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Graduate relates how modest start
“I didn’t know the difference in courts or anything,” she told a crowd of more than 100 students during a fall lecture. “No one in my family was a lawyer. We weren’t even close friends with any lawyers.” For someone who began with a relatively empty goblet of legal knowledge, Longwitz has achieved success she “never dreamed of” as counsel to the assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Longwitz was the seventh speaker in the law school’s Lawyer in the Library series and the first series speaker for the fall semester. Matthew Hall, UM assistant professor of law, introduced her as “the iron fist in the velvet glove” in reference to her Washington, D.C., work. As a young lawyer, Longwitz already has participated in an international forum on Hurricane Katrina relief efforts; traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, for a media conference on U.S. torture practices; supported desegregation in education across the southern United States; and met President George W. Bush at a Voting Rights Act ceremony while sitting between boxing promoter Don King and former Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry. During her lecture, Longwitz encouraged first-year law students to consider the different opportunities having a law degree provides. “Use your summers to try different things,” she said. “Try things you might have ruled out when you first came here.” As a member of the group that selects law graduates for an honors program with the U.S. Department of Justice, Longwitz told students that just being smart will not guarantee getting a position. “I look for someone [who] didn’t just show up to class but did something else,” she said. She added that a few traits distinguish good lawyers: double-checking ethical issues, organizing time well, prioritizing caseloads, keeping client confidences and putting together the best case possible regardless of personal conviction. First-year law student Courtney Cockrell said she considered the lecture series to be very beneficial to students. “I got more insight [into] jobs that are out there that you may not consider out of the legal-degree box,” she said. “[Longwitz] showed that her experience here had prepared her.” Macey Edmondson, public services law librarian, said the speakers for the series emphasize the importance of legal writing and research skills. “Ms. Longwitz is an excellent role model for new students,” she said. Longwitz praised her experience at the law school. She told students to enjoy the experience and get to know each other and their professors. “Not all law schools have as accessible a faculty as ours,” she said. “According to people I’ve talked to, Ole Miss has better camaraderie than most schools.” —Jeannie Waller is a writer in UM’s Department of Media and Public Relations. |
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