Written by: EMILY HOROWITZ AND LAUREN BEILEY
Phi Alpha Delta’s (PAD) President and rising 3L, Jaclyn Blumenfeld spends most Friday afternoons wrapping up work from the week and planning her Friday evening social events. Unlike most Fridays, however, Justice Blumenfeld (“Justice” is the term for President of PAD), spent a recent Friday afternoon running back and forth between the Student Activities Center and the law school quadrant making sure that everything was set for PAD’s annual Wine & Cheese Social – one of the many events it hosts yearly.
As a legal professional fraternity composed of students, attorneys, judges and educators worldwide, Phi Alpha Delta is dedicated to promoting professional competency, service and achievement within the legal profession, and bridges the gap between law school and the practice of law through professional, social, academic and community service programs.
During its annual Wine & Cheese reception, PAD honors an outstanding PAD alumni or an honorary PAD member. This year, PAD honored alumna Allison Janowitz, JD ’10 and Associate at Wolpe & Leibowitz, who served as the Justice of Phi Alpha Delta for two terms and is the 2009-2010 Alex Hotchkiss Outstanding Law School Chapter Justice for PAD for the 2009-2010.
“I was shocked when I was told I was receiving an award for my work with PAD. I didn't realize I was doing anything out of the ordinary—I just wanted to help the students network with alums. PAD gives students a unique opportunity to work with people who practice all different types of law,” said Janowitz.
Former Director of Miami’s STREET Law Program, Karen Throckmorton, and Assistant Dean for Professional Development, William Vanderwyden are past recipients of the PAD award.
Arguably its most well-known and most highly attended event, PAD hosted its annual Fall Outlining Panel. Sponsored by Themis, students had the opportunity to hear about techniques and approaches to outlining from a panel of three upper-level students. Towards the end of the panel, the panel’s moderator Nicholas Esser, former PAD Vice Justice, opened the floor to questions.
“Participating in the outlining panel was a very rewarding experience. I still remember how important it was for me to attend the outlining panel as a 1L. There are a lot of different methods that lead to success when studying for a law school exam. Therefore, we sought to compile a group of upper level students who would bring different preparation methods to light,” Esser said.
Under Blumenfeld’s direction, PAD’s student membership more than tripled during the 2013-2014 school year.
Blumenfeld has been involved in PAD since 2008 when she was an undergrad studying Law and Society at American University. She joined the UM law chapter during her 1L year and served as Justice during her 2L year, a role she will resume as a 3L.
“Phi Alpha Delta is an organization that is close to my heart. I met my best friends in college through PAD and have made many friends in law school through PAD. My involvement with PAD has opened to the door to incredible opportunities for me. I cannot wait to continue my leadership with PAD in the years to come,” said Blumenfeld.
This summer, Blumenfeld and Natasha Khoyi, PAD’s Vice Justice, will attend PAD’s 60th Biennial Convention and National Leadership Conference in Arizona. The students will network with PAD members from throughout the country and learn effective strategies for expanding and improving Miami Law’s chapter of PAD.
