Meet the Board: Jessica Mulder, Paralegal Liaison

For the next several weeks on the OBCLAA Blog, we will be introducing OBCLAA's 2013-2014 Board. As we introduce the leadership of the Alumni Association, you will catch a glimpse of the goals we hope to see accomplished this year. It is our hope that something you will read here will give you an idea for how YOU can get involved. Please feel free to post a reply or contact individual Board members.

Jessica first heard about OBCL in junior high and has had a life-long fascination with law and justice.  Prior to enrolling in OBCL, she earned her undergrad in General Business from Excelsior College (Albany, NY) in 2006.  From operating a home-based organizational service and working as an administrative assistant at a church and private school, Jessica developed skills that translate directly into what is necessary to be a paralegal.  In 2007 she was able to return to her early dream and enrolled in OBCL’s paralegal program, later passing the Certified Legal Assistant exam in 2008. In 2009, Jessica became paralegal to the senior partner at Perlstein, Sandler & McCracken, LLC, where she assists the lawyers in serving over 350 condominiums and homeowner associations throughout the state. In addition to law, Jessica enjoys singing, traveling, working with children, photography, and being involved in missions.

OBCL was a great match because of the affordability and flexibility that its long-distance program offered.  It is a joy for Jessica to be the Paralegal Liaison this year to further the networking of paralegals and attorneys within the alumni of OBCL. She had this to say about her goals for this year: “I am looking forward to contacting the paralegal grads in the months to come to connect them to the alumni association through calls and the newsletters.  Once again I will be organizing the mentor program for the current students in their studies.  And generally I am thrilled to help our paralegals to be excited about what they do and to help them network with other OBCL paralegals and lawyers.”

If you have any questions for Jessica about how you can be involved, she can be reached by e-mail at jmulder07@gmail.com.

Meet the Board: Paul Harman, National Assn. & Accreditation / Immediate Past President

For the next several weeks on the OBCLAA Blog, we will be introducing OBCLAA's 2013-2014 Board. As we introduce the leadership of the Alumni Association, you will catch a glimpse of the goals we hope to see accomplished this year. It is our hope that something you will read here will give you an idea for how YOU can get involved. Please feel free to post a reply or contact individual Board members.

Paul graduated with the 2004A Class and is currently serving as staff attorney to Justice Tom Parker of the Supreme Court of Alabama. His duties include writing opinions for petitions for writ of certiorari, petitions for writs of mandamus, and direct appeals. His french press has also made him the official Court barista.  Before coming to the Court, Paul was in private practice in Bakersfield, California for two years. He plans to return to private practice in 2014.

Paul enjoys serving Christ through Morningview Baptist Church in Montgomery while away from Crossway Baptist Church in Bakersfield. 

When not at work or church, Paul is either playing tennis, golf, or basketball or getting a sunburn on the white sands of the Gulf of Mexico.

Meet the Board: Jacob Pennington, Student Liaison

For the next several weeks on the OBCLAA Blog, we will be introducing OBCLAA's 2013-2014 Board. As we introduce the leadership of the Alumni Association, you will catch a glimpse of the goals we hope to see accomplished this year. It is our hope that something you will read here will give you an idea for how YOU can get involved. Please feel free to post a reply or contact individual Board members.

Jacob comes to us from the state of Texas where he resides with his parents and eight siblings. In his second year of law school, Jacob is currently enjoying his Constitutional Law and Common Law courses. In addition to law, Jacob enjoys theology, music, art, math, computer science, singing, and storytelling.

As the Student Liaison, Jacob will oversee the review and mentorship programs already in place. There is always a need for more alumni to host conference calls with students in particular areas of law. If this is something that interests you, please feel free to contact Jacob at student.liaison@student.obcl.edu.    

Meet the Board: Amy Kerschner, Student Affairs

For the next several of weeks on the OBCLAA Blog, we will be introducing OBCLAA's 2013-2014 Board. As we introduce the leadership of the Alumni Association, you will catch a glimpse of the goals we hope to see accomplished this year. It is our hope that something you will read here will give you an idea for how YOU can get involved. Please feel free to post a reply or contact individual Board members. 

Amy had the unique opportunity to graduate with her dad in the class of 2008B. Having already mentored several Baby Bar classes and served as an upper-class mentor for first-, second-, and third-year classes, Amy looks forward to more mentorship opportunities now as an alumnus. Amy and her sister, Katie, a fourth-year student in OBCL, are co-founding a chapter of YWA (Young Women for America). YWA, a project of Concerned Women for America, was specifically designed for high school and college students and will be open to interested OBCL students.

When Amy is not mentoring students or supporting students enrolled in the family-owned American Water College, where they train water and wastewater operators, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, music, and politics. She lives with her family in Lancaster, California. 

As the chairwoman of the Student Affairs Committee, Amy will work closely with the Teacher Assistants and Student Liaison “to ensure that first year and Baby Bar students receive the information and foundational skills they need to succeed in the Oak Brook Journey.” If you would like to help in this endeavor or have any suggestions on how the alumni can better serve and encourage current students, please contact Amy at amy.kerschner@gmail.com. 

Meet the Board: Jack Stuart, Alumni Relations

For the next several of weeks on the OBCLAA Blog, we will be introducing OBCLAA's 2013-2014 Board. As we introduce the leadership of the Alumni Association, you will catch a glimpse of the goals we hope to see accomplished this year. It is our hope that something you will read here will give you an idea for how YOU can get involved. Please feel free to post a reply or contact individual Board members. 

A fighter pilot at heart, Jack is just recently retired from the Air Force. He will be returning to fly the friendly skies again with United Airlines next year. In addition to his JD with Oak Brook College of Law, Jack holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the US Air Force Acadamy and a MS in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Jack and his wife, Patti, make their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with their two daughters, Ashley and Holly (who is a freshman at Colorado School of Mines). In his free time, Jack enjoys motorcycle riding, biking, and racquetball.

Jack looks forward to this year serving as chairman of the Alumni Relations committee. Among his goals for this year, he plans to leverage technology to “dramatically improving communication in and between student, faculty and alumni groups,” to improve bar prep, and to grow and strengthen the College and Alumni Association.

If you have any questions for Jack about how you can be involved, he can be reached by e-mail at jack.stuart@obcl.edu.

Update from baby bar review!

by Amy Kerschner

Saturday and Sunday: rest or study? Our students took their third mock baby bar on Saturday, writing up all four essays and completing a set of 100 MBEs. The mentor team expanded during the MBE session with the arrival of Joel Barker, which made breaking into small groups for the review easier. After the small groups, the mentors compiled data and

scores from the three full days and pinpointed specific areas for each student to target.

Three baby bars in as many days is grueling for any student, so we took Sunday morning off and let everyone go to church as a group or on their own. Of course, in the afternoon, we were hard at it again. We split the students into two main groups, essays and MBEs, and gave a few students specific instructions to help them overcome identified "last-minute" weaknesses. At this point, studying is about quality, not quantity.

On Sunday night the class threw a surprise birthday party for one of their classmates and invited the mentors to participate. Someone suggested playing legal charades, which turned out to be a huge success. Acting out legal doctrines and rules (M'Naghten, anyone?) was a great way to unwind, and I have a feeling that if misprision, interference with prospective business advantage or uttering are on the exam, these students will spot it and discuss it with confidence.

Meet the Board: Gabe Waddell, College Liaison

For the next several of weeks on the OBCLAA Blog, we will be introducing OBCLAA's 2013-2014 Board. As we introduce the leadership of the Alumni Association, you will catch a glimpse of the goals we hope to see accomplished this year. It is our hope that something you will read here will give you an idea for how YOU can get involved. Please feel free to post a reply or contact individual Board members. 

Gabe and his wife, Katie (also an OBCL grad), are well known and loved for making the food at our annual Tahoe retreat rival the beauty of the location. As a past President and now returning College Liaison, Gabe was admitted as an attorney in 2008 after graduating with class 03A.  Shortly after being admitted, he joined the bankruptcy practice of the Law Offices of Peter Fear. Prior to beginning practice, Gabe worked with a wide variety of non-profit organizations, doing public policy, humanitarian, and legal advocacy work. He has traveled widely, and continues to be active in humanitarian work, including his recent trip to Puerto Rico and work with Syrian refugees in Iraq. When he’s not at the office, you might find him searching for scenic views to photograph, reading a wide variety of literature, or cooking for friends.

Gabe is quick to admit that he tries to spread the word about OBCL at every opportunity.  His work in bankruptcy has given him a clear picture of the dangers of student debt, and he is constantly grateful for the fact that he could study law with OBCL, debt-free and with the opportunity to pursue his passion for ministry at the same time.  Gabe is looking forward to once again being the link between school administration and the OBCLAA in the upcoming year. 

If you have any questions for Gabe, he can be reached by e-mail at gabe@gabewaddell.com. Gabe's practice website is http://fresnobklaw.com/index.php/attorney-profiles.

The drills continue ... Day Two!

by Amy Kerschner

On day two of the Pasadena Baby Bar Boot Camp, the mentor team spent what mental energy we had to spare after day one brainstorming curve balls we could throw at our students in an effort to prepare them for any contingency. We believe in over-preparedness for this (or any) exam, and sometimes you just can't count on everything going smoothly.

We reluctantly decided an emergency earthquake drill was taking "over-preparation" a little bit too far. 

Instead, we decided to do a fake power failure. That's right. We informed the students that their computers had just died, and they had to handwrite the entire last essay (a beautiful common law contracts hypothetical). 

The students appeared to handle that curve very well! We did not review those essays for legal analysis like we did the first three essays they emailed us, but we did cover formatting and approaches specifically for handwriting an essay. The class really absorbed the experience and we feel pretty confident that if a student's computer fails, they willl know how to handle it.

We have seventeen students working diligently to apply the advice we are able to give them to boost their MBE scores or make their essays just a little bit better. Some of the questions we are fielding are black letter law issues, but there are also some questions that provide some amusement: "what should I eat for breakfast the morning of the exam?" or "are the proctors going to be reading my essay while I'm typing it, like you guys?" or (my personal favorite) "do I get bonus points for using the word 'inconceivable' in my negligence analysis?"

Please keep these students in your prayers. They are working very hard, and we, as mentors, are working hard as well to use the time we have left as effectively as possible.

First Day of Baby Bar Boot Camp!

by Amy Kerschner

We started Boot Camp this year with 16 students, with a few more arriving a bit later than the first group. This class is raring to go, ready to conquer this exam for the glory of our Lord. 

We "eased" them into their studies with a full mock-baby-bar exam, with essays carefully selected to challenge their legal depth and creativity. While the class was doing their MBEs, the mentors reviewed 54 student essays, provided constructive criticism, and individual feedback for each student, which we then emailed to them before we broke into small groups to discuss the essay sets. After dinner we again broke into small groups to discuss the MBEs that students had missed.

The mentor team is excited to see how God is going to work in this class:

Katie- "This is going to be a great week. The students are great, the location is great, the food is great...the subjects are great, the mentor team is absolutely great...the weather is great, I have the best roommates, and the elevators are just great."

Emily- "The MBE small group review last evening was encouraging as we engaged in several lively black letter law debates... The students are lawyers in the making!"

Amy- "I'm just blessed and thrilled to be able to invest in this class, and to encourage them in their studies. That moment when a student 'gets it' just makes my day, and this group of students are eager to 'get it.' I'm encouraged by their cooperation and their downright determination."

Please keep this class and the mentor team in your prayers!

Meet the Board: Anita Paulsson, Secretary

For the next several of weeks on the OBCLAA Blog, we will be introducing OBCLAA's 2013-2014 Board. As we introduce the leadership of the Alumni Association, you will catch a glimpse of the goals we hope to see accomplished this year. It is our hope that something you will read here will give you an idea for how YOU can get involved. Please feel free to post a reply or contact individual Board members. 

A resident of Washington State, Anita is admitted to the bar in California and Washington. She does legal work part-time as an independent contractor and is currently running for a position on the City Council of the Town of Coulee City. In addition to law, Anita enjoys reading, hospitality, and learning about and being involved in local agriculture.

“I’m excited about joining the OBCLAA board this year as Secretary, and look forward to supporting the Board in their efforts to advance the interests of the College, its alumni and students.”

If you have any questions for the Secretary, Anita can be reached by e-mail at anita.paulsson@gmail.com.

Meet the Board: Jonathon Hauenschild, Vice President

For the next several of weeks on the OBCLAA Blog, we will be introducing OBCLAA's 2013-2014 Board. As we introduce the leadership of the Alumni Association, you will catch a glimpse of the goals we hope to see accomplished this year. It is our hope that something you will read here will give you an idea for how YOU can get involved. Please feel free to post a reply or contact individual Board members. 

Since his admission to practice law in California, Jonathon has developed his expertise in legal research and writing, founding Franklin Adams & Company, LLC, a company focused on providing attorneys with solid research and well-written legal documents. In addition, he currently serves as a Deputy General Counsel for the Young Republican National Federation. Jonathon currently makes his home in Cabot, Pennsylvania, where his free time is spent biking, hiking, sailing, skiing, and generally experiencing the beauty of God’s creation.

As the Vice President of the Alumni Association, Jonathon had this to say about his vision for the coming year: “We have elected a Board that has a great vision and excitement for the upcoming year. We should have a vibrant, active alumni association this year -- one which is looking out for the interests of the alumni, the student, and the law school. I look forward to serving the Alumni Association and to assisting the Board in reaching for this vision. ”

If you have any questions or would like to find out how you can help, Jonathon can be reached by e-mail at jhauens@franklinadamsllc.com. 

Meet the Board: Mark Bigger, President

For the next several of weeks on the OBCLAA Blog, we will be introducing OBCLAA's 2013-2014 Board. As we introduce the leadership of the Alumni Association, you will catch a glimpse of the goals we hope to see accomplished this year. It is our hope that something you will read here will give you an idea for how YOU can get involved. Please feel free to post a reply or contact individual Board members. 

Mark is an Oregon native and the longest-standing member of the OBCLAA Board of Directors. A member California and Oregon bars, Mark currently lives and practices traffic law in Bakersfield, California. Mr. Bigger has a traffic law practice where he actively protects the right to travel by motor carriage with logic and due process. Mark is also on the board of the Oak Brook College of Law as one of three graduate members currently serving. He is the Legislative Director and a board member on the California Traffic Defense Bar Association. Mark has also provided Continuing Legal Education courses on zealously and ethically defending indigent clients to the public defenders offices in Madera and Placer counties.

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In his free time, Mark enjoys basketball, tennis, hiking, reading, and rooting for the Seahawks and Blazers. He also has been known to take cars on the road less traveled.

As the President of the Alumni Association, Mark recognizes the importance of strengthening the College for future generations of graduates and students. As part of that strengthening process, the Alumni Association will be working with the administration of the College to help increase student enrollment, bar passage rates, and job placement, all with the goal of providing a top notch Christian legal education at an affordable price. Accomplishing those priorities requires involvement from those who care about the school and are willing to be engaged in making sure that we are the educational “city on a hill” that we are called to be. Communication with alumni and offering a support system to help achieve our full potential will be a top priority.

Please contact Mark at mjbigger@gmail.com with any questions or comments, or if you would like to become more involved.