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Business Law Society Brings Together Students, Alumni, Practitioners

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The Business Law Society will host its first-ever Duke Law Smoker on Feb. 22, with practitioners of corporate and business law — many of them Law School alumni — as featured guests. The purpose of the one-day event is to bring together students, lawyers and business leaders in educational and informal settings to help students understand and prepare for their professional careers.

The visiting practitioners include:

  • Scott Cammarn ’87, Associate General Counsel, Bank of America.
  • Jeffrey Coyne ’79, Chairman and CEO, Provect Technologies and a senior lecturing fellow at Duke Law.
  • Thomas Dunn ’92, partner with Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
  • Kent Mann ’76, partner with Thompson Hine LLP.
  • Chris McDermott ’86, partner with Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft
  • Mark Webbink, general Counsel, Red Hat, Inc.
  • Sandra White, senior associate with Troutman Sanders LLP.

“It’s important for us as students to capitalize on the wealth of experience and knowledge that’s out there among our alumni,” said Christopher Fazekas, chief operating officer of the Business Law Society and an organizer of the event. “It’s the intent of the Business Law Society to help facilitate the student-alumni connection through events like the Smoker that bring some of that experience and knowledge here.”

The event will include speeches and breakout sessions about preparing for a career in business law or business, what to expect from those careers, and considering long-term career goals and how to reach them.

Stephen Wallenstein, professor of the practice of law, business and finance as well as executive director of the Global Capital Markets Center, and James Cox, Brainerd Currie Professor of Law, are sponsoring the Smoker along with the Business Law Society. The two also will speak at the event along with C.J. Skender, professor of accounting at The Fuqua School of Business. Wallenstein said the event is a great opportunity for students to hear from high-level practitioners in the world of law and business.

“This is a chance for students to learn from people who have achieved at a high level in their fields,” Wallenstein said. “The informal environment and structured sessions will provide Law students with a great deal of information that they should have about embarking on careers in business law or other aspects of business.”

The Smoker, which will last all day Saturday, will include breakfast and lunch at the Law School and will end with cocktails and dinner at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. Registration for the event is required, and the cost is $35 per student. For more information, please contact Fazekas at Christopher.fazekas@law.duke.edu or 919-949-4489. For details about the Business Law Society, visit http://www.law.duke.edu/student/act/business.htm.