Shaw ’76 Addresses Wesleyan Lawyers Association Debut Event

The freshly minted Wesleyan Lawyers Association (“WLA”) hosted a successful kickoff event Nov. 7 during Homecoming /Family Weekend at the Woodhead Lounge in the Exley Science Center.

Approximately 100 attorney alumni, undergraduates, and friends attended a talk given by Ted Shaw ’76, currently the Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University Law School and of counsel at the international firm of Fulbright and Jaworski. Shaw, who was director-counsel and president of the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund from 2004 through 2008 and served as a Wesleyan Trustee for 15 years, addressed how his experience at Wesleyan affected his legal career as one of the nation’s leading civil and human rights advocates.

The WLA’s core team members, Jon Bender ’94, Michael Donnelly ’73 (tri-chair), J.D. Moore ’75 (tri-chair), Donna Temple ’95 (tri-chair and acting secretary) and Jessica Ziemian Wragg ’02 discussed the formation, operation and goals of the WLA. The core team and WLA Steering Committee, comprising 29 attorneys from throughout the country, are excited about the growing enthusiasm for the association and were pleased to welcome to the event alumni spanning class years from ’68 to ’07.

The WLA, the first professional alumni affinity group organized at Wesleyan, intends to sponsor events both at Wesleyan and regionally, and to promote networking, mentoring and community service opportunities among Wesleyan alumni and students or graduates interested in the law. The WLA is in the process of establishing a website to facilitate communication among members. All Wesleyan alumni who have graduated from law school are encouraged to join, and should contact either Jim Kubat of the Career Resource Center at jkubat@wesleyan.edu, or Donna Temple at donaldinetemple@yahoo.com to join or for further information.