Students form new club: Labor & Employment Law Association

April 30, 2013

By Jonathan Conway and Ian Seruelo
 

On April 23, a group of TJSL students joined together and became the founding members of the newly formed Labor & Employment Law Association (LELA) in campus.
 

“The primary mission of LELA is to promote the practice of labor and employment law among TJSL students. LELA also aims to increase awareness and appreciation on issues and developments in the areas of labor and employment among members as well as to the general TJSL community,” said Ian Seruelo, (2L) who helped organized the group and who was elected its President.
 

Professors Susan Bisom-Rapp and Rebecca Lee, who will serve as LELA’s faculty advisors, also joined the students in the assembly and shared their thoughts on labor and employment law. Professor Lee provided a background on the different sub-areas of labor and employment law and underscored that there is a growing need for practitioners in this field. Professor Bisom-Rapp initiated a discussion on the rationale behind labor laws and provided insights into the policies underlying these laws.
 

Aside from the 16 TJSL students, others in attendance were Professor Michael Hayes, visiting professor from the University of Baltimore who also specializes in the field of labor and employment, Maysa Eissa, adjunct professor and Associate Director of Career Services, and Ben Lewis, a recent TJSL graduate.
 

“This organization is the first of its kind at TJSL centering on labor and employment law. We are excited for this new club and we are happy that several of our fellow students share our interest in labor and employment law,” said Jonathan Conway, (1L) who is part of the organizing committee and now LELA’s Vice-President.
 

During the meeting, the members ratified the association’s constitution and bylaws. An election for Executive Board positions then followed.  Elected were Ian Seruelo, President; Jonathan Conway, Vice President; Loc Nguyen, Treasurer; John Young, Secretary; Marwa Latif, Director of Internal Affairs; Lucia Valenzuela, Director of External Affairs; and Julie Houth, Director of Communications.
 

The newly formed club, upon being formally recognized by Student Services, is set to kickoff next semester in Fall 2013. 

Interested students should contact LELA’s Executive Board at lela.tjsl@gmail.com.

Pictured: Standing from L to R: Professor Rebecca Lee, Co-adviser; Ian Seruelo (2L), President; Loc Nguyen (2L), Treasurer; John Young (2L), Secretary; Professor Susan Bisom-Rapp, Co-adviser; Jonathan Conway (1L), Vice-President. Sitting from L to R: Marwa Latif (1L), Director of Internal Affairs; Lucia Valenzuela (1L), Director for External Affairs.