areas of the law.

Every month, our guest bloggers bring their unique perspectives on law and policy to the Marquette University Law School community.  We look forward to reading future blog posts by Brandon and Carolyn.

Continue ReadingWelcome to Our October Bloggers!

Forty-Five Plus Years – Wow!!!!

John Kircher teaches a law school class, 1986
John Kircher teaches a law school class, 1986

Editor’s Note:  This semester, Marquette University Law School students will hear the immortal words, “I already have a  friend,” for the last time.  After a legendary career, Professor Jack Kircher will end his teaching duties in December.  He has influenced and inspired thousands of Marquette Lawyers over the past four-plus decades, and he has graciously agreed to share some reflections on his career.  And if you don’t understand the reference to “She Who Must Be Obeyed,” the answer can be found in John Mortimer’s delightful television series “Rumpole of the Bailey.”

Someone, possibly me, once said that if you find a job you love you will never again work another day in your life. That speaks well of my time here at the Law School.  My work here has been, with all apologies to “She Who Must Be Obeyed,” a love affair.

But my goal, leaving here as a graduate, was not to become a Law Professor.  I wanted to be a lawyer who would spend most of the time in a courtroom.  That is how I started, but then came the phone call.  It was from Professor James D. Ghiardi, my most favorite teacher during my three student years here at the Law School.  He asked me to join him as his assistant at the Defense Research Institute (DRI).  It was a national think tank for lawyers who defend insurance and personal injury litigation. It involved a lot of research, writing and editing.  It was then and there I learned, for the first time, that Jim had two full-time jobs.

My initial thought at his call was pride that he would seek me out to join him. I also came to the conclusion that if I did not like the new job I could always go back to the courtroom. But I did not go back to the court room.  But how did I end up in the classroom? The first step again relates to Jim.

Continue ReadingForty-Five Plus Years – Wow!!!!

Congratulations to AWL Scholarship Winners Kapila and Van Gompel

kapilavan gompelToday, September 24, 2015, the Milwaukee Association for Women Lawyers (AWL) Foundation honored two Marquette University Law School students with scholarships.

Saiba Kapila, 2L (pictured at left), received the AWL Foundation scholarship. The AWL Foundation Scholarship is awarded to a woman who has exhibited service to others, diversity, compelling financial need, academic achievement, unique life experiences (such as overcoming obstacles to attend or continue law school), and advancement of women in the profession. Kapila’s grandfather was a nonprofit lawyer in a small rural village in India. Inspired by him, Kapila views law as a tool for social change. She does pro bono work and volunteers at the Milwaukee Hunger Task Force and with Wisconsin Special Olympics. She participated in the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Diversity Clerkship program, through which she worked at American Family Insurance in the corporate legal division.

Cassandra Van Gompel, 3L (pictured at right), received the AWL Foundation’s Virginia A. Pomeroy scholarship. This scholarship honors the late Virginia A. Pomeroy, a former deputy state public defender and a past president of AWL. In addition to meeting the same criteria as for the AWL Foundation scholarship, the winner of this scholarship must also exhibit what the AWL Foundation calls “a special emphasis, through experience, employment, class work or clinical programs” in one of several particular areas: appellate practice, civil rights law, public interest law, public policy, public service, or service to the vulnerable or disadvantaged. Active in student organizations, Van Gompel has served on the executive boards of the Public Interest Law Society, Client Skills Board, Alternative Dispute Resolution Society, and Criminal Law Society. She’s also a student advisory board member of the Milwaukee Volunteer Legal Clinic. She’s gained experience in a wide array of settings; she’s interned at the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeal, the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, the United States Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the West Allis City Attorney’s office. She hopes to pursue a career in governmental and public interest work. As of now, she’s already logged more than 170 pro bono hours.

Congratulations to both women for outstanding service and for their representation of Marquette University Law School.

Continue ReadingCongratulations to AWL Scholarship Winners Kapila and Van Gompel