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While writing about human rights in South Asia in the early 1990s, Carol Rose '96 was asked by a Pakistani activist, "And what is happening with human rights in your country?" Rose was stunned.

Stacy Stern '93 isn't as famous as the Pets.com sock puppet. She never raised billions from venture capitalists or played foosball in the office during the height of the Internet boom. Yet in the annals of Silicon Valley, Stern can boast of a more impressive distinction: success.

Most law school grads who began their careers at large law firms probably remember the research assignments they received as young associates, with the long hours, the frustrating Lexis searches and the overbroad results--all for an answer that a more experienced lawyer could have found in 10 minutes.

At age 39, Joseph D. Kearney '89 is one of the youngest law school deans in the country. But the new dean of Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee would rather talk about how he wants to apply his legal experience to his new position.

As a college freshman, J. Russell George '88 trolled the halls of Congress, hoping to get autographs from famous politicians such as Sen. Bob Dole.

Growing up in Oregon in the 1960s and 1970s, Bern Johnson '87 saw wild rivers dammed and forests denuded by clear-cut logging. As a camper and fisherman, he quickly understood the need for protecting the resources he was enjoying.

In 1985, David Hoffman '84 took a mundane case that would change his life. A roof collapsed during the final year of warranty, and replacing it would cost $300,000. Hoffman's client, the owner of the building, was willing to put up $100,000, and the roof manufacturer offered the same amount.

Richardson is founder and executive director of the Chicago-based nonprofit organization The HistoryMakers.

When Court TV went on the air in 1991, June Grasso ' 77 anchored one of the first reports live from the field: a negligence case in Massachusetts involving the manufacturer of an all-terrain vehicle.

It was December 2000 in Ingushetia, Russia, where 170,000 displaced citizens of neighboring Chechnya were hiding from Russia's federal forces. Leonard Rubenstein ' 75 sat talking with a young man, one of dozens of Chechens he interviewed during his monthlong stay.

Riding in the back of the ambulance as the lights flashed and the siren wailed, Richard Wells '68 carefully tended to an 88-year-old woman who had just suffered a massive heart attack.

From his Times Square office overlooking Manhattan, Michael Hess '65 surveyed his 38-year career from public to private law--and back again. A native New Yorker, he is now blending his experience in both areas as senior managing director at Giuliani Partners, a crisis management firm hatched in 2002 after former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's eight-year tenure.

For most of his life, Irving "Ike" Isaacson '39 has practiced law in Lewiston, Maine. It's been steady work, and a career he's proud of. But he's equally proud of what he accomplished nearly 60 years ago, something hardly anyone knew about. In fact, until recently, neither did he.

Harvard Law School Professor Lucian Bebchuk recently testified before the Securities and Exchange Commission as it considers whether to adopt a rule proposal to permit shareholders to place candidates on the company ballot in certain situations.