Associate Attorney, DLA Piper
Many Paths, One Destination
I had a full-time job and wanted a law degree. I wanted a program that would accommodate my schedule and allow me to pursue my degree in a non-traditional way as I didn’t think I could quit my job and become a full-time student. I looked for a program that understood and embraced that and could work around my very busy schedule.
Making Dreams and Plans Come True
Law school was a thought in the back of my mind, off and on. I graduated college in 2005 with a degree in public policy and pursued a master’s in public policy as I started working. As I began working closer to the law but also in a private sector operation capacity, I started thinking more deeply about this. After talking with my family, I started looking at law schools in 2017 and started the Syracuse program in 2019.
Allowing for Growth and Impact
This degree means a lot to me. It has been a dream of mine and something I wanted to do. When you layer on being an older student, a non-traditional student, it meant a lot of sacrifice in family time, work time, and community time. There were a lot of personal things I had to wrestle with, such as: can I do this, do I have time to do this, can I do this well, can I thrive? My degree is now one of the things I am most proud of. It really takes a village and am very grateful to everyone who came alongside me to help me achieve this goal.
Next Stop: Many Destinations
I am a patent litigation associate. I typically support defendants who are accused of patent infringement and support their efforts to litigate matters in federal court. Coupling my law degree and educational experiences allows me to better fight for educational equity. I am excited about what the future holds.
The Importance of the Residencies
Even though the program was fantastic from a remote perspective, I had a great time being in person as well. I enjoyed attending the in-person residencies and getting to know my classmates in a casual setting, even renting a house together for residencies, and creating study groups when we were not in person. The residencies and friendships are the hallmark of the program. The cherry on top at the end is the law degree.