Jourdan Wallace had an ambitious plan for her future. She would join the U.S. Air Force right out of high school. Then she would use the benefits to attend a four-year college, get into law school and eventually join the FBI.
She decided instead to commit to Morgan State University, having received full athletic and academic scholarships. When she declared sociology as a major, she unknowingly committed to a future that would include The University of Baltimore School of Law and a path to estate planning and family law.
Today, Jourdan is a third-year law student at UBalt. She’s working part-time with the athletic compliance office at her alma mater and as a research assistant at UBalt Law and serving as a student attorney in UBalt's Mediation Clinic for Families, all while managing courses and extracurricular activities.
“Everything happens the way it’s supposed to. I’m really, really glad and grateful for the path that I’ve taken,” Jourdan said.
The COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst that changed everything for Jourdan. She had always envisioned law school as part of her plan, but being sent home helped her redefine her ‘why’—the reason she was pursuing a law degree.
At home, in quarantine, she spent a lot of time with her mom. Together, they followed what was happening in the world, figuring out how to grasp it. Jourdan hated watching people in power pass off responsibility rather than taking action.
“Allowing the devastation of those long months to be chalked up to ‘it is what it is’ was a bailout by those that would rather shirk the responsibility of ‘public service’ than fight alongside the people. I knew quickly this was not something I believed in nor could I strive to be a part of this perpetuating problem because there is so much more that could be done,” she said.
It all made Jourdan wonder how she could make an impact. She decided she would start with helping her family and others situate their estate plans.
“I have a pretty big family, and I just want to make sure that as people are getting up in age, buying property, having kids, they have things in place,” she said.
Real experience opens new doors
When Jourdan finished her first year at UBalt Law, she earned an opportunity to work for Senior Legal Services at the Baltimore City Circuit Court. This affiliate of the Baltimore Bar Association of Baltimore City provides older adults with free estate planning assistance.
“The looks of relief on their faces when their estate plan was taken care of, you can see the weight lift off them,” she said.
When her time with Senior Legal Services ended, she decided to stay on the city’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service to continue to help connect callers with the support they need.
Additionally, Jourdan was able to join the Mediation Clinic for Families, which she called the best part of her third year of law school.
“The clinic allows me to assist real people in making decisions that will impact their lives and those of their children. Since I am progressing toward a career that will include mediation, estate planning and family law, participating in the fall, and continuing clinic in the spring, affords me the opportunity to foster relationships with the courts and practice pertinent skills crucial to my success in these areas,” Jourdan said.
All her experiences confirmed that Jourdan was going to enjoy her Mediation Skills course, which she took in her second year. She said she appreciated the time spent on how to handle tense situations and the way her professor reacted to questions and situations as if they were happening in a real mediation. She pointed to her first mediation in clinic nearly ending early with no agreement, but because she knew she could trust her ability, she and her co-mediator were able to help get the clients to some agreement.
“Being able to impact lives outside of the courtroom, and without too much judge intervention, has given me confidence as a future legal professional and constantly reminds me I am laying the foundation for the life I want to live,” Jourdan said. “When done properly, an estate plan should not have to involve the courts beyond a certain extent but, like mediation, people are typically not acting as the best versions of themselves. My time in the clinic will always serve as a reminder to help others keep in perspective what is important, which is what they feel is best for themselves and their family.”
Finding her community
A longtime athlete and general sports fan, Jourdan has a plan to eventually bring her law skills back to the world of sports. She would like to work her way toward sports agency once she’s established herself in her law career and taken care of her family’s estate.
Jourdan is thankful to many of her professors at UBalt Law who have helped her cement her choices to go to law school and pursue her passions.
She’s also grateful to several undergraduate professors and the department chair from her major who determined Jourdan could be a Fannie Angelos Scholar.
The Fannie Angelos Program for Academic Excellence is a collaboration between UBalt Law and Maryland’s HBCUs that grants a pathway for students toward the law profession through scholarships based on merit.
Jourdan had an opportunity to speak to the next class of scholars and initially struggled with what to tell them. How do you summarize everything the program and UBalt’s law school has meant when it’s meant more than she imagined?
Considering her professors, her mentors and her peers, Jourdan said, “This is a family. If you have no support system, it’s like you’re being given one.”
“No matter what field you’re coming from, K-J.D., you took a couple years off, or if you spent 10 or 20 years in the workforce, you will find your tribe here,” she continued. “Even if that network starts as just one other person, you will have the support that you need. It’s not hard to find someone that you relate to, because this is a place where you are encouraged and supported to be the best you.”