BUFFALO, NY - Anthony F. Shelley ’84 feared the worst when he saw the words “See me after class” written on his first college paper. Shelley turned out to be pleasantly surprised.
His English professor, Paul M. Dowling, PhD, told Shelley he didn’t belong in an introductory English class. Dowling said Shelley “belonged in the All-College Honors Program” and helped him get enrolled.
Dowling’s influence, says Shelley, coupled with challenging honors coursework “laid the groundwork for his law school education” at Harvard University and his successful 30-plus year career, including as a managing partner at Miller and Chevalier in Washington D.C. He concentrates his practice on employee benefit litigation.
“The rigorous writing and analysis required in the All-College Honors Program was the best preparation for becoming a lawyer,” Shelley says. “I am constantly making oral arguments, much like when we presented in class.”
Appreciative of the trajectory on which his education set him, Shelley became an inaugural member of the Desmond Law Society at Canisius (page XX). In this role, he advises current and prospective students contemplating legal careers. He also established the Anthony ’84 and Lisa Shelley Pre-Law Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is awarded to juniors in the college’s pre-law program who maintain a 3.75 GPA and who plan to apply to law school in fall of their senior years.
When asked about the impetus behind his generosity to the college, Shelley responded, “I want to be an ambassador for the school in order to give future Canisius students similar opportunities to those that I had.”
