Winter session class examines legal issues

For the 11th year in a row, Harpur College hosted 25 students for its annual winter session course coordinated by the dean and titled “Current Issues in Legal Practice.”

For three evenings in January, students attended lectures hosted at IBM in midtown Manhattan by Harpur alumnus Scott Ferrauiola ’87, associate general counsel at IBM. On a fourth night, students attended Networking Night at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. Here, students were able to network with additional attorneys, as well as other Binghamton alumni from various professional backgrounds.

Samuel Backner, a junior double-majoring in sociology and philosophy, politics and law, said he took the course to learn more about future career options within the field of law.

“The course was illuminating,” Backner said. “It solidified what I want to do in terms of a legal career I may wish to pursue in the near future. It gave me a chance to ask the questions I wanted to ask to people who had the answers I desired.”

The first course speaker to answer such questions was Shareema Abel ’96, who is now special counsel to the MTA inspector general. During her lecture, Abel discussed cross-examination and her past experience as a prosecutor.

Abel, who is a member of the Harpur Law Council, has participated in the course since it began and hopes she has provided career guidance for students.

“I find it invigorating to impart a portion of my experience to Binghamton students,” Abel said. “I want students to experience a portion of law school, from the readings I assign, to the fact patterns analyzed and the presentations.”

During her time at Binghamton University, Abel was a political science major. She said Harpur College prepared her for the future while connecting her to other Harpur alumni she described as “fun-loving, power-to-the-people hippies.”

“We were always taught and encouraged to stand up for our rights as students and global citizens,” Abel said. “The skills I gained and the mindset that was fostered assisted me in law school and throughout my career.”

Another Harpur College alumna speaker was Heidi Goldstein ’81, the general counsel and corporate secretary for the nonprofit organization Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, who discussed her role as general counsel for a nonprofit. During her lecture, Goldstein encouraged students to participate in various scenarios and discuss what they would do in a given legal situation.

Goldstein credits Harpur College for providing her with an extensive liberal arts education that she continues to draw on today.

“I learned how to think about thorny issues in areas such as philosophy, economics, English literature and in my major area of political science,” Goldstein said. “Learning how to analyze challenging questions and write down my thoughts in a cohesive manner helped me tremendously in law school and in my career as a lawyer. It was surely the foundation for my success.”

Currently a member of the Harpur Law Council and former president of the Binghamton University Alumni Association Board of Directors, Goldstein has remained heavily involved with the University’s alumni network. She said she hopes that by participating in the course she has provided students with information they may not have access to otherwise.

“I am passionate about paying it forward and helping Binghamton students any way I can, as well as helping the University and its alumni stay connected,” Goldstein said. “The Binghamton alumni network is a proud and powerful force, and I am so glad to be an active participant.”

Sheila Krische, a senior majoring in political science, took the course. She said she found it to be insightful and is grateful for the opportunity to network with Binghamton alumni.

“With alumni from various legal backgrounds, we were exposed to numerous career paths through both the seminars and the networking night,” Krische said. “These alumni have made outstanding careers for themselves, and I’m extremely grateful for them sharing how they developed their law careers.”