Classroom learning is certainly important during law school, but having practical experience in the field is also vital. In this Widener Law Commonwealth podcast episode, host Tara Mead talks with two students, Kimberly Marrera and Emily LaGreca, who share their own externship and internship opportunities and how valuable they've been to them. 

Episode Transcript (PDF)

Mentioned in this episode: 

WLC Externships Webpage: https://commonwealthlaw.widener.edu/academics/practical-learning-opportunities/externships/ 

WLC Clinic Webpage: https://commonwealthlaw.widener.edu/academics/practical-learning-opportunities/civil-law-clinic/ 

Widener University Commonwealth Law School is the Pennsylvania capital’s only law school, with three specialized centers of legal scholarship through its Law & Government Institute, Environmental Law and Sustainability Center, and Business Advising Program. Widener Law Commonwealth offers an exceptional learning experience that is personal, practical, and professional. Visit commonwealthlaw.widener.edu for more information.

Music Credit: LeChuckz

Widener Law Commonwealth prides itself on having nationally and internationally recognized experts in a variety of legal fields, including environmental law. In our latest podcast, host Tara Mead talks with Professor John Dernbach, director of the law school's Environmental Law and Sustainability Center about his work, including his role in the recent COP27 international conference, a new book, and his future plans as he looks toward retirement next year. 

Episode Transcript (PDF)

Mentioned in this Episode:

Widener Law Commonwealth's Central Pennsylvania Law Clinic offers students an opportunity to use and develop their legal skills to help people in need in our community. Podcast host Tara Mead talks with Professor Mary Catherine Scott, director of the clinic, on her work with the students, including their newest endeavor regarding legal issues impacting the elderly. 

Episode Transcript (PDF)

Mentioned in this Episode:

Central Pennsylvania Law Clinic
717-541-0320
https://commonwealthlaw.widener.edu/academics/practical-learning-opportunities/civil-law-clinic/ 

Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging 
https://www.dauphincounty.org/government/departments/area_agency_on_aging/services/legal.php 

MidPenn Legal Services
https://www.midpenn.org/ 

YWCA Domestic Violence Legal Center
https://www.ywcahbg.org/programs/domestic-violence-legal-center

Widener University Commonwealth Law School is the Pennsylvania capital’s only law school, with three specialized centers of legal scholarship through its Law & Government Institute, Environmental Law and Sustainability Center, and Business Advising Program. Widener Law Commonwealth offers an exceptional learning experience that is personal, practical, and professional. Visit commonwealthlaw.widener.edu for more information.

Music Credit: LeChuckz

While gaining legal knowledge is first and foremost the focus of law students, it's also vital students have the right strategies in place to help them gain employment when they graduate. In this podcast, host Tara Mead talks with Eden Mandrell, assistant dean of Widener Law Commonwealth's Career Development Office, who discusses her role in helping current students and alumni in their job search and beyond

Episode Transcript (PDF)

Music Credit: LeChuckz

Episode Transcript (PDF)

Music Credit: LeChuckz

Episode Transcript (PDF)

Mentioned in This Episode

In this episode, host Tara Mead talks with Legal Methods professors Amanda Sholtis and Anna Hemingway on how they help first year students with the challenges of law school, notably in the areas of communication and analysis of the law. 

Episode Transcript (PDF) 

Music Credit: LeChuckz

Thank you for listening to the Widener Law Commonwealth podcast. We have been on hiatus since May. Although our subseries Things I Wish I Knew has concluded, we are delighted to welcome our new host Tara Mead.

Tara joined Widener Law Commonwealth this semester as the new marketing and communications manager. Her first episode will be released tomorrow and covers the struggles first year law students face and ideas about how to overcome them.

If you have any podcast episode suggestions, please email them to webcwlaw@widener.edu. We look forward to sharing new content with you soon.

One of the joys of being a Widener Law Commonwealth student is meeting alumni. Gabriella Romeo ’21, Student Bar Association President, interviewed alumna Niki Carter ’08. In-person restrictions did not keep them from a fun and engaging interview. Niki currently works at TE Connectivity, a company that designs and manufactures connectivity and sensors products for harsh environments. In her position at TE, Niki counsels the Aerospace, Defense & Marine business unit, and more specifically serves as North American regional commercial counsel for the Aerospace & Defense business and lead counsel for the Marine, Oil & Gas, business. Niki is an experienced business legal advisor, with extensive expertise with U.S. Government, Department of Defense contracts and acquisition regulations. As a trusted business advisor, Niki counsels internal clients on a variety of matters, including contract negotiation and interpretation, customer claims, risk and liability issues, and emerging issues in relevant regulatory frameworks. She also regularly evaluates government acquisition compliance, leading to the drafting and updating internal policies and procedures, and development and deployment of internal training programs. Although Niki currently practices in a traditional in-house role, her career path has taken many twists and turns. As a result, she advocates for and encourages law students to consider non-traditional legal-adjacent career paths. Widener University Commonwealth Law School is the Pennsylvania capital’s only law school, with three specialized centers of legal scholarship through its Law & Government Institute, Environmental Law and Sustainability Center, and Business Advising Program. Widener Law Commonwealth offers an exceptional learning experience that is personal, practical, and professional. Visit commonwealthlaw.widener.edu for more information. #lawschool​ #lawstudents​ #alumni​ #WidenerLawCW​ #WidenerPride

One of the joys of being a Widener Law Commonwealth student is meeting alumni. Gabriella Romeo ’21, Student Bar Association President, interviewed alumnus Steve Ryan ’07. In-person restrictions did not keep them from a fun and engaging interview. Steve, a Brooklyn, NY native turned Central Pennsylvanian, shared his legal journey beginning from his first days at Widener to his well-established career in Workers’ Compensation Law. Keeps your eyes out for a special appearance of Gabriella’s cat Mia and your ears open for Steve’s favorite Harrisburg Pizza joint.

Steve Ryan is an associate with Martin Law LLC who practices workers’ compensation law. The primary focus of his practice is on injured workers. He found a passion for this area of the law after observing the difficulties that many workers faced in the workers’ compensation system. In the Spring of 2015, Mr. Ryan became a certified specialist in Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation by the PA Bar Association’s Section on Workers’ Compensation Law as authorized by the PA Supreme Court.

Mr. Ryan is an active member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ), Dauphin County Bar Association, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He is an avid writer and has written on numerous topics from workers’ compensation in newspapers to fictional short stories.

Mr. Ryan received his law degree from Widener University School of Law in 2007. He received his undergraduate degree in English from Brooklyn College in 2002. During law school, he was a Senior Staff Member of the Widener Law Journal and highly involved in the Intensive Trial Advocacy Program (ITAP).

Widener University Commonwealth Law School is the Pennsylvania capital’s only law school, with three specialized centers of legal scholarship through its Law & Government Institute, Environmental Law and Sustainability Center, and Business Advising Program. Widener Law Commonwealth offers an exceptional learning experience that is personal, practical, and professional. Visit commonwealthlaw.widener.edu for more information.

You can also view the interview on our YouTube Channel.

#lawschool #lawstudents #alumni #WidenerLawCW #WidenerPride #WidenerInsideTrack

Music Credit: LeChuckz

Welcome to the seventh episode of Things I Wish I Knew (a subseries of the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast) hosted by students Jonathan Nace along with cohosts Connor Behrend and Mark Uriarte.

In this episode, the three hosts discuss what life has been like for them since the school transitioned to online learning in March 2020.

Things I Wish I Knew podcast subseries is about learning from your mistakes and progressing in your law school careers. The hosts and guests will be having candid discussions about many topics including anxiety, test taking strategies, technical difficulties, and much more.

Subscribe to the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and other third-party podcast players so you don't miss an episode. We hope you enjoy hearing about law school from the people who know best - law students. For more information about the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast, visit commonwealthlaw.widener.edu/podcast.

Music: Bob Birthisel (Pond5)

Welcome to episode six of Widener Wordsmith, a subseries of the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast.

In this episode, Widener Wordsmith host and Adjunct Professor Pam DeMartino sits down with Associate Professor of Legal Methods David Raeker-Jordan to discuss how and why 1L students should construct the counterargument portion of their brief.

Music by runfirestop (Pond5)

Welcome to episode five of Widener Wordsmith, a subseries of the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast.

In this episode, Widener Wordsmith host and Adjunct Professor Pam DeMartino sits down with two Widener Law Commonwealth students who have published articles. They discuss the benefits to students who choose to pursue having something published.

Music by runfirestop (Pond5)

Welcome to episode four of Widener Wordsmith, a subseries of the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast.

In this episode, Widener Wordsmith host and Adjunct Professor Pam DeMartino sits down with Director of Academic Success Professor Amanda Sholtis. The two discuss the legal writing process.

Read the transcript from this episode. (PDF)

Music by runfirestop (Pond5)

Welcome to episode three of Widener Wordsmith, a subseries of the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast.

In this episode, Widener Wordsmith host and Adjunct Professor Pam DeMartino sits down with Director of Legal Methods Professor Anna Hemingway. The two review what 1L students should have learned in Legal Methods I and what they can expect to learn in Legal Methods II.

Read the transcript for this episode. (PDF)

Music by runfirestop (Pond5)

Welcome to the fourth episode of Things I Wish I Knew (a subseries of the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast) hosted by students Jonathan Nace along with cohosts Connor Behrend and Mark Uriarte. In this episode, host Jonathan interviews Rebecca Ross, director of student accessibility services at Widener University, and Molly Acri, Assistant Dean of Administration and Registrar at Widener Law Commonwealth. They discuss the process of requesting academic accommodations. All three cohosts discuss their opinions on brief writing in the 5 minutes of unsolicited advice segment. 

Things I Wish I Knew podcast subseries is about learning from your mistakes and progressing in your law school careers. The hosts and guests will be having candid discussions about many topics including anxiety, test taking strategies, technical difficulties, and much more.

Subscribe to the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and other third-party podcast players so you don't miss an episode. We hope you enjoy hearing about law school from the people who know best - law students. For more information about the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast, visit commonwealthlaw.widener.edu/podcast.

Music: Bob Birthisel (Pond5)

Welcome to the third episode of Things I Wish I Knew (a subseries of the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast) hosted by students Jonathan Nace along with cohosts Connor Behrend and Mark Uriarte.

In this special Veterans Day episode, hosts Jonathan and Connor interview Emily Ishler and Michael Bradley about the annual Wills for Heroes event held on campus each spring and is organized by the Public Interest Law Society student organization. Next, Jonathan speaks with veteran students Tadd Turczyn and Michael Cooper as they reflect on their military experience and their journeys to law school.

Things I Wish I Knew podcast subseries is about learning from your mistakes and progressing in your law school careers. The hosts and guests will be having candid discussions about many topics including anxiety, test taking strategies, technical difficulties, and much more.

Subscribe to the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and other third-party podcast players so you don't miss an episode. We hope you enjoy hearing about law school from the people who know best - law students.

For more information about the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast, visit commonwealthlaw.widener.edu/podcast.

Music: Bob Birthisel (Pond5)

Happy Halloween!

Welcome to the second episode of Things I Wish I Knew (a subseries of the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast) hosted by students Jonathan Nace along with cohosts Connor Behrend and Mark Uriarte.

In this special Halloween episode, hosts Jonathan and Mark interview Professor Robyn Meadows about how to write an essay answer for a law school exam. Among other tips, they review the acronym I.R.A.C. (Issue, Rule, Analysis, and Conclusion) as a method to follow when answering exam questions. Next, all three cohosts discuss their opinions on and experiences with study groups in law school in the 5 minutes of unsolicited advice segment. Finally, hosts Jonathan and Mark recap what listeners should take away from the interview with Professor Meadows. 

Things I Wish I Knew podcast subseries is about learning from your mistakes and progressing in your law school careers. The hosts and guests will be having candid discussions about many topics including anxiety, test taking strategies, technical difficulties, and much more.

Welcome to the first episode of Things I Wish I Knew (a subseries of the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast) hosted by students Jonathan Nace along with cohosts Connor Behrend and Mark Uriarte.

In the first half of this episode, hosts Jonathan and Connor interview fellow student Matt Bugli about how to present yourself on social media. Next, all three cohosts discuss sleep in the 5 minutes of unsolicited advice segment. Finally, hosts Jonathan and Mark interview fellow students Deanna Wagner and Eric Quiroz about how to dress for class, externships, and interviews. 

Things I Wish I Knew podcast subseries is about learning from your mistakes and progressing in your law school careers. The hosts and guests will be having candid discussions about many topics including anxiety, test taking strategies, technical difficulties, and much more.

Coming Monday, October 21, 2019...

Things I Wish I Knew Podcast (a subseries of the Widener Law Commonwealth Podcast) hosted by students Jonathan Nace along with cohosts Connor Behrend and Mark Uriarte.

This podcast series is about learning from your mistakes and progressing in your law school careers. The hosts and guests will be having candid discussions about many topics including anxiety, test taking strategies, technical difficulties, and much more.

Host Julie Sheldon talks with Associate Professor of Legal Methods David Raeker-Jordan about evidence based study tips for law students. Research suggests the various ways students studied in undergrad may not be effective in law school. 

For more information about the podcast, visit commonwealthlaw.widener/podcast.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Law Library Study Aids

Music Credit: LeChuckz

This episode, recorded in September 2018, is the final installment of a three-part series featuring Eden Mandrell, Director of the Career Development Office at Widener Law Commonwealth in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In this episode, Eden and Host Julie Sheldon discuss internships and externships for law students. 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Career Development and Job Search Tools

Widener Law Commonwealth Externships

Symplicity Job Bank

Music Credit: LeChuckz

This episode, recorded in September 2018, is the second in a three-part series featuring Eden Mandrell, Director of the Career Development Office at Widener Law Commonwealth in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In this episode, Eden and Host Julie Sheldon discuss tips for resumes and cover letters for law students and recent alumni. 

The final installment in the series will be a discussion about and internships and externships. 

Episode Transcript (PDF)

Mentioned in this Episode:

Career Development and Job Search Tools

Music Credit: LeChuckz

This episode is the first in a three-part series featuring Eden Mandrell, Director of the Career Development Office at Widener Law Commonwealth in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In this episode they discuss networking and professionalism for law students and recent alumni. 

Upcoming episodes in this series will include discussions about resume building and internships and externships. 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Pennsylvania Bar Association Law Student Membership
Dauphin County Bar Association
Career Development and Job Search Tools

Music Credit: LeChuckz