Mary Vassallo Slinkard ’94
Novel Twist: Slinkard’s debut legal thriller, Her Final Gamble (Turner Publishing, 2025), was recently optioned by a major Hollywood studio, thanks to support from executive producer Josh Berman, of Bones and CSI fame. “It’s really exciting,” said the former commercial litigator who stepped away from the courtroom years ago to raise her four children. Legal Advantage: For a novelist, she said, “I think law is one of the best educations, because it teaches you how to persuade and how to write, and how to see things from different viewpoints.” Pro-bono Bonus: She based her BC Law-educated protagonist’s struggles with epilepsy on her own experience since diagnosis at age thirty-two. A long-time advocate for epilepsy awareness, she pledges to donate part of the novel’s proceeds to the Epilepsy Foundation.
Matthew J. Merritt ’04
Time Gain in Spain: As General Counsel for Oatly, a Swedish-based globally distributed plant-based food company—think oat milk and related products—he recently moved from Portland, Oregon, to Barcelona, Spain, to cut the time difference for calls and meetings with European colleagues. “A game-changer,” he said. Wild Oats: Charged with keeping “a bold, creative brand” on the legal rails in multiple jurisdictions, he works hard not to be “the office of ‘No’.” “You know that legal and creative are working together well when they put you on the side of the package,” he said, referring to a spoof letter printed on some Oatly cartons, supposedly from him to the creative department, asking them to give his team a break by toning down the edgy messaging.
Claudia Lagos ’11
Dedicated Defender: Criminal defense attorney and partner since 2013 at Boston-based Scully & Lagos, fresh out of law school Lagos found her calling defending impoverished clients at the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services. Empathic Advocate: “Once someone is accused of a crime, they can lose so much—their families, their jobs, their homes. In this kind of work, it’s hard to sit across from someone and not feel with your whole heart that this is a human being who needs your help.” Defining Success: “What I value most in my job is when my clients feel like I truly and genuinely was a voice for them, and they tell me, win or lose, you covered everything—you did everything you could do.”
Alexander N. Porter ’17
Capitol Insider: As a tax and economic policy advisor to Senator Angus King (I–Maine) for nearly six years, Porter contributed to major legislation, including the CARES Act (2020) and the Inflation Reduction Act (2022), that created the corporate alternative minimum tax. Headwinds Ahead: The day after the 2024 election, he joined the staff of Senator Mark Warner (D–Virginia) as Senior Tax Counsel, advising on tax, budget, and retirement issues. “A big focus from my boss is ensuring Social Security continues to have the staff it needs, and to fight back against privacy violations of people’s personal data.” Future Focus: “Bipartisanship helps ensure that strategic items are lasting,” he said, noting Senator Warner’s work on bipartisan tax bills to address the affordable housing crisis.
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