STUDENT AND ALUMNI PROFILES

Justin Rodriguez

Hometown:

Hoboken, NJ

Class Year:

2010

Prior Education:

Harvard University, A.B., History, 2007

What I Am Hoping to Do with My Law Degree:

Right now, I am hoping to gain experience at a large law firm after graduation before exploring the legal end of the entertainment industry.

My Best Experience at Penn Law:

I love having lunch with my professors.

Professor Who Influenced Me Most:

Professor Tobias Wolff (Civil Procedure). He has very high expectations for his students, in terms of both preparation and legal analysis, but those expectations constantly inspire me to be a better law student. Not only is Professor Wolff a fantastic teacher who offers brilliant legal insight, but he has the uncanny ability to remember everything his students say throughout the semester. He doesn't just go through the motions of the Socratic Method, but rather he makes us feel like we are all figuring this out together.

My Favorite Course:

Torts with Professor Eric Feldman. He proposes very thought-provoking hypotheticals with a refreshing sense of humor.

Penn Law is known for its collegial environment. Why is collegiality important to a legal education? How has it affected your legal education?

The collegiality of Penn Law is real. It is not just an admissions catchphrase. The sentiment among students is that we are in the trenches together. We really do our best to help each other out however we can. Penn Law is a very happy place because of that attitude.

My Favorite Philadelphia Moment:

The first time I ran up the steps of the Art Museum with the Rocky theme song blasting on my iPod.

What I'm Most Proud Of:

I was cold-called by Professor Wolff on Parents' Day. I was pretty much on call for half the class. Before class, everyone was dreading the prospect of being called on while their parents were there. I felt that I articulated the principles of the case well and responded to Professor Wolff's questions with some good insight. My mom was proud.

My Extracurricular Activities at Penn Law:

I'm the 1L Representative on The Committee on Student Conduct and Responsibility and a member of LALSA (Latin American Law Students Association). I'm also helping to resurrect the Penn Law Revue, the Law School's parody sketch comedy show. Two other 1Ls and I were talking during orientation about our backgrounds in entertainment and how we wanted to put a comedy show together. When we approached Dean of Students Gary Clinton, he immediately gave us an enthusiastic green light.