Shannon Beutel

Graduating Year: 2009

Hometown: Rural Michigan

Undergraduate School & Previous Work Experience: B.S. in Biophysics from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Laboratory research in Germany and Ann Arbor; Healthcare worker for patients with chronic renal failure at Fresenius.

Areas of Interest: Transactional Law and pro-bono lawyering.

Extracurricular Activities: Biking everywhere and extensive community organizing

Just for Fun: I love the Portland fashion scene, cutting-edge yet local; the small-shop designers and shows around here are priceless.

Why I decided to go to Law School: Involvement in law comes with the opportunity to change the world around us. I find law empowering.

Why I pick Lewis & Clark: I chose Lewis & Clark for its location and the quality of its faculty.

What I like about Lewis & Clark Law School: Learning in a supportive community makes us all better lawyers. We as students work extremely hard, and our community allows us to achieve greater goals than we would if we were in competition.

Why I am focusing on Business Law: Business makes the world go round! Business is a powerful community, and has the power to influence the community around itself. This influence often goes unrecognized by both for-profit and non-profit businesses. It's fascinating to me.

My favorite experience so far: Ellen from Career Services brings in lawyers from the community to speak about their fields of law. These lunchtime sessions are invaluable for the insights students get and the contacts students make.

Advice for new students: Get involved! Find a community of people you enjoy working with -- that's the field of law for you.