All posts filed under: Student Commentary

Picture of Atoosa Haghani in Rome Study Aboard Law Semester

From the Trevi Fountain to Trade Law: Finding My Future in Rome

When I began law school, I wasn’t entirely sure which area of the legal field I wanted to pursue. That changed the summer after my 1L year, when I was accepted into Temple Law’s Rome Program. There, I took three courses (earning 5 credits) and interned at a well-known international law firm. The combination of studying international law in the heart of Rome and working alongside practicing attorneys gave me both unforgettable experiences and a clear sense of direction for my career.   Living just twenty minutes from campus near Piazza di Spagna felt like the best kind of luck. Each morning, I passed Versace and Valentino on my way to class, and each evening I returned home to classmates who quickly became like family. I also grew close with law students from around the world, expanding my professional network in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Outside of school, I experienced the city the way it should be experienced—vintage shopping on Sundays at the Mercato, dancing with local artists in Trastevere, and even getting my own …

How Temple Rome Made Me a More Globally Aware Law Student

This summer, I had the opportunity to spend a month in Rome through Temple Law’s summer study abroad program. The experience was more than just a change of scenery—it was a deep dive into the global legal landscape, a chance to build connections across borders, and a powerful reminder of the importance of cultural context in law.   I took all three courses the program offered:  Global Legal Perspectives,  International Civil Litigation, and  Advising the Multinational Corporation on Global Legal Issues. Each class was taught by professors from Temple and enriched by guest speakers and immersive field trips. We weren’t just reading about international law; we were living in a country where centuries of legal evolution have shaped modern global frameworks. After class I often found myself doing my readings on the terrace of Temple’s cCampus with a perfect view of the Trinità dei Monti (the church that sits atop the Spanish Steps). Rome proved to be the perfect backdrop while learning about cross-border legal issues and the ever-growing importance of international cooperation.   The program broadened …

Your Bar of Chocolate or Your Cup of Coffee May Be Causing Problems Somewhere: Deforestation & International Law

On April 9, 2025, Professor Clement Kojo Akapame, a visiting scholar from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), presented a lecture titled “Your Bar of Chocolate or Your Cup of Coffee May Be Causing Problems Somewhere: Deforestation & International Law” to Temple Law students. Many students from GIMPA, as well as GIMPA’s Dean Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, also attended the lecture virtually by Zoom. The lecture, organized by Temple Law School’s International Legal Society, summarized the research that Professor Akapame has been conducting for nearly the past year, since his arrival on Temple’s campus in August 2024. Professor Akapame is a legal academic and thought leader who specializes in sustainability standards for the commercial trade of forest risk commodities, as well as forestry law and policy on environmental conservation. He is also a Partner at Taylore Crabbe Barristers and Solicitors, where he leads the firm’s Corporate Commercial and Consultancy practice team. During his lecture, Akapame identified issues of deforestation due to the exploitation of cocoa bean farmers by large companies in the chocolate industry, …

Judge Tamara W. Ashford of the U.S. Tax Court: Spring 2025 Fogel Lecture

As we navigate through the many challenges that law school provides, it becomes increasingly easy to focus entirely on the immediate next step and lose sight of the opportunities that will come down the road. When it comes to thinking about post-graduation work, that often means preparing oneself for a rank-and-file “first job” and forgetting all about what amazing career opportunities await just a few years ahead. The annual Fogel Lecture is an incredible reminder of what a legal career has to offer when we remember to raise our sights and look past the next step to focus on the entire picture.  On February 26, the Honorable Tamara W. Ashford of the U.S. Tax Court delivered the 2025 Fogel Lecture, joining the long list of former and current government officials who have shared their views and career trajectories with the Temple Law community since 2011. Standing in front of nearly 200 law students, faculty, and other legal professionals, Judge Ashford discussed her journey in tax in a lecture titled “For the Love of Tax.”  Tax …

Hope through Action – Reflections on Justice and Becoming a Lawyer

Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), recently spoke at the annual Honorable Nelson A. Diaz Professor in Law Lectureship at Temple Law. He shared invaluable insights on how advancing advocacy can thrive through litigation and public engagement even in challenging times. While his advice was informative and practical, what resonated most with me was his story about his father’s experience with discrimination and how that shaped Mr. Romero’s perspective. His account prompted me to reflect on my own motivation for pursuing law.    Mr. Romero, having just completed his first year at Princeton, went home for the summer to assist his father at the hotel where he worked. Upon clocking in, Mr. Romero was handed his father’s name tag, which read “Chico” instead of his father’s actual name, Demitrio. Confused, Mr. Romero asked his father about the mislabeled name tag and was shocked to learn that his father’s boss had misnamed him on his first day 30 years ago, leading that to become his name at work. Mr. Romero pushed …

Reflections on the “Ethics in Practice” Course: My Immersive Experience in U.S. Legal Culture

This semester, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in Temple Law’s “Ethics in Practice” course. I gained practical legal skills training during the course, and it was a defining highlight of my one-year study visit to the United States. “Ethics in Practice”, taught by Professor Sara Jacobsen, is a one-credit course available to students in their second semester of the LL.M. for Foreign-Trained Lawyers program. Students of the course are placed short in observational externships with a lawyer or legal advocacy organization. Attorney John McMeekin of Rawle & Henderson LLP served as my mentor during the program. His meticulously designed 12-hour observation program, structured into three comprehensive modules, allowed me to gain a deep understanding of the essence of legal practice in the United States. The modules included Arbitration Observation, Mediation Practice Study, and Post-Judgement Procedure Observation. During an arbitration hearing led by Attorney Jennifer Seme, we witnessed an efficient dispute resolution performed by a team of seasoned lawyers. Attorney Seme stood out for her passionate and professional responses to questions, and she demonstrated …

The 2025 Richard H. Walker ’75 Chair in Business Law Lecture: Corporate Law as a Tool to Effect Social Change – A Student’s Perspective

As a law student focused on learning the ins and outs of corporate law, it can sometimes feel like the only goal that matters in business is the bottom line. Between fiduciary duties, profit-maximizing principles, and shareholder primacy, the space for societal good often feels like an afterthought—if it’s considered at all. So when I attended the 2025 Richard H. Walker ’75 Chair in Business Law Lecture on March 26, 2025, hosted by Professor Harwell Wells and featuring Gregory Varallo’ 83, I expected to hear about high-stakes litigation, maybe some war stories on practicing in Delaware, and definitely something about Elon Musk. I didn’t expect to walk away with a renewed sense of how corporate litigation—specifically settlements—can actually be a tool for meaningful, even moral, progress. Varallo spent 36 years as a top corporate defense attorney before crossing the aisle to become a plaintiff-side litigator at Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP. Most recently, he gained national attention for his work in Tornetta v. Musk, where he helped strike down Elon Musk’s $55.8 billion compensation …

How the Tech Justice Clinic Opened Doors I Had Previously Closed

Long before law school, I had aspirations of pursuing a PhD in Media Studies. After writing a Bachelor’s thesis on diva worship among gay men on Twitter (yes––it was Twitter when I wrote it!), I moved to Amsterdam where I wrote a Master’s thesis on Chechen police violence enacted against gay men via Grindr (a gay dating app). I had, and still have, big questions surrounding privatized media environments, freedom of expression, internet sovereignty, surveillance and control, and the interplay between physical bodies and their digital counterparts. I was heading down the academic pathway when Covid hit and changed the trajectory of my career.   Years later, I found myself in law school. I entered law school extremely skeptical of the field––a field that has a reputation for being rigid, limiting, and unyielding. I was convinced that this critical media training I went through would necessarily be cast aside in pursuit of more “concrete,” legal analysis. To be sure, my background in critical media studies did not come up much during my 1L year. But in …

How Temple Law’s Study Abroad Programs Shaped My Academic Journey

“[While applying to law schools,] I saw that Temple Law is highly regarded for its international law program. It felt like fate when I saw that they have a campus in Italy and many exchange partnerships with other universities worldwide.” As an undergraduate, I initially decided not to participate in study abroad, opting instead for a solo trip to Italy following graduation. When I got to Italy, I found myself alone without a clear plan, which caused me to start thinking seriously about my goals for both the trip and my future. It was during this time that I decided to reconsider law school. When it came time to research different law programs, I saw that Temple Law is highly regarded for its international law programs. It felt like fate when I saw that they have a campus in Italy and many exchange partnerships with other universities worldwide. I applied to Temple Law knowing that I wanted to go back to Italy. I did not know that my studies at Temple would take me all …

Carlene Buccino

How Temple Law Helped Me Follow My Passion for Public Defense

I applied to law school knowing I wanted to work as a public defender, which is a relatively low-paying job compared to other legal career paths. That’s the main reason I chose Temple: the school’s generous financial aid, plus student loans, helped me feel secure in my plans to pursue this career after I graduate. I knew that the pressure of $300,000+ in loans might (reasonably!) pull me away from doing the job I am sure I want to do. Financial stress will always be there, but this clear goal helped me make big decisions about law school – where to apply and attend, what loans I could handle, and what opportunities to pursue in school. At Temple, I’ve found a supportive community of students and faculty who care about public interest work. The summer after 1L, I interned in the public defender office in Wilmington, DE which was a great learning experience. 2L spring, I participated in a clinic with the Defender Association of Philadelphia, which was the first time I got to represent clients …