“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.” - Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird.
It was the day I decided to learn law and live justice. It was a warm spring day. May 4, 1970. I was a freshman at Oberlin College. A few days earlier, President Richard Nixon had expanded the Vietnam War by invading Cambodia. Anti-war college protests erupted throughout the country.
About 1 o’clock in the afternoon, the news hit us in the gut as we huddled around TVs and radios on our sheltered college campus. In just 12 seconds, the Ohio National Guard fired over 60 shots at student protesters at nearby Kent State University. 9 students were wounded, one of them paralyzed for life; and 4 students were killed.
Allison Krause; Jeff Miller; Sandra Scheuer; Bill Schroeder. Bill Schroeder was an ROTC student watching the protest, shot in the back. Sandy Scheuer was walking to class. I didn’t know them, but I’ve never forgotten their names.
The greatest lie you can tell someone is that there is plenty of time. I’ve felt a sense of urgency ever since. So that day I decided to pursue a career in law and public service. My career has been spent at intersections: law & public policy; social justice & economic growth; and the public, private, & non-profit sectors. I have tried my best to “live justice.”
That’s why I was so honored and humbled last week, the week of May 4, to have been named Cleveland-Marshall College of Law’s next Dean.
Let me give you two examples of why I’m so excited to serve as Dean. Each year, the Dean chooses a graduating senior to receive the Live Law Learn Justice Award. The winner exemplifies the attributes of being academically successful in learning law and learning what it means to live justice - to be committed to making clients’ lives better and our communities stronger. There were a number of excellent nominees, but two students stood out. So I have departed from precedent to choose 2 winners: Brittany Lowe '17 and Elissa Schooler '17. Both will speak at our May 20 Commencement.
Brittany Lowe received the BakerHostetler Scholarship for Highest Academic Average Entering Final Year in Law School. She has had the "High A" in eleven classes and is Publications Editor of the Law Review. Brittany has volunteered in The Legal Aid Society’s bi-weekly Child Support Clinic and in the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association 3Rs Program. She has also visited Collinwood High School to discuss academics, law school, and the trial process with students. Following her graduation, she will join the Cleveland office of Jones Day as an Associate.
Elissa Schooler has worked as a law clerk at Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services and the U.S. Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review. She also has served as a law clerk at the office of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Ohio and the Cuyahoga County Public Defender, Juvenile Division. She is a two-time recipient of the Dean's Community Service Award and a recipient of the Ohio State Bar Association Public Service Internship Initiative Award. Elissa also teaches professional development classes twice a week to at-risk young adults.
I’m inspired by students like Brittany and Elissa. Regardless of our graduates’ ideologies or the professional path they take, we want all our graduates to have an appreciation for the crucial role that law and lawyers play in addressing the social and economic issues that confront our society. We believe that service pro bono publico (“for the public good”) is a cornerstone of every attorney’s professional responsibilities.
Our new video captures the second half of our motto: Learn Law. Live Justice. Watch here: Justice is Calling You. Join Us. C|M|Law.
In honor of our 120th anniversary and our effort to enroll more students like Brittany and Elissa who embody our proud tradition of Learn Law. Live Justice., please be one of the inaugural donors to our 120 Scholarship Campaign. Please consider a contribution or pledge today ranging from $120 to $12,000.
The first 120 donors who contribute or pledge $1,200 or more before May 25 will receive a limited edition C|M|LAW 120 lapel pin, specially designed for this historic campaign. Please give here: Believe in C|M|LAW. Give Now. or send me an email with your pledgeat: lee.fishernull@csuohio.nulledu. Your groundbreaking contribution will be the foundation of our campaign. It would mean a lot to us.
Have a great week.
My best,
Lee