South Texas College of Law Houston hosted its fall 1L Professionalism Session Friday, culminating with more than 300 students taking the professionalism pledge administered by Interim President and Dean Jeff Rensberger.
STCL Houston alumnus David Polsinelli ’13, shareholder with Crain Caton & James, spoke to students from an alumni perspective about success in law school. His talk focused on the importance of showing up and doing the hard work of learning to become a lawyer, while also giving proper due to the value of networking and relationship building. “The last three jobs I have had were all the result of connections I made during advocacy work at South Texas,” he said.
In law school, Polsinelli took advantage of opportunities to hone his legal skills, including moot court competitions, the Langdell Scholar program, the Corporate Counsel Review, and the South Texas Law Review. After graduating from law school, he served as a judicial clerk for Justice John P. Devine of the Texas Supreme Court. In his current role, Polsinelli is a commercial litigator at both the trial and appellate levels, regularly handling disputes involving contracts, real estate, oil and gas, construction, and trade secrets.
“At South Texas you’ll learn about the law, but you also will learn what approach to take in a case, how to effectively write it in a legal brief, and how to convince a judge that your side is right,” said Polsinelli. “I would like to suggest that you also consider how you will be remembered by your classmates. Were you easy to work with? Were you approachable? Did you participate in activities like law review or advocacy alongside other students? These impressions are important, and the connections you can make are valuable. The South Texas alumni network is strong, and we look after each other.”
Welcomed by Interim President and Dean Jeff Rensberger and Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Engagement Alicia Cramer, the students learned about reporting requirements and the high standards and expectations of law students and lawyers from Kendelyn Schiller, assistant director of investigations for the Board of Law Examiners.
The students also heard about the stressors that law students and lawyers must deal with in their careers from Paul Jacobs, attorney and Texas Lawyers Assistance Program professional. He shared his personal struggle to become sober, and offered a list of resources TLAP offers to assist law students and lawyers alike.
Shantal Formia, STCL Houston assistant dean, discussed the important resources available to students through the Career Resource Center. She also shared the successful career placement rate graduates from the law school have recently experienced.
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