From the classroom to the courtroom, gain the clarity, context, and conviction to lead a life of impact. After spending two years leading classrooms, many Teach For America alumni decide to continue their commitment to their students and communities by pursuing careers in law.
From public interest lawyers and in-house counsel to civil rights attorneys and law clerks at the highest courts, Teach For America alumni use the skills and experiences they honed in the classroom to confront our country's most pressing social issues in the legal arena. Teach For America alumni in the legal profession often say the leadership experience they gained in the classroom helped them stand out at some of the nation's top law schools—and fueled their commitment to continue working to change inequitable systems as lawyers and advocates.
Make an impact and build new skill sets that will pave the way for a meaningful legal career.
“Standing up in front of a classroom is one of the hardest things I’ll ever do. Teach for America has provided me with the skills necessary to be a litigator. ”
Meet Teach For America Alumni Who Are Legal Professionals
These are just a few of the many TFA alumni who've pursued careers in law after teaching in the corps:
Matthew Aiken
St. Louis '10
Judicial Law Clerk
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
As a judicial law clerk for the Fifth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Matthew Aiken deals with major legal issues on a daily basis. Despite the weight of this responsibility, he credits his ability to embrace the challenge to his time teaching 9th grade math as a corps member.
Laura Komarek
Greater New Orleans '11
Attorney
Alston & Bird LLP
Teaching middle school special education enabled Laura Komarek to be an advocate for students in her law career. Learn how her time as a Teach For America corps member transformed her perspective.
Tom McSorley
Washington '06
Counsel
SpaceX
Tom says he seized on the opportunity to become a corps member after graduating from Harvard to expand his horizons and challenge himself. Now serving as Counsel for SpaceX, he builds on the resilience he learned in the corps.
Rupa Ramadurai
Miami-Dade '09
Assistant General Counsel
Illinois State Board Of Education
In Rupa Ramadurai's role as Assistant General Counsel at the Illinois State Board of Education, her dedication to commit herself to a work that intersects education, law, and policy began teaching high school students as a corps member.
Law School Partners
Teach For America partners with law schools, as well as other graduate school and professional programs, to offer special benefits to our alumni. Learn more about these partnerships—and see the list of law school partners.