Three Bowen Law Students to Graduate, Work as Public Defenders in Colorado
Caleb Scott, Rylee Sullivan, and Keeli Wallace may not have always had their sights set on law school, but their shared passion for helping others through public service, and in one case, sheer fate, brought all three to the William H. Bowen School of Law.
“I was really torn between getting a master’s degree in social work or coming to law school,” says Sullivan, a native of Washington and a graduate of Washington State University. “I decided to flip a coin one day, and it landed on law school. Three years later, here I am graduating with a job in place.”
Wallace, who has an undergraduate degree in neuroscience, originally planned to attend medical school, but after an extensive period of interning at a halfway house, she realized that she felt more connected to the work in the legal field and made the decision to come to law school.
Similarly, Scott, a native of Russellville and a graduate of Arkansas Tech University, enrolled after working as a loan officer at a local credit union and realizing he needed a law degree to effectively help members.
“I worked as a licensed loan officer in the private financial industry after undergrad,” Scott says. “What I realized a lot with our members is that their problems could be fixed, but you had to have a law degree to fix them. So, I came to law school so that I could get a degree that would allow me to help people in a tangible way.”
This week, they are all expected to graduate with Juris Doctorate degrees. And though the road to law school was different for each of them, the start of their careers as attorneys will have the same starting point — the Office of the State Public Defender in Colorado — a very competitive program attracting graduates from all over the country, some even hailing from top law schools.
So what sets Bowen’s students apart, you wonder? We asked, and all of their answers all had a common theme: the practice-ready, skills-based learning experience they received.
“Bowen is unique in that it is a law school that allows its students to work,” said Wallace. “Rule XV of the Arkansas Rules Governing Admission to the Bar provides students with the opportunity to become limitedly licensed to practice law under a supervised attorney, and Bowen really takes advantage of that and allows its students to do the work they want to do as soon as they are eligible. It’s because of this that I, and my classmates, are in the advantageous positions we are in today.”
“I agree,” Sullivan chimed in. “I don’t think I would be in this position without the experiences I’ve had as a rule XV, specifically with the public defenders’ office, as well as an externship with the federal public defender’s office.”
Scott lauded Bowen as a school that hits above par, noting a valuable lesson he learned early on.
“When I was a 1L, Dean [Emerita] Beiner taught me it’s not the rank of the law school you go to, it’s about the quality of what the law school is giving you,” Scott said. “I could sing Bowen’s praises for days. Bowen is one of those places where if you go in with the drive to change the world, Bowen has the tools and resources to help you do that.”
Scott, Sullivan, and Wallace will graduate as part of Bowen’s Spring 2024 graduating class. After graduation, the three will prepare to sit for the bar exam before joining the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender.
