When asked what made her want to go to law school, Ashley Good can point to one specific legal event: the Supreme Court’s landmark 2015 decision in Obergefell vs. Hodges that held the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples. As a queer woman, she was deeply affected by the ruling, even at a young age.

“[The case] was decided when I was a freshman in high school, and it really opened my eyes to the personal impact that the law can have on somebody’s life. It led me to learn more about other social justice causes and legal avenues,” she recalled. “I realized that law school would be a really great way for me to explore and have a career in social justice, while also using other strengths of mine.”

During her undergraduate years at the University of Virginia, Ashley interned with a local law firm and the Legal Aid Justice Center, experiences that cemented her desire to go to law school. Vanderbilt stood out in the application process for its supportive community.

“I wanted something that was very community-focused and collaborative, and I felt that when I came to the admitted students day, and so that really sealed the deal for me,” she said.

Ashley knew that she wanted to pursue public interest coming into Vanderbilt Law, and she took classes with that in mind. Some of her favorite classes have been Actual Innocence with Professor Terry Maroney and Criminal Procedure with Professor Nancy King. She also loved Trial Advocacy with Martesha Johnson and Dumaka Shabazz, who both work as public defenders in Nashville. That class included a final trial at the end of the semester, offering students a taste of life as a trial attorney.

She also pointed to the Immigration Practice Clinic with Professor Alvaro A. Manrique Barrenechea as another highlight. “I wanted to do a clinic, because I really wanted experience working with real clients,” she explained. “I felt like it was serving a lot of the same communities that I would be working with as a public defender —clients who are in very vulnerable spaces, who are generally marginalized — and wanted to get experience working with them.”

Outside the classroom, Ashley has served as the president of the American Constitution Society and Law Students for Social Justice, as well as Executive Articles Selection Editor for the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law. She also participated in Mock Trial and Moot Court.

Ashley spent her 1L summer with the Federal Public Defenders in Nashville. She first learned about the internship opportunity talking with Mr. Shabazz after an on-campus speakers’ panel. She worked with the Vanderbilt Public Interest Office to polish up her resume and applied as soon as grades became available over her first winter break. The Federal Defender’s Office quickly extended her an offer for her 1L summer. Ashley took advantage of Vanderbilt Law’s summer stipend program to support her work there.

Ashley also decided to pursue post-graduate clerkships to see what trials look like from the judge’s side of the court. She applied to several openings with the help of Clerkship Program Director Michael M. Bressman. Ultimately, she received an offer to clerk for Judge Douglas R. Cole at the Southern District of Ohio.

Even though she had already secured a clerkship, Ashley still needed to find a second summer internship, so she participated in an on-campus recruiting event that showcased various public defense opportunities in Nashville. She interviewed with multiple places and ultimately accepted an offer from the Metro Nashville Defenders office.

During her 2L summer with the Metro Nashville Public Defenders office, she was able to obtain a supervised practice license to represent clients in court. “I was able to do bail hearings and argue for people to be released to the judge, and do hearings where I question people on the stand and get real on the ground training speaking to a judge,” she said.

After her clerkship in Cincinnati, Ashley hopes to return to Nashville and work for the Metro Public Defender’s Office so she can continue adding to her training. She says that students who also want to pursue similar public interest careers should be proactive about seeking out opportunities.

“If you’re really passionate about social justice or an issue in particular, continue to pursue that passion, even when it might not be present in your classes,” she said. “Continue to advocate for yourself, and it will work out at the end of it.”