Profile - Ryan Decker '09

Undergraduate School: Wake Forest University Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Who's your favorite professor?

Professor Calhoun is my favorite professor.  He was my small section professor (Contracts and Legal Writing) for the first semester of my first year.  His high expectations throughout the semester, both in preparation for class and in our written work, helped make me a better student and a much better writer (something that I especially appreciated during my summer clerkship).  But, I am not the only person that appreciated Professor Calhoun's teaching.  At the beginning of my second semester, my new small section professor went around the classroom asking each student what their favorite class was last semester – without fail, everyone who had been in Professor Calhoun's class with me (about 5-6 students) stated that contracts was their favorite.

What's your favorite thing about Lexington?

Lexington is a great place to go to law school.  Law school is demanding enough, so it is nice to not have the added headache of commuting and the other inconveniences that often go along with living in a large city.  I have the rest of my life to live in a city, but I probably will never again have the opportunity to live in such a unique small town.

Where did you work in the summers? How did W&L prepare you to meet the challenges of those practical experiences?

The summer after my first year, I worked at a large Baltimore firm (Miles & Stockbridge).  Right off the bat, I was expected to draft memoranda for partners.  While I worked, I could almost hear Professor Calhoun's booming voice instructing me to be concise and double check for grammatical errors.

Anything else you'd like to add?

The W&L environment is defined by its two greatest assets: its professors and its students.  By keeping class size small and their office doors open, professors constantly focus on their primary job – teaching (as opposed to research).  The small size of the student body and the prevalence of the Honor System create an atmosphere where the students are genuinely collegial.  The combination of dedicated professors and friendly students makes W&L a unique and enjoyable place to study law.