Meet Haley Lawson ’27L Haley Lawson came to W&L Law for the rigorous education and to be pushed outside of her comfort zone.

Haley Lawson ’27L

Haley Lawson ‘27L was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended Northwestern University in Chicago for her undergraduate degree where she received a Bachelor of Science in communication studies and legal studies. Her love for the law really took off in 2020 when she received a professional development award for student-athletes at Northwestern. She used this award to travel to New York City for a week and meet with a variety of legal professionals in different career paths, ranging from large law firms like Sidley Austin and Gibson Dunn to the NBA and NFL.

After this trip, she knew she wanted to pursue work in the legal field. Prior to law school, Haley worked in downtown Chicago at Kirkland & Ellis as a Junior Paralegal in their litigation department. This is when she fell in love with going to court and witnessing oral arguments and witness examinations in front of a judge and a jury, so she applied to law school. Following her first year of law school, Haley went back to Atlanta to work at Miller & Martin in their Summer Associate program, and this upcoming summer, Haley will be headed to Washington, D.C., to work at Eversheds Sutherland. 

Why did you choose W&L Law?

The people. It is as simple as that!  I knew I wanted to attend a law school with a smaller class size and a smaller student-faculty ratio, and W&L Law met this criteria perfectly. The students, faculty, and staff want to see everyone not only excel, but also achieve any and all professional and personal goals one might have. Finally, with my student-athlete background, I am always looking for my next challenge in life, and I knew I wanted to go to a highly academic law school that would force me out of my comfort zone and push me to be the best possible student I can be. I can confidently say that W&L Law has met this expectation, and I look forward to the rest of my time here.

Share an experience, class, professor/staff member that has had an impact on your time as a law student.

Last semester, I took an experiential course focused on the discovery stage of a hypothetical case in state court. The entire course led up to three big depositions at the end of the semester where we had to depose our witness, the professor of the course. Prior to attending law school, I was able to sit in on and assist with a handful of depositions, but I have never handled a deposition on my own before! I was so excited for my first deposition, and it is safe to say that I was a bit too excited – I talked a million miles per hour and showed way too much enthusiasm for a deposition. After that deposition, my professor gave me some much-needed feedback, and he continued to come back to this feedback with every later deposition I did in the course. Professor Evans met with each student in the course every week to give us personalized feedback to help us grow and excel as future lawyers. The amount of time and commitment that our professor and all of the students dedicated to this class was truly incredible, and it reminded me yet again of what a wonderful, hardworking community the W&L community is.

Why did you choose to be a Law Ambassador—what are some responsibilities you have in this role?

As a Law Ambassador, I lead tours around the law school for prospective students and their families and interested professors, and I attend and help with the Admitted Students Day events here on campus. After my first visit and tour of the law school, I knew that I wanted to be a law student at W&L, and I chose to be a Law Ambassador to help others experience that same feeling. After going through the application process myself, I know how stressful and impersonal the process can feel, so I wanted to give prospective law students this personal touch. As a Law Ambassador, I have the privilege to interact with prospective students and show them how the W&L community is exactly what it portrays itself to be. The W&L community is an intentional, committed group of individuals who support each other and encourage each other to excel both professionally and personally.

What do you enjoy about working with the Admissions Office and meeting prospective law students?

When I work with the Admissions Office, I am blown away by how thoughtful and passionate everyone is! Every individual in the Admissions Office, including the Law Ambassadors, always show up to every event with endless energy and excitement for W&L and our wonderful community. Additionally, everyone is incredibly thoughtful about connecting prospective students and faculty members with others in the community who share similar interests, allowing for authentic relationships to be built on day one.

Anything you are looking forward to this spring semester?

This spring semester, I am looking forward to competing in the various W&L Law Moot Court competitions. I had a wonderful time competing in the Robert J. Grey, Jr. Negotiations Competition last semester. My partner and I not only enjoyed every round, but we learned so much from the students who put on the competition. I am also looking forward to the Phi Alpha Delta Auction this upcoming March! Being on the WLSO (Women Law Student Organization) executive board, I have the wonderful opportunity to work with WLSO members and downtown Lexington to help put together a silent auction at this event to help raise money for our WLSO scholarship fund to support law students over the summer in public interest jobs.