Alishia Tidwell recently completed a residency-in-practice with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, which oversees North Carolina's second-largest school system. She shared reflections about her work for the latest profile in a series of Q&A's on residency placements for Elon Law's Class of 2018.
Growing up in Maryland, Alishia Tidwell saw from an early age how the law shapes society. Court decisions affect conduct, finances, relationships, and more.
The alumna of Towson University recognized the power that comes from the legal profession and, after graduating with a degree in English, enrolled at Elon Law “so that I can have a voice and positively influence the kind of society we live in.”
Elon Law students complete a legal residency-in-practice during their second year of study. Tidwell worked full-time for 10 weeks earlier this year in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.
Her residency afforded opportunities to see how federal, state and local laws influence the opportunities children have in school, and to better understand the legal rights of those who teach them. Tidwell answered questions recently about her residency-in-practice.
What responsibilities were you assigned as part of your residency in Charlotte?
I provided full-time support to in-house legal counsel when I conducted legal research on a wide variety of issues that come up in the school system such as child custody, students’ rights, medical care, employment relations, and more. I drafted legal memoranda and pleadings, including litigation holds, motions to dismiss, and responses to petitions, and I participated in client meetings, trial preparation, and conference calls with the assigned judge and opposing counsel. I also compiled discovery and drafted cover letters, reviewed and proposed edits to board governance policies, and engaged in trial preparation. I even argued one of my own drafted motions in Superior Court.
How did your residency reinforce your career goals or channel them in a new direction?
My supervisor, Ms. André Mayes, is very professional and skilled in what she does, so I learned a lot about what is good practice and how to conduct myself as a good lawyer. She taught me the importance of attention to detail, being prepared, knowing your case, and even some organization tips. I strengthened my time management. Overall, my residency reinforced my passion for the law.
Share one thing you’ve learned during your residency that you don’t think would have happened solely by attending class.
Without my residency, I would not understand the practicality of the information that I was learning. I had civil procedure, employment, and constitutional law issues arise. I was able to put the information that I learned from class into practice and turn it into a skill rather than just knowledge.
In what ways do you predict your approach to classes and bar preparation might change because of your residency?
I love the work that I performed, so I am even more eager to study hard in order to pass the bar and begin practice.
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About Elon Law:
Elon University School of Law in Greensboro, North Carolina, is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on “learning by doing,” it integrates traditional classroom instruction with course-connected, full-time residencies-in-practice in a logically sequenced program of transformational professional preparation. Elon Law’s groundbreaking approach is accomplished in 2.5 years, which provides distinctive value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their legal careers.