Jay Eischen earned his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management, but his desire for a more people-oriented career led him to apply to law schools while working as a legislative intern, lobbying on behalf of Oklahoma State University.

That internship confirmed his desire to pursue a career in law, and Vanderbilt stood out as one of his top-choice schools. He says the strong academics, well-respected faculty, small class sizes, and high-quality research all drew him to Vanderbilt, in addition to its prime location. “The thing that put the school over the edge is that Nashville is just a cool city,” he explained. “My wife and I were excited to live here, and I think it’s a great location. We love live music, particularly country music. So what better place to go to law school?”

Jay came to Vanderbilt with an open mind about the possible legal careers he could pursue. He took classes in a variety of disciplines—including property law with Professor Christopher Serkin, wills and trusts with Professor Jeffrey A Schoenblum, regulatory state and right to vote with Professor Kevin Stack, and AI and law practice with Professor Mark Williams—as he tried to narrow down his options.

“That was another reason I enjoyed Vanderbilt: the breadth and strength of their academic programs,” Jay said. “In law school, it’s kind of a choose your own adventure after the first year, and I like to think I’ve taken full advantage of that.”

Ultimately, Jay ended up pursuing a track in Energy, Environment, and Land Use, becoming a student fellow for the program. As part of his fellowship, Jay worked with professors Caroline Cox and Jim Rossi on a paper about utility regulations. “[A fellow] is effectively a research assistant, but instead of just researching for the professor, they actually loop you in and make you a co-author on a paper,” he explained. “Having that creative direction as well as their guidance—that was very cool.”

Besides collaborating with professors, Jay has also served as a publication editor for the Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law (JETLaw) and an articles editor for the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review (ELPAR). He described ELPAR as “probably the highlight of law school, if I had to pick one.” He’s also enjoyed being a member of the Energy & Environmental Law Society and the Space Law Society.

Jay was able to leverage his breadth of experience to secure two summer internships in his home state of Oklahoma. He and his wife had decided that they wanted to move back home to be near family, and Jay worked with the Career Services Office to generate potential leads from firms in the area.

During his first year, he cold-emailed a firm, and they responded in 15 minutes asking if they could talk more. Jay ultimately received an offer from them, and spent both summers interning there, working with their general litigation group to get hands-on experience. “My substantive experience there was awesome… researching legal questions, writing memos, writing motions for people to look at and then put into court—I really loved it,” he said.

After completing his internships, Jay ultimately decided to start his own solo law practice in his hometown of Fairview, Oklahoma. It was an option he had been considering for a few years. “It was always a possibility. I just didn’t know if I would take the leap right out of law school,” he recalled.

Jay said that he wanted to return to his hometown in part because rural areas are underserved by lawyers. He notes that only nine lawyers are registered in Major County (Fairview’s location) and estimates that only a few of them might work full-time hours. “It’s just kind of unfortunate to see that we have more lawyers than ever, but they’re not necessarily… providing the legal services that the average person needs in these rural areas,” he explained.

“It’s cool to have the opportunity to go to Vanderbilt, get this great education, and then bring it back to a place where that’s not the norm, or that that’s not usually accessible,” he added. “I’m excited for the opportunity to put my Vanderbilt education to work in an unconventional way.”