{"id":211,"date":"2020-10-29T14:38:30","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T14:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/?p=211"},"modified":"2024-09-10T20:50:32","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T20:50:32","slug":"all-in-the-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/all-in-the-family\/","title":{"rendered":"All in the Family: Generations of Alumni Answer the Question, Why UB?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t

Retired Judge Richard O. Motsay,\u00a0<\/b>J.D. \u201952,<\/b> didn\u2019t know he was starting a dynasty when he graduated from UB Law 68 years ago.<\/span><\/p>

For starters, four of his eight surviving children earned their law degrees at UB. And it didn\u2019t stop there. The latest Motsay to graduate from UB Law is his grandson, Philip Motsay, J.D. \u201916.<\/b><\/p>

While the Motsays aren\u2019t alone among multi-generational families of UB Law alumni, they lead the pack at three generations.<\/p>

How does the judge, now 95, explain it?<\/p>

\u201cI wanted to be a lawyer since I was in third grade,\u201d says Judge Motsay, who retired from the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City in 1995 (and continued sitting in senior judge status until 2013). \u201cI guess the apple doesn\u2019t fall far from the tree. I took my children to the various jobs I held, and we\u2019d talk about it at dinner while eating spaghetti and meatballs.\u201d<\/p>

The judge\u2019s oldest daughter was the first to follow in her father\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>

\u201cWhen I was in college I helped him in the State\u2019s Attorney\u2019s Office, interviewing women held in pretrial detention,\u201d says Rosemary Motsay Ranier, J.D. \u201976.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Like her father, Ranier attended law school at night while working full-time as a law clerk in the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. After passing the bar, she served as an assistant public defender until retiring last year.<\/p>

James W. Motsay, J.D. \u201981,<\/b> an independent administrative law judge in Baltimore, was the next family member. \u201cI\u2019d say, what choice do I have?\u201d he quips. \u201cI was never pushed by my dad. But he did say to consider it.\u201d<\/p>

Not that he needed a push. \u201cI had been a deputy clerk in the city courthouse before law school. All the attorneys said to hire a UB graduate as a trial lawyer. And I wanted to do trial work.\u201d<\/p>

The third generation, Philip Motsay, J.D. \u201916, <\/b>is an assistant state\u2019s attorney in Baltimore County. While growing up, his plans never included following in his father\u2019s and grandfather\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>

\u201cAfter graduating from college, I was looking for something that would give me multiple career opportunities and decided on law school,\u201d Philip Motsay says. \u201cI applied to UB first \u2014 after all, it\u2019s a family tradition. But before I could send applications to other law schools, I got accepted. So I figured, this is the place\u00a0to go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n

MEET THE MOTSAYS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Motsay clan\u2019s devotion to the University of Baltimore goes beyond the law school. Here\u2019s the complete list, including other family members who went to UB and earned different degrees.<\/font>
<\/p>\n

  • Judge Richard Motsay, J.D. \u201952<\/b><\/font><\/li>
  • Rosemary Motsay Ranier, J.D. \u201976<\/b><\/li>
  • James Motsay, J.D. \u201981<\/b><\/li>
  • Sharon Tobin, J.D. \u201988<\/b><\/li>
  • Patrick Motsay, J.D. \u201989<\/b><\/li>
  • Philip Motsay, J.D. \u201916<\/b><\/li>
  • Lucy Rutishauser, MBA \u201987<\/b><\/li>
  • Joan Brown, MBA \u201991<\/b><\/li>
  • James P. Motsay, B.A. \u201910<\/b><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    Marilyn Harris-Davis and Marrio Davis<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t

    Other alumni families shared similar reasons for choosing to carry on the UB Law tradition.<\/p>

    Marilyn Harris-Davis, J.D. \u201983,<\/b> has worked as a Baltimore media and political strategist since earning her law degree. \u201cUB has always been service-oriented,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s where I came to understand the importance of legislation.\u201d<\/p>

    From working on the political campaigns of retired U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski and former Baltimore Mayor\u00a0<\/p>

    (and later Governor) Martin O\u2019Malley, Harris-Davis served in roles as varied as legislative aide, director of Baltimore\u2019s Office of Cable and Communications, and director of the State Office of Cemetery Oversight.<\/p>

    \u201cIt\u2019s the nature of service that I learned at UB Law,\u201d Harris-Davis says. \u201cMy son Marrio and I both went to Friends School, so we had a service-oriented mentality. But I always told him, you can\u2019t go to law school for me. You need your own reasons.\u201d<\/p>

    Her son, however, had been indoctrinated in politics, starting when he and his older brother were carried on their mother\u2019s hip during political campaigns, Harris-Davis says. Law school was a natural choice. But which one?<\/p>

    \u201cThe fact that I\u2019m from Baltimore,\u00a0live in Baltimore, and my parents are from Baltimore is the reason I chose UB,\u201d Marrio Davis, J.D. \u201919,<\/b> says. \u201cIt was also a draw that my mother went there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

    He now works at the Baltimore County state\u2019s attorney\u2019s office while waiting for his bar exam results.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    Margaret A. Mead and Brandon Mead<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t

    \u2018A Sense That I Belonged\u2019<\/h4>

    Margaret A. Mead, J.D. \u201989,<\/b> was 29, a mother of two and married to an Air Force officer when she began applying to law schools.\u00a0<\/p>

    \u201cI felt like I fit in better at UB,\u201d Mead says. \u201cThere was a sense of camaraderie, not cut-throat competitiveness. I had a sense that I belonged.\u201d<\/p>

    Her law school experience also instilled an awareness of right and wrong, which launched her career as a criminal defense attorney.<\/p>

    \u201cI love the practice of law,\u201d says Mead. \u201cI don\u2019t know that I would have had the success I\u2019ve had if it weren\u2019t for UB \u2014 especially Professor Byron Warnken. He helped me get my first clerkship that led\u00a0to so many other things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

    Her son, Brandon Mead, J.D. \u201909,<\/b> is a partner in his mother\u2019s criminal defense firm.<\/p>

    \u201cBrandon was seven when I started applying to law schools,\u201d Margaret Mead says. \u201c\u2018Mom, you can do it,\u2019 he told me.\u00a0I took him to classes a couple of times when I couldn\u2019t get a babysitter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

    UB Law prepares future lawyers for the real practice of law, Brandon Mead adds: \u201cAll the supports are there, like mentorships. It\u2019s a challenging place, but \u2018good\u2019 challenging if you\u2019re willing to do\u00a0the work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    Barry M. Chasen<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t

    Ba<\/strong>rry M. Chasen, J.D. \u201980,<\/b> remembers when he first wanted to be a lawyer. \u201cBy about age 12, I had read 40 Perry Mason novels,\u201d he recalls.\u00a0<\/p>

    Yet his parents\u2019 modest background \u2014 his father had an eighth-grade education and drove a cab \u2014 meant there was no money for college. \u201cI started working full-time and went to school at night,\u201d Chasen says. \u201cThen I got admitted to UB Law. It was a great experience.\u201d<\/p>

    He was nearly 33 when he started practicing law. Almost 40 years later, the firm he founded employs 26 lawyers.\u00a0<\/p>

    \u201cI realized if I take care of the clients, money takes care of itself,\u201d Chasen says. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the firm\u2019s core values. My opportunities at UB Law changed my life and gave me the opportunity to do something I like.\u201d<\/p>

    Chasen\u2019s success allows him to give back and to help others from modest backgrounds. His philanthropies include the World Central Kitchen, So Others May Eat and UB Law\u2019s clinical program, to which he and his wife Lyn recently made a very generous gift. \u201cWe support these causes because there\u2019s a lot of injustice in the world,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>

    His son, Ben Chasen, J.D. \u201914,<\/b> remembers wanting to be a superhero as\u00a0a kid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

    \u201cAs I got older and started understanding what my dad did for a living, I saw that he was helping people, which is what a superhero does,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I distinctly remember my dad not pushing me toward law.\u201d<\/p>

    The realization in college that doctors and lawyers are the most powerful people in society made Ben Chasen think about law school. \u201cI wanted to practice locally, so UB Law was the way to go,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>

    As a practicing lawyer, he keeps in mind his father\u2019s sayings about the profession. \u201cEspecially, \u2018It\u2019s not the perfect of law, it\u2019s the practice of law,\u2019 he says. \u201cIt keeps me focused.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t

    Joe Surkiewicz<\/strong> is a writer based in Baltimore.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Retired Judge Richard O. Motsay,\u00a0J.D. \u201952, didn\u2019t know he was starting a dynasty when he graduated from UB Law 68 years ago. For starters, four of his eight surviving children earned their law degrees at UB. And it didn\u2019t stop there. The latest Motsay to graduate from UB Law is his grandson, Philip Motsay, J.D. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1244,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1244"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":323,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211\/revisions\/323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/lawmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}