Student Spotlight: James Ward '09
It’s hard to believe that graduation is coming up so quickly—in fewer than six weeks, I’ll be done with law school and off to the real world. You spend so many years preparing for “real life” that, when it’s finally in sight, you almost don’t know how to meet it when it arrives.
I am very fortunate to have some outstanding opportunities after graduation, which will help me ease into that transition. Starting in September, I will be a law clerk to the Hon. J.L. Edmondson on the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Judge Edmondson sits in Atlanta, which is where I plan to practice, making this the ideal clerkship for me. My interests are in appellate litigation, so working at the Court of Appeals will be a kind of continuing education. After my clerkship, I’ll be an associate at King & Spalding’s Atlanta office, just a few miles up Peachtree Street from the Courthouse.
I have some non-professional plans as well, and my time at Notre Dame has brought them into focus. I’ve become a big believer in the Holy Cross vision of education, and I want to devote as much of my free time as possible to helping primary and secondary students in Atlanta. I had the chance to teach a high school civics course and work with a local high school through NDLS during my second year, and the experience was incredibly motivating. I’d like to keep that motivation and encourage my colleagues to participate in similar programs.
Notre Dame has been much more than a legal education—it has really shaped me as a person. The move to “real life” may be a big one, but I think my three years under the Dome have made me ready to take the first steps.
