Linsay Warren, 2007 Coastal Law alum and board member of Florida Coastal School of Law Foundation

Between her full time job as assistant general counsel for the Wounded Warrior Project and serving as a coach for Coastal Law’s perennial top ranked moot court team, Linsay Warren ’07 serves on the Florida Coastal School of Law Foundation board, encouraging alumni to support the Foundation and helping award scholarships to Coastal Law students. We sat down with Linsay to talk to her a little more about the Foundation, her volunteer role on the board, and why she chose to get involved.

What is the Florida Coastal School of Law Foundation?

The Florida Coastal School of Law Foundation exists to provide direct support for scholarships to Florida Coastal School of Law students. The Coastal Law Foundation is not a part of Florida Coastal School of Law. Although it works closely with the school, it has an independent board of directors made up of community leaders and supporters of the school.

Why did you get involved with the Coastal Law Foundation Board?

I chose to get involved because I have a passion for helping others. One of the goals of the Foundation is to assist those Coastal Law graduates who have chosen to pursue public interest law by providing financial support. Through scholarship programs that help reduce student debt, we help ensure their success after graduation and enable more students to enter into public service positions that are traditionally on a more modest pay scale than the private sector.

What do you say to those alumni that say, “Why should I give to a for-profit school?”

Really, they are giving directly to the students through a separate 501(c)(3) organization, not the school. Unlike most schools whose charitable arm is intrinsically tied to the leadership of the school and can get wrapped up in issues of bricks and mortar, paying the light bill and the like, the Coastal Law Foundation is independent and will be able to focus entirely on benefiting students and attorneys. None of the donations go to the school itself. It’s actually a better setup than the typical law school because you can always be assured your money is going to directly benefit students.

What do you miss most about being a Coastal Law student?

The connections I made in law school with other students, as well with the faculty and administration are among the most important I’ve ever made. I still make it a point to stay in contact when I can, but I really miss all of the regular interaction I had with them each week.

Daniel Cohn

Third-year Coastal Law student Daniel Cohn was born in Greenville, South Carolina, and grew up in Atlanta. After graduating from the College of Charleston in South Carolina, he worked in three local law enforcement agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation before ultimately deciding to attend law school. While at Coastal Law he has externed for the chief judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia and the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court. This fall he is externing with a federal magistrate in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

What prompted you to come to Coastal Law?

I decided to enter law school in the spring semester. Since Coastal was one of only a couple of schools in the Southeast that allowed for spring admits, and was the only fully accredited school, the choice was simple. It turned out to be a good decision.

What have been your favorite classes/faculty and why?

The first-year doctrinal courses were great. They provided the foundation for legal analysis and the first exposure to black-letter law. I am looking forward to more practical courses in this last year, such as Pretrial Litigation Drafting. As for faculty, Professor Moody is a wonderful professor to have in the classroom, and Professor Reiber was outstanding as well. Each has a demeanor and style that provides for a great classroom dynamic and learning experience.

You chose to clerk over the summer in Tallahassee. How/why did you make that decision?

The externship was a prestigious opportunity offered to few students. It was easy to accept for that reason alone. But it also provided me an opportunity to have a glimpse at the inner workings of this state’s highest court, and to work on some of the difficult and complex legal issues presented to it for disposition. Aside from a federal appellate court, there isn’t really a better externship experience out there, in my opinion.

You’re advancing into your third and final year of law school. What are you looking forward to the most?

Of course I am looking forward to finishing school and getting into practice. But I am also looking forward to the courses that I have been most interested in, including an independent study next spring. I haven’t picked a topic yet, but I will enjoy the opportunity to research an issue in depth and, hopefully, have some analysis to offer that is worthy of scholarly publication.

Any advice for the incoming class?

Buckle down. Study hard. Accept that law school is different from anything you’ve ever done before. Get rest and exercise. But most importantly, maintain perspective: it lasts only three years, during which you should be sure to include plenty of time for your friends and family. Then you have the rest of your life to enjoy as an attorney.

Alan Smodic

Meet Alan Smodic, Coastal Law’s Web Communications Specialist. Curious about the title? In short, Alan is responsible for expanding and monitoring the school’s online reach and presence. He does this by using various web technologies designed to integrate the school’s brand standards and expand current marketing strategies to a greater audience online. But like the web in general, his position requires a significant amount of versatility. Between creating and distributing online content, he creates ads, designs images and websites, and edits copy.

What is your background?

I am originally from Masontown, Pennsylvania, a small town located next to the West Virginia border. After finishing my degree at the University of Pittsburgh, I moved to Bluffton, South Carolina where I worked as a news reporter and web administrator for two years prior to beginning with Coastal Law. While my schooling is in English, writing and journalism, my passion is in technology and web communications. I created my first website in high school and possess experience in design, online media, marketing and web development.

Why do you think Coastal Law decided to create this position?

I believe Coastal created this position because the web continues to grow each day. More specifically, it’s becoming the primary way people reach out to one another, find information, conduct business and just spend their time. To take advantage of this medium effectively, the same emphasis that print media and prior strategies have received in the past needed to be placed upon it.

What do you enjoy most about the job?

What I enjoy most about the job is the opportunity to do exactly the type of work for which I have a strong passion, while getting to spend each day with an incredible group of people in our department. It is rare to find yourself in such a good situation and it’s something I do not take for granted.

What do you do in your spare time?

When not at work, you can usually find me in my home office doing much of the same stuff — building websites, thinking of crazy projects to start, blogging and playing with social media. If I’m not doing that, I’m probably watching a Pittsburgh sports team win another championship, playing NHL 11 on PS3 or running with my dog, Butterscotch, at any local park.

What’s next for Coastal?

Everyone here at the school is already doing so many great things to advance the Coastal Law name, so it’s on our department to make that known. Whether it’s by our increased efforts in social media, development of an in-house blogging network or mobile applications, the ultimate goal is to find new and creative ways to speak of our successes and improve upon our shortcomings. I wouldn’t want to reveal all my secrets and plans, but the online space provides us the opportunity to do things we haven’t done before, and it’s in our best interest to take full advantage of the medium. I think, in the future, as we continue to integrate our communications projects, you’ll begin to see many more added benefits to everyone involved with the school — faculty, staff, students, prospective students, alumni and the general public. It’s really a concerted effort to provide outreach for everyone who seeks it.