“Choices are the hinges of destiny.” – Edwin Markham
I want to share my email to those very talented individuals who have been admitted to the Fall 2018 Class of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (“C|M|LAW”).
Congratulations! You have met our high standards of admissions; you were chosen from a large, highly competitive pool of applicants because of your unique combination of achievement and potential for success.
Please know that we don’t take your enrollment for granted. We know that you likely have choices between us and other fine law schools.
My wife, Peggy, and I are hosting a reception for all admitted students at our home this Friday, April 6, 6:30-9:30pm. The invitation is below.
Even if you are leaning to another law school, please join us. There will be no hard sell. Dress will be casual, the program will be brief, and the food will be great. Many of our outstanding faculty, students, alumni, and some community leaders will be there to meet you.
Whether or not you can join us, please feel free to email me at lee.fishernull@csuohio.nulledu. If possible, I would like to speak with you by phone or in person and connect you with some of our outstanding faculty, students, and alumni.
In the meantime, I urge you to ask the following questions before you make one of the most important decisions of your life.
- Is the law school on the rise or does it rest on its laurels?
- Is the culture friendly? Do the students not only compete but also collaborate?
- Does the faculty take the time to get to know their students and provide individualized attention and support?
- Is the faculty involved in the community? Does the faculty have a national reputation not only for scholarship and teaching but also for leadership on important legal and social justice issues?
- Are there multiple opportunities to pursue your special interests?
- Is the alumni network strong, extensive, and loyal? Are the alumni willing to go out of their way to help the law school and its students succeed?
- Is the curriculum aligned with the rapidly changing legal market?
- Does the legal education and training focus not only on making you a great lawyer but also a great leader?
- Does the law school have a strong partnership with employers that creates great opportunities for internships, jobs, and careers?
- Do the Dean and faculty have an open door for every student?
You won’t be surprised that I chose questions for which the answer is a clear ‘Yes’ with respect to C|M|LAW.
We stand out for our outstanding faculty, ethos of social justice, affordable tuition, state-of-the art facilities, thriving downtown university campus, practical hands-on experiential opportunities, industry-aligned Cybersecurity, Health Law, and Global SpaceLaw Centers, technologically advanced Trial Courtroom, Solo Practice Incubator, and Learning Commons, and the region’s first Master of Legal Studies program.
- We are a law school on the rise. Recently we received great news that C|M|LAW rose 14 places in the U.S. News Rankings, the fourth highest increase among the nation’s 194 full time ABA accredited law schools. Only 3 law schools in the country had a larger increase in national ranking. In addition, our longstanding part-time program ranked first in Ohio. See Cleveland State University C|M|LAW Rises; Case, Akron Drop in U.S. News Law School Rankings (note: that’s the media headline, not our description…)
- We are a law school that is student-centered. Here you will find open doors and open minds and a level of accessibility, support, encouragement, and interaction that many law schools don’t offer.
- We are a law school with an outstanding faculty. Our faculty members are not only great scholars and teachers, they are engaged leaders. Every week our faculty is in the news. Just this past week, two of our faculty were interviewed by the New York Times and three other faculty were interviewed on local television about breaking legal issues. We recently hosted a highly successful Cybersecurity conference that attracted national attention.
- We are a law school that not only makes great lawyers, we make great leaders. We not only teach substantive law but also focus on skills such as critical thinking, practical problem solving, initiative, creativity, optimism, empathy, teamwork, client relations, project management, and the ability to listen.
- We are a law school committed to the principle of “Learn Law. Live Justice.” Our alumni roster of judges, lawyers, business and nonprofit leaders, and public servants reads like a Who’s Who of lawyer/leaders. See our C|M|Law Hall of Fame Video. We consistently have been the law school for many women and men who have broken gender, race, ethnic, economic, and generational barriers to make change and advance progress in social justice and public service.
- We are a law school without walls. We often use the city as our classroom. Our exceptionally wide, loyal alumni network and strong community partnerships provide exceptional opportunities for our legal clinics, symposia, and guest lectures, and our students’ internships, jobs, and careers.
- We are a law school that looks around corners. We are an iconic law school but we do not rest on our 121 years of laurels. We constantly plan for our future. We look around corners. We anticipate where the world is going and do our best to get there early. Emerging and fast-evolving technologies, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, have companies and law firms scrambling for legal talent that understands technology. We are educating that talent. You are invited as our guest this Friday, April 6 to our Cleveland State Law Review Symposium on Blockchain Technology.
- We are your law school for life. Our message to you is ‘hello’ not only when you enter C|M|LAW, but also when you graduate. At graduation, we don’t say ‘goodbye.’ We are committed to your lifelong success. We are your law school for life.
We admitted you because we believe in you. Our purpose is to help you find your purpose and maximize your potential.
For copies of past messages, please go to this link: Monday Morning Messages.
My best,
Lee
My views in all my Monday Morning Messages are my personal views alone and do not reflect the views of our Law School or our University.