Alumni share insights on legal careers with Furman students during pre-law networking event

Everyone who goes to law school takes a different path there. That’s why Furman University’s Pre-Law Society sponsors an annual For the Love of Law event connecting students in law with alumni and area attorneys. 

This year’s speed-networking event happened Feb. 25, in the Trone Student Center’s Watkins room, with students asking 10 area attorneys from a variety of practice areas about how they chose a law school, how they picked their focus, what their typical day looks like or what advice they’d share with a young aspiring attorney. 

“It is incredibly important for students not only to strengthen their mentor network and networking skills but also to discover that everyone’s passion for law and path to law is different,” said Maya Russell, pre-law advisor with Furman’s Office of Pre-Professional Advising (OPPA), which organized the event.

Furman alumni and area attorneys shared their career insights with students Feb. 25 during a networking event sponsored by the Pre-Law Society. Photo by Owen Withycombe, Furman University.

Economics major Bella Bilott ’26 said the speed-networking format taught her to get to the point quickly and prioritize her most important questions. Making a good first impression is key in any career, and “it’s a skill that can always be further improved, especially by participating in these types of events,” she said. 

 The Furman Advantage serves as an ideal foundation to excel at law school, Russell said, and the university’s extensive mentor network of alumni who are attorneys bolsters that education. Several of the firms that attended the event hire summer interns and are eager to work with Furman’s prospective law students. 

“Engagement with the legal profession prior to law school can be highly beneficial in helping students confirm that law school is the right next step for them,” Russell said. 

Boland Grayson ’25 is president of the Pre-Law Society and wanted insight from the participating lawyers about how they chose their law schools. Each attorney the politics and international affairs major spoke with had a different experience studying law, and they encouraged him to forge his own path by pursuing the topics that most interest him. 

Matt Torres ’25, a philosophy major, speaks with visiting attorney Henry Parr ’73 during a pre-law speed networking event Feb. 25 in the Trone Student Center’s Watkins room. Photo by Owen Withycombe, Furman University.

Christy Litz ’20 is now an attorney at Greenville-based law firm Parker Poe. She plunged straight into law school after earning her bachelor’s degree in biology at Furman. Her undergraduate internship with Greenville’s Medical Legal Partnership helped inspire her to pursue her law degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law.  

Phillip Martin ’09 took some time before deciding law school was right for him. After graduating from Furman with a degree in Asian Studies he went on to teach English in Japan for a year before returning to the United States. He then worked for an industrial construction company for years before deciding to pursue his law degree at the University of South Carolina’s law school. Now he’s an attorney at Greenville firm Merline & Meacham. 

“You don’t have to do it right away. If you’re not sure, don’t be afraid to go out and get a job, whether it’s in law or some other field you’re interested in,” Martin said.  “That experience can only help you in law school.”