Elaine Vullmahn
It’s a great accomplishment to finish law school, but one recent graduate from The John Marshall Law School has another achievement that separates her from the crowd.
Elaine Vullmahn, MBA, CPA, CIA (JD ’11) published two articles in legal journals in 2010, one during her second year of law school and one at the beginning of her third year.
“It’s extremely unusual for a student to get two articles published before even graduating from law school,” said Professor Mary Nagel, who teaches lawyering skills and has worked with Vullmahn on her writing. “To get two articles published in one year is unusual even for experienced attorneys.”
Vullmahn’s first published article, “Firearm Transaction Disclosure in the Digital Age: Should the Government Know What Is in Your Home?”, was printed in the Spring 2010 issue of the Journal of Computer & Information Law.” Vullmahn explained that she wrote this article “to bring to light how if passed, the Blair Holt’s Firearm Licensing and Registration Act of 2009, also known as H.R. 45, through the creation of a federal firearm register, would expose electronic records of private citizens’ firearm purchases and ownership to possible government abuse.”
Then, later in the year, the Transportation Law Journal published “Determining the Potential Liability of a Cruise Line for the Injuries or Death of Their Passengers as a Result of a Pirate Attack” in its fall issue. Vullmahn, who has experience working in the hospitality industry in internal control and regulatory capacities, explained that she drew upon her passion for travel and fascination for maritime law to develop this piece. In this article, Vullmahn describes “the potential liability that Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines could incur if a passenger was injured or died while aboard one of the cruises scheduled to sail in pirate prone waters.”
Vullmahn, 31, from LaPorte, Ind., attended law school part-time in the evening while working full-time as a senior financial litigation & forensic accountant for Russell Novak & Co.
She also has an MBA from Purdue University and is a Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Internal Auditor.
Nagel said Vullmahn’s articles are impressive: “She’s taken her unique background in accounting and wrote a number of informative articles with a legal bent. She’s written articles that offer practical information for students and practitioners.”
Vullmahn also said that her experience during law school as the solicitation editor for the Journal of Computer & Information Law helped immeasurably.
She attributes her success to her parents, Nancy and Chris Vullmahn of LaPorte, for providing support and encouragement; to Nagel, who “taught me how to express my passion on a particular subject and to do so in both an objective and persuasive manner,”; and to Professor Tim McGovern, her maritime law teacher, who allowed her the flexibility to write her final paper on Royal Caribbean cruise line, which Vullmahn evolved into her second journal article.
Vullmahn is currently study for the Illinois Bar Exam set for July. She hopes that her published pieces, combined with her law degree and other credentials will help her obtain a legal position where she can utilize her skills and experience.