Alan Stuart Bean, Class of 2007
After graduating from the University of Mississippi, where he majored in political science and served as president of the student body his senior year, Alan Stuart Bean set his sights on Vanderbilt Law School.
"Vanderbilt was actually the law school I applied to," Bean says. “I grew up in Dickson, Tennessee, about 40 miles west of Nashville, and I had always wanted to go to Vanderbilt."
Bean had also decided he wanted to remain in Tennessee, and knew that "Vanderbilt’s reputation both in state and nationally" would help him pursue his ambition of a career as a litigator.
Bean, who is now an associate with the litigation firm of Gideon & Wiseman in Nashville, served a judicial internship with Judge Frank C. Clement on the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Middle Tennessee Division and was a legal intern for the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) after his 1L year, and then clerked for Gideon & Wiseman and another Nashvilel firm after his 2L year. "The Career Services office was extremely helpful, especially my adviser, Dorris Smith," he says. "She went out of her way to make sure I did everything I can to improve my chances of landing the job I want.”
Bean, who was Chief Justice of Moot Court Board and a member of the Trial Advocacy Society as a law student, particularly appreciated the law school's culture and mentoring faculty. “Vanderbilt is a very, very challenging law school, with very talented, diverse and bright students," he says, "but Vanderbilt is also community of friends and colleagues. We look out for each other, and we all want each other to succeed. In my personal experience, members of the faculty went out of their way to be available to meet with and help students. Professor Richard Nagareda offered to talk about my professional goals after graduation, Professor Suzanna Sherry offered to help me write a paper for another class."
"It’s all about finding your niche at the law school, as I think we all bring a different set of skills and all add something unique to the class," Bean says. "This uniqueness and diversity of experiences and opinions makes the collective group stronger than the individuals that comprise it."
