12/9/2015

Delaware Law School congratulates third-year student Bethany Wigfield on being named a recipient of a 2015 Law Student Award from the Public Interest Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association.

 The award is given to students from Philadelphia-area law schools who demonstrate a commitment to public service. The association will hand out the awards Thursday, Dec. 10 during a reception at the DoubleTree Hotel in Philadelphia.

Wigfield, of State College, Pa., plans to take the North Carolina bar exam after she graduates from Delaware Law School with pro bono distinction in May 2016. She will pursue a career in family law in Charlotte.

“I am honored to receive this recognition,” Wigfield said. “I looked upon law school as an opportunity to experience everything I could that would prepare me for the practice of law. It was rewarding to serve others in the process.”

Wigfield spent her first summer after law school working in the Delaware Office of the Public Defender. She interned for Delaware Superior Court Judge Charles E. Butler during her second-year of law school. She was a student leader who helped launch the Youth Court Program in Delaware, as well as the Youth Court League, a student organization that supports the program – all work that was done during her first and second years of law school. She serves as the organization president this year. She has volunteered to help the Delaware Wills For Heroes program and the Public Interest Law Association’s scholarship efforts. Wigfield interned with the Delaware Law School Veterans Law Clinic this summer through the Equal Justice Works program and she is continuing her service with the clinic through her final school year.

“Bethany has grown into a role model for her peers during her time in law school,” said Assistant Dean of Public Interest Partnerships and Opportunities Sydney Howe-Barksdale, who directs the school’s Public Interest Resource Center and who nominated Wigfield. “She is an exceptional young leader who exemplifies a spirit of public service and the desire to use her legal training to improve the lives of others. I am so pleased to see her receive this recognition.”

Wigfield holds an undergraduate degree from Mansfield University, where she majored in history and political science. She is the daughter of Sandy and David Wigfield of State College. Her headshot is available here.

Widener University is a metropolitan university that connects curricula to social issues through civic engagement. Dynamic teaching, active scholarship, personal attention, applied leadership, and experiential learning are key components of the Widener experience.  Its Delaware Law School is the First State’s only law school, providing juris doctor, legal graduate and paralegal degree programs with an emphasis on developing legal professionals who reflect the Delaware Way and its traditions of civility, integrity and mutual respect. The school offers signature programs in corporate and business law, environmental law, family health law and policy, and trial advocacy. Widener University is proud to be tobacco free. Visit delawarelaw.widener.edu for more information.

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