Guest Post: An F&M alumnus' reflection

By Sean Quinn ’97, Trial Lawyer at Sheridan & Murray, LLC (Philadelphia)

Fifteen years ago this coming May, I graduated from Franklin & Marshall. I was 22 years old and I thought that I had it all figured out. My plan: go to law school, make law review, land a high-paying corporate law position at a big firm, play lots of golf, and make tons of money. Easier said than done, but what did I know….that was my plan.

I started law school that fall. I was a proud member of Penn State Law’s first class of students. I was prepared and ready to work hard to achieve the goals that I had set for myself. Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Property, Contracts, Torts, Research & Writing didn’t stand a chance. I was going to excel no matter what class they threw at me. I saw those classes as hurdles that I needed to clear before I could get to the corporate and business law classes that would spur my career as a big-time corporate lawyer.

Then a funny thing happened though, I found myself drawn to the litigation classes like Torts and Civil Procedure, and hating transactional law classes like Contracts and Property. I blamed it on my professors and was confident that my zeal for corporate and business law would return during the second semester. Well, that didn’t happen and it caused me to reflect on my plan and my future.

I realized, for the first time, that my plan was doomed. It became apparent to me that my plan was predicated solely upon potential earnings, and not my interests and talents. Litigation was where I was meant to be. I thought to myself: how did I not know this sooner?

My plan had changed, and I quickly refocused the direction of my education. I took every litigation and advocacy course available. I competed for moot court and was named captain of our national trial team. I worked tirelessly outside of the classroom as well clerking for a local law firm, interning for a civil trial judge, and externing for the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office.

I found my passion and calling in litigation. Over a decade later, I remain proud to be a trial lawyer.

If I could give you only one piece of advice as you move on to law school, it would be to do something that you are passionate about. It is the key to a successful career.

-Sean Quinn ‘97

Sean E. Quinn, Esquire
SHERIDAN & MURRAY, LLC
1600 Market Street, Suite 2500
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-977-9500
squinn@sheridanandmurray.com
LinkedIn: http://tinyurl.com/7tyo4lc
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/squinn71

Trip to Temple Law hopefully the first of many

A group of F&M students traveled to Temple University's Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia on Tuesday to expose undergraduates and potential applicants to the inner-workings of one of Pennsylvania's premier legal education programs. Attendees took a tour of the law school, met with the Assistant Dean of Admissions and F&M alumni currently at Temple Law for an information session and Q&A, and sat in on two classes: Constitutional Law and Property Law.

The trip was designed to give underclassmen the opportunity to see what law school is like and to make a more educated evaluation of whether applying and, subsequently, attending law school is right for them. Upperclassmen had the chance to look at a regional institution that might be of particular interest to them as they are currently in the midst of the application process.

Beth Throne, F&M's Associate Vice President for Student and Post-Graduate Development (and an alum of both F&M and Temple Law) organized the trip and sees it as being the first of many such excursions to law schools throughout Pennsylvania and even New York and Washington, DC. There is no better way to learn about law school and to see if it's right for you than to visit the institution and experience its academic and social culture by interacting with students and sitting in on classes. Stay tuned for more opportunities for trips like this in the future which will only serve to benefit F&M's pre-law community.

Legal Film Series continues TONIGHT (2/17) with "Philadelphia"

The Legal Film Series at F&M (sponsored by the Center for Liberal Arts & Societyand the John Marshall Pre-Law Honor Society) continues TONIGHT, February 17, with "Philadelphia." The film will start at 7:30pm and will be showing in the Brooks College House Great Room. Click here for more information.

This screening is also part of the Multi-Faith Week of Meaning and Culture sponsored by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life at F&M. Food will be provided and a discussion of the film will follow. All are welcome to attend.