March 15, 2007
On the evening of March 7, 2007, St. John’s University School of
Law’s Office of Career
Services hosted its Second Annual Recruitment Dinner aboard the
Spirit of the Hudson dining vessel. Representatives from
numerous law firms attended the Manhattan harbor cruise to hear
Dean Mary
C. Daly and members of the faculty and senior administration
speak about the Law School’s recent achievements, admissions
standards, curriculum, and faculty scholarship. The Honored
guest speaker for the evening was Governor Mario M.
Cuomo.
A St. John’s University School of Law alumnus, Mario Cuomo was
elected New York State’s 52nd Governor in 1982, and was re-elected
in both 1986 and 1990. He is currently of counsel to the law
firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in New York, and
specializes in litigation, corporate transactions and special
corporate investigations.
Governor Cuomo spoke to attendees about why he believes St.
John’s University School of Law graduates are successful in the
legal community. He discussed his positive experiences with
St. John’s alumni throughout his legal career, and most recently
with the alumni he works with at Willkie Farr. He attributed
“hard work” as the “essence of a St. John’s student,” and noted
that St. John’s character comes from its history of dedicating
itself to providing opportunities to the children of
immigrants. Governor Cuomo opined that the law school
“remains practical about education” and “creates someone who is
good at the practice of law” and “knows how to work hard.” He
noted that during his tenure as Governor, he appointed two St.
John’s alumni to the New York Court of Appeals, and that being a
St. John’s alumnus is like being a “part of very large family.”
The goal of the event was to provide law firm representatives
with valuable information to encourage them to recruit a broad
range of St. John’s students and alumni to their firms. In
addition to hearing Governor’s Cuomo’s comments about the value of
a St. John’s education, attendees were updated on the developments
of the Law School over the past year, including the increased bar
passage rate, the new Jurist-in-Residence program and the new
study-abroad program in Rome.
The great success of last year’s recruitment event prompted a
surge in employer participation in various events and programs
sponsored by the Office of Career Services, including an increase
in the number of firms participating in St. John’s Fall Recruitment
Program. The hope and anticipation are that this year’s event
produces similar results.
If you are interested in learning more about St. John’s
University School of Law’s upcoming Fall Recruitment Program,
including information about the Annual Employer Showcase to be held
on June 27, please contact the Office of Career Services at (718)
990-6614.