DICKINSON LAW D.C. DAY OFFERS STUDENTS A LOOK AT LAW IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL
April 2024 — Penn State Dickinson Law Associate Dean for Administration Laura Williams ’90 said alumni frequently share how much they value the opportunity to interact with students. “They tell me, ‘I love talking to students,’” said Williams. “Our alumni have an ingrained desire to pass their knowledge to our students and help them become successful, just as the alumni before them did. The alumni bring excitement to the table.”
That excitement was evident at a recent event initiated and planned by alumni. On March 13, more than a dozen Penn State Dickinson Law students traveled by bus to Washington, D.C. to take part in the 2nd Annual Dickinson Law D.C. Day.
The event introduces students to energy and environmental practice in D.C. and is hosted by the Dickinson Law Career Services Office, supported by the Development & Alumni Affairs team, faculty, alumni, and friends of Dickinson Law with experience in this field.
The trip included time on Capitol Hill; opportunities to speak with energy practice lawyers from the large firm K&L Gates, a Department of Justice environmental crimes prosecutor, and a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission commissioner; a meeting with members of the U.S. Chamber; and a day-ending reception on a rooftop featuring a breathtaking view of D.C. on the cusp of cherry-blossom season.
“This is an alumni-led and alumni-driven project that started with a conversation with one of our successful alumna in energy and environmental,” said Tom Lee, director of Dickinson Law Career Services. During Dickinson Law’s annual Professional Development Conference three years ago, Lee lunched with Denise Foster Cronin ’97, vice president of federal and RTO regulatory affairs at East Kentucky Power Cooperative. “Her career journey was fascinating, and she said that a lot of her success has come from having great mentors and networking, a skill she said can be developed,” said Lee. “Throughout that lunch, we talked about doing something more for students to help them with networking.”
Lee connected with Cronin again a couple of months later when he was in Kentucky for a conference. Their conversations planted the seeds for D.C. Day. “We wanted to emphasize the importance of mentoring and networking and also show students how flexibility helped people get to the point they are in their careers — being open to trying new things as they arise and saying ‘yes’ to unexpected opportunities,” said Cronin.
An event built on alumni support
Cronin spoke with other Dickinson Law alumni involved in energy and environmental practices, and a core group of Cronin, Dave Raphael ’94, Brian Clark ’85, and Larry Gasteiger ’89 emerged to help envision and plan the event. They serve on the planning committee along with Derrick Williamson, an adjunct professor at Dickinson Law, and Evan Williams, executive director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness.
Financial support came in part from the Brian J. Clark ’85 Energy and Environmental Law Program Support Fund, which Clark endowed in 2020 to support the next generation of lawyers to navigate the current energy transition, and the Kathy L. Pape Water Law Program Support Fund, which Kathy Pape ’78 endowed in 2023 to educate and cultivate future water law leaders, lawyers, lobbyists, and policymakers in both the private and public sectors. Each additional alumni member of the planning committee also made gifts to fund the trip.
“Our alumni play a critical role in the success of everything we do at Dickinson Law, from admissions to bringing their expertise to the classroom to doing things like this that are extra and above the call of duty,” said Williams. “Not only have these alumni invested their time, but they have invested their money in this event as well. And we are really fortunate from that perspective.”
Lee noted Career Services advertises most events a couple of months in advance, but there is very little marketing or promotion for D.C. Day because the roster fills up so quickly — 15 students registered this year in less than two weeks. Students must submit a short essay explaining their interest. This year, more than half of the participants were 1Ls, and an LL.M. student also made the trip.
“The generosity and vision of donors like Brian and Kathy facilitate innovative and immersive experiences that help shape students’ futures,” Kelly R. Rimmer, Dickinson Law director of Development & Alumni Affairs. “We’re incredibly grateful to them — and to each of the D.C. Day planning team members and donors — for investing in excellence and creating pathways to success at Dickinson Law.”
A chance for experiential learning
Amber Paulino, a 2L at Dickinson Law, attended the first D.C. Day in 2023. She worked in Congress before enrolling at the Law School, and she hopes to return there after she graduates. “I thought the whole day was exciting,” said Paulino. “It was a great experiential learning opportunity to gain more insight into D.C. I feel my insight was consolidated to things going on in Congress when I worked there, whereas D.C. Day provided an overview of a plethora of different avenues of practice that lawyers can take in D.C. I thought that was really interesting.”
Cronin said the D.C. Day planning committee made minor tweaks to this year’s program based on feedback from last year’s group, and they will continue to adjust in the future. This year, for instance, D.C.’s notoriously congested traffic delayed the students’ arrival to their first destination by a couple of hours, forcing last-minute changes to the day’s program. Next year, Cronin said, the planning committee would like to find a way to enable the students to travel down the night before to connect with each other and alumni, explore the city, and be ready to participate in the program activities the following day.
“The engagement at this event is truly impressive,” said Assistant Director of Career Services Rosalind Lister. “I enjoyed seeing the students engage with our alums and with other attorneys. They put thought beforehand into the questions they asked, which is great and emblematic of what they typically do. They are extremely prepared students.”
She noted that many of the students had never visited D.C. previously. “The whole atmosphere was amazing to them in that regard,” said Lister. Cronin said that in addition to the networking, energy and environment information, and hearing about what life is like for a lawyer in D.C., simply exploring a new place holds great value. “During the rooftop reception, you are looking out at the monuments and the White House, and it is very exciting. It is just a cool way to cap the day,” said Cronin.
Students gained some unexpected insights. Ivan Garcia, a 1L who attended this year’s event, said one speaker mentioned he spent many years as a solo practitioner. “But now he is doing something else completely. It was interesting to hear that you are not stuck in what you choose to do. You can be a solo practitioner and then later work at a big law firm or work in government. It is not just a straight line in your career path,” said Garcia. “I think events like this show that we, as a profession, are very collaborative. We seek to help others succeed, and we all lift the whole profession up. We lift each other up individually. How awesome is it to be in a profession where we collaborate to find solutions to be part of where this country needs to go?” said Cronin.
Alumni support is part of the ethos of Dickinson Law
Preparations have already begun for next year’s D.C. Day. In the interim, students are following up on the connections they made this year. Lister noted that Raphael distributed his card to everyone and invited them to contact him to set up a lunch date. Last year, nearly all the students followed through. Cronin also noted that several students reached out to her following last year’s program, and a few reached out immediately following this year’s program. “Alumni support is part of the ethos of Dickinson Law. And for that, we are very fortunate,” said Williams.