Thursday, June 25, 2015
Thu, 25 Jun 2015
Dave Thompson
Liberty School of Law alumni are continuing to make an impact in all areas of law, as a 2012 graduate was recently appointed as Vice President | Office Brokerage and In-house Counsel for the Pittsburgh Market of commercial real estate group Colliers International.
Mamadou Baldé recently joined the group, after working in the legal field of the oil and gas industry.
Initially hoping for a career in sports law, Baldé said he expects real estate law to be his long-term field of practice.
“It’s something I plan on doing the rest of my career,” he said.
Baldé received his undergraduate degree in finance from Liberty, after transferring from the University of Akron. While studying for his Bachelor of Science degree, he crossed paths with School of Law Professor Rodney Chrisman, who taught in the School of Business.
After having Chrisman as a law professor, “He just made me want to pursue a career in business law even more,” Balde said.
In law school, Baldé said Chrisman and Professor Philip Manns both made an impression and solidified his goal of working in corporate law.
“You can’t beat what you learn from there,” he said of Liberty. “All applicable.”
Initially, it looked like he had an open door to do the sports law he had dreamed of, but things fell through and Baldé ended up back where he grew up in Pittsburgh, with the oil and gas industry booming.
So he worked in that field for a few years, before the opportunity with Colliers presented itself, he said.
“A majority of the skills that I acquired doing oil and gas law, the real estate aspects, transferred into the commercial real estate world.”
One of the things Baldé said he appreciated most about his days at Liberty was learning how to use Christian principles in the practice of law.
“A lot of the moral principles and Christian values they teach at Liberty help you to know what it means to be a good attorney and teach you boundaries,” he said.
Baldé also offered encouragement to young law school graduates who might not be finding a lot of opportunities to work in the fields they dream of.
“You’re not always going to come out of school and have this big awesome job,” he said.
“If you don’t land that big job as your first job, do not become discouraged. Work in that field until a greater opportunity presents itself.”