I Went To My Law School Reunion, And It Was Awesome!

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When I was 23, I wrote down a list of goals I wanted to accomplish in my life. Unlike the lists of life goals of some people, I wanted to write down somewhat fun, practical, and achievable goals that would shape my life in a more interesting manner. Some of my life goals, like serving in the military, are probably unreachable to me now, and some life goals, like paying off my student loans before I turned 30, I have already accomplished. Other life goals, like visiting all 50 states and major U.S. territories are still in progress.

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For some reason, one of the life goals I wrote down was to attend 10 high school, college, and law school reunions in my lifetime. I am not sure why I listed this goal, perhaps I saw people at a reunion while I was on campus and thought that would be a good accomplishment to achieve to keep me connected with communities of people I knew. A few months ago, I got a notice that my law school was hosting the 10-year reunion for my class. I could not make the five-year reunion because of my brother’s engagement party, and I thought that I would be too busy to attend the 10-year event. Nevertheless, I had only been to one college and high school reunion each, and I figured my life goal of attending 10 was probably the goal I could most easily accomplish. In any event, I booked a hotel, arranged travel, and signed up for my reunion. I am extremely happy that I did.

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The first great thing about a law school reunion is reconnecting with people you may not have seen in many years. I was a transfer student to my alma mater, and I was much closer to people in the class below me since I lived on campus and started on campus with most of those folks. Accordingly, I did not expect to know anyone at the reunion. However, I ended up seeing several people that I knew well at each of the events. It was amazing to see these folks after 10 years and to meet their spouses and children. It was amazing to relax with old friends without the stresses and burdens of law school.

Surprisingly, most of the people I interacted with at the reunion were individuals in various different classes spanning from 50 years in the past to current students. My law school had an amazing five-hour gala at an awesome venue for all of the alumni, and the night was topped off with a nine-piece band and tons of dancing, good food, and good drinks. This was the perfect time to mingle with people from various class years, all of whom shared a connection with me by virtue of the fact that we all went to the same law school.

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I met a bunch of people who were attending their reunion 50 years after graduating, and they had some really interesting stories to tell. The practice of law was extremely different five decades ago, and it was wild to hear about the practices and procedures of 50 years ago. I also met a bunch of current students, and it was awesome that the law school invited tons of current students to the reunion gala. If I was in law school, I probably would have taken up any invitation to score free food and booze, so I get why many might have been interested in attending. And it was awesome to hear that institutions I cared a lot about, like my journal in law school and various campus clubs, were still active with a new generation of law students.

Moreover, if anyone is on the fence on deciding if they have the time to attend their law school reunion, they should think of it as a great business development opportunity. At my reunion, I met judges, senior partners, mediators, professors, government workers, and attorneys of all kinds all in the mood to mingle and meet fellow legal professionals. This included lawyers in pretty much every jurisdiction there is across the country and internationally. Lawyers in different locations can be a great resource since they can refer cases to you that they cannot handle themselves due to location and they can be a good contact to have if you have a matter in their jurisdiction.

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Moreover, law school reunions are important to attend since they are, at bottom, a good time. I can’t remember the last time I smiled so much, danced so much, and just let loose in a professional crowd than I did at my law school reunion. It is important to start seeing people face to face again, and now that the world is emerging from lock-down, law school reunions can be an important component of bringing together communities of lawyers.

Jordan Rothman is a partner of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey law firm. He is also the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a website discussing how he paid off his student loans. You can reach Jordan through email at [email protected].

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Jordan Rothman, Law Schools, reunions, Small Law Firms