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44 n e w h a v e n B I Z | M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 9 n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m W o m e n W h o M e a n B u s i n e s s Jennifer Gerarda Brown Continued from Page 16 Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. Brown's law review articles and book chapters include "Four Ques- tions about Free Speech and Cam- pus Conflict" (2018); "Sustaining the Canary in Toxic Times: Parables about Survival for Legal Education" (2016); "Deeply Contacting the Inner World of Another: Practicing Empathy in Values-Based Negoti- ation Role Plays" (2012); and "e Paradox and Promise of Restorative Attorney Discipline" (2012). She has in addition served as a committee member of the Connecticut Task Force to Improve Access to Legal Counsel, is currently on the Connecticut Judicial Branch Access to Justice Commis- sion, and has received the Hon. Robert C. Zampano Award for Excellence in Mediation and the Connecti- cut Women's Education and Legal Fund award, among other accolades. Brown became dean of the Quinnipiac School of Law in 2013. During her inaugural year she took steps to reduce an ebb in applications, which included trimming her operating budget "without affecting the quality of the legal education," she says. By late January 2019, law school applications were 37 percent higher than the previous year, according to Adam W. Barrett, the Quin- nipiac law school's associate vice president and dean of admissions. "Typically the dean is the CEO, and not particularly engaged in daily business, but Jennifer continues to teach and really cares about the students," Barrett explains. "She wants to know them personally, and wants each and every one to succeed. "In 22 years of being involved in higher education administration," Barrett adds, "I've never worked with someone with such integrity, passion and, frankly, kindness." Another milestone for Brown was "shepherding the transition" from the old law school building to a new building housing 13 class- rooms, a 180-seat courtroom with a judge's chambers and jury delibera- tion room, a legal clinic space and a moot court and mock trial room. Marrying theory and practice What sets Quinnipiac's law school apart from other law schools is its emphasis on "the blend be- tween theory and clinical practice," according to Harry N. Mazadoo- rian, a distinguished professor of dispute resolutions at the school. Indeed, a majority of QU law students participate in externships or clinics. Brown and her team have en- hanced curriculum opportunities in international law, immigra- tion rights and immigration law, enabling students to visit refugee camps in Lesbos, Greece and to participate in externships in South Africa and elsewhere. In addition, says Brown, "We've focused a little more on the Bridge to Practice, with a trilogy of pro- grams introducing students to the law firm context and legal practice." Aer their first semester of law school, students attend a Gateway to Practice program, featuring career advice from lawyers and judges. In a second-year program, 2Ls are introduced to valuation, balance sheets and other business concepts germane to running a successful law practice. e third part, the business of law, examines more specific sub- jects such as revenue streams and how to build a client base. Mazadoorian praises Brown's col- laborative style. "She's very inclusive and interest- ed in what everybody around the table has to say," he says. Moreover, Mazadoorian adds, "Jennifer has demon- strated leadership nationally, and has been able to mold the school into a very prom- inent place." Brown says her parents instilled in her "bedrock principles" of equality during family discussions about the civil-rights move- ment in the 1960s. "I think it's become harder to speak with people who disagree with us, and there are fewer and fewer places where we can come together and have those discussions," Brown says. "We really have to talk to people who are different from us, with different values and different experiences, and I'm very in- terested in how we can have those conversations, even in a time of polarization. "I constantly tell my stu- dents they have an import- ant role to play." Brown asserts that the purpose of law school is "to educate the whole lawyer to understand and serve the whole client. "We are trying to get students to think about the integration of their personal values and their profession- al values," she says. "ey shouldn't leave their human values at the door." n Brown has embraced a mission 'to educate the whole lawyer to understand and serve the whole client.' PHOTO/DAVID OTTENSTEIN

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