Emily Berg

Looking Back

I wish I knew how happy I’d be with my decision to attend Temple and how sad I’d be to leave. My time at Temple Law pushed me to learn how to think differently. I met a lot of wonderful people during my time at school and in practicums. I didn’t know how much Temple would teach me about what kind of lawyer I hope to be, and I didn’t know how Temple Proud I would become. I grew up in the New Jersey suburbs and came into law school wanting to move to Chicago to practice. I could not be more excited that this dream is coming to fruition, and I have people from Temple who advocated for me to thank for helping me make it happen. But after three years of being a member of the Philadelphia legal community, it will be a bittersweet departure.

Experiential Learning

My 2L spring I served as a legal extern in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel. As my first practicum, I loved the hands-on nature of the work and spent most of my time researching and drafting motions. I was also able to observe several days of an interesting trial in Tax Court. My 3L year I participated in the Federal Judicial Clerkship (FJC) Honors Program. Through FJC, I was a judicial intern for the Honorable L. Felipe Restrepo in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. My time in chambers provided me a unique window into the U.S. appellate system. During this year-long internship, I was able to research and draft opinions, watch many oral arguments, and, because of my pairing with Judge Restrepo, observe the biweekly sessions of the Supervision to Aid Reentry (STAR) Program (or Reentry Court).

The summer between my 1L and 2L years I was a Law & Public Policy (LPP) Scholar. Through the summer in Washington, D.C., and the corresponding course in Philadelphia in the fall, both led by the phenomenal Professor Nancy Knauer, I learned the importance of networking, honed my presentation skills, and had a great time with my fellow scholars. This program helped my legal education advance beyond what I learned in the case-law focused first-year curriculum by teaching me about the critical intersection of law and policy at the federal, state, and local levels.

Faculty Impact

I came into law school interested in International Trade Law based on what I had studied in undergrad. I chose Tax I as my 1L elective, though I was nervous because Congress passed tax reform a mere three weeks before the course began. Well, hook, line, and sinker–Professor Monroe’s enthusiasm got me. 

The rest of my time at Temple Law was shaped by the Tax faculty. Professor Monroe ignited an interest that I did not know I had before. It is because of her that I am going to be a tax lawyer and wrote my law review comment on the SALT deduction cap. Professor Bartow welcomed me into the law school as my Litigation Basics professor and through not only my time as his teaching assistant for ITS but also his willingness to answer my course selection questions did he serve as a valuable resource. I did not take a tax class with Professor Abreu until my 3L year but I’m so glad I did–she lived up to her amazing reputation and then some. Professor Mandelbaum oversaw my practicum at the IRS and I was incredibly grateful for her open door policy both during the internship and afterwards. After hearing about my law review comment topic, she emailed me sources for months as the law continued to evolve. Last, but certainly not least, Professor Weiner was at the helm of my last tax course, which I took this spring. He handled the transition to online learning seamlessly and was reassuring in a tumultuous time.

These faculty members have all gone out of their way to help me. They have been an endless source of wisdom and for that I’ll be forever grateful that I caught the Tax bug early in my time at Temple.

Temple Law Community

During my time at Temple Law, I was involved with the Student Public Interest Network (SPIN), the Academic Core Enrichment (ACE) Program, moot court, and law review. My experience as a member of the Moot Court Competition Team taught me the importance of advocacy skills and using the state of the law and policy considerations to craft an argument.

My greatest involvement was with the Temple Law Review. When I wrote onto law review, I had no idea of the profound impact my time on the journal would have on me. I was a member of the law review my 2L year as a Staff Editor and my 3L year as the Executive Editor. I credit my time on the law review with widening my intellectual curiosity and helping me become a better writer as well as a closer reader. I am honored to have been published in Volume 92 along with other impressive student and outside authors. Most importantly, I was lucky to work with a team of staff editors and editorial board members committed to making Volume 92 the best we could and continuing to push the journal forward by publishing interesting legal scholarship. I will forever be proud of the ultimate product we created.

Law School Lessons

The first year, everyone that went to law school or knows someone who went to law school will try to offer you advice on study techniques, course selection, what “must” be done to succeed, etc. While this comes from a good place and these people may be offering valuable information, always remember that only you know what is best for you. Collect the information and seek answers to your questions but do not feel the need to conform your law school experience to someone else’s experience. The best advice I got as a 1L was to watch the Great British Baking Show.