Rutgers Law Student Proves It’s Never Too Late to Earn a Law Degree
Bonnie Goldman’s journey to a law degree isn’t traditional and that’s what makes it so powerful. The oldest law student in the Class of 2026 turns 69 in June.
“I stuck out like a sore thumb in 1L, thanks to rolling a briefcase across campus and, yes, being 66 — older than most of our professors!” she said. “I’ve often wondered over these past three years; can I truly do this?”
She wasn’t the only one. Her daughter was also concerned. Goldman said, “She's fiercely protective of me, and she'd heard the horror stories about law school being cutthroat and dog-eat-dog. Her biggest concern was whether my fellow students would be nice to me, given my age. She didn't need to worry. They've been one of the best parts of the whole experience.”
The first-generation professional school student grew up in Miami but has called Bergen County, New Jersey, home since 1984. Goldman spent nearly four decades in employment and human resources, primarily running her own executive search and recruitment firm and partnering with corporate clients. While no one in her family is a lawyer, she says she followed in her mother’s higher learning footsteps.
“She's an accomplished fine artist and educator who, at nearly 92, is still making art in a college ceramics studio a couple of times a week,” Goldman said. “She earned three master's degrees and never stopped pushing me to keep learning and chase my goals.”
It was years of nudging by her mother that persuaded Goldman to fulfill her dream of becoming a lawyer. It was a great reputation and proximity to home that led Goldman to Rutgers Law. Returning to the classroom decades after her peers was daunting at first, but she says she found such a strong, welcoming community at Rutgers Law that her classmates even made her one of two finalists for student commencement speaker at the law school ceremony in Newark.
“What I found here was so much more than I ever could have bargained for,” she said. “It's a place where people look out for each other, where you're supported through the moments you can't carry on your own, and where the practice of law is, at its core, the practice of caring.”
In addition to rigorous classwork, Goldman was an MSP scholar and ambassador, Levin scholar, Public Interest Law Student Association summer scholar, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission intern, and Rutgers Law Associates intern. The epitome of her law school journey, she says, was her clinic experience.
“The Mediation Clinic gave me the chance to build real lawyering skills in negotiation, mediation, and advocacy,” she said. “As a mediator in civil disputes, I went to court three times a week to help parties work through their disputes and, hopefully, reach a settlement on their own terms.”
Clinic Director Felicia Farber said, “Bringing more than 40 years of professional experience to the mediation clinic, Bonnie combined deep practical insight with an unwavering passion for mediation that elevated every case and conversation. She consistently went above and beyond—investing extraordinary effort, completing every optional assignment, and seeking every possible opportunity to deepen her understanding and refine her skills. It was truly a pleasure having her in my class.”
Goldman’s roots in advertising and executive search helped shape how she thinks about legal problems and what draws her toward in-house corporate legal work as a natural next step.
“I have a few paths waiting in the wings, but I'm holding off on any firm commitments until the bar is behind me,” she said. “Right after graduation, bar prep takes first chair.”