Winter 2017

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  Transitions

  As the law school observes its 10-year anniversary, change is afoot. The appointment of a new dean, renovations to a historic Center City building that will house the Thomas R. Kline Institute for Trial Advocacy, the addition of Master of Laws concentrations in cybersecurity and financial regulation and the rising presence of international students signal an exciting moment in the law school’s evolution. Likewise, many alumni are making career moves.

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  Long Distance Traveler

  Six years out of law school, Daniela Ivancikova, ’10, has already logged an ambitious professional journey, practicing at law at a firm, at a state agency and as in-house counsel. 

  Ivancikova is currently assistant general counsel for AAA Club Alliance, Inc, the parent organization of  AAA chapters that aid travelers with everything from trip planning to road-side assistance, insurance and more.  There, she supervises two attorneys, manages outside counsel and provides advice on policies, processes and programs from procurement methods to a cybersecurity incident response plan.

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  Going Solo

  If a lucky Powerball or Mega Millions ticket had landed in Mike Benz’s lap, he’d still be representing criminal defendants for the Defender Association of Philadelphia, where he worked from 2012 until early 2016.

  “I always said that if I won the lottery, I would never leave the Defender’s Association,” Benz, ’12, said.

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  The Networker

  Katelyn Hufe, ’11, is living proof that the shortest distance between two professional points just might be a diverse and robust network.  

  Hufe began navigating the field of immigration law through law school courses, an internship at the Executive Office for Immigration Review in the Philadelphia Immigration Court and collaborations with Professor Anil Kalhan, who at the time served on the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Immigration and Nationality Law.

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  Taking Every Fork (in the Road)

  Upon graduating from law school at NYU, newly appointed Dean Dan Filler confronted the fork in the road familiar to all new JDs.

  He chose the careful, eat-your-vegetables path designed to open a career’s worth of doors while retiring his student debt.  He clerked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and then joined the white-shoe firm, Debevoise & Plimpton in New York City, initially working on private financing of real estate transactions and structuring major deals, and later litigating on behalf of banks and other big clients that had lost a lot of money.  

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  From (Stormy) Sea to Shining Sea

  Tiffany Alford’s career path is a study in contrasts.  It began when Alford, ’09, clerked for Judge Nan Famular in the Superior Court of New Jersey’s Family Court in Camden, immersed in the roiling emotions that accompany divorce, custody battles and domestic violence.

  “You’re seeing really good people in their worst moments,” Alford recalled.  “It could be really challenging some days. You really are dealing with people’s emotions, with love taking a back seat to fights and legal issues.”

  From there, Alford moved to the Veteran’s Administration in Eatontown, NJ, where she worked as a staff attorney within the administration’s Office of General Counsel.  

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  Full Circle

  Matt Genkin, ’09, has a knack for disproving certain rules and affirming others.  The pattern began when he was in law school, where he concentrated in intellectual property law despite a lack of technical training. A brief stint working for a software company piqued the one-time business student’s interest in intellectual property law before he arrived at law school.

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  Agile Strategy

  In many ways, Lauren Fuiman Cell’s story proves the value of the Kline School of Law for any bright student who comes to law school without a specific game plan but who is motivated, strategic and able to adjust to changing circumstances. 

  Like many law students Cell, ’09, arrived at law school without a fixed career goal, undecided about the area of law or type of practice she would pursue. 

  As a 2L, Cell was still torn about pursuing a career in the courtroom versus the negotiating table. Taking full advantage of experiences like her co-op placement at the Wilmington-based Young Conaway and guidance from faculty like Karl Okamoto and Natalie Pedersen, Cell began moving toward a career in litigation and employment law.

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  Class Notes Winter 2017

  Find out what your classmates are up to.

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