TEMPLE LAW SCHOOL THE MAGAZINE FOR TEMPLE LAW SCHOOL ALUMNI FALL 2025 Temple Law is RISING2 Temple Law School Temple ESQ. is published by the Temple University Beasley School of Law for alumni and friends. Interim Kean Family Dean and Professor of Law Kristen E. Murray Content, Art Direction, and Design Leapfrog Group Photography Dan Barends Ryan Brandenberg Jay Gorodetzer Rick Kauffman Kelly & Massa Joseph V. Labolito Contributors Meg Cohen Ragas Shelley Dutton Terry Lowe-Edwards Books Schatschneider Send letters and comments to: lawalum@temple.edu Temple ESQ. James E. Beasley School of Law 1719 N. Broad St. Philadelphia, PA 19122 To change your email, home, or office address: law.temple.edu/resources/alumni/contact-update Board of Visitors Joseph W. Anthony ’74 Dennis Arouca ’77 Danielle Banks ’93 Kila B. Baldwin ’04, ’10 Leonard Barrack ’68, Chair Mitchell W. Berger ’80 Daniel S. Bernheim, III ’94 Ellan Rubin Bernstein ’83 Nadeem A. Bezar ’91 Vijay V. Bondada ’94 James A. Bruton, III ’75 Anthony W. Clark ’79 Richard T. Collier ’79 Doneene K. Damon ’92 Carolyn C. Davis ’87 Alan M. Feldman ’76 Koji Fukumura ’93 Hon. Mitchell S. Goldberg ’86 Hayes Hunt ’97 Carlton L. Johnson ’84 Marina Kats ’88 Leonard M. Klehr ’76 Susanna Lachs ’78 John B. Langel ’74 Judy L. Leone ’84 Marsha L. Levick ’76 Vincent J. Marella ’72 Hon. Theodore McKee William R. McLucas ’75 Joseph H. Meltzer ’97 William J. Merritt ’87 Leslie Anne Miller ’94 Mitchell L. Morgan ’80 Stephen J. Neuberger ’03 Richard S. Oller ’79 Samuel H. Pond ’84 Marcel S. Pratt ’09 Grant Rawdin ’87 Abraham C. Reich ’74 Hon. L. Felipe Restrepo Hon. Annette M. Rizzo ’83 Gilbert T. Schwartz ’74 Hon. Anthony J. Scirica Hon. Martin J. Silverstein ’79 James T. Smith ’83 Gene Spector ’70 Joe H. Tucker, Jr. ’89 Richard H. Walker ’75 Bette Jean Walters ’70 Hon. Sheila Woods-Skipper ’83 Mission Statement Temple University Beasley School of Law is committed to excellence in teaching, learning, scholarship, and service. The faculty is dedicated to preparing students to enter and continue in the legal profession with the highest level of skill possible, with a firm commitment to the principles of professional responsibility, and with a sense of personal obligation to lead and to serve the communities in which they live and practice. We are dedicated to our foundational ideal of making legal education accessible to all talented individuals, including individuals who otherwise might not have that opportunity or who might encounter barriers because of race, creed, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, socioeconomic background, or other personal characteristics. We endeavor to create and sustain a law school community that is diverse, inclusive, and committed to equal justice under the law.4 2 AMICUS CURIAE From the Interim Dean 16 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT 17 EVENTS 22 FACULTY NOTES 25 ALUMNI NOTES 29 IN MEMORIAM CONTENTS Temple Law Is Rising Climbing the ranks, staying the course Finding Solutions to Effect Change Teaching law through immersion and impact 12 8 Connected to Power Temple Law’s growing influence in business law2 Temple Law School AMICUS CURIAE By any measure, Temple Law is strong and poised to grow even stronger, in no small part due to the support of alumni and friends like you.” “ ESQ. FALL 2025 It is my great pleasure to write to you as the Interim Kean Family Dean at Temple University Beasley School of Law. I have the privilege to serve in this role at a time when the law school is thriving, and my focus as interim dean is to build on the momentum we have established and ensure that Temple Law continues to advance its mission; prepare students for success; and shape them into principled, powerful leaders no matter where their journey takes them. We are in an excellent position to do so. While numbers can never tell the whole story, ours are exceptionally strong and reflect the enduring value of our mission as well as the tireless work of the people who bring it to life. From the academic credentials of our entering class to bar passage and employment outcomes for our graduates, Temple Law’s strategic focus on student success has had a measurable impact — one on which we will continue to build (p. 4). In some ways, our approach to delivering a world-class, globally responsive legal education has remained constant over the years: Pair a rigorous doctrinal foundation with skill-building and experiential opportunities that help each student grow as a leader and an advocate. Take, for example, the opportunities present in our business law curriculum, through which Temple Law students build strong transactional skills, explore the intersection between corporate law and social justice, and learn firsthand how to be ethical and effective leaders (p. 8). In other ways, the education we deliver has grown in reach and ambition, especially in response to the world in which our students will use the degree they earn here. This is perhaps best reflected in our in-house clinics, through which students can help map out the application of human rights law in the digital realm, partner with clients and community organizations on reforms to make our courts more accessible, represent clients before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and more (p. 12). As is often the case at Temple Law, some students draw on what they have learned here to make contributions in their fields of expertise, whether through scholarship or service, even before they graduate. One such student is 4LE Nebi Mema, whose paper Rethinking Complete Auto and the Constitutional Limits on State Taxation won top honors in the 2025 Tax Notes Student Writing Competition (p. 16). They enjoy the support of a faculty whose own scholarship, service, innovation, and impact influence their students in the classroom and beyond (p. 22). By any measure, Temple Law is strong and poised to grow even stronger, in no small part due to the support of alumni and friends like you. I am grateful for the opportunity to help shape the future of Temple Law and to do so in partnership with you. With gratitude, Kristen E. Murray Interim Kean Family Dean and Professor of Law from THE DEAN4 Temple Law School From applicants’ higher LSAT scores and GPAs to earning the #50 spot on U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Law Schools, Temple University Beasley School of Law’s profile continues to climb — while remaining true to its mission. BY MEG COHEN RAGAS Temple Law is RISING5 ESQ. FALL 2025 W ith a record-setting applicant pool, outstanding academic credentials for the entering class, and strong showing in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Law School rankings, Temple Law is surging. But for the faculty and staff who have powered the law school’s success, the numbers merely reflect what truly sets Temple Law apart: a focus on mission, people, and the enduring values that drive the school forward. “The law school has been on a remarkable upward trajectory with its record pool of fantastic applicants and a recent slate of outstanding faculty hires,” says Tom C.W. Lin, the Murray H. Shusterman Chair in Transactional and Business Law. “Temple Law’s rise in rankings is in many ways what we have been witnessing internally for quite some time.” “Since I came to Temple [10 years ago], I have been blown away by the quality of our students,” adds Jules Epstein, the Edward D. Ohlbaum Professor of Law and Director of Advocacy Programs. “The new ranking hasn’t changed our mission or our approach to teaching. I’m already pushing our students who are at the top of their game.” Epstein offered an example of the excellence that marks Temple Law students. “One of my subjects is the law of evidence, and every year I’ve been here, Temple students excel at evidence,” he says. “When you go out into the practice world and talk to judges, or partners in law firms, or chief public defenders, or district attorneys, they will tell you that Temple grads know the law of evidence.” Noteworthy Rankings Professor of Law Andrea Monroe echoes Epstein’s perspective: it all comes down to the people in the building. “I think we have incredible scholars and teachers and incredible leadership at the law school,” she shares. “I’ve never known our student body not to be extraordinary. We’re operating at the same level and providing the same quality and value to students as we always have. … I’m delighted that the word has gotten out, but — from top to bottom, in every corner — there are people continually doing amazing work, and that’s scholarship, teaching, student support, and everything in between.” Rankings for clinical training, environmental law, dispute resolution, business law, commercial law, criminal law, and constitutional law posted gains with dispute resolution making the largest leap, rising 22 places to #35 nationally. Roughly 40 percent of the U.S. News ranking formula evaluated institutions on a combination of faculty resources, the academic achievements of entering students, and opinions by law schools, lawyers, and judges on overall program quality, U.S. News reports. The remainder, the largest portion, was on successful job placement of their graduates. In fall 2024 and early 2025, U.S. News surveyed nearly 200 law schools accredited by the ABA; 154 schools responded. Data that law schools annually disclose and publish as required by the ABA were also collected. All data used to calculate the overall rankings aggregated students and faculty from full-time and part-time JD programs. The rankings reflect the data available as of March 7, 2025. Temple Law’s National Rankings U.S. News & World Report, 2025 # 50 Overall (tie)Trial Advocacy Program # 2 Part-time Program (tie) # 9 International Law and Health Law Programs # 13 W6 Temple Law School When Temple Law School rose four spots in the most recent rankings, the designation only confirmed what those within the Temple community already knew: One of the best-kept secrets in the law school universe was getting the national recognition it rightfully deserved. Core Values To unpack Temple Law’s recent success, one need only look to the school’s mission to make “legal education accessible to all” and “create and sustain a law school community that is diverse, inclusive, and committed to equal justice under the law.” One way that mission plays out is through Temple Law’s part-time program. Tying for the #9 spot, the program has been a staple of the school since its founding and is essential to its mission of excellence and access. “Access to education is important, access to the profession is important,” says Interim Kean Family Dean Kristen Murray. “Temple is a great place to be and study the law, and if the rankings lead someone to the Temple applicant pool that might not have been there before, all the better.” Admissions Momentum “This year, both the number of applications [to law schools] nationally went up and applications to Temple Law went up — a lot,” says Johanne Johnston, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid. “We had a 35 percent increase in applications [overall], and applications nationally ended up with an increase of 18.4 percent.” But Temple Law’s acceptance criteria remain unchanged. “We haven’t sacrificed who the Temple student is to get these numbers,” she explains. “[Our] students have real drive. They show a real commitment to attending law school and to being a lawyer and then to practicing in a particular field. “I think we did so well this year because we are known as a social justice and advocacy school, and I think students sought us out because of that and the [current] climate,” Johnston adds. “We place a lot of students in public interest positions. We have a social justice fellowship program. We have really strong faculty in those areas. I think that’s part of the reason we had a larger increase than what was seen nationally.” Jim Walsh, Assistant Dean in the Office of Career Services, cites the law school’s competitive tuition as a strong draw for prospective students. “When you evaluate Temple Law on that level — what are you getting for the price you’re paying? — I don’t know if there’s a better option that exists. Temple will be at the top of a lot of really impressive students’ lists because of that factor. We put our money into people — faculty and staff — and scholarships because we see that’s what yields the best results, the best value for students.” Tipping Employment Scales A large component of the ranking rests on post-graduation employment. Temple Law has a great story to tell on that front, too. The Class of 2024’s employment rate 10 months after graduation is Temple Law School’s highest percentage since the American Bar Association began tracking employment data in 2011. “It’s the highest number Temple Law has ever achieved,” says Walsh. “Although it’s not a dramatic increase from the previous year (95.2 percent), it’s a high- water mark for us thus far.” Walsh attributes this steady increase in employment for law school graduates to a number of factors, citing the job market in particular. “It’s definitely worth noting that the job market as a whole has been on fire the last couple of years,” he asserts. “Nationally, there have been record-setting numbers in terms of the overall employment rate of all law school graduates, but it’s also important to note that Temple Law has been outpacing the pack. The rising tide has lifted all ships, but our ship is being lifted higher than others.” 2025 Entering Class 3 , 000 + Applicants Highest number since 2012 237 Incoming students Second highest since 2012 165 Median LSAT 3 . 75 Median GPA7 ESQ. FALL 2025 Changes to the Office of Career Services’ counseling strategy can also help explain the higher job placement numbers. “We identified that there could be job growth that we weren’t taking advantage of enough, some places in the market where students could get a foothold and be more successful,” explains Walsh, referring specifically to state judicial clerkships and small and midsize law firms. “Federal clerkships are heavily sought after, they’re very competitive … but realistically, we’re probably not going to see more than 5 percent of the class — and that’s in a good year — end up in federal judicial clerkships,” says Walsh. “So, we started emphasizing state clerkships and small and midsized law firms more because these are jobs that tend to be available to anyone in the class, no matter grades or ranking, and have been underutilized by our graduates. State judicial clerkships might not get as much attention, but if you follow up on where those graduates end up after their clerkships, they’re in really great places that would not have been attainable had they not gone and clerked for a judge first. “The other nice thing about state judicial clerkships and small and midsize law firms is that they tend to be safe havens in times of economic downturn; they’re positions that aren’t necessarily impacted as much by the ebbs and flows of the market at large. It’s a matter of shining a light on these positions,” he adds. “We have seen a year-over-year increase in the percentage of graduates going into judicial clerkships over the last three years, and I think that’s a direct result of spending a little more time talking with students about these opportunities.” Walsh also points to Temple Law’s strong, long-standing reputation among employers in the Philadelphia area as another component contributing to elevated employment numbers. “Temple Law students are held in high regard in the region,” he shares. “We already put more graduates in [positions] in this area than any other school. We have more graduates sitting for the Pennsylvania bar exam than any other school, and most of those graduates stay in the Philadelphia area, so it’s just a long-standing, deep-running relationship with employers in the region.” The Class of 2024’s Pennsylvania bar passage marked the highest rate in 11 years, resulting in Temple producing more new Pennsylvania lawyers than any other law school. “I want to take the momentum that we have and keep going,” says Interim Dean Murray. “I would love for our bar passage number to continue to go up. My dream would be 100 percent job placement.” Mission Possible Perhaps Temple’s greatest achievement is its steadfast adherence to its long-standing mission, to making a world-class legal education accessible to as many people as possible — from its affordability to its flexibility — while eyeing the future to ensure Temple Law remains responsive to the dynamics of the world around it. “Our mission is so well-defined,” says Interim Dean Murray. “It’s part of the day-to-day at the law school, it’s a guiding principle. …My colleagues are mindful of and committed to Temple’s mission. It infuses everything we do. It’s what keeps us focused on who we are and, at the same time, future-facing and responsive to the world around us.” Given the school’s dedication to social justice and public interest law, Temple is well-positioned to prepare future lawyers to navigate the country’s current climate. “When there is great social upheaval, [and] it feels like we’ve been in a time of social upheaval for the last 10 years now, people are turning to institutions like Temple Law for guidance, for leadership, to be a tone-setter, to be a place to come get an education and do work that’s going to be impactful,” observes Walsh. “During this period of social upheaval, Temple Law can be a beacon.” 49.8 % Law Firms 16.3 % Judicial Clerkships 15.8 % Government 9.8 % Public Interest 6 % Business & Industry 1.9 % Academia 0.5 % Unknown 95.6 % Graduates employed 10 months after graduation The timeframe required by the American Bar Association for reporting purposes. Class of 2024 Employment and Bar Passage 90.6 % Graduates who passed the Pennsylvania bar exam the first time Jobs by SectorNext >