Law and Leadership

Leaders create change; and leaders with a grounding in the law have unlimited opportunity to transform their lives, their communities, and the world. To influence the next generation of legal leadership, Hamline University School of Law annually celebrates these leaders who influence the world. Through these presentations, Hamline students, the legal community, and the general public learn from influential decision makers who exemplify such leadership. Law students are encouraged to embrace opportunities where they, too, will have the ability to make positive change in the world.

Pamela Thomas-Graham Law and Leadership

On March 17, 2005 the Law and Leadership Series at Hamline University featured Pamela Thomas-Graham, President and CEO of CNBC. Thomas-Graham, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard-Radcliffe College, exemplifies the leadership and vision that lawyers can provide, serving as trailblazers in many industries.

After earning a degree in Economics magna cum laude at Harvard-Radcliffe, Thomas-Graham went on to obtain an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. At the age of thirty-two, she became the first African-American woman partner at McKinsey & Company, the world’s largest management consulting firm.

In 1999 Thomas-Graham joined CNBC.com, and rose to become the network’s president in 2001, where she continues to serve. In her current role, Thomas-Graham manages the ascendance of cable news over that of the traditional television networks.

In addition to her role at CNBC, Thomas-Graham has also become a successfully published novelist, with three mystery novels set on Ivy League campuses. Her experience and career provide the same model of innovation and action that Hamline uses in its approach to legal education.
Listen to Thomas-Graham’s recorded March 17 presentation (52 minutes 12.2 mb mp3) .

The Mastery of Mediation: Waging Peace in the Middle East

In September 2004, Michael Tsur, director of the Conflict Resolution and Mediation Institute in Jerusalem, and Hamline University School of Law adjunct faculty member, mesmerized students and faculty with his presentation “Mediating the Church of the Nativity Standoff.” Tsur spoke on the successful negotiations he led during the Israeli Army siege at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the spring of 2002. As a result of his negotiations, thirteen Palestinian terrorists on Israel’s most wanted list, and over a hundred monks and civilians who had been held for over a month, left the church without a shot being fired. In his presentation, Tsur shared images of the scene and described the circumstances that led to the standoff. He then trained the students on techniques of mediation and illustrated how one person can effect change.

Leading Expert Presents Unique Insights on Role of Lawyers in Financial Transactions

On April 12, 2005 Hamline University School of Law students had an opportunity to view leadership through the experience of Dina Moskowitz, assistant general counsel of Standard & Poor’s. She exposed students to complex financial transactions, giving them insight into how Wall Street works, and encouraged them to think about the role of lawyers in these types of transactions.

Moskowitz discussed structured finance and its importance to the financial markets. She also highlighted the rating system for structured finance transitions, and the expectations of the rating agency for lawyers involved in those transactions while offering the unique perspective of an industry insider.

Moskowitz works primarily with the analysts in the Structured Finance group of Standard & Poor’s. She has published several pieces on Standard & Poor’s legal criteria, including Revised Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code: New Standard & Poor’s Criteria (2001) and Multiple-Use SPE Criteria for U.S. Transactions (1999). Moskowitz co-authored Legal Criteria for LLCs (1999) and contributed substantially to Standard & Poor’s Structured Finance Legal Criteria (2002).

 

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