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In the lead-up to graduation, we reached out to some of the students we profiled in our class welcome stories, as well as some other graduating students, to ask how about the experiences they had at Duke Law and the memories they'll take with them. The JD class of 2022 experienced the full cycle of the pandemic, including going from in-person to online classes and back again, and they are graduating strong. Read more of their Q&As to get their insights on the last three years, and check back soon for profiles of graduating LLM students.

 

Edward Gonzalez '22

What are you most proud of accomplishing at Duke Law?

I am most proud of my time as the president of Outlaw. I am incredibly proud of how the group has grown and overcome adversity over these past three years. I can’t wait to see what the rising 2Ls have in store. 

 

Who were your most influential mentors at Duke Law?

My favorite professor is hands down Professor Rachel Brewster. She manages to make everything she teaches interesting, and she knows how to engage her students (even over Zoom). I also need to give a huge shout out to Hadley Dreibelbis ’21, Alex Cochran ’21, and Shareef Salfity ’21 for being amazing mentors and for giving me invaluable advice since I was a baby 1L.

 

Of your classmates, whom do you admire most, and why?

Lindsay Kenney ’22 and Bella Walker ’22. These two have been my ride-or-die since day one of law school. They have kept me sane over the past three years, and I couldn’t have done it without them. 

 

What will you miss most about your time at Duke Law?

Most of all, I’ll miss the incredible friends. Luckily, most of us will be in D.C., so we’ll be able to keep the Duke Law party going. Honorable mention goes to the Outlaw softball and volleyball teams. Although we lost almost every game we played, we always served!

 

What are your plans after you graduate?

I’ll be joining the tax group at Skadden in Washington, D.C. I never would have guessed I’d be becoming a tax lawyer -- hahaha -- but I am very excited about the future!

 

 

Shu Boboila '22

What will you miss most about your time at Duke Law?

I will miss my friends at Duke Law. I came to Duke Law at the age of 35, after working as a scientist and becoming a mother to two daughters. Needless to say, I was nervous about starting school again with classmates who are more than 10 years younger than me. My classmates have welcomed me since day one. I will forever remember the time I spent with my friends discussing legal questions on our way home, preparing finals together in the library, and exploring different restaurants in Durham. Even during the pandemic, as I needed to stay in New York with my family, my friends kept in touch and continued to support me.

I am thankful for the world-class legal education I received at Duke Law. I landed my dream post-graduate job and I look forward to becoming part of the Duke Law alumni network and offering mentorship to future Duke Law students.

 

Of you classmate, whom do you most admire, and why?

I admire all the international students who came to the U.S. to pursue their career goals at Duke Law. Many of them came to the U.S. for the first time to attend law school. The pandemic made that significantly more difficult, since many of them were not able to travel home in the past two years. I admire their courage to learn a difficult subject matter, while also adjusting to a new country.

 

Have your career interests changed since you started Law School?

No. I applied to Duke Law with the goal to pursue a career in life science-related law. Last summer, I was a summer associate with the Patents and Innovations group at Wilson Sonsini. That experience confirmed my career goal to practice law as a life science patent attorney. I have accepted an offer from Wilson Sonsini to join the Patents and Innovations group in New York as an associate after I graduate from Duke Law.

 

How do you think your time at Duke prepared you for the next stage of your career?

I am going to pursue a career in life science patent law in a big law firm, and Duke Law has prepared me well for this job. First, at Duke Law, I had the opportunity to attend several classes relevant to life sciences and patent law, including Patent Law and Policy, The Law and Policy of Innovation, The Life Sciences, and Science Regulation Lab. Second, Duke Law has offered me a unique chance to gain actual practical experience in the field of life science patenting. Since the end of my first year in law school, I have been working with Professor Arti Rai, an expert in patent law, on research projects that examine the role of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) in life science patenting. In addition, I had a faculty-mentored externship with Scripps Health as part of my legal education. During the externship, I worked on multiple legal matters, including patent drafting, patent portfolio due diligence review, and technology licensing. Since I would undertake similar duties as a patent attorney, these have been invaluable training experiences. 

 

What lesson do you feel will help you the most after you graduate?

I think the faculty-mentored externship will help me the most after I graduate. I was able to gain practical experience relevant for my post-graduate job in a law firm. It also offers me the opportunity to improve my on legal research, communication, and networking skills.

 

Who were your most influential mentors?

Professors Rai and Jonathan Wiener are my most influential mentors. I have taken multiple classes taught by them and worked as a research assistant for both of them. I have learned not only what they taught in class about law and public policy, but also how to conduct legal research and apply my previous experience to finding answers to legal questions. They have always kept an open door for discussions and encouraged me to think and express my view on complex legal issues. They have also offered invaluable advice on my career trajectory and fiercely supported my academic and professional goals.

 

 

Enes Sevencan LLM '22

What will you miss most about your time at Duke Law?

I will miss grabbing a bite with friends at Star Commons, chatting with professors outside the class, and taking a nice walk with friends from the Law School to the garage after a long day.

 

Of your classmates, whom do you admire most, and why?

I think our cohort is comprised of brilliant people with impressive characters and talents. If I have to give some names, I would say Agata Radajczyk, Ingrid Pistili, and Arthur Adler. They were outstanding in classes, but also were socially skillful bringing people together outside the class.

 

Have your career interests changed since you started Law School?

Prior to the program, my orientation was already towards business law. The spectrum of courses on that area was my main incentive to choose Duke over other top law schools. Thankfully, I am very happy with my decision as the various business-related classes I took have remarkably deepened my knowledge and curiosity.

 

How do you think your time at Duke prepared you for the next stage of your career?

I think my overall experience at Duke was transformative. Even though it is your best year in many senses, it does not mean that you are above the clouds all the time. There are severe difficulties along the way, but Duke community including students, professors, staff, and alumni are incredibly supportive, more than one from outside the U.S. could ever expect. Learning experiences, memorable times with your classmates, and overcoming your challenges help mature you and, hopefully, make you a better legal professional.

 

What lesson do you feel will help you the most after you graduate?

In terms of classes, I would say the climate change and financial markets class probably because climate change is an extreme emergency and the course was pretty up-to-date. It helped me to build a better understanding of and feel responsibility regarding climate change. In the meantime, I think it is easily marketable to employers.

A life lesson would be to take risks confidently, not to be afraid of making mistakes and to learn from them. Even though these are not unknown mantras, the process reminds you how important they are.

 

Who were your most influential mentors?

The Duke community is very supportive in general and generously makes you feel that support throughout your time here. Again, if I have to give names, I would say Professor Bill Brown and Jabrina Robinson.

 

 

Jennifer McGrew '22

What will you miss most about your time at Duke Law?

I will miss the Southern charm of the area. It was always nice to walk to campus and to see smiling faces wherever I looked. There is such a community feel in the area; it is almost tangible.

 

Of your classmates, whom do you admire most, and why?

The person who came to mind immediately is Leigh Davenport. She is an incredible scholar, mother, activist, and woman of color, who is unapologetic in the work that she does to make the world better. I admire her for her patience, her caring nature, and how much she genuinely wants to do good in the world. I knew that if I ever needed anything at all, I could reach out to her and she would be there for me in a pinch. Also, with us both being older members of the class, it was nice to joke about how much we  loved being Millennials!

 

Have your career interests changed since you started Law School?

I wouldn't say they have changed, but they have developed in a new way over time. I originally did not want to practice law at all and decided to give it a go during OCR. That allowed me the amazing opportunity to explore my interest in Labor and Employment during the summer, which I have absolutely fallen in love with. Now, I plan to practice, and I look forward to the opportunities that will bring my way. I do still plan to work towards being the Secretary of Education in Massachusetts, but I will have so many different and unique experiences that will help me with the job, and for that, I am grateful.

 

How do you think your time at Duke prepared you for the next stage of your career?

Duke was most definitely not without its challenges. At times, it can seem as if we are in a bubble and that we are isolated from the larger outside world. While that can be a nice feeling at times, it is not a realistic reflection of what post-graduation life will be like. There will be moments when you will have to work with people who don't respect you or your intelligence, and all you can do is let your work speak for itself. There will be moments when you are down to the wire and are trying to juggle one too many things and have to remind yourself that you are human and that you can and should take a quick break to disconnect. There will be instances in which you won't feel like you can be successful in a situation, but you use all of the skills that you have honed over time and create the best product you can with what you have to work with. So, the challenges at Duke came in a variety of shapes and sizes, but at the end of the day, I am ready for the next step.

 

What lesson do you feel will help you the most after you graduate?

I have learned that I need to trust my own intuition and to be okay with ambiguity. One of the hardest things to come to terms with at the beginning of law school is the professor's favorite response of "it depends." We are always trying to find a concrete answer to our questions, but sometimes, that is just not the case. Sometimes, you have to be okay going in with multiple strategies and choosing the right fit when the time presents itself. That is when your intuition kicks in and you have to trust in the work that you did and the process that you are going through in order to make it successfully to the other side.

 

Who were your most influential mentors?

I would have to say that Professor Sara Greene is definitely one of the MVPs of the faculty. She approaches her classroom teaching with such care and in a way that instantly draws you in. I never thought I would care about a contract and all the ways that one can go about writing, breaking, voiding, or negating one. She drew me in instantly, and I always told her no matter what she teaches, I would be in the class. She could teach woodworking or deep-sea fishing, and I would be there in a heartbeat. I also was introduced to my love of labor and employment by Professor Dan Bowling. I had no idea what to expect from the class and was pleasantly surprised throughout my time in the class. In his class, I actually wanted to participated, and I wanted to be in class each and every session because I never knew what new information we would come across. Finally, I have to give a shout-out to Dean Stella Boswell and Ashley Walker for helping me see that I always have a choice in the work that I want to pursue and that nothing is impossible. When I was ready to give up on the OCR process before it even started, they encouraged me to at least try it out, and in the end, I was extremely happy with the outcome.

 

 

Maliha Abu-Nowar LLM '22

What will you miss most about your time at Duke Law?

The LLM community! It’s not every day you get to meet people from all over the world and eventually have a circle of friends you call family. I’ve gained lifelong friends during my time at Duke, and I can’t wait for us to venture to each other’s homes in the coming years. Although I’m a city girl at heart, I’m going to miss the slow-paced, naturesque atmosphere in Durham, where everything is a stone's throw away.

 

Of your classmates, whom do you most admire, and why?

Each of us have had to make big adjustments to come to Duke, so I admire every person who either came here with family or have left their loved ones, jobs or homes for the first time, all to be here and continue building our future. Hats off to all of them!

 

Have your career interests changed since you started Law School?

I was a banking lawyer before I started my LLM, and Duke just affirmed time and again my decision to pivot to human rights, thanks to the professors and classmates I met along the way who cheered me on to keep doing what I’m doing. As I’ve been told by some great mentors here, going down the human rights path can be unsettling and at times isolating, but I’m ready for it all, knowing that I’m not alone in this fight.

 

How do you think your time at Duke prepared you for the next stage of your career?

Where to start! The courses I’ve taken, professors I’ve learnt from, and generally being challenged by building a life in a completely new environment have all set me up well to move back to London and work in human rights and social justice.
Particularly, the Movement Lawyering Lab and the International Human Rights Clinic gave me further, practical insight into the type of work I’m interested in and would be pursuing.

 

What lesson do you feel will help you the most after you graduate?

People are at the very heart of what we do, so take care of your friends and keep building your network. Also, as Professor Laurence Helfer advised, take your job seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously!

 

Who were your most influential mentors?

I’ve been lucky to have met several inspiring individuals during my time here. I look up to Professor Jayne Huckerby as a human rights advocate and leader in the field. Professor Anne Gordon showed me the strength of compassion and brilliance combined. Professor Laurence Helfer’s International Law lectures brought the world to our classroom discussions.
Each of them was instrumental in my education.

 

 

Stanley Sun '22

What are you most proud of accomplishing at Duke Law?

The work I did for the Wrongful Convictions Clinic and the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic.

 

What were your most influential classes at Duke Law? Who were your most influential mentors?

My most memorable class was Social Justice Lawyering. I have had many excellent mentors, but a special shout out goes to Sten Eccles-Irwin, Kaitlin Ray, and Zack Flagel.

 

Of your classmates, whom do you admire most, and why?

Roshan Rama, for being both a diligent student and a phenomenal friend.

 

What will you miss most about your time at Duke Law?

Table tennis in the Blue Lounge.

 

What are your plans after you graduate?

Joining the Global Projects practice at Baker Botts LLP in Houston, TX, and then figuring out what I want to be when I grow up.

 

 

Sadie Kavalier '22

What are you most proud of accomplishing at Duke Law?

Having my note published in the Duke Law Journal. I would love to be a law professor one day, so having the opportunity to get published as a student was a dream come true.

 

What were your most influential classes at Duke law?

Business Associations with Professor Elisabeth de Fontenay. I enjoyed it so much that I am starting a clerkship on the Delaware Court of Chancery in August. Mergers, acquisitions, and takeovers - oh my!

 

Of your classmates, whom do you admire most, and why?

Elyse Burns. She was recently featured on the "Today Show" for her self-started business, but I first knew her as a talented teammate leading us to championship in the 2020 Twiggs-Beskind Mock Trial Tournament. I still keep a doodle Elyse made me on a sticky note during our final mock trial round. I'm convinced it will be worth millions someday.

 

What will you miss most about your time at Duke Law?

The camaraderie the Class of 2022 built while surviving our 1L year, enduring a pandemic, and returning to classes our final year. I have so much respect for my classmates and their triumphs over the past three years.

 

 

Emmy Wydman '22

What are you most proud of accomplishing at Duke Law?

Surviving. The class of 2022 has been through whiplash in both law school and the world/political culture at large, let alone personally and professionally, and I'm excited to see where everyone lands and continues to thrive.

 

Who were your most influential mentors at Duke Law? 

Too many mentors come to mind! I was lucky (and strategic) enough to take multiple classes with some of my incredible female 1L professors -- Professors Sarah Baker, Kathy Bradley, and Marin Levy -- all of whom played huge roles in my time at Duke, inside and outside of the classroom. I’m so grateful to have crossed paths with them early on, and look forward to staying in touch long past graduation.

 

Of your classmates, whom do you admire most, and why? 

All of the student leaders who poured countless hours of unpaid emotional labor into things they love that benefited everyone else at Duke Law.

 

What will you miss most about your time at Duke Law? 

Student organizations, the Fuqua salad bar, sliding into the faculty lot at exactly 4:00 p.m., stealing leftover arepas, and running into friends anywhere you go in Durham.

 

What are your plans after you graduate? 

I’m moving home to Ohio to clerk on the Sixth Circuit, so delaying any full-time decisions for yet another year.

 

 

Kaytlan Anderson JD/AM '22

What are you most proud of accomplishing at Duke Law?

I am very proud to be one of the first black female presidents of the Duke Law Mock Trial Board. I was also able to get the Twiggs Beskind competition to take place in the Durham County Courthouse for the first time since the new courthouse was built.

 

What were your most influential classes and who were your most influential mentors at Duke Law?

Definitely Professor Lisa Griffin! Though she may not remember me since I was one of almost 100 people in her Evidence class, Professor Griffin and that class had a huge effect on me and the trajectory I want to take my career. After taking her class, I knew that the next step in my career would be to become an AUSA -- hopefully prosecuting corruption in law enforcement! My counselor, Corrine Crews, was also a major contributor to making my first year at Duke a positive one. Throughout that year, she became my go-to person for everything, even more than just for the job search

 

Of your classmates, whom do you admire most, and why?

The classmate that influenced me the most was my best friend Kenzie Freeman! When we started law school, I had absolutely NO idea how to network, socialize, or even order from the wine menu. Kenzie truly was my mentor and best friend, who introduced me to an entire new way of life, while also being so patient and kind. I will never forget the kindness she showed to a complete stranger (and a needy one at that).

 

What will you miss most about your time at Duke Law?

The community! There is nowhere quite like Durham, NC. The sky is (mostly) a beautiful blue, the trees are a lush green, and there is always a small business nearby with great outdoor seating. Though everything closes at 9 p.m. (which can be very annoying at times), for a relaxed and chill evening to hang with friends, Durham is always the perfect aesthetic!

 

What are your plans after you graduate? 

To pursue Labor and Employment at Jones Day in New York.