JD #Changemaker Stories

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  • Amanda Argentieri

    Shanghai Sojourn

    Amanda J. Argentieri, RWU Law Class of 2009

    Juris Doctor

    Amanda J. Argentieri '09 arrived in Singapore by chance five years ago – but has since made a home in the sprawling, exotic city. Managing business policies, training and communications in Asia for a Boston-based tech company, Argentieri is also president of the International Professional Women’s Society.

  • Melinda Thies '18.

    Time for a Change

    Melinda Thies, RWU Law Class of 2018

    Juris Doctor

    After retiring at Superintendent of the Bristol Warren Regional School District, Melinda Thies went back to school -- this time as a law student at RWU Law. Having just graduated with the Class of 2018, she reflects on her life and challenges.

  • Molly R. Hamlin

    'It Felt Like a Community'

    Molly R. Hamlin, RWU Law Class of 2018

    Juris Doctor

    Molly Hamlin was born and raised in Oregon, and that’s where she’ll be putting her law degree to work – starting as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Debra K. Vogt, Presiding Judge of the...

  • John W. Caruolo

    On the Transactional Path

    John W. Caruolo, RWU Law Class of 2018

    Juris Doctor

    A dyed-in-the-wool Rhode Islander, John W. Caruolo earned his undergraduate degree at Brown University, and then decided to take advantage of RWU Law’s status as Rhode Island’s only law school to get the academic and experiential chops he needed to succeed in the legal profession.

  • Headshot of Kirby Gordon

    A Passion for Good

    Kirby Gordon, RWU Law Class of 2018

    Juris Doctor

    For Kirby Gordon, the broad spectrum of RWU Law’s curriculum, experiential opportunities and alumni placements offer exactly the flexibility she sought. But it was the school’s 50-hour public service requirement – and its unique experiential guarantee that helps fulfill it – that turned her definitively toward public interest.

  • Headshot of Noah Kilroy

    Transcending Through Education

    Noah Kilroy, RWU Law Class of 2013

    Juris Doctor

    Noah Kilroy ’13 maintains a solo practice and is co-founder of Transcending Through Education Foundation (TTEF), which helps former convicts obtain higher education.

  • Headshot of Peter Kilmartin

    Rhode Island’s Top Lawyer

    Peter Kilmartin, RWU Law Class of 1998

    Juris Doctor

    As he enters his eighth and final year as Rhode Island’s attorney general, Peter F. Kilmartin ’98, B.A. ’88, can claim by several measures to be the school’s most prominent alumnus. But he claims there was never any master plan.

  • Headshot of Maria Viveiros

    A Rising Star

    Maria Viveiros, RWU Law Class of 2017

    Juris Doctor

    Maria became the Associate Director of Compliance at UnitedHealthcare just over a year after she matriculated as a part-time student here in fall of 2013. Maria told me that RWU Law was the only place where she could pursue her career and educational goals at the same time.

  • Headshot of Monique DiTullio

    Battling ‘Environmental Racism’

    Monique DiTullio, RWU Law Class of 2017

    Juris Doctor

    Whether in Flint or New Orleans, “environmental racism” refers to the placement of low-income or minority communities in proximity to environmentally hazardous or degraded environments, such as toxic waste, pollution and urban decay.

  • Headshot of Marek Bute

    From Marriage Equality to Amazon

    Marek Bute, RWU Law Class of 2005

    Juris Doctor

    Marek P. Bute ’05 has a business law dream job as corporate counsel with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (“Yes, it’s as cool as it sounds,” he allows.) But his most stunning achievement to date may be his work representing a same-sex couple in the case of Sevcik v. Sandoval, which successfully overturned Nevada’s law against gay marriage – helping set the stage for Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned such bans nationally less than a year later.

Close Course Type Descriptions

Course Types

We have classified RWU Law classes under the following headers. One of the following course types will be attached to each course which will allow students to narrow down their search while looking for classes.

Core Course

Students in the first and second year are required to take classes covering the following aspects of the law—contracts, torts, property, criminal law, civil procedure, and constitutional law, evidence, and professional responsibility.  Along with these aspects, the core curriculum will develop legal reasoning skills.

Elective

After finishing the core curriculum the remaining coursework toward the degree is completed through upper level elective courses.  Students can choose courses that peak their interests or courses that go along with the track they are following.

Seminar

Seminars are classes where teachers and small groups of students focus on a specific topic and the students complete a substantial research paper.

Clinics/Externships

Inhouse Clinics and Clinical Externships legal education is law school training in which students participate in client representation under the supervision of a practicing attorney or law professor.  RWU Law's Clinical Programs offer unique and effective learning opportunities and the opportunity for practical experience while still in law school.