Widener University

Widener University Law Center's Legal Education Institute held a commencement ceremony on Widener's Delaware campus Monday, May 20, 2013. The program was held in the Barristers' Club and speakers included Institute Director Nicole E. Ballenger, Esq. and attorney Michael J. Hawley of Mandracchia & McWhirk LLC. The graduates included:

The residents listed below earned their associate's, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees from Widener University during the annual Commencement Ceremony on May 18. The university presented degrees to August 2012, December 2012 and May 2013 graduates during the ceremony.

Widener Law recently held commencement exercises for its 39th graduating class on its campus in Wilmington, Del. The ceremony, held Saturday, May 18, on the campus lawn featured an address by Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Max Baer. Baer told the 320 graduates "know what you know, know what you don't know and ask for help, and tell the truth." "You are the best and the brightest. You are the most motivated and persistent. You are law school graduates and that is a very, very special status. Welcome to the club. Nobody can ever take it away from you," he said. The graduates included:

The following students from the area were named to the Dean's List for the spring 2013 semester at Widener University in Chester, Pa.

The Harrisburg campus of Widener Law recently celebrated the spring commencement of its 22nd graduating class. Harrisburg campus alumnus Douglas J. Steinhardt '94, named partner in the New Jersey law firm of Florio Perrucci Steinhardt & Fader LLC, was the featured speaker at the ceremony, held Sunday, May 19 at The Forum in Harrisburg's Capitol Complex. There were 121 graduates. "The best lawyers and, for that matter, the best professionals I've witnessed have no distance between their public and private selves. They lead fully integrated lives. They remain as true to their families and their communities as they do to their work," Steinhardt said. Graduates receiving Juris Doctor degrees included:

The Widener University School of Law recently held awards ceremonies on both of its law campuses to honor students who accomplished outstanding achievements. The ceremony on the Harrisburg, Pa. campus was held Tuesday, April 30. Those honored included:

Widener University's School of Nursing held a Nightingale Ceremony,a traditional pinning ceremony for graduating nursing students, reflecting the values and traditions of the profession on Friday, May 17. While holding a lit candle to honor the late Florence Nightingale, who made late night, solitary rounds in a Crimean military hospital to care for wounded soldiers by candlelight, all students will recite the Nightingale Pledge, written by the International Council of Nurses, and vow to uphold the integrity of the profession. The burning candle flame symbolizes the human spirit that is at the core of healing both now and back then. Emily E. Chambers, who was the keynote speaker, has promoted evidence-based health education for nearly two decades. She encouraged students that what the do on a daily basis is where they will make difference. Among the graduates are:

The Widener University School of Law recently held awards ceremonies on both of its law campuses to honor students who accomplished outstanding achievements. The ceremony on the Wilmington, Del. campus was held Wednesday, April 10. Those honored included:

The following students were recognized as members of Eta Sigma Delta International Hospitality Management Society during Honors Week at Widener University:

The following students were recognized as members of Sigma Theta Tau International (Eta Beta Chapter), the honor society of nursing:

Students from the area were recognized during Widener University's 2013 Honors Week. The following students were recognized as members of the Lambda Pi Eta National Communication Honor Society:

The following students were recognized as members of Phi Beta Delta, an Honor Society for International Scholars:

The following students were recognized as members of Phi Kappa Phi, the national honors society at Widener University:

Three students from the Widener Law campus in Wilmington, Del. have won the 25th annual Domenick L. Gabrielli National Family Law Moot Court Competition, held at Albany Law School. Students Candace Embry, Jessica Keough and Brian McCarthy took top honors Saturday, March 2 at the three-day event that attracted 24 teams. The Widener Law team advanced through seven rounds to win the competition, beating the team from Southern Illinois University School of Law in the final. "This doesn't happen without talent, dedication and hours and hours of long, hard work. Everyone gave 150 percent and it paid off beautifully," Associate Professor Leslie A. Johnson said. She coached the team with Assistant Professor of Legal Methods Rebecca L. Scalio. The fictitious case involved a state welfare child services department that wanted to remove a 13-year-old morbidly obese child from her home. The child weighed 325 pounds and her mother had been unable to comply with court-ordered treatment for the girl to lose weight. The five-judge panel that presided over the final round included sitting and retired jurists from the New York Court of Appeals, New York Supreme Court, the Schoharie County, N.Y. Family Court and an Albany Law professor. "Our students did a fantastic job and I applaud their success. They are a fine example of the caliber of students who compete on behalf of Widener Law," Law Dean Linda L. Ammons said. The team consisted of:

Three Widener Law students from the school's Harrisburg, Pa. campus recently won the Academy of Trial Lawyers Mock Trial Competition, held in Pittsburgh. The students, Langdon Ramsburg, Katie Adam and Mitchell Jones, took top honors Feb. 22 at the two-day event, located at the U.S. Courthouse in Pittsburgh. Ramsburg also won the competition award for best advocate. The Widener Law team beat the team from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in the opening round and the team from Georgetown University Law Center in the final. "It feels great," team coach and Associate Clinical Professor J. Palmer Lockard said moments after the win. "I couldn't be happier for the students. If anyone deserves this, it's them." The team argued the defense position in a civil trial involving an auto accident with a struck pedestrian. Ramsburg and Adam acted as the advocates and Jones served as a trial witness. Competitors argued their cases to a jury of high school students, but it was a panel of five practicing attorneys watching and tallying points who determined the winner. Top-scoring plaintiff and defense teams from the first round advanced to the final. "This is a unique competition," Lockard said. Known informally as "ATLAC," it is presented by the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, Pa. The organization partners with federal District Court judges from the Western District of Pennsylvania, who host the competition in their courtrooms, and with the Allegheny County Medical Society, which supplies physicians to serve as expert witnesses. From the team:

The following students from the area were named to the President's List for the Fall 2012 semester at Widener University in Chester, Pa.

Widener University School of Law Dean Linda L. Ammons today announced the fall 2012 dean's list of students for the Delaware campus. Students named to the list earned a grade point average in the top 20 percent of their class and division for the semester. They include:

Widener University School of Law Dean Linda L. Ammons today announced the spring 2012 dean's list of students for the Harrisburg campus. Students named to the list earned a grade point average in the top 20 percent of their class and division for the semester while pursuing Juris Doctor degrees. They include:

The following students from the area were named to the Dean's List for the fall 2012 semester at Widener University in Chester, Pa.

Some of the region's best and brightest new attorneys took their oaths and became full-fledged members of the Pennsylvania bar recently at the Judge Charles P. Mirarchi Jr. Pennsylvania Bar Induction Ceremony organized for graduates of Widener Law. The school celebrates the induction as a point of pride with special Widener-only events, where alumni assemble to take their oaths alongside friends they made during their years of study. The Office of Development and Alumni Relations coordinates the ceremonies, which are held in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa. The 18 new attorneys sworn at City Hall in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Dec. 5 heard remarks from Judge Paul P. Panepinto '76 of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Civil Trial Division. Other remarks were made by Judge George W. Overton '86 of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Civil Trial Division, Supervising Judge Margaret T. Murphy, '77, of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division and President Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Widener Law Dean Linda L. Ammons also attended. "Witnessing the swearing-in of our graduates is a highlight of my role as dean," Ammons said. "I congratulate these fine new lawyers and look forward to hearing about the positive contributions they will make to the profession." Alumni who were sworn in to the Pennsylvania bar included:

Some of the region's best and brightest new attorneys took their oaths and became full-fledged members of the Pennsylvania bar recently in a ceremony organized for graduates of Widener Law. The school celebrates this point of pride with special Widener-only events, where alumni assemble to take their oaths alongside friends they made during their years of study. The Office of Development and Alumni Relations coordinates the ceremonies. The 12 new attorneys sworn at the Supreme Court courtroom in the Pennsylvania capitol Tuesday, Nov. 13 heard remarks from Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Thomas G. Saylor. Saylor is jurist in residence and a member of the adjunct faculty on Widener's Harrisburg campus. Widener Law Dean Linda L. Ammons also attended. "Witnessing the swearing-in of our recent graduates is a highlight of my role as dean," Ammons said. "I congratulate these fine new lawyers and look forward to hearing about the positive contributions they will make to the profession." Alumni who were sworn in to the Pennsylvania bar included:

Widener University has chosen 16 undergraduate students to participate in the highly selective Oskin Leaders Program. Students in the program receive leadership training and one-on-one coaching that guides them through identifying and developing a project that has the potential to change the world. The program is administered by the Oskin Leadership Institute at Widener. To be selected for the program, students need to demonstrate leadership potential, energy and passion, a commitment to learning and growing, the spirit of a trailblazer, and a commitment to the concept of a team. More than 60 freshmen were nominated by Widener faculty and staff for the program and 54 applied. Area students selected for the program include:

Delaware Supreme Court Justice Randy J. Holland recently presided over a special session of the court on Widener Law's campus in Wilmington, Del., where he administered an oath that admitted 23 Widener students to the limited practice of law. The students were admitted Monday, Aug. 27 under a special rule that allows them to appear in some Delaware courts under very stringent guidelines. The oaths were taken in connection with their work in Widener's Delaware Civil Clinic, its Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic and through externships at the Delaware Department of Justice. Holland told the students that in taking the oath, they become officers of the court and need to start thinking of themselves differently. Clients won't distinguish them from the licensed attorneys who also take part in their cases, he said, and their work will affect peoples' lives. "People don't have respect for the process if they don't have respect for the officers of the court," Holland told the students. Associate Professors Kenneth T. Kristl, who supervises the environmental clinic, and Dana Harrington Conner, who supervises the Delaware Civil Clinic, moved for the clinic students' admissions. Delaware Deputy Attorney General H. Kemp Vye moved for the admission of the Justice Department externs. The students included:

Widener University School of Law Dean Linda L. Ammons today announced the spring 2012 dean's list of students for the Delaware campus. Students named to the list earned a grade point average in the top 20 percent of their class and division for the semester. They include:

Twenty-nine distinguished Widener Law alumni stood before the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, June 18 and took the oath to become members of the Supreme Court Bar.Widener Law Associate Professor H. Geoffrey Moulton read the names of the alumni and offered them as fit to become members of the court's bar. Moulton clerked for the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist early in his career. Alumni admitted to the bar included:

Widener University School of Law Dean Linda L. Ammons today announced the spring 2012 dean's list of students for the Harrisburg campus. Students named to the list earned a grade point average in the top 20 percent of their class and division for the semester while pursuing Juris Doctor degrees.They include:

Widener University Law Center's Legal Education Institute held a commencement ceremony on Widener's Delaware campus Monday, May 21, 2012. The program was held in the Barristers' Club and speakers included Institute Director Nicole E. Ballenger, Esq. and attorney Eileen Riley Sutton of Kornblau & Kornblau, P.C. The graduates included:

Widener Law recently held commencement exercises for its 38th graduating class on its campus in Wilmington, Del. The ceremony, held Saturday, May 19, featured an address by U.S. Sen. Christopher Coons of Delaware. Coons told the 310 Delaware-campus graduates there is no limit to what they can do with the skills they've gained at Widener. Each day he recites the Pledge of Allegiance in the U.S. Senate, Coons said, he listens intently as the final line is uttered. "Never forget that we pledge, as a nation, liberty and justice for all," he said. "You have an opportunity. You have the skills to add to justice around the world." The graduates included:

The Harrisburg campus of Widener Law recently celebrated the spring commencement of its 21st graduating class. Harrisburg campus alumnus William N. Nettles '92, U.S. attorney for the district of South Carolina, was the featured speaker at the program, held Sunday May 20 at the Forum in Harrisburg's Capitol Complex. He told the 124 graduates one of the best things about being a lawyer is getting to help people every day. "If your clients know you care about them you will be a successful lawyer," Nettles said. "And if you get a reputation that you do it with civility and dignity, then you will also earn the respect of the bar." Graduates receiving Juris Doctor degrees included:

The Widener University School of Law recently held awards ceremonies on both of its law campuses to honor students who accomplished outstanding achievements. The ceremony on the Harrisburg, Pa. campus was held Thursday, April 26. Those honored included: