December 22, 2020
Jim Berg, who graduated from Rutgers Law in 2003, knows how important course outlines are for law students.

When law students began learning remotely and many no longer had access to services that include printing, attorney Jim Berg RLAW ‘03 realized a way he could help students this school year.

Berg, a partner at Parker Ibrahim & Berg LLP and his partners, decided to offer a complimentary printing solution for students experiencing printing-related difficulties in preparing for their final exams due to the ongoing health crisis.  Berg also is a member of the Rutgers University Foundation Board of Overseer and an advisory board member for the Rutgers Center for Corporate Law and Governance,

The firm has the infrastructure to do this,” explained Berg. “We recognize the challenges and pressures on students and this solution was a simple way to mitigate those issues and give back to the legal community that has given so much to me (and my law partners).”

Berg’s law firm, headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, enlisted the help of its administrative staff and explained how they would be helping law students. Students had the opportunity to submit a request to a designated email and the law firm would print out their outlines, then ship the outlines directly to the students via FedEx.

“We delivered outlines to students many places: New York, New Jersey, but also as far away as California.” Realizing students needed the outlines to study for finals, Berg said his firm had the goal of turning within 24 hours.

Receiving her outline was key for Yasmine Ghanem RLAW ‘22, who said of the firm, “Putting this together to make sure students could have access to that during this pandemic is fantastic.” Ghanem said she is especially grateful to Berg and his partners because when FedEx failed to deliver her outline in a timely manner, the firm dispatched an employee to drive it to her home in person. “They went above and beyond for me and I am still in awe of their generosity,” she said.

Berg, who got both his undergraduate (RC ’99) and law degrees from Rutgers, said he vividly remembers the importance of having his outline for his exams. “Whether you’re a 1L or a 3L, you understand the pressures of (needing) the outline. You begin working on the outline from day one of the semester, so you want to make sure it’s there. We have enough stressors in our life, we wanted to keep it simple for the students.”

Other students were so appreciative, they penned thank-you notes, including this one written on behalf of the law school community, by student Kristen Scully RLAW ‘21: “Your offer to share printing services, especially while you are working remotely and relying heavily on the printing department, is greatly appreciated. The printing program resolved logistical issues for many students and made studying easier through these difficult times. We look forward to the day we can thank you in person. We want to extend our appreciation to PIB’s staff as well. We know our academic needs will add to your hours in the office and take additional time away from your families and loved ones. Please know we do not take that lightly, and we cannot thank you enough.”

Berg said if students are still learning remotely in the spring, his firm will renew the offer of printing the outlines and said his staff told him they enjoyed interacting with the students during the process, “This is a crazy time for all of us. If we can make someone’s day a little easier, isn’t that the right thing to do? It’s what we should do.”

Rutgers Law Media Contact:
Shanida Carter

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