Nearing the end of the Semester, George Read Chapter still roars along!
 |
Hungry? Grab a snack! |
Thursday, March 3rd: Public House Networking Event.
Talk to any recent graduate, and they will all tell you - "getting a job these days is all about who you know." Problem is, it seems the only people we know are those chained to the desk next to us in the Law Library. Luckily, Phi Alpha Delta's Social Chairperson, Raymond Pinner, worked hard to break us out of the library, and get some local attornies to come and meet members of the George Read Chapter. 
Working with the Public House in Downtown Wilmington and Themis Bar Review, Ray put on an excellent networking event. This was the George Read Chapter's first off-campus networking event, so Ray had no idea what to expect. Will financial help from Themis, he got a great spread of food for attendees to dine one. Public House offered great drink specials. All he needed was for people to attend. He worked the phone, shook a ton of hands, and sent tons of Facebook messages. What he didn't account for was the 1hr back-up on I-95 southbound... the main artery all of his invited Attorneys would be using!
 |
| Jennifer Dean-Wilkins and Heather Stein |
 | |||
| Co-Sponsor Themis |
However, despite the traffic snarl, the event was a huge success! Phil Cha (member of Archer & Greiner’s Litigation Department), Jennifer Lin (Assistant District Attorney at Philadelphia District Attorney's Office), Debra Hong (Partner at Stradley Ronon), and Sam Closic, (member of Potter, Anderson, & Corroon litigation department) were among the attorneys who managed to brave I-95 and met up with members of the George Read Chapter. Professor Louise Hill, the chapter's Faculty Advisor, stopped by to see several of the Widener Alumni who came out.
 |
| Alicea Millbourne, Darya Natesova, Ray Pinner, and Kimberly Renner, looking at something really interesting... |
Friday, March 4th - Saturday, March 5th: Phi Alpha Delta's National Mock Trial Competition in Arlington, VA.
 |
| George Read's Power House Team: Mike McNeil, Scott Frame, Dominic Carrera, and Clint Orem |
(Posted by Jim Lewis, Vice Justice)
Scott Frame, Dominic Carrera, Michael McNeil, and Clint Orem made the trip to the Washington, D.C. area after spending months preparing the Annual National Phi Alpha Delta Mock Trial Competition. The third degree murder case was based on a Turkish immigrant who had gone missing and is presumed to be dead. Having found blood on the carpet of the defendant’s office, the detective focused in on one and only one person. There were shady alibis, questionable murder weapons, multiple motives, and still no body.
For the defense, Clint and Dominic faced off against Touro in the morning on Friday the 4th of March. Having a long debate with opposing counsel, Dominic lost valuable time for his closing argument. With only 9 seconds to close, he stood before the judge and quickly stressed the importance of what “beyond a reasonable doubt” means and lack of supporting evidence provided by the prosecution. This was perhaps the most impressive thing to happen all weekend. Inside sources tell us that marks were high for his closing.
In the afternoon, George Mason was paired up with our defense. After a superb opening and equally impressive cross-examination, the judges praised Clint during the post-trial commentary. Common words to describe his trial skills included “powerful presence,” “poise,” and “the best individual advocate I’ve seen all day.”
On Saturday, our prosecution team of Mike and Scott spent the morning challenging Hofstra. Starting with an exceptional opening, Scott was able to set the stage early on. At the end of the trial, Scott was able to complete their case with the moment everyone looks forward to… an intimidating cross of the defendant. With everything in place, it was Mikes closing that sealed the deal. The defense was given opportunity to close first and within their closing, they posed a question to the prosecution. When it was Mikes turn, he was able to carefully lay out the evidence as it applied to their theory of the case, he was able to take opposing counsels theme and turn it against them, and he was able to answer their question beautifully in a way that favored the prosecution.
All in all, it was an exciting weekend. All the competitors represented the Read Chapter and Widener University School of Law well and with great respect. Having competed with teams from around the country, we were all able to learn from one another in light of the competitive nature of the weekend.
A big congratulations to all the competitors for the Read Chapter, all the teams who competed, and to the teams who placed in the finals (William and Mary, Fordham, and the University of Tennessee). Special thanks to Professor Marlowe and Josh Inkell for donating their time and knowledge to helping the team prepare.
Monday, March14th - Monday, March 28th: Jared Box Project
Monday, March14th - Monday, March 28th: Jared Box Project
In its ongoing commitment to the community, the George Read Chapter spearheaded a toy drive on Widener Law's campus. The goal was to benefit the Jared Box Project: "lift the spirits of chronically ill children. The boxes symbolize the importance of play and are filled with well wishes, hope, and love." These boxes were filled with toys, and were given to AI Children's Hospital here in Wilmington, DE.
 |
| Our donations for the Jared Box Project. |
(posted by Clint Orem)
Whenever having a discussion with a practicing attorney, the one thing that always comes up when asking for advice about getting a job....networking. It is always considered the most important thing to do when trying to find a job after law school. Once you land that job, the networking doesn’t stop there, it must be used to gain new clients and improve your reputation throughout the law community. This was the thought behind the “How to Network” event put on by the Professional Development Committee for Phi Alpha Delta’s George Read Chapter.
Two practicing litigators came to Widener on March 29th, 2011 to talk to current students about what to do when you’re put in situations where networking is your primary goal. ’07 Widener Law graduate John Cirrincione started off the event. John will tell you himself that he used what he talked about at the even to land him his position at the law firm Leonard Sciola in Philadelphia. John told students about the important things to keep on your mind when going to an event that you will get the opportunity to speak with practicing attorneys and judges. He discussed knowing your audience, having topics in mind, and how to end the conversation that will lead to follow up discussions. He also told students to have a “30 second summary of you” prepared and ready.
 |
| Miriam Barish (left) and John Cirrincione (right) |
Both John and Miriam even took the opportunity at the event to network with each other. They exchanged specialties they currently practiced and invited referrals in the future. They took that chance to let students know that each of them knew the motivation that the other had of getting clients and ultimately making money. They said that it did not insult them, and would not insult attorneys that students would come into contact with in the future.
All students in attendance were very grateful to both John and Miriam for taking the time to educate them about networking and helping them to understand the skills that must be practiced to become better at it. It was another great event professional development event put on by Phi Alpha Delta and will be on the calendar again next year.
Wednesday, March 30th: Fashion Show
(Post by Lori Edelman) (due to the low lighting levels, most pics came out too dark! Sorry! ~Andrew Quietmeyer)
You walk into an interview, nervous, excited, a bit sweaty, but confident, thinking, “I have nothing to worry about, my resume is top-notch, my cover letter is better than Hemingway, and I read through a book of interview questions 30+ times to prepare.” You walk out feeling like it couldn’t have gone better. A week later you receive a letter explaining that you were not chosen. What went wrong? I did everything right! Did you ever stop to consider your attire? Those cufflinks and electric blue tie may have been acceptable in undergrad, and perhaps if you were applying to a fashion magazine you would have landed the job. However, in law school it’s a whole different ball game.
On Wednesday, March 31 2011, Phi Alpha Delta with the help of the Career Development Office presented a “Professional Fashion Show,” to explain exactly what is appropriate for an interview, a day at the office, business casual, a day in court, and on the golf course.
Property Professor and Fashionista Leslie Johnson and PAD member & Fashion Blogger Mohammad Sherif (Fame Appeal) judged each outfit as student models walked the runway. They explained to the students in attendance some of the less obvious things you should be thinking about when interviewing: amount of jewelry, how much cologne you are wearing, your purse, umbrella, travel mug of coffee, the height of your shoe, and many others that potential employers will notice instantly. In general keep your clothing plain, nothing too outlandish. “You are showing who you are through the interview, not though your outfit,” explained Mohammed. He suggested keeping the clothing simple with clean lines and to always make sure everything is ironed. The hair and the make-up for the models was done by Melissa Caltabiano, a titled pageant contestant, model, and first-year student; who made certain there would be no negative comments about hair or make-up.
The host of the event, current Justice Andrew Quietmeyer had a few pointers for the audience as well, such as: buying a large black umbrella, getting your hair cut a day or two before the interview, purchasing a black padfolio, having a thin wallet that will easily fit into your back pocket, eating a mint when you walk into the building but not right before the interview, and taking as little into the interview as possible. The students and faculty in attendance at the fashion show were involved as well, they were asked if there was anything they could see wrong or would do differently and many of them could identify obvious blunders but missed important details. Better to get it wrong at the fashion show than in an interview. After the fashion show, those in attendance will never need to ask themselves “What should I wear to a business casual event?” This was a successful event that will continue to be necessary for those who are serious about professional attire and want to stand out for all the right reasons.
(Post by Lori Edelman) (due to the low lighting levels, most pics came out too dark! Sorry! ~Andrew Quietmeyer)
You walk into an interview, nervous, excited, a bit sweaty, but confident, thinking, “I have nothing to worry about, my resume is top-notch, my cover letter is better than Hemingway, and I read through a book of interview questions 30+ times to prepare.” You walk out feeling like it couldn’t have gone better. A week later you receive a letter explaining that you were not chosen. What went wrong? I did everything right! Did you ever stop to consider your attire? Those cufflinks and electric blue tie may have been acceptable in undergrad, and perhaps if you were applying to a fashion magazine you would have landed the job. However, in law school it’s a whole different ball game.
On Wednesday, March 31 2011, Phi Alpha Delta with the help of the Career Development Office presented a “Professional Fashion Show,” to explain exactly what is appropriate for an interview, a day at the office, business casual, a day in court, and on the golf course.
 |
| Claudia Bustamonte, Clint Orem, AJ Viray, Mohammed Sherif, Kim Renner, Robert Schweiger, Lori Eldelman, Melissa Caltabiano, and Professor Johnson |
