var googletag = googletag || {}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(); });
device = device.default;
//this function refreshes [adhesion] ad slot every 60 second and makes prebid bid on it every 60 seconds // Set timer to refresh slot every 60 seconds function setIntervalMobile() { if (!device.mobile()) return if (adhesion) setInterval(function(){ googletag.pubads().refresh([adhesion]); }, 60000); } if(device.desktop()) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { leaderboard_top = googletag.defineSlot('/22018898626/LC_Article_detail_page', [728, 90], 'div-gpt-ad-1591620860846-0').setTargeting('pos', ['1']).setTargeting('div_id', ['leaderboard_top']).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); }); } else if(device.tablet()) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { leaderboard_top = googletag.defineSlot('/22018898626/LC_Article_detail_page', [320, 50], 'div-gpt-ad-1591620860846-0').setTargeting('pos', ['1']).setTargeting('div_id', ['leaderboard_top']).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); }); } else if(device.mobile()) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { leaderboard_top = googletag.defineSlot('/22018898626/LC_Article_detail_page', [320, 50], 'div-gpt-ad-1591620860846-0').setTargeting('pos', ['1']).setTargeting('div_id', ['leaderboard_top']).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); }); } googletag.cmd.push(function() { // Enable lazy loading with... googletag.pubads().enableLazyLoad({ // Fetch slots within 5 viewports. // fetchMarginPercent: 500, fetchMarginPercent: 100, // Render slots within 2 viewports. // renderMarginPercent: 200, renderMarginPercent: 100, // Double the above values on mobile, where viewports are smaller // and users tend to scroll faster. mobileScaling: 2.0 }); });
Download App | FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
 Upload Your Resume   Employers / Post Jobs 

Becoming a Lawyer, Farmer, and Policymaker: Drake Law School Student's Unique Journey to Graduatio

published April 16, 2023

Published By
( 11 votes, average: 4.9 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.
Summary

Roberto A. Lopez, a third-year law student at Drake Law School in Des Moines, Iowa, has an impressive resume. He is an advocate for social and economic justice, a policymaker for the Latino community, and an agricultural lawyer. He is also an innovator in the field of entrepreneurship.


Lopez graduated from St. Louis University with a Bachelor's degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Administration. He was drawn to Drake Law School because of its emphasis on practical skills and public service. Lopez is one of eight participants in the Policy Law Leadership Program, which combines the skills of a lawyer, policymaker, and strategic thinker to develop effective public policies.

Lopez has kept busy while he pursues his law degree. He works as the Associate Director of the Latino Community Development Agency in Des Moines, where he focuses on creating economic opportunities for immigrants and refugees. He has also served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Iowa Latino Affairs Commission.

Lopez has an interest in food law and agricultural policy. As an intern at the Advocates for Family Farmers, he researched the legal ramifications of factory farms in Iowa and the Midwest. During his time as a Legislative Analyst at the Iowa Statehouse, he worked with legislatures to develop and pass laws to protect public health and the environment.

Lopez has also been active in the field of entrepreneurship. Through his work as the Coordinator for the Phoenix Institute of Technology, he has helped to create a network of educational opportunities for underrepresented youth to pursue careers in the tech sector.

Lopez graduated summa cum laude from Drake Law in May 2021 and looks forward to his future. He plans to use the skills and experiences he has gained over the last three years to become a leader in the areas of food law and agricultural policy. As a lawyer, policymaker, and entrepreneur, he is uniquely poised to tackle the pressing social and economic issues of our time.

Roberto A. Lopez, recent Drake Law graduate, has a combination of skills that make him an advocate for social and economic justice, a policymaker for the Latino community, a strategic thinker, and an innovator in the field of entrepreneurship. Lopez holds a Bachelor's degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Administration from St. Louis University and was a participant in the Policy Law Leadership Program at Drake Law School. During his law school career, he served as the Associate Director of the Latino Community Development Agency in Des Moines, the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Iowa Latino Affairs Commission, and a Legislative Analyst at the Iowa Statehouse. He also interned at the Advocates for Family Farmers and was Coordinator of the Phoenix Institute of Technology. Lopez has an interest in food law and agricultural policy and plans to use his skills and experiences to become a leader in those areas. With a unique set of qualifications and experiences, Lopez is well-suited to tackle the pressing social and economic issues of our time.
 

Drake Law Student: Preparing for Post-Grad Life

William Chapman is a Drake Law student who is well-prepared for his post-graduation life as a farmer, lawyer, and policymaker. After graduating from high school in small-town Iowa, Chapman attended the University of Iowa, where he double majored in agribusiness and agricultural studies. After college, Chapman furthered his studies at Drake Law School, where he is now a third-year student.
 

William Chapman's Unique Path

William Chapman has made strides to pursue a career that combines his interest in farming and agricultural studies with his legal education. He has taken particular interest in agricultural law, which is becoming a niche field as the agricultural industry continues to evolve. Additionally, Chapman is preparing to pursue a career in policymaking and public policy analysis.
 

Chapman's Experience at Drake Law School

At Drake Law School, Chapman has made the most of his education by joining several organizations and participating in moot court competitions. Additionally, he has worked part-time at the University of Iowa's Animal Care and Use Committee, which evaluates protocols for animal research. His work with the committee has further piqued his interests in policymaking and public policy analysis, which he plans to pursue upon graduation.
 

William Chapman's Post-Graduation Plans

After earning his Juris Doctor, William Chapman plans to combine his knowledge of farming and agriculture with his skills as a lawyer and policymaker. He intends to pursue a career that involves representing agricultural producers, lobbying for agricultural reform, and participating in public policy initiatives. Additionally, Chapman plans to continue farming on the side in order to stay connected to his agricultural roots.

Drake Law is the only law school in the country to offer a certificate in agricultural law for J.D. graduates (University of Arkansas Law School offers a specialized LL.M. in Agricultural Law). Plus, Drake's Agricultural Law Center offers a wide variety of programs and opportunities for students, scholars, farmers, and policymakers to explore the intersections among agriculture, food, and all areas of law.

Click Here to Find Law Student Jobs on LawCrossing

Bill Even is not a typical law student. He is older than many of his classmates and is adding a law degree to an established career. This, in itself, is not that unusual. The more unusual facts are that Even's established career is farming and his first professional step out of law school will be to return to his home state of South Dakota to head up a new state agency.

All of this started when Even was farming with his father in South Dakota, and they brought his younger brother into the operation. The farm still produces corn, soybeans, and alfalfa hay. There is a cow-and-calf operation and a farm-equipment-repair business that they started when Even's brother came on board. As the business was expanding, the family considered either renting out more land to cultivate or investing in more farm equipment.

Rather than do that, Even says, it was decided that he "would invest in myself," and he went to college. There, his interest in law was sparked, says Even, "and that led to law school." He was drawn to Drake Law because of its agricultural law program.

Even will be one of six law students to receive the certificate of specialization in agricultural law from Drake Law this spring. Drake's agricultural law certificate requires students to take a set of core courses, such as Introduction to Agricultural Law and Environmental Regulation of Agriculture, and then choose elective courses that cover their specific areas of interest.

The center's Director, Professor Neil Hamilton, takes a policy approach to agricultural issues and applies the basics of core legal subjects to agriculture, says Even. Hamilton's—and the program's—strength is looking at "the intersection of law and policy," says Even, which is also where Even's interests lie.

In a course on state and local government regulation of agriculture, for example, Hamilton and his students explored the "right to farm" concept, says Even. If a farm's owners want to expand from having 400 cattle to 1,200 cattle and they want to put in a new feed lot to accommodate the expansion, then there will be a high impact on the farm's neighbors, as well as on the local environment.

Click Here to Find Summer Associate Jobs on LawCrossing

Controlling expansion, while still letting farmers grow, is a major "right to farm" issue. It could be dealt with on the state level in the legislature, on the county level in the issuance of permits, or it could be left to the courts. There is "a lot of litigation over these types of issues in Midwestern states," says Even.

Other big issues in agricultural law currently include the industrialization of agriculture, which pits smaller operations against mega-farms, with "arguments on both sides" for the benefits of each, says Even. Like the national Wal-Mart debate, there is a lot of litigation on this topic. Some large farms are getting larger, but there has also been a growing trend in "lifestyle farms," with farmers working for enjoyment, not as a source of primary income.

Traditional framing practices are also clashing with intellectual property concepts as genetically modified plants are becoming more common. The kicker is that plants, unlike most patentable inventions, can reproduce themselves, and farmers traditionally save seed from crops and replant it or sell it. This is where things get "sticky," says Even, because the law says that the farmer does not really own that seed.

Then there are agricultural issues with food and trade, which are huge components of international business and health concerns alike. Fewer than two percent of Americans are farmers, notes Even, but we all eat. Food is everyone's connection to farming, and safety and labeling are both domestic and international issues.

International trade law contains a vast universe of agricultural legal issues, from the framer to the consumer. Food safety is a major area of trade contention between the United States and the European Union, Japan, and Canada, especially when it comes to beef.

For the farmer, Even points to himself as an example: he watches the weather in Brazil as much as he watches the weather in South Dakota because South American crop production impacts the market for his crops. "Agriculture has truly become globalized," he says.

As for his first job out of law school, Even will stay local and return to South Dakota as the new Director of State Energy Policy. In that part of the country, farms and farmers are tightly linked to energy production, says Even, with production of ethanol (made from corn) and biodiesel and using farmlands for wind farms.

Even went to talk with South Dakota's state secretary of agriculture in the summer after his second year to find out what opportunities were available in state government. Eventually, a staffer from the governor's office called Even, saying that the state needed to address its energy-producing potential—but had no department as yet—and asking if he would be interested. Seeing a unique opportunity, Even took the

Click Here to View the 2015 LawCrossing Salary Survey of Lawyer Salaries in the Best Law Firms

published April 16, 2023

( 11 votes, average: 4.9 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.