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Two prominent Southern California attorneys visited campus on Sunday to offer their advice and encouragement to 91���� students who are interested in pursuing careers in law. The meeting, which covered topics ranging from the LSAT to law schools to areas of practice, was one of a series of events sponsored by the College’s Office of Career Advisement.

“You’re at a great school, a great college. You will have a lot of the skills that, frankly — having taught law school — law students are often lacking,” said Wallace Wade, a former prosecutor who now manages his own practice, specializing in criminal-defense and family law, in Orange County. “You have a good background for legal reasoning and analytical thinking here at this school. You are going to have a leg up in many ways.”

Joining Mr. Wallace was Gregory Weiler, a 30-year partner of Palmieri Tyler in Irvine, whose expertise is in transactional real estate and land-use regulation. “You’ll leave Thomas Aquinas with analytical skills, and they are going to fit in with law school,” said Mr. Weiler. Moreover, he added, the strong spiritual and moral formation that students receive at the College can also be an asset in the legal profession. “I’ve found that being a Catholic lawyer, leading an integrated life, has made me a successful lawyer,” he said. “People are attracted to that, like they are attracted to holiness. People are attracted to lawyers who have integrity.”

Both attorneys, who discussed their personal and professional backgrounds, stressed that the legal profession offers numerous opportunities for students to live out their Catholic faith and serve the common good. “Your ability to do good things in society are manifold when you’re a lawyer. There’s rarely a day that you don’t get some opportunity to help somebody,” said Mr. Weiler. “If you get into law, you’re going to be helping other people,” added Mr. Wade. “That’s the whole point.”

About a dozen students, most of whom are considering law school after graduation, attended the meeting. “The students were genuinely grateful for Mr. Wallace and Mr. Weiler’s advice about how to get into law school, how to thrive there, and how to succeed as a Catholic lawyer,” said Director of Career Advisement Mark Kretschmer. “But beyond that, I think they were heartened by both attorneys’ offer to provide help and advice down the road as they pursue legal careers.”

The meeting, one of several that the Office of Career Advisement hosts throughout the year, was made possible by Steve Cotugno, a member of the College’s Orange County Board of Regents and the father of Sarah (’13) and Kevin (’16). Mr. Cotugno arranged for the two lawyers to visit campus and even joined them on the 110-mile trip from Orange County. “We are so grateful to Greg and Wally for coming here, and to Steve for putting this event together,” said Robert Bagdazian, coordinator of the 91���� Parents’ Association. “It is a real blessing for our students that we have so many parents, of students and alumni alike, who are always looking for ways to aid them in their studies and beyond.”