Profile - Christina Bonfanti '08

Undergraduate School: William and Mary  Hometown: Middleburg, Virginia W&L's first year writing program is fairly unique. You will certainly be expected to do a lot of writing and a lot of rewriting even in your first year, but not without feedback from full-time, tenure-track professors, all in connection with substantive courses, in classes of approximately twenty (known as your "small section"). "I loved my small section! It's great to be in a small school, particularly during law school. You are really able to relax in class. You get to know your peers. For anyone considering going to law school, individual attention is a must."

Who's your favorite professor?

Professor Danforth—he is so personable and made it so comfortable to come to his office hours. He was so patient in teaching me tax!

What's your favorite thing about Lexington?

I love the small town. It reminds me of home. The residents were so helpful when I was looking for a place to live, and everyone is just generally friendly.

What student organizations are you involved with?

I was involved with the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and helped organize and served as a delegate on our school's first trip to the national convention in the Washington, D.C. I'm also active in the Epicurean Society, the Women Law Students Organization (WLSO) and Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA)

Where did you work during your summers and how did W&L prepare you to meet the challenges of those practical experiences?

My first year summer in law school, I clerked for the Chief Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the Department of Labor.  They gave me a pile of work for my first week, and, thanks to W&L's demanding American Public Law Process course, with virtually no supervision, I was able to figure out what I needed to do and finish the work before they returned! I got even more work then! Plus, it was fantastic to be able to draft decisions and see them published!

Working for Wal-Mart's home office the summer after my 2L year, in the corporate environment really gave me a different perspective of the non-law firm related fields that are open to me. It showed me that I can use my business degree, my real estate interest and my penchant for the law in the same career.

The quality and rigor of the W&L education certainly prepared me for the challenges of this internship, but the encouragement I received from professors was also invaluable.  They encouraged me to be confident and take it all in (and network, network, network!!!!)