[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 153 (Thursday, September 21, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4652-S4653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FRANKLIN PIERCE 
                             SCHOOL OF LAW

 Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the 
University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law on its 50th 
anniversary.
  Taking its name from the only Granite Stater to become President of 
the United States, the Franklin Pierce Law Center was established in 
1973 as New Hampshire's first law school. Its founder, renowned 
inventor Robert Rines, welcomed the first class of students in an old 
bull barn on the city of Concord's east side. The school's modest 
beginnings belie the outsized and

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international impact it would soon have on the legal community, 
particularly in the field of intellectual property--IP--law.
  The Franklin Pierce Law Center quickly developed a reputation as a 
powerhouse in IP law. It strove not only to instill an understanding in 
intellectual property law, but also to train students to be comfortable 
in the practice of an emerging legal field. Many of its graduates have 
climbed to positions of global influence in IP, and many attribute 
their success and achievements to the preparation and instruction they 
acquired as law students. The law center's administration--and Mr. 
Rines in particular--also invited groups from other countries to attend 
classes at no cost. These groups observed the American system of patent 
law and ventured home to shape systems that suited the needs of their 
own countries.
  In 2010, the Franklin Pierce Law Center entered into a partnership 
with the University of New Hampshire to become the University of New 
Hampshire School of Law. It was renamed the University of New Hampshire 
Franklin Pierce School of Law in 2019 after careful consideration of 
the Franklin Pierce name in the intellectual property community and its 
longstanding reputation for innovative legal education.
  While known for its intellectual property law curriculum, the 
University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law also offers 
instruction in traditional legal fields, as well as public interest and 
social justice law, health policy and law and sports and entertainment 
law. It is also home to the Daniel Webster Scholars Honors Program, a 
groundbreaking initiative that provides an alternative to the 
traditional bar licensing process. These students enroll in a rigorous 
educational program under the supervision of judges, lawyers, 
professors, and bar examiners, and they are sworn into the New 
Hampshire bar the day before law school graduation. It is the only 
program of its kind in the country.
  Thousands of attorneys in 48 States and more than 80 countries can 
point to their experience at the University of New Hampshire Franklin 
Pierce School of Law as the foundation of their thriving legal 
practices and careers. Countless more have been represented, educated, 
and protected by attorneys who honed their skills in an active, 
practice-based learning environment in Concord, NH. The reach of this 
small school with humble beginnings is truly widespread.
  I congratulate the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School 
of Law on this important milestone and wish the law school community 
all the best as it celebrates its past and looks forward to its bright 
future.

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