Brandi Welch Joins the Law School as New Dean of Students
“The more I learned about the profession of law and the people who joined the profession, the more I wanted to help the students who came into law school not having the knowledge I wish I had had,” said Brandi Welch, the new dean of students at the University of Chicago Law School, reflecting on her time as a lawyer in private practice.
Welch joined the Law School in December, bringing extensive experience in student affairs leadership roles from the University of Texas at Austin Law School and, most recently from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, where she served as assistant dean of student affairs.
Welch’s career path took a few winding turns before she finally found her place and passion in law student affairs. She started out as a high school speech and debate teacher before her frustrations with the education system motivated her to attend law school.
“I wanted to figure out how education had gotten to the place that it was in and do something to help teachers with the challenges they face,” she explained.
That desire to help others has been a driving force for Welch throughout her career. A first-generation law student, she earned her JD from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. She went on to practice corporate law in New York City, later returning to Austin to work with startups and private equity.
“Corporate law was engaging; I enjoyed the elements of taking a deal from terms to outcomes,” she said. “But still, it didn’t feel like where I wanted to be. I was learning a lot and I kept thinking that there was so much information that many students don’t necessarily understand about what a corporate attorney actually does.”
That took Welch back to her alma mater in Texas when she saw a job opening for a director of student affairs role. Working with law students, she has found a great way to put her own life experiences and skills to work in an impactful way.
“Law School can take everything you think you know about yourself and turn it around,” she said. “Many students suffer from imposter syndrome, and on top of that, it can be a very competitive environment. I wanted to be a person who could be there for those students and say: you can do this. You’re made for this.”
Eventually, Welch went back to school and earned her master’s degree in education. She entered the law student affairs profession at the right time, as the last 15 years have seen significant growth and advancement in the field. When the National Law Student Affairs Organization first came together in 2016, she felt like she had found her people.
At the heart of her mission, Welch enjoys connecting with students and helping them chart their paths. She says she wants to normalize the choices students make: “It’s okay if you take a job because it’s going to pay you a lot. It’s okay to take a job in an area of law you didn’t think you wanted to be in, but now you’re in it and you love it. It’s okay to graduate from law school and not do the thing you thought you would do. It’s okay to work toward a specific path the entire time you’re in law school and then do that when you leave.”
Originally from Michigan, Welch is happy to be back in the Midwest and back in Chicago; she lived here briefly her 1L summer, working at a nonprofit downtown. She says she looks forward to getting to know UChicago Law students and learning about what’s important to them. (She also is seeking advice on where to find the best breakfast taco in the city—one of the things she misses from Texas.)
“My door is always open to students,” she said. “I want students to feel like they can come to me and tell me the things they need help with or just come and share the wonderful things going on in their lives. Literally if my door is open, you can come in. And of course, I serve all students, but I have to say that first-generation students in particular have my heart.”
Tips on Navigating Law School
Dean of Students Brandi Welch offers the following suggestions for students to follow to maximize their law school experience.
- Pay attention to your wellness. I believe wellness is something you need to integrate into your daily life—not something you do for an hour on a Tuesday. Create practices to keep yourself grounded and start integrating those practices into your life now. You’re going to need them long after you leave law school.
- Find your people. One thing that’s critical to law student happiness is a sense of belonging; numerous studies tell us this, and it’s true for lawyers, too. So, make sure you find your place in the Law School. It could be through a student organization, a clinic, a journal, or working with a specific faculty member.
- Examine your values and practice on-going self-reflection. What are the things that you care most about in the world? List out those things, your values, and think about them. Is what you’re doing right now feeding your values? Go back to your list often and ask yourself: has anything changed? It’s okay if it does.
- Always explore. Every class you take doesn’t have to be directly related to what you think you want to do. If you think a class is kind of interesting, but you have no intention of practicing law in that area—take the class. Doing pro bono or working at clinics are other great ways to expose yourself to areas of law you’ve never even thought about. Take every opportunity to work with a client because it’s going to teach you something about what you want to do and how you want to do it.