"A true leader, brave to take on the toughest cases and some that seemed impossible" -Florie F

Best Wishes Vanessa On Your Retirement

I hope that as I write this Vanessa, you are writing your memoir, there is so much to write!

Vanessa, you made it possible for me to work the best ten years of my life from 2003 to 2013 as the Clinic Administrator for John Jay Legal Services at Pace Law School. You believed I could do the job and I’m very grateful for that. I could not have had a better advocate as a supervisor introducing me and teaching me law issues I never thought about. You are an amazing woman for your generation, and a role model for this generation. These were probably some of the most exciting years for JJLS due to the fact that you had a vision to create a dedicated law office for 2nd + 3rd year students from various disciplines of the law offered at Pace Law School to practice under the supervision of their professors. We moved the clinic from the Law Library to Preston Hall and a new era had begun with great success.

The Immigration Justice Clinic was to be Vanessa’s clinic. I remember one day I walked into your office to see you going over the immigration books you were planning to use and I asked you, “What do you know about Immigration Law?” You answered, “Nothing! But I’m going to figure it out.” You sure did figure it out and that’s what brilliant people do, they figure things out; after that I raised you to a higher pedestal. You are a true leader, brave to take on the toughest cases and some that seemed impossible, never intimidated by that possibility. How would we know unless we tried every possible possibility.

Only the best students were selected for your clinic and they wanted to be there, respected you and hungered for your knowledge and the ways of your craft. You were very proud to come back from court with the students as if they were your own children sharing their success stories with us. Working tirelessly through the night when you had to, probably your most creative hours, I enjoyed getting your 3am long emails eloquently written with clear and concise instructions of what you expected the next day. Actually, everything you wrote, from being happy to pissed off was fabulous to read! You are a phenomenal writer!

Your office with piles of files and books worried me that I would not be able to find anything in it. I learned quickly that your methods worked for you and that you knew exactly where every note, file and book was. When you were out in the field and would call looking for a piece of paper in your office, you would direct me to exactly where it was!

We were a family at JJLS, a good group of people. We shared all life cycle events from births, birthdays, graduations and retirements. The laughs and sadness, human conditions of our clients, politics of the times, everyone working towards the greater good. Much of that was a result of your vision and that is your legacy for the 21st century. I hope the law school considers changing the name of John Jay to Vanessa Merton Legal Services. You deserve that.

Thank you Vanessa for all you have done, with admiration and love;
Florie F