Austin D. Stelter

I went to law school because I wanted to be able to help people, and one of the few ways that I know how to help people is to advocate for them. Everyone should be treated with respect and dignity especially when it comes to their employment because employees spend so much of their time at work. Employment law provides a unique, personal, and meaningful impact on the lives of not only those who call us for help but for me as well.

Real people face personal and financial consequences due to the actions of a company. There is an inherent power imbalance between employees and companies. Getting to represent real people helps to address that power imbalance, and allows me to help people get an equitable solution that can ease the harm done to them by illegal actions taken by their employer.

Law school, like for most that attend, was a challenge which was exacerbated due to Covid-19 causing my first semester to be transferred online. My parents had never even attended college, so I had no help to figure anything out and I was on my own for a while. I had second thoughts if I belonged in law school, if I was smart enough, if was fit to be an attorney, but my law school helped me find community and let me grow as an academic and attorney.