On Monday morning, we awoke to the horrific news of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, which left 59 dead and more than 500 injured. This news came on top of the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, which followed devastation in Florida and Houston caused by Hurricanes Irma and Harvey. Add to these terrible events the dizzying array of national news items that emerge daily from Washington, D.C., and it seems we are continually operating in crisis mode.

Many of our students are undoubtedly personally affected by these events—for example, I currently have several students who have family in Puerto Rico, Florida, and Houston—but even those of us who aren’t directly affected by such events might be feeling overwhelmed.

Continually operating in crisis mode is not a healthy normal state of being. Law school and lawyering are stressful enough without the added stressors of what may feel like a world in crisis.

The cool fall air in the morning tells us that October has arrived, and with the new month comes a new pair of guest bloggers.

Our Alumni Blogger is Emil Ovbiagele.  Emil works with closely-held businesses and entrepreneurs. He practices in the areas of corporate law, small business and real estate acquisitions, employment law, and commercial litigation.  Emil obtained his B.A., JD, and MBA from Marquette University. He currently serves on the Board of the Milwaukee Young Lawyers Association.  Since 2014, he has volunteered as a competition coach for several mock trial teams at the Marquette University Law School. In 2017, Emil was recognized by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” and was selected by the Wisconsin Law Journal as an “Up and Coming Lawyer.”

Our Student Blogger of the month is 2L Aurusa Kabani, who provides the following bio:  “I was born in the armpit of Texas, also known as Houston, but I could not have been happier to be raised in Fort Worth, where the weather is always nicer. As the baby in the family with two older brothers, ESPN has a very special place in my heart, especially when the Dallas Cowboys or the Dallas Mavericks are playing on our home turf. I am a full-time law student studying at Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, currently I am externing at NCAA’s Enforcement division and attending IU McKinney Law School in Indianapolis, Indiana for the semester. The reason I chose to attend law school is because there are very few people who look like me in the field of law, but particularly in sports law. I am here to change that and shatter glass ceilings.”

Please join me in welcoming our October guest bloggers!