Paul Tremblay
An Educator of the First Order “Teaching to do good the right way.” This phrase encapsulates Paul Tremblay’s forty-seven-year legal career, marked by his pioneering clinical work and championing of professional ethics. A BC Law clinical faculty member since 1982, he served as the associate dean for experiential learning, founded and directed the Community Enterprise Clinic, and directed the Dublin Semester in Practice Program. He received numerous awards, including the Outstanding Advocate for Clinical Teachers Award, the Emil Slizewski Excellence in Teaching Award, and the William Pincus Award.
A first-generation college student, Tremblay attended Boston College as an undergraduate, then moved across the country to attend UCLA School of Law. After graduating, he worked at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and, upon returning home, at the Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau. His intent was to stay only a few years. “But here we are forty-three years later,” Tremblay said at the retirement party, calling his work as a clinician the “coolest job in the world.”
Former colleague and later dean of Suffolk Law School Bob Smith said that “when Paul was hired by BC Law, he had a lot of ‘street cred’ as a legal services lawyer in a very challenging setting. …What we did not know…was what a powerhouse intellect he was, and how prolific he would be as a scholar.”
Having authored nearly forty law review articles, ten book chapters and bar journal articles, and four books, Tremblay’s scholarship is internationally recognized.
In her retirement address to Tremblay, Professor Sandy Tarrant called him “one of the superheroes of clinical legal education,” noting that while “there are many aspects to Paul and his amazing, inspiring career, perhaps the most important is teacher, as Paul has always prioritized students.”
Indeed, former students have said that because of Tremblay’s mentorship, they understand the importance of taking chances to do what is necessary and right. His guidance and the enduring colleagueship have been among the most precious, lasting gifts of their education at Boston College Law School.
Paul Tremblay and Alan Minuskin were leaders in the innovation and growth of clinical programs at BC Law and beyond.
Alan Minuskin
Clinical Champion Through and Through “[His] constitution is one of kindness, understanding, compassion, patience, calm, humor, and a fundamental love and respect for others.” Capturing the sentiments of Alan Minuskin’s colleagues and students, Professor Sharon Beckman shared these remarks honoring his thirty-five-year career at BC Law. Hailed as a clinical champion who is “loved by the entire national clinical community,” Minuskin was driven by his dedication to clients and students, twice earning him BC Law’s Outstanding Professor of the Year award.
Minuskin developed a passion for public interest work as a student at New England School of Law in the early 1970s, a period shaped by the end of the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and the push for civil rights. Upon graduating, he accepted a clinical faculty position there, marking the beginning of a forty-six-year career in the field.
His journey brought him to BC Law’s Legal Assistance Bureau. Over his three-plus decades at the school, he taught “every type of experiential course there is.” He also became the director of the Civil Litigation Clinic and the Housing Justice Clinic, while his groundbreaking Pretrial Clinic became a model used by clinical professors throughout New England. Although retiring, he will remain active at BC Law to help run the new Lawyer for a Day Clinic.
Minuskin’s clinical approach was influenced by Boston College’s Jesuit ideals. “Clinical education methodology is not just an academic role or intellectual endeavor for Alan,” explained Professor Evangeline Sarda. “It is in his heart and just exudes from his pores. He is kind and caring and puts the other first.” “His moral compass is always going in the right direction,” added Maureen Curran ’91, who was in Minuskin’s first class at BC Law.
His mentorship “outlasts classes and clinics and cases,” said another former student, Tatiana Becker ’21. “And he works with a humility that is truly confounding given the decades of hard-won experience and skill he possesses. We are all better people for working with Alan.”