Profile - Noah Lauricella '09

Undergraduate School: Denison University  Hometown: Dwight, Illinois I began working in the Black Lung Legal Clinic this past summer and currently continue that work. The Clinic has been a magnificent opportunity to assist coal miners and their survivors in their pursuit of federal black lung benefits. This program allows me to evaluate claims, develop evidence, conduct discovery, depose witnesses, conduct hearings, and write motions, arguments, and appellate briefs. Such opportunities are ones that I otherwise wouldn't experience until working outside of W&L, and the chance to perform such tasks under the outstanding guidance of W&L professors is truly invaluable.

Describe your reasons for attending law school, with a particular focus on what drew you to Washington and Lee.

I originally decided to attend law school in order to obtain a degree allowing me to pursue a wide variety of opportunities.

After graduating from Denison, I managed the Second Chance transitional housing program where I assisted homeless, substance-addicted clients in maintaining sobriety, securing employment, and obtaining permanent housing. I witnessed many of my clients in Columbus be unable to move forward within the Second Chance program on account of legal problems and hoped to alleviate that problem for others upon receiving my J.D.

Describe your favorite class or classroom experience.

I truly enjoy all the classroom experiences in which numerous members of the class engage one another and the professor regarding a particular case or issue. During such debates, differing viewpoints truly take shape and the details of the law become clearer and more pronounced.

What student organizations are you involved with?

I am involved with Phi Alpha Delta, the Sports and Entertainment Law Society, and the Health Law Association.  My Health Law Association membership has been particularly meaningful, since it has allowed me to pick the brains of peers with similar interests to my own. Membership in this organization has also allowed me to speak with and listen to people who have made careers within the health law field and gain crucial knowledge of the steps needed to succeed within that area of the legal profession.

How did W&L prepare you for the work-related experiences you've had during your time in law school?

My first year at W&L certainly prepared me well for my summer in the Black Lung Legal Clinic. While the nuances of federal black lung benefits cases certainly hadn't been done in my 1L classes, the research, writing, and analytical skills necessary to succeed in the Clinic had more than adequately been taught to me throughout my 1L year.