Meet the Class of 2010

On May 15, 172 J.D. students became Notre Dame Law School alumni. As a group, they are employed in 24 states and the District of Columbia. They’ve chosen to work in private practice, government, judicial clerkships, the military JAG Corps, and corporations. Get to know some of them here.

Deepali Doddi, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Chicago
“I felt a real connection to the work I did on a disability discrimination case in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights the summer after my 2L year, and that helped cement my decision to work in the public interest sector. I pursued the position through the NDLS Summer Stipend Program, which provides students with financial support to take otherwise unfunded public interest law positions during the summer months. The summer stipend gave me the opportunity to more fully explore this area of the law—at a place that has offered me permanent employment."

Aidan Leonard, White & Case, New York City
“I came to NDLS after five years’ experience in both journalism and education. I knew I wanted to transition to work in international law, but I wasn’t sure how. I could never have predicted the doors Notre Dame would open.
“With help from NDLS’ Center for Civil and Human Rights, I spent my 1L summer at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. As an intern in the Office of the Prosecutor in Arusha, Tanzania, I worked with a team of lawyers from three continents in the final stages of a case involving three defendants charged with genocide, rape and crimes against humanity.
“I spent my 2L year in the London Program, and secured an internship in London with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Foreign Litigation at the U.S. Embassy. There I assisted lawyers who oversee all the civil litigation in Europe, the Caucuses and Central Asia to which the United States is a party.
“I now have the chance to experience the private side of international law at White & Case, a multinational firm in New York.”

John Schoenig, Director of the new Center for K-12 Educational Access at Notre Dame
“After my undergraduate education at Notre Dame, I entered Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Program, an innovative two-year service fellowship that offers college graduates the opportunity to serve as full-time teachers in under-resourced Catholic schools across the country. Immediately following my time in ACE, I worked on Notre Dame’s faculty – where I helped replicate the ACE model at other national universities – and then at a national educational policy institute – where I helped design reform measures to benefit low-income schoolchildren.

“My ACE experience convinced me of the overwhelming need for thoughtful and passionate legal advocates for the rights of schoolchildren. Once I determined that a strong legal education would be the most prudent next step, I carefully considered which law school would best serve my interests. It became clear that NDLS was unmatched in this regard. The Law School provides a world-class education grounded in the formation of lawyers who are eager and able to pursue justice. My experience as an NDLS student has given me extraordinary access to some of the most talented people I have yet encountered, both professors and classmates alike. It has been a tremendous asset to my formation.”

Erin O’Neill, Girardi Keese, Los Angeles
I came to Notre Dame Law School because I wanted a legal education that would not only make me a lawyer of success, but also a lawyer with value. NDLS professors, staff, and students have taught me that unrecognized good deeds are often the most rewarding, that achievements are never the product of just one person, and that a victory without honor is a devastating failure. I spent my 2L year summer at a Los Angeles plaintiffs firm whose success is intimately related to its values. The lawyers have a passion for righting the wrongs their clients have endured and for serving the local community with their time, compassion, and legal expertise. I feel fortunate and humbled to have found a seamless transition from a school with value to a firm with value. I leave Notre Dame Law School in just a few short days, but I will never forget why I came.

Will Burroughs, Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps
“While a student at NDLS, I participated in everything from Notre Dame’s Rugby Club and the famous Bengal Bouts to intramural sports including flag football, basketball, softball, and broomball. My involvement in so many things outside the classroom has taught me greater discipline and balance. My first summer internship was with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, and last summer I interned with Judge P. Kevin Castel in the Southern District of New York. I look forward to joining the Navy JAG Corps after graduation.”

Kyle Chamberlin, Elkhart County (Indiana) Prosecutor’s Office
“After both my first and second years at NDLS, I worked as a summer associate at the South Bend office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP. Two of the most exciting courses I have taken at Notre Dame, Intensive Trial Advocacy and the Public Defender Externship, sparked an interest in criminal litigation.

“Perhaps just as important, the balanced atmosphere at Notre Dame Law School has allowed me to continue integrating myself into the South Bend community even while enrolled as a full-time student. I threw my hat into the public service ring and ran for a seat on the South Bend Community School Corporation Board of Trustees during my 2L year. Though I was a long shot candidate in a field of 15 , the experience was invaluable.

“Pursuing my professional degree at Notre Dame has afforded me the highest level of legal education without forcing me to sacrifice the multitude of other activities important to me. This wide range of life experience will no doubt make me a more effective attorney and, it is my hope, a valuable contributor to my community.”

Stacey Forbes, Reed Smith, Falls Church, Virginia
NDLS prepared me with both the necessary theoretical education and practical experience for life after law school. Taking foundational courses coupled with opportunities like an externship with the public defender taught me what to expect from a potential career in litigation. Learning the formalities of a courtroom and speaking to the judge on my client’s behalf taught me invaluable lessons as I start out as an attorney.

Both the on-campus interview process and the Notre Dame alumni network were vital to my job search 2L year. My summer experience at the firm was a perfect fit and I am excited to return after graduation. I know none of this would have been possible without the Notre Dame education and network. While I will miss NDLS, I look forward to applying all that I have learned to the challenging and exciting work ahead.