Patrick Ciapciak ’19 The aspiring litigator was given a rare opportunity last fall when he was tasked with presenting the oral argument in a civil case before the full panel of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. It is uncommon for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, where he has been interning under the tutelage of AG Clinic adjunct […]
Patrick Ciapciak ’19 The aspiring litigator was given a rare opportunity last fall when he was tasked with presenting the oral argument in a civil case before the full panel of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. It is uncommon for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, where he has been interning under the tutelage of AG Clinic adjunct faculty Thomas Barnico ’80 and James Sweeney ’83, to argue a civil appeals case. So uncommon, in fact, that Ciapciak is only the second student in the AG clinic’s history (behind Steven Goldberg ’82) to orally argue in that court at that level on behalf of the Commonwealth. He had only weeks to do research, prepare the brief, and be mooted—a sequence that usually takes months. Still, he held his own in court. “What impressed me is he came across as very poised and articulate and had a good courtroom presence,” said Sweeney. “You wouldn’t know that he was a law student.” In January, Ciapciak’s argument prevailed.
Photograph by Reba Saldanha
Bria Coleman ’20 was named one of five recipients of the 2019 Ropes & Gray Roscoe Trimmier Jr. Diversity Scholarship. She will receive a $25,000 award to offset the expenses of her legal education and will join the firm’s Boston office as summer associate this year. The scholarship honors the memory of Roscoe Trimmier Jr., the firm’s first African-American partner and a leader of its diversity and inclusion efforts.
