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Carolyn Spradley: Managing Director of Student Public Interest Initiative at Texas Tech University School of Law, Lubbock, TX
[By Kenneth Davis] Carolyn Spradley, a third year student at Texas Tech University School of Law, decided to study law while she was employed as a caseworker for the Child Protective Services office in her hometown of Tyler, Texas. She started working for Child Protective Services after she graduated from Texas Tech University in 2002 with a degree in public relations. Spradley said that law school had been in the back of her mind for awhile, but working for Child Protective Services solidified her decision to pursue a law degree.as an attorney to help law students find jobs.
It was great! she said. It was just so fun to see the professors up there. Spradley said that it is SPIIs goal to expand the fundraiser and encourage more local bar involvement. She pointed out that the Lubbock County Young Lawyers Association She added that every spring the organization Spradley started at Texas Tech University School of Law in the fall of 2004 and got involved in Student Public Interest Initiative (SPII) during the second semester of her first year. She said the organization needed to fill the position of fundraising director because somebody had recently left the organization. Spradley applied for the position and, to her surprise, got it. Its typically a second and third year board, she said. But they had a position open and let me come on as a second semester law student. Spradley said she joined SPII because she wanted to become more involved in the law school and wanted to see more tangible returns for her time and effort. Last spring, she was chosen to be SPIIs managing director. She said that she was chosen for the position because she had been with the organization the longest. Spradley talked a little about the organization: We raise money all year long and then turn around and give that money back, in the The auction items that we use are mainly professor-donated items, she said. The entire SPII board solicits auction items from local businesses and professors. Professors donate dinners, brunches, golf games, and barbecues. Several professors got together to donate a bowling party. She said that the professor-donated items are designed to enhance the student/faculty relationship outside of the classroom. Spradley added that the organization also auctions student-produced items. One year, a girlfriend, who is an artist, sold her paintings at the fundraisers silent auction. At last years fundraiser, several law professors put together a reggae band and performed for those in attendance.
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I would go to court for some of my cases, she said. And I enjoyed that aspect of it, more so than the counseling. People who do social work might go back to school for a Masters in Counseling or a Masters in Social Work. But I really wanted to go in another direction.

form of grants, to Tech law students who are doing public interest summer work, she said. We also do educational programs at the law school, so students can learn more about public interest law and what job opportunities there are in it.

was the main sponsor for the organizations 2006 talent show/auction. She and the other board members also go to local businesses for donations. For instance, one year, a hotel in Amarillo donated its bed and breakfast for the auction. In the last five years, the organization has given out more than $20,000 in grants, according to Spradley. Shed like to see more law students become involved in public interest law. I would definitely like to see the numbers grow, she said. We had our first meeting of the year yesterday? and we had the best turnout Ive seen yet. I am hopeful that we will raise more money than ever for summer grants. It seems that interest in our group is somewhat cyclical, and this incoming class seems more interested than last years class. Although she works to get more students involved in public interest law, Spradley has decided to go into corporate law. She said the decision came about when she was holding a summer clerkship in law firm Thompson & Knights Dallas office.

has a talent show and auction, and all the money from the fundraiser goes to the students who apply for summer grants. As Managing Director of SPII, some of Spradleys duties include keeping the board organized, securing a monthly speaker for SPIIs monthly meetings, and assisting with the annual fundraiser. She added that she helps solicit auction items for the fundraiser.

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I worked in their corporate section this summer and enjoyed it, even though its something Id never done before, she said. And so when I was offered a position, I readily accepted. She added that the environment at Thompson & Knight played a big part in helping her make the decision. The associates and partners were very friendly, and its a great work atmosphere, she said. Before the summer clerkship, Spradley was seriously considering a career in public interest law. However, she was quick to point out that shes not abandoning public interest work altogether just because shes going into corporate law. She said she plans to do plenty of pro bono work. I dont want it to sound like Im not an advocate for public interest, but thats not for me, she said. There are so many ways that lawyers can help their clients and their communities.

She was starting her own nonprofit organization from the ground up, Spradley said. She had gone to law school in her 40s after working in childrens services for years. She graduated law school with this goal to represent children? who were abused and neglected. She was a great influence because she has a very strong personality and is very assertive; it took a lot of initiative to do what she is doing.

Spradley graduates on May 2, 2007 and will begin her legal career at Thompson & Knight in September of that year. She said she will be the first lawyer in her family. Her parents are both college graduates; her mother is a school teacher, and her father is a truck driver. Theyre very proud of me, she said. Spradley said her parents instilled in her the

Spradley said her favorite courses include her wills and trusts class and her banking law class. One of the things she likes about the banking law class is its practical application. She said her banking law professor, Ann Graham, makes the course more enjoyable. I can tell that the professor I have in this class really enjoys teaching the subject, Spradley said. The first day of class she said, This is my favorite subject to teach, and that really shows through. She shared similar sentiments about her wills and trusts professor, Gerry Beyer: He was very enthusiastic about everything,

value of always helping others. I think they are very down-to-earth people, she said. I learned from them that you always need to appreciate what you have? and try to help someone else in whatever way you can. Spradley has two younger sisters who are both college graduates. One is a graduate of the University of Texas, San Antonio, and is in the hotel service business; the other recently graduated from Texas State University with a degree in psychology. In her free time, Spradley enjoys foreign films, learning foreign languages, volunteering, and traveling. In addition, she likes to go dancing and has taken Salsa and Swing lessons.

Spradley said that what she enjoys most about the study of law is the challenge it presents. Its challenging because I will never know everything about the law, she said. There is no way I possibly could. I went to law school so I would have a job, a career, where I would constantly be learning new things. I dont want to settle. She said the person who influenced her the most as a law student was attorney Barbara Stalder, who developed her own nonprofit organization called Childrens Legal Services of Houston. Spradley met Stalder while she was working for her as a summer intern in 2005.

even at eight in the morning. One of Spradleys favorite law school memories involves the first SPII talent show and auction she attended; she and five other Texas Tech law students bid on a brunch with one of the law schools deans, Torts Professor Rick Rosen. He and his wife hosted us in the spring of our first year, she said. We were actually outbid at the auction by a group of professors, but after the auction was over, Dean Rosen invited us to our own brunch. We spent at least three hours at his house having a wonderful meal, talking, and telling stories. They were so friendly; it was really a great experience.

ON THE NET Texas Tech University School of Law www.law.ttu.edu Thompson & Knight www.tklaw.com Childrens Legal Services of Houston www.childrenslegalservices.org

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