One hundred seven new students officially began their journey to becoming attorneys as the Nashville School of Law Class of 2030 gathered for a two-day orientation on July 22 and 23.
For many students, orientation was more than just the first day of law school — it was the realization of a dream years in the making.
Ryan Matthews, a professor of strategic management at Tennessee Tech University, was the very first student to arrive. Even though he first took the LSAT nearly 30 years ago, life repeatedly delayed his plans to attend law school.
“This is something I have wanted to do since my early 20s,” Matthews said. “Now I am an empty nester, and this is going to happen. I am at the university on Mondays and Wednesdays, so it fits my life now.”
Matthews, who teaches strategic management, entrepreneurship, and international management, said he learned about NSL through one of his former students, Jenna Matthews ’28 who coincidentally was also the first to arrive at orientation.
Matthews’ academic background has prepared him for the challenges ahead, though he admits legal writing will push him outside his comfort zone.
“Numbers are my thing,” Matthews said. “I can sit across from anyone and move numbers, but words — that is not my strength. Academic writing is no problem, but legal writing — that’s going to take some time.”
With degrees in finance and a doctorate already behind him, Matthews said earning a J.D. degree is about fulfilling a lifelong goal.
“It’s more personal satisfaction,” he said. “I just want to submerge myself into the whole thing and figure it out from there.”
While Matthews’ journey has been decades in the making, four classmates from Cookeville are beginning theirs together.
Before orientation even began, Carlee Bumbalough, Kat Isom, Ali Cochran, and Linsey Tompkins connected through social media.
“I looked up NSL on Facebook and some of their parents posted congratulatory messages and pictures and we connected that way,” said Kat Isom about meeting her new friends. “We are all in Cookeville, so we went to dinner together about a month ago before orientation. And we have texted and talked about law school since then.”
The four ladies quickly became friends, and now they’ll be sharing more than words of encouragement. They’ll also be sharing the drive, taking turns during their hour-and-15-minute commute to Nashville.
“We actually did the math,” Linsey Tompkins said. “By the end of our four years here, we’ll put 16,000 miles each on our cars, and that includes the summer sessions.”
During orientation, students learned about ethics in the legal profession from members of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). They participated in their first legal writing lesson, and they heard practical advice from alumni, faculty members, and current students about how to succeed in law school.
They also met representatives from each of the school’s seven student organizations, giving them an opportunity to begin building relationships and finding ways to get involved beyond the classroom.
Carlee Bumbalough is excited to begin law school and appreciates that NSL makes it possible for working adults to earn a law degree.
“I can still work and go to law school and come out debt free so that was very important to me,” she said.
The two-day event gave our 1Ls their first taste of what law school is all about from the academic expectations to the supportive community that makes NSL so unique.
“Here, every conversation has been we know you are human; we know things come up, contact us if you need us, and that is daylight and dark compared to another friend’s experience who attended a different law school in Tennessee,” said Ali Cochran.
The NSL Class of 2030 left orientation with more than class schedules.
“Orientation made me feel more connected to the NSL community,” Kat Isom said. “Just knowing we have resources to succeed here at NSL gave me a lot of comfort.”
Students formed new friendships, received valuable advice, made professional connections, and now understand that they are joining a community committed to helping them succeed throughout the next four years.
