Written by: Gloria Kosir 

Before 3L Richelle Manuel-Rayburn stood in front of Iowa Law’s Moot Court Board as executive director, she once sat among a group of her middle school peers learning the foundations of debate. Her curiosity for debate was a great motivation to join the team, but her main impetus was to learn English as quickly as possible. 

Manuel-Rayburn was born in the Philippines and lived in Valenzuela City, the Philippines, until she was 12 years old. As she enters her final year of law school, she reflects on the path that brought her to this point and the motto that has sustained her success: “the harder you work, the luckier you get.” 

Richelle’s road 

When she moved to Ankeny, Iowa, as a middle schooler, Manuel-Rayburn prioritized trying as many experiences as possible. 

“I knew English because we learned it in school, but I didn’t speak it. I started to do debate to throw myself in the deep end of language learning, and I'm glad I did because I’m so confident in my English-speaking skills now,” Manuel-Rayburn said.

Manuel-Rayburn continued to debate throughout high school and won the Iowa State Debate Championship in public forum in her senior year. She went on to attend the University of Iowa and graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in finance and French.

After graduation, she worked as a claims adjuster and realized her interest in law was growing. To measure her actual interest in a legal profession, she spent the next four years working as a paralegal and studied for the LSAT exam. She credits her years as a paralegal as a formative time that solidified her commitment to becoming a lawyer. 

“A lot of people attend law school with an idea of what type of lawyer they want to become. Knowing I love the ‘boring parts’ of the legal field and the process of the work reaffirmed my decision to attend law school,” Manuel-Rayburn said. “And if I get to be in front of people, then I love that too.” 

Involvement at Iowa Law 

Manuel-Rayburn carried her willingness to try anything into law school and quickly became involved. She joined the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA), was a student ambassador for the law school, and became a lead research assistant in Professor Samantha Barbas’ research group.

Her flagship extracurricular, however, stemmed from the activity she began in middle school: debate.

Manuel-Rayburn entered law school expecting to become a “desk attorney,” but when she took the Appellate Advocacy (AAI) course, “it re-ignited that debate kid in [her].” She joined the Moot Court Board and now serves as the executive director and one of this year’s Supreme Court Day advocates.

“Moot Court has been my favorite thing about Iowa Law,” she said. “I love seeing people advocate, both for themselves and through the program. It’s such an important life skill, which is why I say every law student needs to do it.”

Manuel-Rayburn is proud of the Moot Court program and the opportunities it brings. Through the program, she will be arguing in this year’s Supreme Court Day—Iowa Law’s oldest tradition nearing its 100-year anniversary.

On Supreme Court Day, Iowa Law hosts the Iowa Supreme Court justices to hear student oral arguments from the top 3L advocates from Appellate Advocacy II, as well as public oral arguments in a case currently pending before the Court.

“We get to argue in front of the Iowa Supreme Court—the highest court in Iowa—which is honestly surreal,” Manuel-Rayburn said. “For someone who didn’t know English and started doing debate to learn the language, to have this opportunity makes me want to cry. I’m so proud of it.”

The path ahead

When choosing a law school, Manuel-Rayburn felt that there was just one right option for her: Iowa Law. She was especially attracted to its affordability and the camaraderie she felt between students, but the final selling point was the Iowa Law’s employment results.

“Many of my classmates are going to big cities like Chicago and New York City, but we’re not having to pay the big city rent [while in law school],” Manuel-Rayburn said. “The alumni network is also very tight knit. There are two alumni at the law firm [I’m going to after graduating], and I think they vouched for me.”

Manuel-Rayburn worked as a summer associate and law clerk for Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, P.L.C. in Cedar Rapids during her 1L summer and 2L fall. After her 2L year, she worked as a summer associate for White & Case, L.L.P. in Chicago, where she’ll be returning after she graduates to work as an M&A specialist with a focus on executive compensation and benefits.

“The biggest shock for me [in law school] was when I learned that I could do whatever I wanted with my Iowa Law degree—even jobs I never knew existed,” Manuel-Rayburn said.

She reflects on her accomplishments with one motto: “the harder you work, the luckier you get.” This mantra has kept her motivated to always put in the work, continue advocating for herself, and jump into new opportunities. 

“You have to work hard to have the opportunity to get lucky," Manuel-Rayburn said.