Engaging students with business law professionals with learning, networking experiences
Providing students with the opportunity to learn more about business law and connect with attorneys in the profession are the primary goals of Widener Law Commonwealth’s Business Advising Student Professional Development Program.
The idea for the program came from WLC’s Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Juliet Moringiello, who wanted to help students better engage with business law professionals and learn about a wide array of career options within business law, said Professor Christian Johnson, who directs the law school’s Business Advising Program.
“We find that the more students are able to talk with business law professionals and attend workshops and events that provide them with advice, it really opens many doors for them,” he said. “The feedback we’ve received from students who have taken part in this program has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Interested law students are encouraged to apply to the program each semester, and following a review of applications, students are selected to take part.
In September 2022, Ashley Leonard, Ashley Stasak, and Jane Michetti were chosen to attend the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section Meeting in Washington, D.C., which included a variety of meetings geared toward law students and continuing legal education events on subjects including non-fungible tokens, commercial finance, and business legal ethics.
Leonard was paired with a mentor during the three-day conference, which she found extremely helpful.
“I learned about their legal experience and got to ask them for advice on entering the workforce after graduation. This experience gave me insight into business law as I work to discover where my niche in the legal profession will be. Personally, I was able to talk with female attorneys from Quebec, India, Washington, D.C., New York, and other cities around the globe. These conversations allowed me to hear how other attorneys have navigated the legal field and how they have built successful careers and family balance.”
The sessions “helped me understand the priorities of attorneys working with clients that have to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and their concerns, as well as the concerns of the regulators and the topics they’re looking to focus on,” said Stasak. “It provided an interesting give and take of the perspectives of lawyers looking to address the challenges in the industry and make changes. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have attended and can’t wait to take the lessons I’ve learned back to my day job and into the future,” she added.
Michetti said the experience truly opened her eyes.
“It gave me an opportunity to see all the paths available to me in business law. It was incredible to see how business law really is at the center of our profession. I was also able to meet and network with some of the leading attorneys in the country and around the world,” she said, including a lawyer specializing in wine law and one who represents top athletes.
“The best part of the experience was the overwhelming warmness and eagerness to help that I felt from every participant in the conference,” Michetti added. “I truly left feeling that I gained a new family.”
Funds to support the Business Advising Student Professional Development Program are raised through alumni donations to fund the costs for students to take part in a variety of educational opportunities, and the program is assessed on a regular basis by the Business Advising Program.
For more information, please contact Professor Johnson by email at cajohnson2@widener.edu.
