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“This is a second life for me,” said Tobachnik, who excelled in three years of law school and will be Touro’s valedictorian on Sunday. He retired last June after 30 years on the rails. “I felt my mind was just vegetating and wanted a challenge, so I took the LSAT. At first, I didn’t know if I could handle law school, but all of my classes ended up being exciting, and I loved it.” “My life has completely changed since going to law school,” added Hoyt, who benefited from Touro’s part-time, four-year program. With his wife Maureen, he has started a family on the North Fork with the adoption of James, 2, and plans to start a small-town practice there. “With work and law school, my family has had to put up with me being gone for 18-hour days. They deserve the most thanks.” Now, they will graduate with over 160 classmates at this year’s Commencement, to be held Sunday, May 30, at 2 p.m. at the City Center in Manhattan. Both students talked about their lives as conductors, how traveling from town to town and talking with many customers in the legal field helped them realize that they, too, could pursue their dreams. Both also said that, even though they had received their bachelor’s degrees right out of high school, it took many years for their dreams of law school to come into focus. “I wasn’t ready for law school right out of college,” Tobachnik said, “but I’m more mature now, and thanks to the Internet, law school is so much more practical now. Students no longer have to sit in a library all day. This was the right time in my life for me to pursue my law degree.” Both Tobachnik and Hoyt also benefited from Touro’s unique one-on-one approach to education, where students not only learn in the classroom, but also by working hands-on with professors on pro-bono projects and practicing lawyers and judges through externships. “I worked for Judge Michael F. Mullen in Riverhead, and the experience was invaluable,” Hoyt said at a recent dinner honoring Touro’s Externship Program. “He really taught me the dignity that the law can have. It’s that dignity I plan to take with me into my career.” “Touro’s great. It’s a place where the professors really care and are easy to have one-on-one talks with. Not all law schools are like that,” added Tobachnik, a renaissance student who’s also a pilot, scuba diver and computer pro, and plans a career in general practice that will be as varied as his many interests. “I’m also happy that I participated in Touro’s legal clinics and externships. It’s so valuable to see what lawyers do and how you can apply what you have learned to the real world.” Tobachnik also offers advice to other middle-aged workers considering law school: “Take the LSAT and see how you do. If you do well, it can open a lot of doors for you and give you a whole new life.” Touro Law Center, known for its expert faculty and excellent programs, was established in 1980 as part of Touro College, which has campuses in New York, California, Nevada, Germany, Israel and Russia. The Law Center is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Touro Law Center, with a graduate student body of over 700, offers the degrees of Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) in U.S. Legal Studies for foreign law graduates. Also, students may combine the J.D. degree with a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) in Health Care, and a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.). Touro Law Center is one of only a handful of law schools in the country with a pro bono service requirement for graduates. For more information about Touro Law Center’s full- and part-time academic programs, call (631) 421-2244. ###
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