20 20 TH E C LA S S OF
J U R I S D O CTO R D E G R E E C A N D I DAT E S
C O LU M B I A L AW S C H O O L N EW YO R K C ITY
* Graduated October TK, 2019 ** Graduated February TK, 2020 *** Candidates June TK, 2020—New York Pro Bono Scholars **** Candidates October TK, 2020
C O LU M B I A LA W S C H O O L
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The Degree Candidates of the Class of 2020
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J U R I S D O CTO R D E G R E E C A N D I D AT E S
** Graduated February 12, 2020
Annelise Bertrand Benjamin Joseph Betik Naomi King Biden Thomas J. Bidwill Fatima M. Bishtawi Zachary Earl Blair Ariel M. Blask Michael Ryan Bloom Mary Boci Virginia Louise Boies Matthew T. Bolin Taylor Elizabeth Booth Molly Brachfeld Eli Brander Edward V. Brandt ** Jamie Lauren Brensilber Paige M. Brinton Jamie Sara Brumberger Paul A. Bryant Ian Buksunski Tiffani Joy Burgess Daniel Richard Burns Alexa Lloyd Busser Kayla C. Butler *** Virginia Hill Butler Don Butterworth Annie Catherine Caccimelio Yunqin Cai Alexis Danielle Campbell Michael Cardinal Jacquellena T. Carrero Matthew F. Casassa Elizabeth J. Casey Rebecca Elizabeth Caspar-Johnson Katherine M. Cavins Soo Kyung Chae Jian Chai Jamie Jinhee Chang Audrey E. Chao Cara L. Chilton Lefteri J. Christodulelis Hwamin Chung Amanda K. Chuzi Daniel V. Clark
Alex Peter Clavering Theodore Cohan Justin B. Cohen Adia DeCarla Coley Andrew Thomas Connery Zachary Turner Cookston Justin John Corvino Todd A. Costa Edmund Aeneas Costikyan Aaron J. Crowell Brian Martin Cunningham William Carter Dario Jonathan Christopher Day Jennifer Dayrit Joshua D. DeBarba Kelsey Victoria Dennison Maddalena Rose DeSimone Larenz Devaren Nav Dhillon Ibrahim Diallo Julian C. Diamond Josie D. Dikkers Emma Katherine DiNapoli Anuj Dixit Katherine N. Donohue Reeva Dua Xiaoyu Duan Natalie Polk Dugan Denver Clayton Dunn Ellie Rae Dupler Andrew Charles Elliott Amanda Michelle Estep Benjamin Philip Estes Daniel Fahrenthold Siyuan Fang Nicollette Farkas Caitri Feddeler Elias Renwick Feldman Haojun Feng Daniel Andres Fernandez Michael Fetterman Max Ian Fiest David Finkelstein John P. Finnegan
** Graduated February 12, 2020
David A. Fischer Rebecca Sarah Fishbein Rebecca Nicole Fleming Judrick K. Fletcher Haley Carter Flora Darren Tze Ern Foo Anthony James Emilio Francisco Alexandra Lauren Franklin Brannock Furey Evan Gabor Ally Ying Ying Gao Jie Gao Jingkang Gao Melange Therese Gavin Letian Ge Grant M. Gerard Emily Irena Gerry Julia Elizabeth Ghahramani Charles G. Giannini Jordyn A. Giannone ** Matthew A. Girardi Cassandra Anna Gizzo Samuel M. Glassman Chris Goetz Andy Gong Diana C. Gonzalez Kaushik K. Goswami Shravya Govindgari Dustin Glen Graber Jeffrey Alexander Greenberg Kyle L. Greene Miles Harrison Greene Lily Charlotte Grisafi Jessica Ariel Grischkan Nicole Groysman Rayna S. Guo Andres Steven Gutierrez Kingkade Timothy Hayes Hagan Matthew Thomas Halchak N’Dea Michelle Hallett Christen Elizabeth Hammock Lichen Han Mary Song Yi Han Sandy Hao
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Meredith Diana Elion Abrams Maria Stephanie Acosta Isha Agarwal Elizabeth N. Aghili Vanessa Somtonna Ajagu Oludolapo Iroloye Akinkugbe Daniel Enrique Albarran Garcia Nestor Dario Almeida Salman Khaled Almutawa David A. Alpert Sara Abdulla Al-Saadi Michael Jared Altman-Lupu Julia E. Ambros Gabriel Demetrio Anaya Robles Jennifer Qing Ange Angelo Mario Angelino Phelan Patricia Caverly Arata Nicholas Antonio Argentieri Delia Maria Arias De Leon Rebecca Arno Brandyn Arnold Grace Bezutsega Mesfin Assaye Maximilian Joseph Auerbach Zamzama Azizi Barak Fischel Binder Bacharach Tiana Talar Baghdikian Blake Mark Bailus Tessa Baizer Yohan John Balan Abed Raouf Balbaky Melissa Relyea Bales Isela BaĂąuelos Zachary R. Barker Daniel Barlava Norhan Bassiouny Alexander C. Bavis Gelsey Geraldine Beaubrun Tyler Becker Doreen Benyamin Katherine Emily Berk Shai Berman Benedict S. Bernstein Gregory Bernstein Max Potters Bernstein
J U R I S D O CTO R D E G R E E C A N D I DAT E S
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J U R I S D O CTO R D E G R E E C A N D I D AT E S
*** Candidate June 30, 2020—New York Pro Bono Scholars
Margaret K. Kellam Meredith Fitzgerald Kelly Hope Elisabeth Kerpelman Andrew Garo Khanarian Nicholas Kho Alexander Kim Gihyun Kim HyunKyu Kim Peter C. Y. Kim Stephen G. Kim Susie Kim Caleb Borges King Idun Bresee Klakegg Savanna Pack Klinek Anja L. Kong Brendan F. Krimsky Kathryn Brooke Kuethman Austin Kuhn James Anthony Kutter Afia Mutesi Kwakwa Nikita Lamba Jean Marie Lambert Lin Lan Ruby Bert Lang Allison Johanna Langley Michelle Lisa Lappen Sean Michael Larner Quinn Leary Daniel J. Lee Laura Lee Lloyd Nolen Stepteau Lee Matthew Lee Tyler Anne Joo-Ri Lee Solomon Zhehao Leung Elizabeth Levin Michael U. Lewis Ben Lewson *** Siqi Li Xinrui Li Ben Lieberman Sarah Hong Lin Haley Hsiu Wen Ling Alexander Loh Victor Lopez
Buyu Ma Sarah Elena Maciel Bryson Doan Malcolm Jessica Marder-Spiro Sarah R. Margolis Patrick Floyd Marris Mary Marshall Luke Andrew Martin Christian R. Martinez Bret Matera Libby McAvoy Holli Elise McClean John A. McNairy ** Amanda Robin McNally Martin Maurice McSherry II Aryeh Mellman Conor James Mercadante I. Joshua Meyer Melissa U. Meza Chelsea Bowen Mihelich Ian Miller Rohan Georges Mishra Jonathan Mitnick Rashad A. Mohammed ** Anisha Diya Mohin Farah A. Mokhtar Ariana Momtazi-Bushweller Ammar Ashraf Monawar Olivia Davy Morrison Anne Mosley Zane William Muller Courtney Aleia Murray Jie Lin Nai Jun Nam Alexandra Nora Nasar Julia Elizabeth Nelson Anton Nemirovski Andrea Nishi Lila Jun Eron Nojima Chikaodi Cybil Obiozor Omobolaji O. Ogunsola *** Alexander Ife Ojugbeli Gabriella Okafor Udoka Joy Okafor
Edgar C. Okorie Julia Oksasoglu Bradford R. Olson Ryan J. Olson Daniel P. O’Toole Andrew Jisu Pai Jay Pak Lina Pan Michael Li Pan Elizabeth Parizh Sung Min Daniel Park Yuna Park Danielle Alyse Parker Gregory A. Passa Krusheeta R. Patel *** Andreas Constantine Pavlou Kevin Brian Perron Alexander R. Perry Laura Ann Peterson Micaela Jade Piña Cecilia Plaza J. Ryan C. Poladian Mark M. Pollak Marta Poplawski Esther Portyansky Sara Kate Providence Christine Qin Zhen Qin Eric W. Quang Kobina A. Quaye Dana Michelle Quinn Yesenia Yvette Rascon Thea Raymond-Sidel Miranda E. Rehaut Tricia Reville Margarita Alexandra Dizon Reyes Devin Rives Risinger Connor Jeffrey Ritschard Kathleen Martha Ritter Elizabeth Annabel Rivera Cruz Israel Rodríguez Rubio Norma Patricia Rojas-Castro Salvador Rosas Christine Rua
** Graduated February 12, 2020 *** Candidate June 30, 2020—New York Pro Bono Scholars
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Daniel Jacob Harper Samantha Marie Hawkins-Bromberg Elizabeth Hayden William McCarthy Hayes Devyn J. Hébert Marina Analise Hernandez Diondra Korlis Hicks Hung Due Ho Yarden Hodes Tyler Holbrook Sarah Hong Amelie Claiborne Hopkins Rachel Horn Allison Lulajunuette Houston Andrew “AJ” Howard Aileen Christina Huang Terry Tianrui Huang MariKate Hok’te Hulbutta Mackenzie Ellen Humble Jacob Daniel Humerick Grace Hunter Eli B. Huscher Nicandro G. L. Iannacci Daniel Osagie Imahiyerobo Preston Louis Irace Michelle Ifeoluwapo Irukera Anna Aida Iskikian Christina M. Isnardi Jonathan Max Jaroslawicz Vendarryl L. Jenkins Esther Tian Jiang Ester Amelia Johansson-Lebrón Kristin Johnson Joella Adia Chao Jones Zachary Scott Jones Breana Jordan Brandon David Joseph Jabari Yusef Julien *** Karen A. Kadish Fanta Brunhilde Kamara Dina Marie Perez Kang *** Omar Kanjwal Sonia Katharani-Khan Jennifer Katz
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J U R I S D O CTO R D E G R E E C A N D I D AT E S Melissa Renee Verne ** Charlotte A. Walkovik Connie Wang Kunyu Monica Wang Markus Wang Dylan Waters Caroline Flannery Wattenmaker Alyssa Danielle Weinstein Ryan Patrick Weir Malina M. Welman Tanna Wiesel William Palmer Wilder Frank H. Williams III Samuel Nye Winslow Jonathan Wong Terry Y. Wong Linxuan Yan Ivy Xiaotian Yao Saba Yasmin Mitra V. Yazdi Joyce Jung Min Yeo Melissa Yin Daniel Yoon Justin S. Yun Nadia Attahir Yusuf Brandon Alexander Zamudio Jingxi Zhai Shannon W. Zhang Yi Zhang Matthew J. Zhu Shengling Zhu Siyi Zhu
** Graduated February 12, 2020 *** Candidate June 30, 2020—New York Pro Bono Scholars
Marisol Alvear * Kan He * Heather Kellam Von Toennemann * Neelu Mohan *
Bernardo Viana * Max C. H. Wong * Jianfei Jeffrey Zhu *
D O CTO R O F S C I E N C E O F LAW D E G R E E CA N D I DAT E S Henry Allen Blair ** Bin Chen * Claire Marie Debucquois * M A ST E R O F LAW S D E G R E E C A N D I DAT E S Gabriela Abdalla Fajnzylber Bamisope Adeyanju Urvi Agarwal Hind Al Aissi Nadja Al Kanawati Josef Alkatout Matthew C. Anderson Hiromi Ando Ronnie Ang Pai Apiratkasem Francisco Ignacio Aras Eira Arb Zackrisson Felipe Arias Gutierrez Mo’taz Arshied Fildza Nabila Avianti Andrea Avila Salgado Neshevida Balasubramanian Guilherme Bergamin de Barros Louise-Anne Bertin Hilda Santos Bertolini Camille Beuvry Priyanka Bhat Pierre Blancher Maud Boutolleau Nora Bettina Johanna Braun Elizabeth Margaret Brown Melanie Joyce Brown Giulia Brunello Jack Busby Zoe Johanna Bush Yuanyuan Cai Lucas Brandão Borges Caiado
Orly Calderon Yifan Cao Zijian Cao Paul Carey Ana Maria Castro Dosal Ondrej Cech Francisco Cerda Ian Ernst Chai En-Yu Chang Pei-Chuan Chang Fei Chen Hongzhou Chen Manel Chibane Mercedes Chien Eungyung Eileen Choi Rumen Cholakov Hiresh Choudhary Chun Ho Chung Thiago Claro Carolyne Clermont Caroline S. Coursant Andrea Cruz Samyuktha Damojipurapu Pratik Ranjan Das Kelsey Davis Julie De Keukeleire José María de la Jara Plaza María Hortensia de la Peña Sebastian De La Puente Federico de la Torre Herrera Camila De Lasa Raphaelle Debordes
* Graduated October 16, 2019 ** Graduated February 12, 2020
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Chevaun Samuels *** Genesis Sanchez Tavarez Christopher Santana Samuel Tyler Schaffer Philippe Schiff Jonathan Ryan Schlecht Stephen M. Schmitt Emilie C. Schwarz Charles C. See Vlad Shafran Ravi D. Shah Whitman Lane Shaw Jacob Nathaniel Shepherd J.G. Piper Sheren Reed T. Showalter Jordana Danziger Signer Michelle Silva Nicholas Singer Olivia Farwell Lescure Smith Minah Chelsea So Nicole Alexandra Sockett Grace Mie Son Timothy A. Sorenson Noah Zachary Sosnick Eric G. Speckhard Kathleen Mary Stanaro Emma Sydney Stein Mayer Stein Zack A. Struver Narayan S. Subramanian Lillian Sun Nicholas Sun Kelvin Tan Sudi Tasissa Joshua McIntosh Taylor Shelton Taylor Aden D. A. Tedla Melissa Kai Lin Teh John Benjamin Thomas Sam Thompson Brian James Tratner Jonathan Lee Trebble-Greening Abigail A. Unger Ashwini Velchamy
E X E C U T I V E M A ST E R O F LAW S I N G LO B A L B U S I N E SS LAW
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M A ST E R O F LAW S D E G R E E C A N D I D AT E S
** Graduated February 12, 2020
Frank Shihong Hong Shengping Hsu Meiling Huang Xiaojie Huang Florence Humblet Matthew Pearson Hurt Morgan Imbert Shunsuke Imura Ayari Ishiyama Daichi Ito Johann E. Jabes Alexandra Jakobsen Chayathanan Jerasantpich Jaehun Jo Arjun F. Joshi Minhee Jung Mina Kanamura Chinmay Kanojia Yahel Kaplan Gili Karev Kei Kato Miftahul (Ari) Khairi Sung Hyun Kim Mariko Kimura Randeep Singh Koonar Samantha Gabriela Koutras Martin Kridla Ananya Nikhil Kulkarni Rani Butler Kulkarni Shraddha Kulshreshtha Chetna Kumar Yusuf Kumtepe Meenakshi Ramesh Kurpad Yoko Kutami Hideaki Kuwahara Jeffrey Kwok Munjeong Kyung Nicholas Lai Yi Shin Ching-Fang Lee Katie Sheah Tsan Lee Iván Levy David Leys Huiyi Li Wuxiao Liang
Yi Fang Paul Lie Johannes Liefke Patrick P. Lin Mingke Liu Moritz Lochmann Ana Longhi de França Riccardo Loschi Maximilian Ludvik Zora Motta Fayal de Lyra Joao Antonio Madureira de Pinho Namrata Maheshwari Eugenio Marin de León Carla Martini Raul Eduardo Mazzarella Ulloa Isabel Mejia Llano Marina Mendes Correa Mariana Merino Collado Zoya Mohyuddin Edgar Monteiro Eduardo Morandé Fontaine Muzahid Mowla Namrata Mukherjee Nivedita Mukhija Ingrid A. Müller Maria Jesus Munoz Ugarte Ryo Muramatsu Yui Muramatsu Amarante Camille Murino Alexandra J. Murphy Niousha Nademi Takeshi Nagai Eric P. Neuenschwander Whitney-Martina Nosakhare Amanda Obi Felix Otieno Oketch Jack Oliver-Hood Brandon M. O’Malley Rachel Yue Qing Ong Eduardo J. Oteiza Calzada Christine Otto Stephen Owusu Marina Pacheco de Araujo Paciullo Hyunsung Park Jung Myong Park
** Graduated February 12, 2020
Teresa Pastore Eduardo Alves Pereira Nishadee Yawwana Perera Elvira M. Perez Sepulveda Michael Pierluisi Joanna Pauline Pimentel Yirong Yvonne Poon Ayla Prentice-Cuntz Meera Rajah Deep Rao Hannah Therese Reid Andres Reyes Mendez Donald Rhodes Rachel Rhodes Carlos Rios Edan G. Rivera Maria Jose Rocha Rohan Rohan Octavio Roldan Montijo Esther Romay Jove Jacob Roth Etia Rottman Frand Mohamed A. Saeed Viktoria Salehi Mihir Samson Guillermo Sarubbi Lutz Pedro Saullo Konstantin Savryga Theresa Marie Scharff Adrien Schmieder Pirmin Emanuel Schreiner Robert Edmund Schultz Philipp Schwarz Sayaka Sekimiya Maya Olga Shaton ** Miguel Sierra Uday Pratap Singh Ritika Sinha Clare Skinner Lara Bianca Solomons Keun-Chul Song Anika Sonnenberg Philipp A. Stallknecht Alice Stampfli-Parmentier
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Victoria Delettre Jahnvi Amit Desai Pedro Diego Diaz Asmat Celia Marie Diederichs Edward Emmett Dillon Francisco Ducci Sofia Duclaud Laure Dupain Shogo Eguchi Rawad Elia Abou Jaoude Electra Eliez Charles English Mirjam Escher Santiago Escobar Magana Marcelo A. Fajnzylber Maria Falcão de Andrade Jorge Vinicio Fernandez Anna Patricia Fonseca Olivia Franklin Maria Fernanda Gadea Rivera Michal Galayevich Elena Andreea Gancea Teresa Garcia-Barrero Alice Gardoll Felix Gasten Craig Daniel Gaver Olga Gladkova Michal Goffer-Daphne Juan Eduardo Gómez Londoño Ana Gonçalves Nicolas Daniel Guichard Tingting Guo Ritunjay Gupta Heather Jill Haase ** Matthias D. Haberstig Jonathan Michael Hall Spence Kayako Harada Nathan Jeremy Hauser Dario Henri Haux Mudan He John M. Heather Leo William Herrenschmidt Keita Hitomi Paul Hoffmann
M A ST E R O F LAW S D E G R E E C A N D I DAT E S
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M A ST E R O F LAW S D E G R E E C A N D I D AT E S
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S. Katharina Stein Hinako Sugiyama Kristian Sutt Victoria Modong Taban Matteo Tabellini Muhammed Emrah Tanyildizi Jiatian Tao Jake Taylor Samuel Tazartes Riccardo Tedeschini Maurice Temming Benedetta Tilli Anna Silvia Tinelli Julia Tolstova Jay Tongkak Chetan Tripathy Nathan Turk Greta Ulbrick Fakhruddin Ali Valika Guillaume Van Doosselaere Peter Donald Frank Varacalli Anfranz Vazquez-Bragan Balaji Venkatakrishnan Sarah Maria Vettiger Juan Sebastian Viancha Trujillo Jon Vicuña Javier Antonio Villalba Solis Ding Wang Gan Wang Jiadiandian Wang Lily Wang Jean-Jacques Waringo
Yukiko Suwa Watanabe Christine Weniger Anna-Luise Werder Michal Jan Wolangiewicz Alison Wong Colin Wood Dan Wu Kuo-An Wu Qinzhi Wu Paul Simon Wunderl Elsa S. Wyllie Min Xiang Cheryl Yiqi Xu Weihuan Xu Etsuko Yamazaki Meng Yan Xuemei Yang Satoshi Yoshinami Fang Yuan Chen Zaefen Marco Zaldívar Rodrigo Zaldivar Del Aguila Donna Zamir Ge Zhang Guannan Zhang Lei Zhang Xiaoyu Zhang Jiaji Zhou Zhou Zhou
G R A D U AT I O N C O M M I T T E E C O - C H A I R S Maria Stephanie Acosta ’20 Udoka Joy Okafor ’20 Lucas Brandão Borges Caiado ’20 LL.M.
A Special Tribute to the Class of 2020: the Class Gift
Each year at commencement, members of Columbia Law School’s graduating class present a class gift to the Law School as they transition from students to alumni—a tradition since the late 1990s to support the students who will follow in their footsteps. Class gift co-chairs and committee members work diligently throughout the spring to engage all of their classmates in this effort, which consistently results in a tremendous annual class participation rate. This year, as the co-chairs began forming committees for this time-honored effort, they, along with their classmates, teachers, families, neighbors, and friends across the globe, faced the onset of a lifealtering pandemic. Acknowledging the graduates’ fortitude, flexibility, ingenuity, and compassion, especially during their challenging final semester, Columbia Law School alumnus Li Lu ’95—one of the principal organizers of the Tiananmen Square protests in China and the first student to earn simultaneous degrees from the Law School, Columbia College, and Columbia Business School—made a gift “in honor of every member of the Columbia Law School Class of 2020.” T H E C LA S S O F 2 0 2 0
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This gift will help alleviate the unanticipated financial needs of Columbia Law students that have been brought on by this global crisis. 2 0 2 0 C LA S S G I F T C O M M I T T E E
J.D. CO-CHAIRS
LL.M. CO-CHAIRS
Allison Lulajunuette Houston Frank H. Williams III
Alice Gardoll Stephen Owusu
COM M ITTE E M E M B E R S
J.D. COMMIT TEE MEMBERS
LL.M. COMMIT TEE MEMBERS
Jennifer Qing Ange Katherine Emily Berk Sandy Hao Samantha Marie Hawkins-Bromberg Vendarryl L. Jenkins Alexander Kim Jay Pak Malina M. Welman
Bamisope Adeyanju Lucas Brandão Borges Caiado Frank Shihong Hong Yusuf Kumtepe Felix Otieno Oketch Teresa Pastore Theresa Marie Scharff Keun-Chul Song Anna Silvia Tinelli
Alumni Advice
To help celebrate this year’s graduating class, alumni leaders who generously serve on this year’s reunion committees share their words of wisdom with the newest members of the Columbia Law School alumni network. Here are some examples of the advice they wish they could give their younger selves.
ELISE HOLTZMAN ’90
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“Follow your instincts, not your bank balance. You have a license to help people not schooled in the endless intricacies of the law.”
“Balance your work with your personal life. That is easier said than done in our profession, which can be all consuming at times. When you look back on your life, you will see that your loved ones, family, and dear friends are more important than any case, any deal, or any job you held along the way.” GEORGE M. NEWCOMBE ’75
“Surprising things will happen, both good and bad. Don’t take yourself too seriously, and always remember that what you have and what you accomplish in life are in large part the product of luck. So (just as your parents and grammar school teachers always told you): Don’t get a swelled head, and give back to the community what you receive.” GERARD E. LYNCH ’75
RICHARD T. ANDRIAS ’70
“Stay true to your principles; it’s possible, if not always easy.” EDWARD BYRNE ’75
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Legal research and writing is the most important class you have taken. Always, always remember your audience. The legal field is small, so be kind to everyone, even opposing counsel.” SARAH RICE ’10
ROBERT FARON ’75
“As an African-American attorney and Columbia graduate, I think that it is most important to aggressively protect your reputation, enjoy all opportunities presented, and enjoy the practice of law. I have found the practice of law to be incredibly fulfilling, especially in the areas of litigation. Columbia Law School has a fine and wonderful tradition [of] providing support for the great civil rights leaders and freedom fighters of our times. Achievement at the highest part of our profession is important, but to me, carrying on the traditions of the giants that walked before me is truly significant.”
“Enjoy all the different phases of your career. Each has its own challenges and rewards.” CORI MELTZER ’92
“Your reputation is everything, even in a large market like New York City. In everything you do as a lawyer be civil, reasonable, friendly, forthright, and, above all, honest. All of these things will, in the long view, win you a reputation that opens doors.” ERIC HASKELL ’05
“Challenging times often require us to make difficult decisions, but they also present new opportunities that, if properly seized, may deliver professional growth and pleasant surprises in the longer run.” LINCOLN YEH ’05
“You enjoy work and are curious, always wanting to learn new things, which is great, but remember to stay healthy, and don’t forget to dedicate time to family and friends! Balance is everything!” ROBERTA PIMENTEL FONSECA ’05
FELIX LEATHERWOOD ’80
“I would tell myself to be open to opportunities to grow personally and professionally in nontraditional ways. Your country needs you. The world does too. Take time to have a broader impact on life and create a steep learning curve for yourself in an impactful area.” GEORGE MADISON ’80
“Keep your Columbia Law School network going! It is one of the most valuable assets you take with you.” DIEGO GALLEGOS ’15
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“Although it may be difficult to believe now, the people in your law school class will eventually be leaders in the law, government and politics, business, and global change. No matter how busy you are or how far flung your classmates may be, maintain and nurture relationships with them so you can learn from each other and support one another’s goals. You will be able to offer one another opportunities such as jobs, client referrals, and the chance to assume leadership and create impact for the communities of which you are a part.”
“Follow your dreams as to why you became a lawyer. Sometimes the draw of one direction—large law firm, public interest law, or corporate law—is not right for you at the moment, but do not be afraid to change directions or law activities. Maximize your outreach, and stay connected to a variety of lawyers (other classmates), and keep networking.”
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C LA S S G I F T 2 0 2 0 Dear Members of the Class of 2020, With your graduation from Columbia Law School, you join the ranks of judges, corporate attorneys, public defenders, CEOs, world leaders, and alumni in countless other roles who are making their mark on the world. I know you have just begun to make yours.
* Member of the Harlan Fiske Stone Society
Of course, you will also have the chance to give back in many ways. Please consider nurturing the legal careers of future students and graduates through mentorship. You can also contribute by volunteering for class reunion celebrations, serving on an alumni board or council, and becoming a loyal donor to the Law School. Congratulations on your impressive and hard-earned accomplishment. I wish you every success, personally and professionally, on the road ahead. Warmly,
Ryan D. Cairns Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Relations
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Messages From Development and Alumni Relations and the Columbia Law School Association
One of the special things about Columbia Law is the vibrancy of our alumni community. You are now part of an extended family comprising 26,000 Law School graduates. As you navigate your professional career, this global network can be a valuable source of guidance and support. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity by making personal connections and attending alumni events.
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Dear Members of the Class of 2020, My heartfelt congratulations on your graduation from Columbia Law School. You are not only joining the Columbia Law School Association as our newest members but are also becoming part of a dynamic alumni community whose influence is felt in just about every walk of American life and whose impact is seen around the world. In the decades to come, you and your classmates will accomplish a great many achievements in the law and beyond. Wherever your path may take you, we all will continue to share a special bond—a bond that links us with Columbia Law alumni across the generations. Being a member of the Columbia Law family has been one of my greatest joys. The three years I spent at Columbia quite literally transformed my life. It opened new vistas to me, both professionally and personally. My experiences gave rise to friendships with classmates and faculty that I cherish 30 years later.
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A key part of our mission at the association is to nurture your relationships with fellow Columbia Law alumni. For that reason, I hope you will soon be able to join us for events, share personal and professional updates, and even volunteer to serve on our board someday! Your future participation will be most warmly welcomed. Franklin D. Roosevelt, a member of the Columbia Law Class of 1907, once observed, “There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.” This dictum has come true far too soon for the Class of 2020. But take heart, for you will have many days in the sun. As your fellow alumni, we will be there with you and for you. My best wishes as you enter the next stage of what I know will be a promising career. Sincerely,
Rudy Carmenaty ’90
President, Columbia Law School Association Board of Directors
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* Member of the Harlan Fiske Stone Society