Navigating the path through law school to a career in public interest is no easy feat. Assistant Dean and Martha Craig Daughtrey Director for Public Interest Beth Cruz invited Madison Lowery ‘23 and Grace Hayes ‘25 to speak with Vanderbilt Law students interested in pursuing legal careers in public interest.
Journeys to Law School
Hayes is a self-described “K-JD;” they went straight through to law school after graduating from the University of Georgia. “I realized I wanted to be an attorney when I was in middle school—my mom put me in speech and debate, and I hated going to club meetings,” Hayes explained. It wasn’t until they competed in a tournament—and lost every round—that they fell in love with law. “I loved having an opportunity and a platform to get up and speak on issues that I was really passionate about,” Hayes began, “and I could advocate for people that wouldn’t necessarily otherwise have a voice in those cases.” Eventually, undergraduate courses and internships set Hayes on a path to law school, in pursuit of a career in criminal defense.
Lowery embarked on her legal journey with a rather unconventional backdrop. She spent two years as a high school English teacher; pursuing law school or a legal career was “not on [her] radar.” Lowery entered law school after three total years of teaching, realizing she “needed something different.” As a 26-year-old first-year law student, she believed she had to be intentional with the choices she made.
Core Values and Career Choices
Lowery’s drive to pursue law stemmed from her values of community and empathy, aiming to make a broader impact. Her passion for reading, writing, and advocacy led her to law as a path for greater influence. She also highlighted the desire to improve personally. “I’m curious,” she explained. “I want more knowledge. I want to advocate. I wanted to go to an excellent law school, I wanted to have an excellent job, and I wanted the chances to keep growing and to keep exploring all of those things.” She advised considering these values as well —“not just the idealistic ones.”
Hayes, like Lowery, emphasized the role of empathy, stating it was “definitely a really big driving factor.” They also highlighted equity as a major influence in their choice to pursue law and criminal defense. Reflecting on their middle and high school debate experiences, Hayes noted, “I was really drawn to the topics where it felt like there was someone that was being wronged by the way that our policy operated,” and found it natural to “relate to people and communicate their interest in those situations.” Their coursework and internships have exposed them to “clients who have been impacted by the way that our criminal legal system works.”.
Dean Cruz chimed in, encouraging law students to “pursue things that they really [feel] like [make] them come alive.” She advised students to ask themselves, “What am I really liking? Where can I see myself in the future?” Answering these questions “will make all the difference, just in terms of your own wellness and having an excellent career.”
Navigating the Public Interest Job Market
Finding a job in public interest can be challenging. Hayes described returning after their first year of law school, feeling fulfilled by their summer work but facing uncertainty as they “didn’t have a summer job locked down for the next summer.”
Seeing peers who interned at firms secure future positions led Hayes to question their choices, but they eventually found it easier to stay on track as their understanding of the public interest pathway grew. “Using resources such as guest speakers and professors, and talking to people with similar interests and concerns, has been really, really helpful,” they said.
Lowery participated in on-campus interviews during school, receiving a firm job offer for her second year and the following summer. Despite the opportunity, she felt dissatisfied: “It wasn’t what I wanted to do.” She eventually decided to switch to an internship at the Tennessee Innocence Project.
Balancing Skills and Enjoyment
Lowery is currently a Staff Attorney at the Tennessee Innocence Project, doing post-conviction appellate work. “This is not everyday court trial work,” she explained. “What I love about my job is most of my day-to-day is me at my desk, writing briefs, researching cases, going through old case files, occasionally going to court and getting to really prepare for that court appearance.” Having the time to “really dig into a single case” is another highlight of her job.
Hayes advocated for doing all that you can to explore your interest areas and skills. They explained the importance of doing what you like, not just what you’re good at. “I think it’s great to have experiences and recognize, ‘maybe I’m good at this, but this isn’t something that I can see myself doing long term.’ There’s still value in trying.”
Perseverance Amidst the Pressure
Despite receiving some negative feedback from her family about being a public defender, Hayes emphasized the importance of keeping the goal of the work in mind: “Everyone should have an attorney, everyone has a right to a trial, and everyone has a right to go through this legal process—and I think that we need talented people who are actively going to stand up for people that may not necessarily be as popular in the public eye, because everyone deserves that chance.”
They attributed their ability to work through the negativity to the community they’ve found at law school: “I’ve been able to make friends who are interested in similar work, and I’ve been able to meet people who’ve had really great careers in that space.” They reiterated that although hearing pushback from their family is difficult, “it just emphasizes how important it is to make a community while you’re here that supports your interests and understands the validity of the work that you’re doing.”
Finding Pockets of Success in Law School & Public Interest
As a Staff Attorney at the Tennessee Innocence Project, Lowery works specifically with exonerations, which can take years. This “painfully slow and frustrating” process becomes more difficult because of the challenge of knowing her clients are innocent. She measures success with hard work: “Did I do everything that I could do for this person? If so, I have to accept what the court is going to do and just get back to fighting for that person.”
Hayes noted that the grading system is particularly difficult to adjust to, as each class boils down to a single final grade. “I think one of the things that I have to do, and I still have to be very intentional about doing, is reframing how I think about what I have learned and what I have gained from being in law school,” they said.
While they acknowledge that “it’s easy to feel like you have to compete,” especially when friends seem to excel academically, Hayes focuses on personal growth. They assess their progress by considering whether they understand issues better or manage their time more effectively compared to the previous semester. “The only person that I can really compete with is myself,” they said.
