Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Meet Madison Rush, a dedicated law student here at the University of Iowa College of Law. Originally from Clinton, Iowa, Madison brings a strong foundation in international relations, having earned her undergraduate degree in the field from the University of Iowa along with completing her gap year in Iowa City with Iowa Legal Aid.

When highlighting her education background, she describes, “I am a first generational college student. I grew up in small-town Iowa, and I have lived most of my life in Iowa. However, I have gotten to have some other experiences through law school like the opportunity to spend the last summer in Delaware and the summer before that in Minneapolis.”

Furthermore, her undergraduate experience has prepared her well for her role within the College of Law. Rush shares, “I did international relations in undergrad, and through that obtained my human rights certificate. [Through that experience] I learned a lot more about different opportunities you can have as a lawyer. I also studied abroad, and while I was abroad working with aid workers, I realized that I want to have a more direct impact rather than a career in a field such as academia. I went with the law because I wanted to have face-to-face interactions.”

Throughout her law school career, Rush has been involved in a multitude of ways. She explains, “I am the editor in chief for the Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems journal. I chose that journal due to my interest in international relations and I also really liked the atmosphere of the journal. The dynamic between student writers and editors was impressive. I also really enjoyed my time as a student writer and therefore moved onto editorial board. It has been a lot of fun seeing the journal from another perspective while trying to improve the journal experience for our student writers.”

Rush has also been involved with various other organizations within the College of Law. One group, Across the Aisle, has been a consistent part of her law school career. She shares, “I went to an across the aisle event my first year of law school, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the concept of helping individuals with differing views healthily debate.” Since that first event, Rush has been a part of this event in many vital ways.

“This is a group where we have different divisive topics, and we bring together members of both the law and broader community [to discuss these topics]. We have done talks on the Israel and Palestine conflict, who should pay for damages of climate change, and the recent election and how the candidates differ on key issues. It is fun to work with other law students and professors to pick, research, and present the discussion.”

Reflecting on her law school career, Madison explains, “My experiences at Iowa law have allowed me to pursue opportunities I did not have prior. As I am a first-generation student without any contacts within the law, there was a lot within law school that I had no idea about. For example, I did not know what a journal was before coming to law school— now I am editor in chief of a journal.”

She continues, “Because of the career services making me aware of opportunities, I was able to extern with a judge my first summer after law school and now when I graduate, I am going to be a judicial clerk with the Iowa Court of Appeals. I think a lot of it is simply being made aware of opportunities and various professors and alumni being willing to walk through those opportunities with you.”

The Iowa Law community has not only allowed Rush to become aware of opportunities while granting her access to resources to succeed in those spaces, but also given her an irreplaceable community. She explains how the community she has found throughout her law school journey has been incredibly impactful. The shared experiences her and her fellow peers hold make for a special relationship that pushes all parties towards success. She says, “Law school is tough, but having friends that understand what I am going through has been the best.”

Rush also reflects on a pivotal experience. Rush describes, “This past summer I was a Steiger Fellow through the American Bar Association in the Delaware Attorney General’s office. There I was able to focus on consumer fraud protection... it was a great experience to spend my summer working on an area of law that we do not actually have a class for. I was able to learn about that area of law and gain experience of what working in an Attorney General’s office looks like.”

This experience was particularly impactful for Rush as she gained clarity on what different areas of the law look like. She shares that she now knows she wants to pursue opportunities with consumer protection or antitrust to continue working in this area of the law. Furthermore, following graduation, Rush is excited to pursue a clerkship with the Iowa Court of Appeals with Judge Greer.

In giving advice to incoming law students, she encourages students to, “not be afraid to ask questions, you’re not expected to know everything... I didn’t know what a journal or clerkship was before coming to law school, and now I am editor in chief and have a clerkship.” Rush believes that incoming law students will learn as they go and are not expected to know everything from the start.

Madison Rush’s experience at the University of Iowa College of Law reflects both the challenges and triumphs of a first-generation law student. Through hard work and a desire for new opportunities, Madison has not only excelled academically, but also gained meaningful experiences that have shaped her future career. Rush has demonstrated a commitment to making a direct impact on the world around her. As she prepares for post-graduate life, Rush is poised to continue shaping the legal field with both passion and determination. To incoming law students, Rush’s advice is clear, be open to learning, ask questions, and trust that the path will unfold as one grows and evolves in this challenging yet rewarding field.