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Monday Morning Message 9.7.21 Guardians of Justice
“Regardless of WHAT we do in our lives, our WHY—our driving purpose, cause or belief—never changes….Those who forget WHY they were founded show up to the race every day to outdo someone else instead of to outdo themselves.” ― Simon Sinek, author, Start With Why
When I spoke to our first year students on the first evening of Orientation, I told them that it was important to “start with why.” I asked them to break into small groups and ask each other why they enrolled at CSU Cleveland-Marshall. I observed that no one talked about getting a job (although that, of course, is very important!). Rather, virtually all of them talked about using their law degree to make a difference and to advance justice.
Monday Morning Message 8.30.21 You'll Be Known For What You Do, Not Who You Say You Are.
"Be ethical even when you think no one is looking; your word is truly all you have. Good opinion once lost can be difficult to regain. Maintain an unimpeachable reputation for honesty and integrity....Be professional. Law school is not undergraduate college where sins may be easily forgotten. You’ll be known for what you do, not who you say you are. " -U.S. District Judge Benita Y. Pearson '95, Northern District of Ohio, August 2021 Orientation Closing Speaker
Monday Morning Message 8.23.21 Welcome Back!
“Get ready to embark on a wild ride unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, packed with thrills, chills, and probably a few spills. Being a 1L will challenge you like you’ve never been challenged….. The first year of law school will be one of the hardest years of your life. Law school will profoundly alter the way you think, and view and interact with the world around you. Your 1L experience will change who you are, whether you want it to or not. “ Andrew McClurg, 1L of a Ride, A Well-Traveled Professor's Roadmap to Success in the First Year of Law School
The Monday Morning Message took a brief summer hiatus, but it’s back just in time to welcome back all our students! Today is the first day of classes.
Monday Morning Message 5.24.21 Special Commencement Edition: We Churned our Cream into Butter
“I am so honored and humbled to be here representing Cleveland-Marshall College of Law’s class of 2021….In the movie "Catch Me if You Can," Christopher Walken's character Frank tells the story of two little mice who fell into a bucket of cream. He says, "the first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse wouldn't quit. Eventually, he struggled so hard, he churned that cream into butter and crawled out."
Monday Morning Message 5.17.21 C|M|LAW Cyber - at the Center of the Cyber Century
“Big thank you to you and Cleveland-Marshall. The law degree with a cybersecurity certification sealed the deal for me.” -Rebecca Christian Lipker ‘20 on her new position as Cyber Security Contracts Manager for Humana
“I wanted to tell you how great the [online Cybersecurity & Data Privacy MLS] program has been to me. You have put together wonderful and caring people who are passionate and educated on the law and cybersecurity. Professor Ray and Professor Witten [are] always available for questions, made the material fun, and broke down the harder concepts to be easily understood.” -Aric Kee, online Cybersecurity & Data Privacy MLS student
Monday Morning Message 5.10.21 The Lighting of a Fire.
“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats
“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” – Robert Frost
Nothing is more important to student success and the success of our great law school than the quality of our faculty.
Monday Morning Message 5.3.21 The COVID-19 Serenity Prayer for Final Exams
“It’s not that I’m that smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein
“Try taking charge of your attention. Avert your gaze from whatever tempts you. Focus instead on whatever makes achieving your goals easier. Your future self will thank you for it.” – Angela Duckworth
Final exams begin tomorrow and continue until May 14.
First, I’d like to share my COVID-19 Serenity Prayer for Final Exams.
Monday Morning Message 4.26.21 May the Force of Justice Be With You.
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
Just as the murder of George Floyd was a watershed moment in the ongoing pursuit of racial and equal justice, so too was last week’s guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. Keith Ellison, the Attorney General of Minnesota, called the verdict “accountability, which is the first step towards justice.” President Biden noted, “So we can’t leave this moment or look away, thinking our work is done… We have a chance to begin to change the trajectory in this country.”
Monday Morning Message 4.19.21 BLSA Leading the Way
“Before COVID-19, the pandemic of racism has plagued this country for years. As students of the law and future lawyers, we are emboldened to change the system. We recognize that despite its flaws, our system is dynamic and can, in fact, be changed. We see the problems within this system as our community experiences the disproportionate impact of it daily…There is no room for silence during this time.” -CSU|LAW BLSA Executive Board "No Room for Silence" Statement June 1, 2020
Monday Morning Message 4.12.21 Spotlight Edition: Our Appellate Practice Clinic
"I wanted to work on real cases in the Clinic, assisting real clients and learning the ins and outs of appellate lawyering. This case wound up being so much more than that, going beyond what I hoped to experience in the Clinic." – Jared Thompson ’22 Appellate Practice Clinic Secures Victory in Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals