Student Profile: Creating Opportunities Through Leadership
After spending the summer working at the law firm of Frost Brown Todd in his hometown of Louisville, Ky., 3L Junis L. Baldon said that he has some exciting plans for the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) in the coming school year. Baldon, the organization’s president, said that there are already several events lined this year that will help carry out the group’s mission of fostering a sense of civic duty as well as professional and personal development.
“We would like to shift our focus to include an awareness of responsibility to the community and not just concentrate solely on professional development,” Junis said. Volunteer activities that BLSA will be participating in include a voter registration drive, a blood drive, and Meals on Wheels.
Professional development will be important as well, and BLSA plans to bring in several speakers and sponsor resume and legal writing workshops throughout the year. “Learning how to smoothly transition between law school and a job is important,” he said. “A lot of our members are first generation college students and learning these types of professional skills can be very beneficial.”
Junis’ primary motivation for leading the group is to help others. He says that coming from a modest background in a one-parent home has inspired him to make sure others have the opportunities to attend college, earn a graduate degree, and have a successful career that impacts the lives of others.
Junis, who majored in political science at the University of Kentucky, plans to go into private practice after graduation. He would like to focus on appellate litigation and eventually be a federal appellate judge.
For now, he’ll focus on finishing school and the various activities he is involved in at Moritz. Junis is also a member of the Moot Court Governing Board, a member of the Frederick Douglas Moot Court Team, and the Entrepreneurial Business Law Journal. His main priority, however, is making sure BLSA continues to be a successful organization. He credits his executive board for working so hard to reach the organization’s goals.
“I’m lucky to have such great leaders working with me,” Junis said. “The success of BLSA this year has a lot to do with their involvement.”
