Clinic Alum Spotlight

Aaron Jordan L’16

Aaron Jordan L’16 took his passion for legislation to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he first served as the Legislative Director for Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and is now Senior Counsel for the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Jordan got his start in Washington, D.C., when he enrolled in the Law School’s Legislative Clinic, taught by Practice Professor of Law Louis Rulli. His placement – an internship with Congressman Meeks – turned into a full-time job a few years after Jordan graduated.

“I wouldn’t have gotten that internship without the clinic, without Professor Rulli,” said Jordan. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without Penn Law.”

On the Foreign Affairs Committee, Jordan said that “after four years of the Trump presidency, there is a lot of rebuilding, reassuring, and reengagement that needs to be done in the wake of some of the failed policies from the past, not just from the Trump Administration, but going back to the Iraq War.”

Jordan is turning his view to the future.

“We are trying to envision a better, more thoughtful foreign policy for the twenty-first century,” he said.

Jordan urged law students to remember that “you don’t need to take the prescribed course regimen that people sometimes push on you. Probably the best thing for you to do is to pursue your own interests — that will lead to a more fruitful, happy, and positive career.”