My story is simple but was professionally life-changing. As a 3L, I was trying to decide among a few law firm offers. I grew up in a small town with no lawyers in my family. I knew I wanted to do trial work but was unsure where and with what kind of firm. I consulted Dean Link and while I didn’t fully understand or appreciate his advice then, it helped shape my future. He said, “Pat, you can always go from the big firm to the small firm, but it’s much more difficult to go from the small firm to the big firm.” I joined Baker & McKenzie and practiced there for 45 years until my retirement in 2017! - J. Patrick Herald ’72 J.D.
The first day I met Dean Link,his words had a profound impact on my career as an attorney litigant, Assistant Attorney General, Circuit Court Judge, and Adjunct Professor. He said, “Professionalism is a core class at Notre Dame. There is a reason for that. We intend to inculcate professionalism in you so it becomes second nature, because if you do not base everything you do in tenets of professionalism, nothing you do as a lawyer will mean a thing.” I’ve tried to live by his words throughout my career and passed them along to every student I’ve mentored in the past 43 years. - Mary Mertens James ’81 J.D.
Our Class of 1981 held an informal reunion in 2010, scheduled around the Notre Dame vs. Michigan State away football game, with a game-watch party on campus. Fr. Dave attended, and we enjoyed swapping stories. When ND went ahead in overtime, he took his leave, saying, “Well, I think they have it well in hand!” Sadly, the Spartans faked a field goal, and the holder tossed a touchdown pass to win. We all felt Fr. Dave took his magic with him! - Mary Mertens James ’81 J.D.
In 1973, the Law School had just been renovated, including a first-ever video studio to train advocates. As a first-year student with a television degree from Northwestern, I saw Professor Link instructing some flummoxed students on how to operate the video equipment. One student had a camera pointed up at the ceiling lights. I stuck my head in and said, “Get the camera out of the lights.” Blank looks. I walked over, tilted the camera down, and capped the lens, commenting, “You’ll burn the vidicon tube.” In rapid staccato, Link said, “Who are you? What do you know? Do you want a job?” A man on the high-tech edge with a need to take action! That was a talent reflected in almost everything he did! - Jerald Fritz ’76 J.D.
Every Sunday evening, there was a Mass downstairs. One night, Dean Link sat next to me. I am not Catholic, and so much of the proceedings were a mystery. I told Dean Link that I didn’t really know what I was doing. He smiled warmly and said that was okay, because most Catholics didn’t either. I immediately felt welcomed. - Grant Brenna ’93 J.D.
Dean Link championed “pervasive ethics training,” making ethics a core part of every class and instilling a sense of moral responsibility. His belief in the nobility of law shaped graduates like me, who dedicated their careers to teaching business ethics and promoting ethical conduct in law. After graduation, I followed Dean Link’s example, working with the Chicago Bar Association on ethics initiatives, including a report on sexual misconduct in the legal profession. This work led to the creation of Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 1.8 (j), which prohibits lawyers from engaging in sexual relations with clients. The “Dean Link effect” lives on in Notre Dame law graduates who continue to uphold ethical standards and advance the profession with integrity and compassion. - Mary Ambrose-Gerak ’84 J.D.
Dean David Link’s kind and gentle spirit made him a true peacemaker. - Richard Bovey ’71 J.D.
Dean Link was the only professor who could have made the ‘taxation’ course palatable. One day he told us that a tax lawyer always carries his Tax Code in his right hand and only takes it out to shake hands with another tax lawyer, but then immediately returns it to his right hand. - Paul Smith ’76 J.D.
When I started my first law class in 1996, Dean Link presented a film to us that he said would be instructive in our law careers and that we should reflect and take notice of the issues raised in the film. The movie was To Kill A Mockingbird, starring Gregory Peck as a man of integrity, law, and truth. Dean Link was cut from the same cloth. - Daniel Stephen Hollman ’99 J.D.
One summer many years ago, my high school son Matt (who later went to Notre Dame) and I visited the campus. I walked over to the Law School to see if anyone was there. Dean Link was in his office—and it happened to be his very last day on the job. Despite that, he gave us a tour of the building with the enthusiasm of someone just beginning their work. I was amazed. He told me that during his time as dean, he had never taken a vacation and was living proof of the saying, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” - Noel James Augustyn ’74 J.D.
Professor Link enabled me to suspend disbelief and come to the shared realization that there actually was logic and intentionality behind the IRC and tax rules and incentives. For me, he was the “tax whisperer.” This view later colored my interpretation of the application of all statutes by empowering and impelling me to query, “What is the purpose or goal of this statute, law, or regulation?” Dave was foundationally brilliant and enlightening. - Steven Martinek ’74 J.D.
During orientation week, the Links hosted us at their home. He had a basketball hoop, and I challenged him to a game of H.O.R.S.E. If I won, I got to be the dean. I won—with trick shots and opposite-hand layups. During my years at Notre Dame, I often reminded him of the bet. I wanted to be “Dean Smith,” after the famous Kansas coach, because I was from Kansas. We joked about it often. I was a 3L without a job when he called me. “Kate, you don’t have a job, do you?” No, Dean, can I have yours from the bet? He said, “No, but how about a big firm in Detroit with a few ND lawyers?” I got an offer, so I think the bet worked in my favor. - Kathryn Smith ’93 J.D.
While I was a student from 1974 to 1977, Prof. Broderick, “the Chief,” threw pep rallies in the Law School lounge the Fridays before football games. He brought in a couple of football players, and we had a small law school band. Professor Dutile played the piano and Dean Link played the kazoo. I was a fellow member of the kazoo band. Professor Dutile led the crowd in predicting a 0 for the opposition and a huge score such as 54 or so for Notre Dame.” - Kathleen S. DeMetz ’77 J.D.
Dean Link was an advisor to an Independent Counsel that I worked for as my first job out of law school. When we weren’t expecting visitors, the office was very casual—t-shirt and jeans. One day, Dean Link shows up wearing one of his signature tailored suits. They called me in for a meeting, and I felt woefully underdressed. He, knowing I was an ND Law grad, greeted me warmly. Then he said, “When I was growing up, my father always wore a shirt and tie. Even in his home office, when anyone would go in to see him, he would get up and put on his jacket.” He looked at me, and I felt two inches tall. But I learned an important lesson that day about always presenting yourself as an ND lawyer. - Dan Hall ’00 J.D.
I was an ND undergrad when I was accepted to ND Law School. I was apprehensive because I considered it a corporate and business-oriented school, while I was focused on public service. I made an appointment to talk with Dean Link. As I explained my dilemma, he interrupted to say how important it was to have students like me at ND Law and how valued we were. He implored me to come, saying it would make a difference. When I did, I learned how right he was. I could not have been happier. - Judge David J. Dreyer ’80 J.D.
I took Federal Taxation with Dean Link when he was a professor, but more importantly, I was a babysitter for Mr. and M rs. Link when they were out of town on weekends. I lived on campus, and he would pick me up and then bring me back at the end of the weekend. He was an excellent professor! - Carmen L. León ’73 J.D.
The welcoming party at the Deans’ home before we started school was fantastic. It set a tone of friendship and community. 35 years later, a number of us were invited back, this time by his son Dave, our classmate, to celebrate mass in the same living room. It was an amazing experience. Dave was his altar server, and Father Dean gave a homily on forgiveness and rehabilitation. A different kind of life indeed. - Tim Reynolds ’86 J.D.
At one of our class (1979) reunions I asked Dean Link, “Do you remember me?” He answered, “Yes, I do, Greg. I remember your class especially well, for I personally selected each one of you.” - Greg Murphy ’79 J.D.
In my first year of law school, I was a student in Dean Link’s ethics class. I enjoyed his class and he had a great sense of humor. I value him for what he taught us first-years about legal ethics. - Maurice McFarlin ’84 J.D.
Once, during law school, I was sitting on the steps leading up to the law library. I was teary-eyed, for a variety of reasons. Dean Link saw me and sat down next to me. He just sat with me. After a few minutes, he asked, “Can I help?” By sitting with me, he let me know that I was not alone. God bless the man. - Steve Robles ’76 J.D.
A Notre Dame undergrad,I was accepted into the Law School in 1990. However, my father (ND ’49) had been a Naval aviator before becoming an attorney. I secretly dreamed of flying jets for the Navy before going to law school. I asked Dean Link for a year deferment to volunteer with the Holy Cross Associates and apply for the Navy’s Aviation Officer Candidate School. Dean Link graciously granted me the deferment. When I was accepted into the Navy, I wrote Dean Link asking for another deferment until my service was complete. A former Navy JAG, he graciously responded: “As long as I am Dean here, you will have a spot in this Law School.” Elated, I joined the Navy and flew jets off aircraft carriers. Seven years later, Dean Link welcomed me back, and I matriculated in the fall of 1999. My time flying jets was invaluable. I was more mature and thrived at Notre Dame Law and earned a federal district court clerkship, which launched my law career. A classmate also introduced me to Mary Westervelt (‘99) and now we’re happily married. Had Dean Link not been so compassionate, none of this would have happened. - B. Patrick Costello Jr. ’02 J.D.
Dean Link was the only professor who could have possibly made tax law interesting to me. He had a grant from Mead Corp. to help develop what became Lexus. He had a hard drive containing 10 years of Ohio Supreme Court opinions and a tiny black-and-white monitor. I had the chance to play with it. He published several pieces on the theme of the lawyer as a healer. That work aligned with my own efforts to explore how alternative dispute resolution principles could be applied to solving problems. - Jack Ubinger ’73 J.D.
In Professional Responsibility class, Dean Link impressed on us the importance of winning the client’s confidence and taking the problem from them. I always have followed this in practice. About 20 years in, it dawned on me that this is what Simon of Cyrene did in the Fifth Station of the Cross: He took the cross from Christ and carried it. Since then I have regarded Simon of Cyrene as the model of what I do as a lawyer. I also look to St. Thomas More for courage. - Stephen Dunn ’85 J.D.
Rev. David Link served as the celebrant for my mother’s memorial Mass in the Law School chapel in May 2018. During his homily, he focused on the beauty she brought into the world by her career as a beautician. Insightful perspective from a former law firm attorney but not totally surprising from his soul. - Steve Chavez ’77 J.D.
I first met David Link when he coached his son’s Irish Youth hockey team in the early 1970s. I was a hockey referee and an undergrad at Notre Dame. He always wore a plaid jacket and was one of the most cordial and knowledgeable coaches in the league. I was astounded to learn that he was the Dean of the Law School. Years later, a good friend was ministering to death-row inmates at the Indiana state penitentiary in Michigan City. He encountered Dean Link there and spoke highly of him. I reunited with Dean Link at a Notre Dame football game in the 2000s and shared stories with him. It was a privilege to know him. - Mark K. Johnson
Dean Link taught our ethics class. It was such an amazing experience as a first-year law student to have THE Dean teaching your class. I remember the marketing materials for the law school were about educating a “different kind of lawyer” and Dean Link embodied that tagline well! - Tricia Hoffman-Simanek ’01 J.D.
Dean Link was many noble things—but also a bit of a prankster. In 1974, as first-year law students, our torts professor went on a United Nations trip to Romania behind the Iron Curtain. We missed a few classes, then were told Assistant Dean Link would address us that afternoon. In a somber tone, he explained that Professor Rice had been “detained” by Soviet authorities. He assured us the U.S. government was working to secure his release, but the University could not delay our education. They had arranged for local attorneys to teach the class, and today we would begin with the help of two second-year law students. The second-year students began teaching but 45 minutes into the class, they got into a heated discussion with a female student. She said, “I don’t have to take this!” and stormed out. Half of us, wide-eyed, considered walking out with her. When the class ended, we found our two second-year “teachers” laughing with the student they had “humiliated”—in fact, another second-year student—and Assistant Dean Link, all part of the prank. (Professor Rice was indeed in Romania, but he was not detained. He returned a few days later.) - Joel Dowley ’77 J.D.
Dean Link emphasized that lawyers should be peacemakers and problemsolvers. That’s a principle that I tried to follow in private practice and one that I now emphasize from the bench. - Mark Telloyan ’98 J.D.
Dave dedicated every day of his life to serving others. As Dean of the Law School, he recruited, educated, and inspired by example thousands of law students. As a priest, he served as a spiritual adviser and mentor to thousands of Indiana inmates seeking redemption. On a personal level, Dave had a profound and immeasurable impact on my life and legal career. I am so grateful to have known Fr. David Link. Jimmy Gurulé, Founding Faculty Director, Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic Dean Link inspired me with his visibility to students, leadership, and the way he lived his faith. I got to know him while volunteering on the overnight shift at the South Bend homeless shelter. The other law students and I were struck by his humility, dedication, and compassion for the homeless, as well as his efforts to help them find a more stable life. A criminal incident occurred during my second year. When he heard of it, he immediately contacted my roommates and me and invited us to live with him and Mrs. Link for the semester. What law school dean makes such an offer? He stayed in touch throughout the trial to make sure we were okay. When Fr. Dave later joined the prison ministry in my diocese, we saw each other several times, and he counseled me on the incident as my priest. I will always be grateful to Dean Link/Fr. Dave for setting an example of living faith. He inspired me to live a life of faith, compassion, kindness, and forgiveness. - Suzy Mulshine ’89 J.D.
Dave Link was the Dean when Notre Dame hired me and awarded tenure to me, so I am grateful that he gave me the opportunity to return to Notre Dame as a faculty member and to teach for 32 years. I try to attend the Link Award Dinner because Dean Fr. Link expanded the Law School’s clinical program, secured the original funding for what evolved into the Law School’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program, and by example, modeled what I hope remains the Law School’s commitment to service by co-founding what became the Center For The Homeless, volunteering at numerous Habitat for Humanity builds, and chaplaining within the Indiana State Prison system. - Matt Barrett ‘82, ‘85 J.D.
He was a kind, caring leader who always found ways to help students achieve their goals. Dean Link was known for saying yes to most financial requests, though he would add, “but I need to check with Captain McLean first.” What stands out most is a story from one of our benefactors. He started an emergency fund after sharing how, as a student, he had once been low on funds and turned to Dean Link for help. Dean Link used his own money to support him, and the student later gave back by starting the fund. That same fund continues to help students today. Dean Link believed in giving back and helping others. I am a better person because of the influence he had on my life. - Tina Jankowski Director of Law Finance and Administration at Notre Dame Law School
He came to ND from Winston & Strawn, the firm I later joined, creating a unique bond he always made sure I felt. It said a lot about him that, despite his responsibilities as Dean, he took the time to teach Legal Ethics to the entire first-year class. It was important for him to build relationships with all the students, and he wanted to send the message that Legal Ethics were central to becoming a Notre Dame lawyer. What more powerful way to do that than by having the Dean teach the class? - Timothy J. Rooney ’82 J.D.
He and his son Davy volunteered to help me paint the apartment my family and I were moving into at the start of my second year of law school. We also really enjoyed playing on the Law School basketball and flag football teams together and socializing afterwards, celebrating our victories! Fr. Link was a man of great faith, honor, loyalty to his wife and children, and to the spirit of the law. As Dean, he was committed to making Notre Dame one of the very best law schools in the country. He became one of my very best friends and remained so long after my law school years ended. It was a true blessing to have known him. - Judge William J. Zloch ’74 J.D.
Dean Link and Notre Dame helped me during a difficult and critical stage of my life. Between my junior and senior years at Harvard, I suffered a C5/C6 spinal cord injury in a car accident and was initially diagnosed as a complete quadriplegic. After six months of rehabilitation, I regained some use of my arms and legs and returned to Harvard as a quadriparetic, graduating in 1983. My childhood home was a few blocks from Dean Link’s and across from Associate Dean Bill “Captain” McLean’s. I knew some of Dean Link’s children and I started mowing Associate Dean McLean’s lawn. Both Dean Link and Associate Dean McLean encouraged me to apply to Notre Dame Law in 1983, despite the challenges of my injury, including leg braces, crutches, and using only my left hand. At Notre Dame Law, I met my wife, now Joan Flood Mauel. I am forever grateful for the impact Dean Link, Associate Dean McLean, and the Law School had on my life. - John Mauel ’86 J.D.
My father, the late Honorable Daniel R. Webber ‘61 J.D., was a classmate of Dean Link and Professor Tom Shaffer. Notre Dame meant a great deal to him. In 1990, my father passed away unexpectedly at age 53. A few years later, after completing my first year at Cooley Law School, I decided to apply to transfer to Notre Dame Law. I was accepted and began in 1995. During orientation, I stopped by Dean Link’s office to thank him for any help he may have offered with my transfer. He invited me in, made me feel welcome, and put me at ease in my new surroundings. A few years ago, I drove to Notre Dame for a memorial gathering for Professor Shaffer. While at the Law School, I saw Dean Link and after reintroducing myself, he immediately remembered me and asked about my practice and my family, including my mother Judy, whom he also remembered. I’ll never forget that moment or Dean Link’s kindness. - Daniel P. Webber ’97 J.D.
Becoming an attorney was more than an occupation for me—it was a calling from God, and I believed he intended my learning to begin at Notre Dame. After submitting my application, I met with Dean Link. I shared that I felt the Lord intended for me to become the first African American woman on the Supreme Court, and I knew he would want to be part of that historical moment. He suggested it might be Judge Ann Williams, though he said he could be wrong. Soon after, I received my acceptance! Two years later, I was the MC for the BLSA Banquet and introduced Dean Link. As he took the podium to honor Judge Ann Williams, he shared the story of our first encounter. He said, “But what Dorphine didn’t know was that after leaving my office, God showed up and SHE instructed me to admit Dorphine as soon as possible!” The room erupted in laughter, and Dean Link shrugged and said, “True story.” I loved Dean Link—his wit was only surpassed by his kindness, wise counsel, and dedication to sending us out to become not just any lawyer, but a Notre Dame Lawyer. - E. Dorphine Payne ’98 J.D.
Dean Link’s care and attention positively influenced my life. During my senior year I learned I was waitlisted at nearly every law school, including ND Law, because LSAC had lost my check and missed sending my scores. Despite over-enrollment, Dean Link did everything he could to help, even inviting me to orientation weekend in case a spot opened. When it didn’t, he assured me I was first on the list for next year or could transfer. I returned to ND Law the following year, and the rest is history. I’m grateful for Dean Link being in my corner, opening the door when it seemed shut, and showing me that detours can lead to the best outcomes. - Michael Whitton ’89, ’92 J.D.
His heart was broken open when he lost his wife Barbara. In his grief, he dedicated his life to others through priesthood. That was a “wow.” He was really “all in.” On another note, Dean Link was a great tipper! I waited tables at the Morris Inn to pay for law school, and every waitress wanted to wait on him. We knew the good (and the bad) tippers. - Sheila O’Brien ’77, ’80 J.D.
Dean Fr. Link always sought ways to connect with people and make them feel valued. I experienced this when he interviewed me for my position in 1998, sharing his vision for the Law School and the role technology played in his work and for aspiring lawyers. A story shared by a first-year student illustrates his impact. This student from California, the child of immigrant parents, planned to withdraw, feeling he’d made the wrong decision. On his way to inform the Associate Dean, he ran into Dean Link, who gave him an inspiring pep talk, expressing how glad he was to have him at Notre Dame and how uniquely suited he was to use his ND Law education to make a positive impact. As Dean Link walked away, the student felt energized and recommitted to his goals. He not only stayed for his degree but now dedicates his law practice to protecting the rights of immigrant workers and their communities. - Dan Manier ’87, ’93 M.N.A., Director of Technology, ND Law School
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