Monday Morning Message 7.1.19 The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team: Reflections on The American Revolution

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal…” -The Declaration of Independence, 1776

“We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal….” -The Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls Woman’s Rights Convention, 1848

“When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”– Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963

Monday Morning Message 6.24.19 It's Not About the Fire

“Even though I know the river is wide

I walk down every evening and I stand on the shore

And try to cross to the opposite side.” -Billy Joel, The River of Dreams

Fifty years ago from this past Saturday, June 22, 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught fire when sparks from a passing train set fire to oil-soaked debris floating on the water’s surface. After Time Magazine published photos of the burning river, Cleveland became the butt of late night show jokes and Randy Newman's song "Burn On" became a hit.

Monday Morning Message 6.17.19

“Justice is like the north star, which is fixed, and all the rest revolve about it.” –Confucius

“The law provides necessary continuity amidst our constantly shifting political landscape. It is an assurance that the rules of the game apply equally to everybody, whether they are in today’s or yesterday’s majority.” – Justice Sandra Day O’Connor

Monday Morning Message 6.10.19

"I vividly recall a family friend asking me ‘What do you want to do when you grow up little girl?’ ‘I want to be a lawyer,’ I responded. He smiled at me and then in a low voice said to my father –‘She’ll never be a lawyer.’…

Monday Morning Message 6.3.19 The Most Important Question a Law School Applicant Can Ask

“Years ago I got two gifts from my sister: a money jar, which stated on the side "Legal Funds" and a mug, which stated on the side "If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough." Well, my dream of becoming a licensed attorney in America, when in 2005 I didn't even speak English was scary, and of course my "Legal Fund" jar, even when filled, could not cover the law school tuition. But the dream was there, the will to work hard to achieve it was there too, and then CMLAW took care of the rest. 

I wanted you to know how grateful I am for the education I received.

Monday Morning Message 5.20.19 The One Thing That Binds Us.

“Know that, regardless of who your clients are…. your job will never be to win at all costs. Your job is to zealously and competently represent those clients’ interests within the confines of the law.” – 2019 Cleveland-Marshall Commencement Speaker, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Melody Stewart ‘88

“We are more than a law school, we’re a community that cares about each other and what we have built here extends beyond these walls.” - Jeffery Carr ‘19, Learn Law. Live Justice. Award Winner

“ We all will go in many different directions. But there will always be one thing that binds us together.

Monday Morning Message 5.13.19 Dear Violet...

“Every day I fight against the urge to lasso the world and make it tame for you. I wish I could keep you in a bubble. I wish I could keep you safe here with me forever, but I will use all my strength, and I will give you wings instead my love; then I will cry the day you use them.” -Jessica Cushman Johnston

“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” -Anna Quindlen

“Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.” – Mary Schmich

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. It’s a day when we thank, honor, and celebrate the miracle of motherhood, the most powerful life force on earth.

Monday Morning Message 5.6.19 Yearning To Breathe Free

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” -Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, New Colossus, inscribed on a bronze plaque at the Statue of Liberty 

On this day in 1940, John Steinbeck was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his classic novel The Grapes of Wrath. It's the story of a poor Midwestern migrant farming family fighting to keep their family intact. They were not immigrants. They were migrants from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl who had come to California when drought made their lives as farmers impossible.

Monday Morning Message 4.29.19 Final Exam Secret Sauce: A Prayer, Some Tips, and 22 Uplifting Songs

“Well, tests ain’t fair. Those that study have an unfair advantage.” – Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“It’s not that I’m that smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein

Final exams begin today and continue until May 10. We provide coffee and food outside my office every day during exams, but I also want to offer my final exam secret sauce- a prayer, some tips, and 22 uplifting songs.

Monday Morning Message 4.22.19 Announcing the 2019 CMLAW Hall of Fame Inductees and 2019 Leader on the Rise!

“Standing in the hall of fame…. Cause you burn with the brightest flame.” -  “Hall of Fame”, The Script

“As one of the students who attended the Hall of Fame Celebration, I can’t tell you enough how inspiring it was to learn about our incredible alumni, founding honorees, and other law school supporters in the community.”

“As a 1L student, last night served as an incredible reminder of why I wanted to be a part of this community in the first place. To be a part of a night that honored all of the incredible individuals that have made it possible for me and others to be where we are was a remarkable experience…”