This past weekend, we welcomed our newest class of 1L online J.D. students to campus for their very first Residency. It was a weekend full of energy, connection, and inspiration, and it marked the beginning of a remarkable journey for this talented group.
CSU|LAW’s innovative Online J.D. program is designed to combine the flexibility of online learning with the powerful, hands-on engagement that defines great legal education. That’s why our students complete three in-person Residencies during their first year, and three more in the remainder of their course of study. Each Residency is intentionally crafted to include:
- Skills-based instruction that builds the foundation of legal practice.
- Live classes with professors that deepen classroom connections.
- Professional development and academic support guided by our outstanding staff.
- Networking opportunities with our alumni who generously share their time and experience.
By design, Residency 1 begins on the final day of our in-person orientation so that our entire 1L class—full-time, part-time, and online—can spend time together as one community. This tradition allows these students to build relationships with each other as well as our faculty, staff and alumni that will carry them forward throughout law school and their careers.
The featured event each year is an Eighth District Court of Appeals live oral argument in our Moot Court Room. This year’s distinguished panel featured two proud CSU|LAW alumni—Judge Eileen T. Gallagher and Judge Deena R. Calabrese—as well as Judge Emanuella D. Groves. The arguments, presented by Assistant Prosecutor Owen Knapp (also a CSU|Law alumnus) and Brian Wilson, offered our students a front-row seat to real-world appellate advocacy. Professor Doron Kalir provided a superb overview of the appellate process and Associate Dean Jonathan Witmer-Rich made accessible to these new students the complex nuances of this criminal appeal. Following the hearing, the attorneys led a master class in advocacy, and the judges shared an inspiring and candid conversation about the law, the profession, and their own impressive careers.
After a full day of live classes, students gathered in the Law School Atrium for a celebratory dinner with a remarkable group of alumni and adjunct faculty who continue to give back to our community. We were honored to welcome Brett Barragate, Terry Billups, Dorothea Carleton, Julie Crocker, Josh Crocker, Tom Green, Manju Gupta, Kenneth James, Justice Maureen O’Connor, Linn Raney (along with his wife, Jodie), Jennifer Sammon, Jim Sammon, and Dean Williams. Their stories and advice gave the students first-hand experience with the extraordinary CSU|Law community.
We are deeply grateful to the students, faculty, staff, judges, attorneys, and alumni who made this first Residency such a transformative experience for our students. Most of all, we are proud of our Online J.D. students, who are balancing law school with careers, families, and other responsibilities with the resilience and determination that defines CSU|LAW.
This weekend was more than just a Residency—it was the beginning of lifelong connections and the next step in shaping a new generation of lawyer-leaders.
Special thanks to everyone who helped to make this Residency weekend a tremendous success: upper-level students and Academic Excellence Fellows Tess Willmott, Mustafa Abu-Kaud, Virginia St. Clair, Dina Usanovic, and Annalies Nunes; staff members Jill Natran, Konrad Hodgman, Patricia Riley, John Bell, Rick Zhang, Eric Domanski, Amy Burchfield, Margo Mathis, Tom Hurray, Bobby Stevenson, and Karyn Newton; Assistant Deans Nicholas De Santis, Allison Bolt, and Korey Mercer; Professors Heidi Gorovitz Robertson, Doron Kalir, Karin Mika, and Brandon Stump; and Associate Dean Jonathan Witmer-Rich.
Warmly,
Carolyn and Brian