Professor Rena Seplowitz was always fascinated by the legal process and cultivated her long-held desire to use the law to affect change. From early on, she was interested in the historical context of legal decisions and legal battles. Not only has she successfully used the law to affect change in her contribution to an amicus brief in the landmark decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, but she has also influenced countless students on their law school journey. Most recently, Professor Seplowitz has received two awards: the first for her devotion to legal education by Touro Law Center, and the second as Class Professor by the graduating class of 2015.

For Professor Seplowitz, the draw to teaching at Touro Law is the intersection between research opportunities and a bond with her colleagues and students. She points out that the school has a strong academic environment that fosters connection—rather than competition—within the student body. Not only does Touro Law offer practical skills by way of its doctrinal classes, but it also integrates opportunities to develop skills necessary to practice law.

Professor Seplowitz believes that Touro Law’s sense of community is one of its distinguishing characteristics. She stated, “I think it’s a community working together to achieve shared goals. Sometimes, the goals are not always agreed upon, but we are always in agreement about moving the school forward, and everyone is committed to doing that.”

One example of this collaborative community is her relationship with the students on Law Review. She names her work with the student-run journal as one of her “most rewarding experiences” because it is a place “where the students take on projects, solicit articles, write articles, and is an opportunity where the faculty can work with the students in the publication of articles that will be read…and have an impact on the development of the law.” In addition to serving as a faculty advisor for the Law Review, Professor Seplowitz teaches Property, Intellectual Property, Trusts & Estates in the Honors Program, and supervises many Advanced Writing Requirement papers for individual students. Students continuously hold Professor Seplowitz in the highest esteem and mention her name when recounting their success.

Matthew Hettrich and Ryan Nasim, now Editor-In-Chief and Managing Editor of the Touro Law Review, respectively, describe Professor Seplowitz as someone who “exemplifies what it means to be an educator” and “goes above and beyond for all her students and has an unmatched passion about teaching and ensuring the success of each student, both personally and professionally.”

3L Vanessa Cavallaro credits Professor Seplowitz for making her the best law student she can be. “She challenges her students in a way that feels so personal; she expects nothing less than greatness, which you come to expect from yourself,” says Vanessa, a self-proclaimed veteran of the professor’s teaching. “Her insightful questions keep me up at night, and no one is more excited to have a discussion about what I think than Professor Seplowitz.”

Professor Seplowitz would not dream of teaching anywhere else. She celebrates the success of Touro Law graduates who have gone on to work in the many diverse areas of the legal profession. She celebrates the “unparalleled warmth” of the school, for which she, too, is responsible.