1/30/2025

What does it mean to become a successful lawyer?

Dana Harrington Conner, associate dean of experiential learning

“It's about so much more than securing a job,” says Dana Harrington Conner, the newly appointed associate dean of experiential learning at Widener University Delaware Law School. With over three decades of dedication to the greater Widener legal community, she helps expertly guide aspiring lawyers from their classroom experience into the courtroom—and beyond.

Harrington Conner began her journey at Widener in the early 1990s, as a law student. During this time, while working as a legal intern with the Delaware Civil Law Clinic (DCC) based at the law school, Harrington Conner’s mentor, then-Professor Christine McDermott, made a lasting impact on her. The connection between the two women was so strong that after Harrington Conner graduated in 1992 and started working at an area law firm, she accepted McDermott's offer to return to Widener in a duel role as a supervising attorney for the DCC and a newly funded domestic violence attorney position for Delaware Volunteer Legal Services in 1994. Becoming one of the first attorneys in the State of Delaware to represent survivors of domestic violence seeking civil protection from abuse. During her term as the Domestic Violence Attorney for Delaware Volunteer Legal Services and the law school, she assisted countless individuals obtain protection from abuse. In 1996, she became the managing attorney of Delaware Volunteer Legal Services and the supervising attorney of the DCC, where she served until joining the full-time faculty of Widener School of Law in 2004.

Harrington Conner has shown unparalleled dedication to the Widener legal community. And even as a legal educator, Harrington Conner has dedicated much of her career to representing survivors of intimate partner violence. She has provided thousands of hours of direct client representation as an attorney serving survivors of intimate partner violence, and mentored and overseen the work of countless law students working in the Delaware Civil Law Clinic. Through all of that, and with relationships she has forged in Delaware legal circles and beyond, Harrington Conner is one of Widener’s strongest bridges between students and the Delaware legal community.

In 2002, the American Inns of Court presented Harrington Conner with the Sandra Day O'Connor Professional Service Award for her outstanding work in public interest, pro bono and community service. The award was presented during the American Inns of Court Celebration of Excellence at the United States Supreme Court. Harrington Conner is also the recipient of the Delaware State Bar Association's New Lawyers Distinguished Service Award for leadership dedicated to humanitarian service.

Last year, when Dean Todd Clark tapped Harrington Conner for the associate dean role, it was a position created with her specific experiential learning expertise and accomplishments in mind. Through it, she is positioned to provide a holistic approach to real-world opportunities and to create meaningful experiences that guide students to success. While encompassing a high-level overview of real-world opportunities, she personalizes her work to each student.

Harrington Conner meets individually with any student interested in experiential learning opportunities – and in the fall that was approximately100 – to help identify interests and goals by asking reflective questions:

“What is the most important aspect of the law degree that you are going to have very soon?”

“Are you going to commit to access to justice and the dignity of your clients?”

“How are you going to make the world a better place?”

Through experiential learning placements, Harrington Conner is pivotal in connecting students like Alexander Reede and Erika Volpi to key people, offices, and future job opportunities. They get real-world, hands-on opportunities while they are still students, giving them insight to future careers and inspiration toward what is possible with a law degree.

“Law school is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Having the chance to diversify my experiences and take advantage of unique learning opportunities empowers me to want to do this,” Reede said.

Reede’s public interest externship for the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office has focused on financial compliance and has played a major role in confirming his decision to pursue a legal career. It has motivated him through tough courses, bolstered his confidence for succeeding as a lawyer, and allowed him to build strong connections in the spaces he hopes to land a job.

Volpi, a third-year law student and extern at the Delaware Superior Court, remembers the feelings that surfaced as she began, and then settled, into the judicial externship program. “At first, there was a bit of imposter syndrome -- feeling like I wasn’t qualified to be doing the work or just didn’t know as much as I thought that I should have known – but after a couple weeks, I started to really enjoy reading case files, researching, and completing the accompanying writing assignments,” Volpi said.

The confidence and experience she gained through the program helped her land a clerkship for a New Jersey judge in the criminal division during her first-year post-graduation.

As an alumna who still remembers what it’s like to be in a student’s shoes, Harrington Conner understands how experiential learning is a crucial step in the student’s development as soon to be lawyers. Her appointment and work speaks to the priority experiential learning and access to justice have at Delaware Law. By blending classroom knowledge with real-world practice, Widener equips future lawyers not only with the tools they need for success but also with a deep sense of purpose and commitment to serving others.

“There’s no greater privilege than having a law degree and there is so much you can do with it to make the world a better place,” Harrington Conner said.