All posts tagged: Philadelphia

From Temple to Germany: How Temple Law School Shaped My Career in Sports and Entertainment Law

When I completed my LL.M. at Temple Law School in Philadelphia in 1994/1995, I did not anticipate how profoundly this experience would shape my professional path. The focus of my studies was a comparative thesis on “Secondary Industrial Activities” in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany – a thesis that later became the basis of my doctoral dissertation in Germany, which I completed and published in 1996. I was able to pursue my LL.M. at Temple thanks to an Ambassadorial Scholarship from Rotary International, which gave me access not only to an excellent academic environment but also to a truly international legal community. A pivotal moment for me was my first encounter with Sports & Entertainment Law at Temple Law School. The professor teaching this course at the time was the lawyer who had negotiated the product placement contracts connected with the movie “Rocky”. For a young German lawyer whose background was primarily in traditional business and labour law, this was an impressive introduction to the intersection of law, …

LLM for Foreign-Trained Lawyers: Opening Doors to the U.S. Legal System

  Every day, I have the privilege of standing beside immigrant families during some of the most uncertain moments of their lives. As the founder and Director of Immigration at Migrance Initiative Inc., a nonprofit in Philadelphia, that work is my purpose. And whenever I trace it back to where it started, I arrive at the same place: Temple University Beasley School of Law. As a foreign-trained lawyer, I came to Temple to build my career on American soil, and its LLM for Foreign-Trained Lawyers gave me exactly the foundation I needed. The program is designed  for internationally educated attorneys like me, and it opened the door to the U.S. legal system in a way that was both rigorous and welcoming. Earning my LLM in American and International Law was a turning point, and looking back now, I understand just how deeply that year shaped my career and the practitioner I have become. What stayed with me most was the depth of the education. I arrived wanting to understand the American legal system and international …

Our Dreams Are Valid: Turning Aspiration into Achievement at Temple Law

For a young man who grew up in a part of the world where daily struggles were considered normal, I realized very early in life that I had more dreams than my environment seemed willing to permit. Walking through the corridors of public schools in Abuakwa, a suburb of Kumasi in Ghana’s Ashanti Region, I dreamed of becoming a businessman, a leader in public service, and a lawyer. Even before I turned twelve, I knew I wanted more. But in an environment where people constantly reminded you of the reasons why you could not succeed, I learned to be careful about how loudly I spoke about my dreams. Before finishing high school, I understood the sacrifices my parents had already made on their modest salaries as teachers. Pursuing law in Ghana was a long and expensive journey, and I convinced myself that it would be wiser to pursue a path that could provide immediate financial stability while postponing my legal ambitions. Still, I never abandoned the belief that I was meant for more. I entered …

Washington Square West | My Philly Neighborhood

I live in a one bedroom and one bathroom apartment in Washington Square West. I found my apartment on Craigslist. It has a full kitchen, living room, bedroom, and backyard. Washington Square West is a fantastic place to live. The neighborhood is residential, filled with historic brownstones, and brimming with personality. It is surrounded by other great neighborhoods, like Bella Vista, Queen Village, the Gayborhood, and Center City. I love this neighborhood because of the food and location. I’m two blocks from Acme and Whole Foods on South Street. I am surrounded by great restaurants. To name a few: Crybaby Pasta, Angelo’s Pizzeria, Little Italy, Little Nonna’s, Emmy Squared, Nomad, Woodrow’s Sandwich Shop, and BAP. They’re all so good! Bon Apetit ranked the cheesesteak from Woodrow’s as the third best one in the city. You seriously have to try it! The neighborhood is within walking distance to other great places, like Queen Village, Center City, Old City, Bella Vista, Fitler Square, you name it. I’m close to the best parts of the city, but far …

My Philly Neighborhood: Passyunk Square in South Philadelphia

When I’m not in class or studying in the law school library, I am enjoying time in my South Philadelphia neighborhood. My brother has lived in Passyunk Square in South Philadelphia for years and suggested I look for housing in the area. I quickly found my apartment on the real estate website, Zillow. I live on my own in a one-bedroom apartment and rent is around $1,600 per month. I chose to live in Passyunk Square because it’s charming, safe, and an easy commute to school. Each morning I walk 5 minutes to the Ellsworth-Federal station and ride the Broad Street Line (BSL) to Temple’s Cecil B. Moore station. The entire commute is around 20 minutes. It was important to me to live in a neighborhood near the BSL so that I don’t have to transfer between subway lines or trolleys to get to school. Living near the BSL also makes it easy to get to shopping and dining in Center City, though I often walk. There is a lot within walking distance in Passyunk …

Temple Law students on their front stoop.

My Philly Neighborhood: Queen Village

I moved to Philly specifically to attend Temple Law. I grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey, so I was excited to give city living a try, and living in Queen Village has not disappointed. I live in an apartment with two other Temple Law students that I met during my 1L year! We were lucky enough to make another friend whose parent was a landlord, so now we are also neighbors with another Temple Law student and one of our closest friends. Our apartment is the second and third floor of a row house. Queen Village is one of the older neighborhoods in Philly, so our apartment was built in the 1800’s. As it is a well established neighborhood, Queen Village is home to a lot of families. On a nice day, you will see kids riding bikes and scooters, as well as plenty of pups out for their daily walks. It has a very friendly and neighborly feel, even though it is only about a mile and a half from Center City. …

Philadelphia street lined with trees

My Philly Neighborhood: Fairmount

Hi everyone! My name is Kate Sears. I live in the Fairmount neighborhood in Philadelphia, just 1 mile away from the law school, and I wanted to explain why I love my Philly neighborhood. I found my apartment through Apartments.com. Once I found my roommate through the Temple Law roommate list that was circulated through the Admissions Office and on the entering class Facebook Group, we narrowed down what we were looking for and input that into the Apartments.com website. We didn’t have to look very long or tour that many places before we settled on our 2 bed 2 bath apartment. Together, we pay about $2k including utilities and wifi, and we get a lot for what we pay. We ultimately chose Fairmount because it had the best of everything we wanted in our price range. It was a short walk to the subway and then a short trip to school, the area was safe, and the apartment had everything we needed. Fairmount is very residential with a lot of families, so we always …

My Philly Neighborhood – Fairmount

Editors Note: Since Philadelphia is known as a city of neighborhoods, we asked Temple Law students, faculty, and staff to talk about what they love, hate, and can’t live without in their neighborhood.  See all of the neighborhoods covered thus far.  If you are looking for small neighborhood charm, just over one mile from Center City and a 15-minute bike ride from Temple, Fairmount is the Philadelphia neighborhood for you. Choosing to live in Fairmount during my time in law school has been one the best decisions I have made. Fairmount is a tight knit community, with all of the best aspects of living in small neighborhood. There is a mix of apartment and row house living options all at a reasonable cost and free street parking. For the past two years, I have lived in a row home on a quiet Fairmount side street. My home on N. Stillman Street features three bedrooms, one full bathroom, a spacious kitchen, living area, back patio, and laundry in the basement. I live with two roommates; together …

My Philly Neighborhood – Passyunk Square

Editors Note: Since Philadelphia is known as a city of neighborhoods, we asked Temple Law students, faculty, and staff to talk about what they love, hate, and can’t live without in their neighborhood.  See every neighborhood covered thus far.  During the first two years of law school I lived in Southwest Center City-the neighborhood straddling Rittenhouse and Graduate Hospital. While I loved its location, tree lined streets, and 5-minute walk to the Rittenhouse La Colombe, I had thoroughly explored all the dining options and was ready to reduce my rent check. I moved to Passyunk Square this spring and can’t believe I’ve missed out on all its glory for the past two years. While I had been to Passyunk Square a few times to try new restaurants, living and immersing myself in the neighborhood has been an entirely different experience. Passyunk Square is a neighborhood that stretches east from Broad Street to 6th St., and south from Washington Ave. to Tasker Street. The neighborhood of East Passyunk Crossing is very similar, and extends down from …

My Story: The Temple-Tsinghua LL.M. Program

This summer was special for me in many ways. For one, I came back to Philadelphia, a city where I spent half a year as a visiting scholar with Temple Law in 2013. It meant enjoying the beauty and historical sightseeing of this city one more time, meeting old friends at Temple Law, and making new ones. Coming back to Philly to do part of my LL.M. program as a full-time student with my Chinese classmates also meant an unexpected opportunity to experience campus life once more. What’s more, I was extremely looking forward to meeting Temple Law professors to learn from them, and to get a better idea of how American law schools prepare law students for their legal careers. With all those thoughts in my mind, I arrived in Philly. It turned out to be something more amazing and wonderful than what I had expected. During the two-month program, we took 3 courses focusing on the practical aspects of American legal education. We got the big picture of American trial advocacy; we learned …