My name is Kristen Wagner and I am a third-year law student
who will be graduating in May of 2015.
While I attended the University of Missouri-Columbia school of law, I
was involved in many of the different organizations the school has to
offer. I participated on the Board of
Advocates, as a candidate I was the assistant director for the negotiation
competition, and as a board member, I ran the Polsinelli Fall Moot Court. While serving on the Board of Advocates, I
was a member of the school’s arbitration team.
I also got involved around school by serving as the President of the
Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys student chapter. I was also the vice president of the
Alternative Dispute Resolution Organization, as well as, the vice justice for
Phi Alpha Delta, the law fraternity.
Some of the most valuable lessons I learned while attending
law school were those that I learned by participating in the organizations the
school has to offer. Some of the most
valuable experienced I gained throughout my time at law school was what I learned
while participating in the Missouri Law Review.
As an associate member my second year in law school, we were required to
write two papers, either a case note or a law summary. These assignments give you a chance to pick a
topic that interests you and to research it thoroughly. Learning how to do advanced legal research
helped me immensely throughout the internship I held the summer after my second
year. Writing these papers also gives
you experience in thinking critically and organizing different arguments in a
coherent, persuasive manner. These
skills have also proven to be very useful so far in my internships as I had to
assess the changes in law and explain policy behind such changes.
Not only did the Missouri Law Review prepare me to be a better
attorney, the Missouri Law Review also provided many opportunities that make
the law school experience more enjoyable overall. For instance, there was a welcome bar-b-q at
the beginning of the school year to welcome new members. The Law Review also puts together a team to
play together in the school’s softball tournament. This team plays against teams put together by
the other journals at the school. This
provides a chance to relax and bond with classmates. There are also fun activities on a week to
week basis, such as tasty treat Thursday, where a Law Review member can sign up
to bring snacks for the rest of the Law Review.
Although it may sound juvenile, it is the small interactions such as
these within the law school community that makes the law school experience an
enjoyable one. Overall, I am very
pleased I joined the Missouri Law Review and am thankful for the tools it has
provided me with as I move forward into the field of practicing law.
Next year, I will be working for a mid-sized litigation firm
in Kansas City, Missouri. I will be
practicing toxic torts, medical malpractice defense, and insurance
defense. Although I have a criminal
emphasis, I am very interested in these types of civil litigation and am
extremely excited for the opportunity.
One of the aspects of the job I am most excited about is the chance to
take depositions. The firm is adamant
about the fact that I will hit the ground running and will be taking
depositions in the first six months.
Although intimidating, I am very excited for the next chapter and am
thankful for my time spent at the University of Missouri-Columbia law school,
for I think that it has provided me with the knowledge and tools I need to
succeed in the field of law.
