法学院欢迎新生
8月17日，威廉玛丽法学院迎来了新生。2014届毕业生有217人，是从5939名申请者中挑选出来的。这些一年级法律系学生来自35个州和哥伦比亚特区，以及中国和韩国。这届学生的平均gpa为3.73，是法学院历史上最高的；该班级的LSAT平均分为165分（第92百分位），只有3名学生在入学前取得了相同的成绩。
除了2014届的法学博士候选人外，还有28名学生作为法学硕士候选人参加了为期一年的美国法律体系项目学习。这些新生来自中国、埃塞俄比亚、法国、印度、马来西亚、乌克兰和英国。七名来自奥地利、玻利维亚、加拿大和中国的交换生在秋季学期来到这里。11名转学生和一名访问学生也在威廉玛丽大学继续他们的法律学习。
“这些学生出色的学术、服务和专业背景是威廉玛丽法学院众多优势的体现，”负责招生的副院长Faye Shealy说。“我们的新学生是一群令人印象深刻的有抱负的公民律师，我们真的很荣幸这些高素质的人在威廉玛丽寻求法律教育。他们每个人都受到法学院大家庭和法律界的热烈欢迎。”
新的11人获得了136所不同学院和大学的本科学位，其中13所在弗吉尼亚州，123所学院和大学在其他38个州，华盛顿特区和两个国家。威廉玛丽学院和弗吉尼亚大学是领先的本科院校，占新JD学生的15%。有四名或四名以上入学学生的主要州外学校是杨百翰大学和康奈尔大学。其他人则获得了各种学院和大学的学位，包括布朗大学、芝加哥大学、杜克大学、乔治城大学、约翰霍普金斯大学、密歇根大学、米德尔伯里大学、纽约大学、宾夕法尼亚大学、普林斯顿大学、斯坦福大学、耶鲁大学以及美国空军、陆军和海军学院。
来自俄亥俄州索伦的艾利森·汉德勒毕业于奥伯林学院，在那里她获得了政治学学位，主要研究美国政府。在奥伯林，她于2007年至2010年获得约翰弗雷德里克奥伯林学者奖，这是学院授予学生的最高荣誉。2009年夏天，汉德勒在俄亥俄州的美国公民自由联盟担任公共服务和法律实习生。2010年夏天，她是华盛顿特区国家立法事务美国犹太人委员会的高盛立法研究员，在那里她为提交给最高法院的两份法庭之友简报做出了贡献。去年夏天，她在俄亥俄州克利夫兰的塔克、埃利斯和韦斯特律师事务所担任大规模侵权诉讼案件助理。
影响她决定参加威廉玛丽法律学院法学博士课程的因素之一是，她将担任选举法研究员。
汉德勒说：“作为一个长期的政治爱好者和政府乐观主义者，我认为这项奖学金是我在法学院度过时光的一种非常有成效的方式。”“这所学校靠近华盛顿特区是另一个优势。最后，当我将威廉与玛丽学院与其他学校进行比较时，我确信威廉与玛丽学院拥有我想要的所有渠道，而且教师们也有足够的洞察力来帮助我驾驭这些渠道。”一年级学生学习的主要专业是政治学、历史、英语和哲学。其他专业包括生物、工商管理、通信、计算机科学、经济学、外语、政府、人文、心理学和社会学。此外，2014届毕业生中有17人获得了生物学、工商管理、刑事司法、教育学、电子/信息工程、英语、音乐、哲学、政治学、宗教研究和社会科学等专业的硕士学位。一位同学还获得了电子工程和计算机科学的博士学位。
在这个班级里，33人以优异成绩毕业，55人以优异成绩毕业，24人以优异成绩毕业。有18名11年级学生被授予Phi Beta Kappa的会员资格。
来自加州洛杉矶的Nandor Kiss毕业于佩珀代因大学，获得哲学文学学士和工商管理理学学士学位。他持有佩珀代因大学法学院施特劳斯争议解决研究所的本科证书。Kiss是Alpha Chi荣誉协会、金钥匙荣誉协会和Beta Gamma Sigma商业荣誉协会的成员。2010年夏天，他在Bradley W. Brunon律师事务所工作，该公司曾担任加州人民诉Kapoor， Eroshevich和Stern案的辩护律师之一。该案件涉及安娜·妮可·史密斯的药物处方和管理。Kiss是NFRK3数字媒体公司的创始人和总裁，这是一家科技公司，其客户包括加州参议院竞选活动，娱乐体育机构和Sigma Phi Epsilon兄弟会。“我在洛杉矶附近长大并上了大学，”基斯说。“我之所以对威廉与玛丽感兴趣，是因为它独特的历史背景，但正是弗雷德·莱德尔教授的电话邀请我成为法律和法庭技术中心的一员，才让我决定把威廉斯堡作为我的新家。”许多11年级学生在进入法学院之前就工作过：39%的新学生有全职工作经验。其中包括五名曾在军队服役的成员：两名美国海军中尉，一名美国陆军中尉和一名上尉，以及一名美国海军陆战队下士。其中两名服务人员在高度选择性的资助法律教育计划的主持下参加。
德尔州威尔明顿市的亚历山大·斯奈德-麦克勒说。他以优异成绩获得宾夕法尼亚大学哲学、政治和经济学学士学位。毕业后的那个夏天，他在竞选团完成了一个民主党培训项目，该项目涵盖了成功开展政治竞选的各个方面。从2005年7月到2010年11月，Snyder-Mackler参与了几次竞选活动，并担任特拉华州民主党的通讯和研究主任，参议员Joseph R. Biden, Jr.的新闻秘书，参议院拜登的副竞选经理，奥巴马/拜登过渡项目的特拉华州经理，参议员Ted Kaufman的副幕僚长，以及特拉华州总检察长Beau Biden的竞选经理。斯奈德-麦克勒说：“我选择威廉和玛丽的原因之一是，它离华盛顿不太近，也不太远。”“这所学校的历史和对公共服务的关注非常吸引我。我最喜欢的一句话是，‘生活就是当你为它做计划时发生的事情’，虽然我对我的职业有一些想法，但我对我的未来持开放态度进入法学院，但它很可能与我在法学院之前的职业有一些联系：政治和公共服务。”
2014届毕业生在学生生活中表现活跃。15名成员在司法委员会、标准委员会或荣誉委员会任职。其中三人担任过最高法院大法官、联合主席或副首席大法官等职务。其中四人曾担任各自兄弟会的主席；两位是兄弟会的副主席。其中三人曾担任姐妹会会长，两人担任副会长。两位是泛希腊协会的主席。
一名学生对当地社区的兴趣使他当选为弗吉尼亚州威廉斯堡市议会议员。
Campus organizational leadership is in evidence with two presidents and one vice president of honor societies, two presidents of pre-law associations and others with service to numerous organizations and student advisory boards. The class includes two editors of their college newspapers, nine editorial board members of journals, and one contributor to a pre-law review journal. College admission offices have had class members working in freshman orientation positions, specifically 12 college ambassadors and 10 tour guides.
Mock trial was another important activity for class members and eight participated, with one serving as president and others serving as team captains. The 1L class also includes five members of debate teams, and two of moot court teams. Class members were also involved in Model United Nations and Model NATO organizations.
Stephanie Appiah of Mechanicsville, Va., holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and political science from Swarthmore College. During college, she was an undergraduate research assistant for the Center for Social and Policy Studies at Swarthmore and was a thesis-writing mentor in the college's Writing Center. In winter 2009, Appiah served as an intern for the Division of Energy Market Oversight in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, DC, and, that summer, she was an undergraduate fellow in the Division of Child Support Enforcement in Virginia's Department of Social Services in Richmond. In 2010 and early 2011, Appiah was a Spanish teacher for grades 9-12 in the Teach for America Summer Institute, and a substitute teacher for grades 7-12 in Teach for America charter schools, all in Philadelphia.
Since March, Appiah has been the media relations director for SoapBox Soaps, LLC, a start-up company with the mission of donating a bar of soap to needy children all over the world for every bar of soap sold. She has been doing outreach by developing content for the company's Web site, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook pages. Through this work, she has made a connection with representatives from UNICEF, Peepoople (a Swedish company dedicated to safe sanitation), and the International Justice Mission, among others. In addition, this spring Appiah was a legal document researcher for LeClair Ryan in Richmond.
"I chose William & 玛丽," Appiah said, "because I love ... the strong legacy of public service left by Thomas Jefferson, and the happy, welcoming nature of students all over campus. I have spent the past five years in Philadelphia, and moving to Williamsburg has been a comfortable transition. It feels like I am coming home."
David Johnson of Brighton, Mich., graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Arts in international studies with honors. He received the EDGE Internship Grant from the Johns Hopkins Second Decade Society in summer 2005 where he worked for the Council for Emerging National Security Affairs in New York, a national security think tank. In summer 2006, Johnson was a research assistant for the Center for Social Organization of Schools (CSOS) at Johns Hopkins where he analyzed data from schools nationwide for CSOS initiatives in support of analyses of No Child Left Behind. Following graduation, he was a paralegal for Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, a global immigration law firm in Washington, DC.
"Because William & 玛丽 offers a unique hands-on approach to the study of law, and numerous professional opportunities and connections," Johnson said, "I am confident that I will be well-prepared for any career I may choose. The diverse expertise of the faculty and wide variety of courses will allow me to explore numerous subjects. These opportunities, combined with the Legal Skills Program and McGlothlin Courtroom, will be the difference between becoming a good lawyer and becoming a great lawyer."
Among the LL.M. students studying at the Law School are Yetnayet Demissie from Ethiopia, currently of Arlington, Va., and Wei Lu of Shanghai, China.
Demissie holds a Bachelor of Laws with honors and a graduate degree in corporate law from University Lyon II Law School, a graduate degree with honors from University Lyon II School of Political Science, and Master 2 with honors in International Business Law from the University of Montpellier I Law School. Since September 2008, she has worked as a legal advisor at MB & Associes SERARL in Paris in several different capacities: as junior associate for corporate law, as a junior associate in the firm's international arbitration department, and as a junior advisor for their contracts group. She is fluent in English, French and Amharic.
"I chose William & 玛丽 Law School for several reasons," Demissie said. "It is the oldest law school in the United States, and I hold my law degree in France from the oldest and first law school, the Faculte de Droit of Montpellier. I am happy to keep up that tradition. Most importantly, I chose the Law School because of its reputation in the DC area, and the small size of the student body. This convinced me that students at William & 玛丽 get more attention from their professors, compared to larger institutions."
"After I earn my LL.M. degree, I plan to sit for the Virginia Bar exam," Demissie explained, "and then practice corporate law. After a few years of experience in the corporate world, I would like to work at the Ethiopian Law School, teaching business law courses."
Wei Lu recently graduated from East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL) with a degree in economic law and concurrently from Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade where she concentrated her studies on international economics and trade. She spent three of the last four years studying under an Integrated Scholarship of ECUPL, one year as a Merit Student at ECUPL, and the academic year 2009-2010 studying with a National Scholarship. In summer 2009, Wei participated in a practice in Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province, and then interned in Court No. 2 of the Yanjiang Industrial Development District in Nanjing. During summer 2010 she held a graduate internship in the Social-undertakings Office of Yanjiang Industrial Development District in Nanjing.
"I believe that nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards," Wei said. "Law is the rule of the whole society, and the only way to gain justice. My career plan is to be a judge back in China, and studying the law in the United States will help me greatly, since I can learn both the laws and the legal system."
