Vital Ties: Alumni and Faculty Connections Span Generations

Greg Castanias’ Indiana Law education was filled with great moments: winning a moot court competition, writing for the Indiana Law Journal and the student newspaper The Exordium—and most enduring, helping to start a program in which 2Ls and 3Ls mentored 1Ls during his final year of law school. As a partner at Jones Day in Washington, D.C., Castanias has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court three times. He has also played a significant role in appellate, intellectual property, and technology matters, groundbreaking NAFTA investor-state arbitrations, and class-action suits. But no matter how fast his career rises, Castanias remains grateful for the values he learned at Indiana Law.

“We all stand on the shoulders of giants,” he says, citing Professors Pat Baude, William Oliver, and Roger Dworkin, as well as Joe Hoffmann, Kevin Brown, Sarah Jane Hughes, and Steve Conrad as some of his list of favorite law school professors. “Twenty years later, they are a part of the fabric of the school.” His continued involvement with Indiana Law has given Castanias the opportunity to work with some of the next generation of legends: “Bill Henderson’s research on law firms has made me think more deeply about my own work at Jones Day.”

Passionate in every endeavor, Castanias offers tireless and energetic support to Indiana Law because the people and the education here touched his life.

To stay connected to his peers, Castanias helped to start an Indiana Law Society for alumni in the Washington, D.C. area. He visits Bloomington often as President-Elect for Indiana Law’s Alumni Board, as a judge for the Sherman Minton Moot Court Competition, and an on-campus interviewer for his firm.

“IU taught me to think outside the box in regard to a lot of legal theories, doctrines, and arguments. I don't necessarily see that from top graduates from other top schools,” says Castanias. Jones Day recently hired two graduates from the School through Office of Career and Professional Development on-campus interviews, and Castanias believes bringing firms to campus is one of the most important contributions an alumnus can make.

Current position: Partner in the Issues and Appeals and Intellectual Property Practices, and Partner-in-charge of Global Library Services at Jones Day, Washington, D.C.

How I stay connected: Serves as Alumni Board President-Elect and member of the steering committee of the Indiana Law Society in Washington, D.C.; returns to teach courses (Appellate Practice and Procedure), takes part in Jones Day’s on-campus recruiting.

Why I love my career: “I chose Jones Day back in 1992 because I thought its culture best mirrored the successful academic cultures I came out of—the communities of sharing and teamwork at Wabash College and Indiana Law.
To some extent, the fact that there is no typical day in my job is the best part of it. It’s always a new challenge, and I'm always up for a new challenge.”

What I miss most about Bloomington: “I miss the Village Deli and the long-gone Daily Grind, the local coffee place where most students went before and between classes. “

Funniest law school moment: “I laugh when I remember the mistake I made in my third year by sitting next to my very funny friend and classmate John Renken (JD’90) for Sarah Jane Hughes’ Negotiable Instruments class; John would every so often whisper something funny to me in class. I would burst out laughing; and I was always the one who got in trouble.”

Worst in-class memory: “I’ll never forget being called on by Dan Conkle in Civil Procedure back in 1987 and pretty much bombing every question he asked about the case, Gibbs v. United Mine Workers. I'll never forget. Ironically, I cited that case in the first U.S. Supreme Court brief where I was lead counsel.”

Giving back: “It’s crucial we step up on this new campaign and get a sufficient amount of money for scholarships and to maintain the unforgettable faculty and staff at Indiana.”