The Torch Has Been Passed

This evening the 2009 Summer Legal Fellows (of which I am one) presented their experiences to the incoming batch of potential Fellows. For those of you who haven't the foggiest notion of what I'm referring to, let me explain. During the summer after their junior year, select students are given the opportunity to study on-site at a number of law schools, generally located throughout the Northeast. At each respective school or clinic, students undertake research-intensive work pertaining to a particular area of law. For long-time followers of this blog, you may remember that I spent my fellowship at the Feerick Center for Social Justice, based in the upper fringe of Midtown Manhattan. I consider my experience there to be among the most valuable and fruitful that I have had during my years at Siena. If any of you folks out there have even a remote interest in law, I would strongly recommend the Summer Legal Fellows Program.

On a somewhat related note,I'll be venturing Syracuse University this week along with my fellow Mock Trial teammates. Mock Trial is fairly new at Siena; I believe this is the seventh year we've 'fielded' a team. (Perhaps 'courted' the better term?) In any case, my membership on the team for all my years here started rather serendipitously, if you will. I come from a rather small high school, and opportunities such as Mock Trial were unheard of. Fast forward to my first few weeks at Siena and I find an email notifying the student body of Mock Trial 'tryouts,' and supplying directions as to how the tryout would be run. I figured I had nothing to lose, tried out for the team, and have been a member ever since. I am convinced I made the cut that year due to my Bermanesque voice.Subsequent to freshman year though, I'd like to think my knowledge and ability became a factor in my role on the team. In any case, over a semester of work comes to its culmination at Syracuse University this weekend!

Take Care,
Mike DiSiena

"When you break the big laws, you do not get freedom; you do not even get anarchy. You get the small laws."~G.K. Chesterton