Professor Emerita Endows First-Year Summer Internship Program With $500,000 Gift
The gift will support Suffolk Law’s First-Year Summer Internship Program (FYSIP), which Blum created in 2005. The program provides law students with the opportunity to apply for internships with judges and courts the summer after their first year in law school—a time, traditionally, when it is hard for law students to attain valuable, law-related positions.
Blum’s gift will support stipends for law students so they can better afford to serve as interns for judges. Such high-level opportunities the summer after a law student’s first year provide real-world experience in the court system and are useful in opening doors within the legal profession. But those judicial internships are typically unpaid, which means that students who don’t have the financial wherewithal are generally forced to find other types of work.
Since Blum founded the FYSIP program nearly 20 years ago, it has grown significantly: In the summer of 2023, 78 FYSIP students interned with 70 judges and courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Blum, a nationally renowned expert in qualified immunity, is a co-author of Police Misconduct: Law and Litigation, and regularly trains federal judges on matters of federal civil rights law.
She taught at Suffolk Law for 43 years, becoming a full law professor in 1982. She has taught courses in civil procedure, federal courts, civil rights, and police misconduct litigation.
“I’ve dedicated my career to Suffolk Law, and I have seen firsthand how FYSIP has changed the trajectory of our law students’ careers,” Blum said. “The summer following a student’s 1L year is critically important and sometimes a missed opportunity. Those students who have a robust legal experience are not only more prepared professionally, but have a foundation upon which to build their 2L coursework.”
FYSIP was one of the first programs of its kind in Boston and has evolved into a strong placement program that positions law students for professional success upon graduation from Suffolk Law.
“It’s always gratifying when a Suffolk Law alum gives back to support the Law School, but Karen’s generous contribution is especially noteworthy as it comes on top of more than 40 years of service to our community,” said Suffolk Law Dean Andrew Perlman. “Karen has made her mark on previous generations of law school alumni, and now she is ensuring that her impact will be felt on future generations as well.”
Since Blum founded the FYSIP program nearly 20 years ago, it has grown significantly: In the summer of 2023, 78 FYSIP students interned with 70 judges and courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Blum, a nationally renowned expert in qualified immunity, is a co-author of Police Misconduct: Law and Litigation, and regularly trains federal judges on matters of federal civil rights law.
She taught at Suffolk Law for 43 years, becoming a full law professor in 1982. She has taught courses in civil procedure, federal courts, civil rights, and police misconduct litigation.
“I’ve dedicated my career to Suffolk Law, and I have seen firsthand how FYSIP has changed the trajectory of our law students’ careers,” Blum said. “The summer following a student’s 1L year is critically important and sometimes a missed opportunity. Those students who have a robust legal experience are not only more prepared professionally, but have a foundation upon which to build their 2L coursework.”
FYSIP was one of the first programs of its kind in Boston and has evolved into a strong placement program that positions law students for professional success upon graduation from Suffolk Law.
“It’s always gratifying when a Suffolk Law alum gives back to support the Law School, but Karen’s generous contribution is especially noteworthy as it comes on top of more than 40 years of service to our community,” said Suffolk Law Dean Andrew Perlman. “Karen has made her mark on previous generations of law school alumni, and now she is ensuring that her impact will be felt on future generations as well.”