together exceptional 2019 | 2020 IMPACT REPORT2 TOGETHER LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY 4–6 EXCEPTIONAL FUTURES 8 EXCEPTIONAL IN THE COMMUNITY 10–12 TOGETHER LOYALTY AND LEGACY 14 TOGETHER A TEAM 16 TOGETHER IMPACT table of CONTENTS together exceptional 2019 | 2020 IMPACT REPORTIt is an extraordinary thing to participate in a community like Temple Law School. In the months since COVID-19 sent much of the world online, we have found ways to come together like never before. We celebrated our 2020 graduates in a virtual gathering filled with joy, hope, and inspiration; spent the summer working to ensure that our physical and digital spaces were accessible, safe, and welcoming environments in which to learn; and supported our graduates through a bar exam process unlike anything we could have imagined until now. Through it all, our faculty and students have demonstrated a seemingly boundless capacity for compassion and care, both for one another and for the communities we serve. While all of this is extraordinary, none of it is surprising. Our Temple Law School community — built by generations of students, faculty, and graduates — is founded on common purpose and personal commitment. This report, which covers academic year 2019-2020, showcases the many ways in which those values drive everything we do. It is a testament to how you have shaped who we are and what we do. Your support is also essential to determining what we can become. As I write this, our community is marking its 125th anniversary and making plans for the next 125. I hope you will be able to join us at one of the many upcoming virtual gatherings to learn more about the vision that drives us forward. You are vital members of this community, and with your ongoing support I know we can — and will — do great things together. Yours, Gregory N. Mandel Dean and Peter J. Liacouras Professor of Law Temple University Beasley School of LawJohn Langel served at Philadelphia-based Ballard Spahr for more than 40 years before retiring in 2016. A trailblazing force in sports law, he has advised and fought for financial equity on behalf of U.S. Women’s Soccer and U.S. Women’s Hockey. He has represented countless professional athletes and sports franchises while distinguishing himself as a top negotiator and litigator across multiple industries. A transplant to Philadelphia from Long Island, John shaped — and was uniquely shaped by — the city’s law scene, and it all began at Temple. Excellent in the classroom, John hungered to prove himself at a larger firm alongside the best. His ambition coincided with a fortuitous hire within Temple Law’s Office of Career Services. “As I remember, interim Dean Joe Marshall appointed Marjorie Broderick as head of career services. She was a terrific, inspiring woman who held multilayered connections throughout the city of Philadelphia, and as a result, larger law firms began paying attention to Temple,” said Langel. Crediting both Marshall and Broderick for opening the door, John interviewed with several large firms. It was Ballard Spahr that caught his attention.“Ballard was a great fit,” he said. “They offered me a position at a time when there were not many Temple Law graduates at the firm. I had some insecurities about joining a firm with so many Ivy Leaguers, but their presence fueled me. I worked that much harder.” Over time, Ballard Spahr came to appreciate the smarts, drive, and loyalty that characterized Temple Law grads, expanding recruitment efforts. For John, being among the first cohorts of Temple hires is a point of pride. He credits Temple’s people and trajectory for why he’s been giving back to the institution for nearly 50 years. “Temple has stayed true to its mission. It’s enjoyed a series of leaders who have raised the academic standing of the school and the academic credentials of the graduates while keeping alumni involved,” said Langel. John serves on Temple Law’s Board of Visitors. For 12 years, he taught as an adjunct professor. In 2010, he cemented his Temple Law legacy when his client and dear friend Doug Collins, the respected former NBA player and head coach, endowed the John B. Langel Scholarship. It funds outstanding law students who have participated in intercollegiate athletics. John has consistently provided additional funding to his scholarship. Because of his generosity, he is distinguished as a Temple University Conwell Society and Centennial Society member. “If someone has an opportunity to go to Temple and then seeks to stay in the region, it’s a real plus,” said Langel. Shaping, and Shaped by, Philadelphia JOHN LANGEL ’74 John Langel “In the current legal education environment, Temple is a beacon. I’m proud to help keep it that way.” 2 TOGETHER LOCALLY AND GLOBALLYA kid born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia is accepted at Temple. Every day, he hops a SEPTA bus to an elevated train that drops him at the Broad Street line. He rides it to campus for class and then heads to work in a shoe store owned by his parents and situated at Front and Allegheny. During his daily journey, he passes a tapestry of neighborhoods that link the Northeast to Center City — the seemingly unchanging urban topography of row- homes, factories, stores, and cement have marked the city for centuries. Yet it’s the 1960s, and he’s on a college campus. Everything is changing. He witnesses Martin Luther King, Jr. marching on Broad Street. He gets hooked into campus activism that reshapes the way he sees and experiences his world. He opens up politically. He completes his bachelor’s degree in history. He goes on to earn a master’s degree in history. He matriculates at Temple Law and attends through its special night school program. Upon graduation, he’s spent nearly 10 years riding public transportation, studying, and fitting shoes, maximizing the full potential of attending a metropolitan public university as a commuter student. “Temple is where my political awakening happened,” said Arthur Pomerantz. “The Northeast was, at that time, a very parochial neighborhood. I would leave home, go from class to the shoe store, and that’s when my eyes opened and my view of the world expanded.” His experiences at Temple equipped him to expand this world even further. Pomerantz went on to pursue a Master of Laws degree in taxation from New York University, commuting from Philadelphia while also working for the IRS. In 1977, he was given an opportunity to join the US Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands. Two years later, he opened his current, private practice on the island of St. Thomas and focuses on taxation, real estate, and commercial transactions. “No matter whether you’re in a big firm or a sole practitioner, as a lawyer, anyone can give back — millions or thousands, it doesn’t matter.” Even though he is more than 1500 miles from his hometown, in the middle of the ocean, Arthur has always felt close to Temple. He is forever grateful and feels deep, personal responsibility to give back. Pomerantz did his part by offering clerkships to Temple students in the 1980s — something that he still does today. In 2006, he established The Arthur Pomerantz Esq. ’72 Endowed Scholarship Fund. It provides financial assistance to an outstanding student who, just like Arthur, enrolled in Temple Law’s evening division. “I know that in attending Temple, any amount of financial assistance is important. I began this scholarship to help with that, and I intend to continue increasing it,” said Pomerantz. “I want more people to participate. Fostering education at a place like Temple is the most important thing I think you can do.” Exceptional Awakening ARTHUR POMERANTZ ’72 “Giving back to the community is important,” said Pomerantz. Joseph Sloane was a distinguished judge in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and a professor of criminal law at Temple. The Judge Joseph Sloane Student Aid Fund was established through his estate at the direction of his sister, Gertrude Arronson, and her attorney, Harold Kohn. It is decidedly maverick in its approach: unlike a traditional scholarship or loan fund, it relies on the integrity of the Temple Law students who receive it to pay it back and, therefore, pay it forward. Through this moral obligation, it is hoped that recipients will contribute more than the amount awarded to guarantee that future students with financial need will benefit from the fund. It has made a powerful difference in the lives of Temple Law students for decades and offers a meaningful way for graduates to invest with immediate impact. Joan Stern, Mitchell Berger, and Stuart Winneg are three such graduates. Joan Stern was a paralegal at Philadelphia-based Blank Rome LLP when she decided she would attend law school. The firm offered her associate status if she did so, and she took them up on it. Joan accessed the Sloane Fund so that she might lower her student loan debt. Her move to attend Temple Law paid off — she made partner at Blank Rome in 1983 and remained with the firm for three decades. She moved to Eckert Seamans in 2014, focusing on public finance and executing bond issues for states, cities, counties, and institutions. Mitchell Berger founded his own firm, Florida-based Berger Singerman, shortly after his graduation from Temple Law. For nearly four decades, Berger has successfully represented Fortune 500 companies in commercial disputes. His clients have included the likes of AOL, Time Warner, and AT&T. He also served as counsel to Al Gore and Joseph Lieberman in the post-2000 election Florida lawsuits in Bush v. Gore. Together Responsible JOAN STERN ’77, MITCHELL BERGER ’80, AND STUART WINNEG ’85 Joan Stern 4 EXCEPTIONAL FUTURES2019 | 2020 IMPACT REPORT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY JAMES E. BEASLEY SCHOOL OF LAW Stuart Winneg took three years to clarify his life direction right after college, backpacking and working odd jobs. He learned of a company called Landmark Worldwide, which specializes in personal and professional growth, and took a course to clarify his life’s direction. Through it, he seized upon a desire to attend law school and chose Temple. The Sloane Fund enabled him to defray some of the increased costs associated with out-of-state tuition. Today, Stuart is the assistant general counsel at Landmark Worldwide and works out of their corporate headquarters in San Francisco. Joan, Mitchell, and Stuart’s contexts for fulfilling their moral obligations are as disparate as their personal and professional journeys. Joan, who stepped right into a career, began fulfilling her obligation in 1978 — one year after graduation. Since then, she has been contributing to the fund on an annual basis. “I received a quality education from Temple and over the years I’ve kept in touch with my classmates,” said Stern. “At Temple, I was always impressed by the quality of students in my class and the quality of the faculty. I really appreciated Drew Days, my constitutional law professor, and he’s just one example of the amazing people who have come through Temple. I will always give to the Sloane Fund.” Stuart’s fulfillment of his obligation is more recent. “Basically, I put the paper with my total in a drawer and forgot about it. I was so busy building my career. Then one day, I was cleaning out my house and found that piece of paper,” said Winneg. “I thought, ’Oh my god, this did not happen,’ and I called the law school right away. I fulfilled some of my obligation immediately and I’ve been giving ever since. I love Temple, and if I can help make a difference, even if a law student just needs some money for rent or food or whatever — I know how important that is and what it means to receive it as a student.” Mitchell Berger Stuart Winneg Mitchell’s path to the Sloane Fund was grounded in a desire to lower student debt matched with entrepreneurial vision. His values are deeply aligned with the Sloane Fund’s mission and he has given to it since graduation. “For law to remain a profession, lawyers will continue to have to put the interests of their clients before their own and not turn it into an industry,” said Berger. “Temple grounded me in this philosophy and the Sloane Fund, which carried a moral obligation, reinforced it. Further, the Sloane Fund’s ability to help me keep my student debt low was a big part of the reason I was able to start my own firm shortly after graduating Temple Law.”For Judge Clarease Stewart Mitchell Yates, her life’s work veered toward the law immediately after high school, and for her grandmother, it was a point of pride. Upon graduation from Overbrook High School, Judge Yates rose to the position of legal secretary at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office that was led by eventual U.S. Senator Arlen Specter. From there, she was focused on law school. “My grandmother would introduce me, saying, ’This is my granddaughter, Clarease. She is a legal secretary,’” said Judge Yates. It was just the beginning of many firsts. When the Community College of Philadelphia was newly opened, she decided to be one of its first students. She then transferred her credits to Temple University, earning her bachelor’s degree in political science, becoming the first in her family to attend and complete college. During life as an undergraduate, she was already looking ahead. In fact, whenever she encountered then-Dean of Temple Law Peter J. Liacouras, she would discuss with him her dream of attending law school. Upon acceptance, she continued at the DA’s office and, as a recipient of financial aid scholarships, worked at the Temple Law Library. After graduation, her law career accelerated. She clerked at the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. She moved to Washington D.C., working with the mayor as a senior legislative analyst. In 1990, George H.W. Bush appointed her as a U.S. Immigration Judge, and she became the first African American woman to serve in that role. The career move took her family to Houston where she still sits on the bench today. “I could have retired nearly two decades ago, but I love my job,” she said. Exceptional Firsts JUDGE CLAREASE STEWART MITCHELL YATES ’76 “You may forget someone’s name, but you’ll never forget how that person made you feel,” said Judge Yates. Judge Clarease Stewart Mitchell Yates 6 EXCEPTIONAL FUTURESJudge Yates and her husband, Cary P. Yates, a senior banker in Houston, are very much committed to their community. Judge Yates is the founder and director of two non-profits – one of which is focused on sickle cell anemia research and another focused on building a foundation of courtesy, confidence, and etiquette to convey a powerful personal image. Both are making a difference throughout Houston and beyond. These sentiments ring true when it comes to Temple Law. In 2019, she launched The Honorable Clarease Stewart Mitchell Yates Fund designed to be awarded to a law student with demonstrated financial need and with a preference for students who are current members of the Temple University Black Law Students Association. It’s very simple for Judge Yates: it comes down to blessings received. She and her husband, Cary enjoy a blended family of five children and 13 grandchildren, and they thoroughly enjoy their lifestyle. “We have a wonderful life in Houston,” she said. “We owe much of this to Temple University and, in particular, Temple Law.” Our graduates begin their careers in diverse contexts. This year is no different, with more than 200 Temple Law students pursuing roles across law firms, clerkships, corporate law, and government. “Giving back is so important when you’re in a position to do so. That’s what you’re supposed to do. I wanted to make sure that Law School students had the opportunities that I had.” Public Interest Government Law Firms Business & Industry Clerkships CLASS OF 2019 CAREER JOURNEYS 44% 9% 12% 11% 24%Next >