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Madison S

- Research Program Mentor

JD at Emory University

Expertise

biology, law, ethics, government policy, literary analysis, intersection of law and morality, legal writing, legal research, conflict resolution, religious freedom

Bio

I am a licensed attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, who is currently specializing in estate planning and adult guardianships. In law school, I pursued my interests in politics and corporate practice areas by taking on internships in the local government (Georgia House of Representatives) and with in-house counsel (CareSource; The Home Depot). Although I transitioned to law school, I loved studying biology in undergrad. I enjoyed all my biology classes (animal, plant etc), but I developed an interest in developmental and molecular biology. I also greatly appreciate the worldview and critical thinking skills I developed through majoring in STEM, and I believe those skills translated well to law. Additionally, I took several Great Books Courses in undergrad, and I spent many hours reading and analyzing classics, and then writing 14-20 page papers discussing such books. On a personal note, I absolutely love baking (macarons, cakes, tiramisu, marshmallows, pies... just to name a few). I also enjoy designing and creating polymer clay earrings. Sometimes, I am also an amateur photographer and have fun capturing special moments through my DSLR camera and disposable film cameras.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Communication of Complicated or Technical Topics

Reading and understanding a complicated/technical topic is one thing, but translating the idea into a coherent message for a target audience is an entirely different challenge. Whether you are trying to communicate the results of a scientific study as a public health announcement, or share the conclusion and practical implications of a recently published legal decision, there is great value in breaking down high level information into understandable elements. Through this project, we would work together to read technical papers in your area of interest, and then translate the content for certain audiences, which would culminate with a portfolio of various methods of communication (presentations, short legal memorandums, social media infographics, podcast episodes etc).

Legal Research Project

Legal research and reading legal papers/case law is a skill that is developed during a student's first year of law school and honed for the rest of his or her life as an attorney. Through this project, we would work together to select an interesting legal topic, and then you would write a legal Memorandum, which is one of the first projects assigned in law school. This project would give you insight into how to research legal cases as well as how to write, structure, and format a legal Memorandum (factual presentation of current case law to answer a question).

Research Paper on Public Policy/Law and Religion/Morality

Throughout history, religion/morality has both informed the law and public policy as well as clashed with it. Many questions that would garner interesting research papers stem from this reality. Whether on a philosophical or practical side, how should we reconcile the two, if at all? How does religion and public policy currently play out in various cultures or countries? What would be an ideal balance in a multi-cultural, multi-religious community, and why? Through this project, we would discuss the historical relationship between religion and public policy, the current relationship, and the potential options for the future. This project would culminate in a research paper.

Teaching experience

As an undergraduate, I tutored middle school and high school students in biology and algebra. As a resident advisor, I also mentored sophomores in college regarding academic course selection, planning for life after college, and future employment. As a law student, I was a teaching assistant for two semesters and held office hours for first year students who required additional assistance in the subject. For two years in law school, I also acted as a mentor for first year students, providing guidance on course selection, interviews, and acclimation to law school.

Credentials

Work experience

The Home Depot (2022 - 2022)
Extern
CareSource (2022 - 2022)
Intern
Georgia House of Representatives, Judiciary Committee (2021 - 2021)
Extern

Education

Pepperdine University
BS Bachelor of Science (2019)
Biology
Emory University
JD Juris Doctorate (2022)
Law

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