The diverse array of students who come to the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law each bring with them a unique set of skills, experiences, and talents that inform their legal studies.
Bridget Kelly, a student in the law school’s part-time evening program, is shifting careers while allowing her previous studies and work to inform her burgeoning legal career.
When Kelly, the daughter of an orthopedic surgeon father and medical office manager mother, graduated from Harvard, she already had interned in law offices. The problem was she had no vision for a legal career, and when it came time to apply for law school she “just wasn’t feeling it.”
Kelly had studied languages and linguistics as an undergrad, and decided to turn to that side of her interests. She got a degree in speech pathology and worked both in the United States and abroad.
After more than a decade working as a speech therapist, and running into various health care systems, her interest in law was rekindled.
Medical Legal Ethics
“Working as a speech pathologist you run into a lot of issues involving medical legal ethics,” Kelly said. “In speech pathology you deal with people with swallowing disorders and end-of-life issues. You get into things involving nutrition, hydration, and feeding tubes. Exploring those kinds of things, and the ethical and legal decision-making, rekindled my interest in law.”
Through the Boyd evening program, Kelly was able to retain her job as a speech pathologist and care for her two sons, while also attending law school. She has since obtained a position at Nutile Law, a firm that specializes in health care and business law.
“The evening program really appeals to a lot of people in the community,” Kelly said. “There is a good mix of students. Some young students need to work and go to school, or there are seasoned professionals who want another degree but aren’t ready to quit their day jobs cold turkey.”
Kelly, who is on track to graduate in fall 2016, is glad she waited for law school. “My life experiences really added to my law school experience, and will hopefully add to my law practice,” she said. “I think I wasn’t ready when I graduated from Harvard, and a law degree then would’ve been a waste. I wouldn’t have gotten as much out if it. Boyd has been great for me.”
