ONU law students learn from national experts

When you think "law school," do you think "cutthroat?" Charles H. Rose III, dean and professor of law, said he's found a different culture at Ohio Northern University's Claude W. Pettit College of Law. He shared an example from early in the pandemic: After attending virtual classes, one student encouraged faculty to check on another, after realizing she was doing distance learning on her phone as she didn't have money to replace her broken laptop. Rose said at other schools, fellow students might have seized an opportunity to "beat" the struggling student. "At this school, it was 'Hey, she needs help.' … They are fiercely competitive and remarkably compassionate," he said. The law school's commencement ceremony is today, to be followed Sunday by commencement for ONU undergraduates and graduates of the Raabe College of Pharmacy. Big names, small place Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith, JD '10, will speak at the law school ceremony. And Charles DeMonaco, JD '74, one of the nation's preeminent environmental and trial attorneys, will receive an honorary doctor of law degree. DeMonaco served in the government sector for several years, including as assistant chief of the environmental crimes section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., where he served as lead counsel for the United States in the case against Exxon for its 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. The criminal and civil settlements obtained by the government at that time represented the largest comprehensive settlement in the history of law enforcement. Rose called Smith a "delight" and said he's eager to hear her speak, while DeMonaco's presence may inspire students to "see the possibilities" in their own careers, he said. But he noted that many other alumni have also gone on to serve their communities, in ways big and small. Some are prosecutors, defense attorneys or judges. Some serve at some of the nation's most prestigious law firms, and nonprofit work is also common. And many alumni have gone on to serve as elected officials, including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, JD '72. ONU President Dan DiBiasio noted that 1893 graduate Frank B. Willis served — like DeWine — in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in addition to serving as governor of Ohio. A classroom is named after Anthony Celebrezze, who graduated in 1936 and went on to serve as mayor of Cleveland, then U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. ONU has a collection of pens given to Celebrezze, which the two presidents had used to sign some of the 20th century's most important legislation, Rose said. "So we punch above our weight," DiBiasio said, noting that ONU alums have a reputation for giving back. Rose said that, as a faith-based school, ONU may attract people who "believe that service to the community matters." If you walk into any courthouse in northwest Ohio — or most other parts of the state — you'll encounter an ONU alum, Rose said. "Wherever they land, they serve," he said. Getting the degree Law school is a three-year process. Students have already earned their bachelor's degrees before enrolling, often in political science or criminology. Rose said that, when aspiring law students ask him what to study as an undergraduate, he tells them "anything that's going to make you write, and write critically. ... Lawyers write a lot more than they do anything else." Among the courses covered in the first three semesters are criminal law, civil procedure, property law, tort law, constitutional law, legal professions (ethics) and evidentiary law. Rose said evidentiary and property law are among the hardest. He said a lawyer can't introduce evidence without understanding evidentiary law — so even advising a client before getting to the courtroom is impossible, since it's hard to predict what will happen. Later, a student might take more specialized courses such as corporate tax law, environmental law, family law, or trusts and estates. Rose said it's around the fourth semester that students in essence start the process of defining who they are going to be as a lawyer. Teaching, he said, he sees the magic moment "when someone is in the act of becoming something new. ... That transformational moment is incredibly exciting, it's incredibly rewarding, and it's also humbling." He said after helping young people "become," faculty then sometimes are privileged to officiate at their weddings. "It's a life that's just magnificent," he said. A retired U.S. Army officer, Rose was previously a trial lawyer at the Army's law school, the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School. He "loved being in the courtroom," but found when given the opportunity to teach that he loved it even more. Rose said ONU has some legacy law students, but many are the first in their family to pursue a graduate degree. Their parents may have, say, driven a bus, and the students have a "desire to have more," to "write their own destiny." He said some alumni have set up endowments to provide scholarship funds to students from poorer backgrounds. A 'familial' feel Rose said students may be drawn to ONU, as it feels "familial." Tikehe Peoples, who is finishing his first year of law school, also described the program as "family-oriented," with professors knowing students well. Peoples is a ONU Law Student Ambassador and president of both the Black Law Student Association and the Civil Rights Law Journal. Prior to law school, Peoples earned a bachelor's and masters degree in criminal justice, and was a police officer in Tennessee. In that position he was able to enforce laws, but he wanted to go to law school to be able to better advocate on behalf of the community. After obtaining his masters degree at the University of Cincinnati, Peoples was working in Tennessee, but was drawn back to Ohio after being encouraged to apply to ONU. He visited the campus and thought, "This would really be a good fit." Peoples is contemplating going into JAG or a private law firm back in Tennessee. Rose said students are taught to think deeply about both the theory and the practice of law. And, while the faculty include nationally renowned experts in several legal fields, students are also exposed to other national experts. "We just do it in the middle of a cornfield," Rose said. The school received a specialty ranking in trial advocacy from U.S. News and World Report. Trial advocacy is what happens in the courtroom — that is, the ability to talk to a jury and convince or persuade them. Rose said that in addition to this, ONU is known for its tax program, as well as for human rights law, having trained lawyers in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina.