Jennifer Stanford Joins Scalia Law as Admissions Dean

Scalia Law School welcomes Jennifer Stanford back to her alma mater as Scalia Law’s new Assistant Dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management. Jennifer and her husband, Sunjeet Randhawa, met while students at George Mason Law School. The following is an interview with Jennifer and Sunjeet.

What years did you attend George Mason Law School?

Jennifer: 2001-2004

Sunjeet: 2000-2003

What do you remember most about your law school experience?

Jennifer: I surely recall the rigor of the academics. However, I remember most the additional experiences such as Moot Court and the Writing Fellow program. Your law school experience is really what you make of it and I found these additional activities to be what stuck with me.

Sunjeet: I remember the friendships, and like Jennifer, the additional activities at school such as Student Bar Association, Moot Court, and the Federal Circuit Bar Journal.

Did you meet in law school?

Jennifer: We did! We were good friends in law school but reconnected at an Ethics CLE after graduating. It’s a very nerdy romance story.

Do you remember a particular law professor or class that had a profound influence on you?

Sunjeet: It wasn’t necessarily a professor or a class, but we were both in law school when 9/11 occurred, and I think that had a significant impact on why we both eventually worked at the FBI.

What has been the highlight of your careers thus far?

Jennifer: I had the fortune to work as an attorney in the law departments of two federal agencies. I am so proud to have worked for, and with, civil servants of such skill and integrity.

Sunjeet: I was fortunate to have worked in the National Security Law Branch at the FBI for many years, and during that time worked on an investigation of a foreign student who was in the process of constructing an IED using several chemicals as ingredients. Fortunately, he was arrested before he could cause any damage, and was sentenced to life in prison for attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.

If you could give a law student one piece of advice, what would it be?

Jennifer: Your time at Scalia Law is the start of your legal career. Your classmates will be your future colleagues, so engage and support one another and develop these important relationships.

Sunjeet: I agree with Jen, your reputation is everything. As for your approach to law school, a piece of advice that I was given, that helped me, was to not sit back and let law school happen. Be active, take advantage of the opportunities and the classes that are out there; it will make you a more complete lawyer and person.

What are you both reading right now?

Jennifer: I am reading Nothing to See Here. It has me laughing out loud. I’m always for a new recommendation, so send them my way.

Sunjeet: I’m reading The Road Less Travelled (a psychology book) and The Innovators by Walter Isaacson, a book about the history of computer science and the Digital Revolution, but told in a biographical way.

Jennifer, you are returning to your alma mater as its new Admissions Dean. What attracted you to this position?

Jennifer: The Scalia Law School means a lot to me and this gives me an opportunity to contribute to the school and our legal community. I love working in a team and hope I can use some of my experiences to support this department in recruiting incredible talent to the school.

What do you consider Scalia Law School’s greatest competitive advantage in the marketplace?

Jennifer: Scalia Law’s focus on law and economics trains you how to analyze the law. There is no other training like it. In addition, the location uniquely positions students to explore opportunities for careers in federal or Virginia practice.

What excites you most about your new role?

Jennifer: I am really excited about the chance to engage with our applicants and help play a part in shaping the future of our school.