For Father’s Day, we honor dads everywhere including both recently graduated and current Texas Law students who have children. It’s not easy for any law student to manage the demands on their time, but being a dad certainly adds an extra layer of responsibility along with the time management challenges. Kudos to those who have juggled these dual roles, including these three members of the Class of 2023 and two students who are entering their final year at Texas Law. Take a minute to meet recent graduates Jay Geyer, Eddie Shore, and Danny Woodward, as well as 2L Aaron Calder and 3L Alexander Ray.
Aaron Calder (2L)
Father of Sophia (2) and Amelia (newborn)
What inspired you to pursue a law degree?
I’ve always had an interest in and passion for the law, but personal circumstances made going back to school difficult. Pursuing a degree a year after having a child was definitely not the most convenient timing, but you can’t put your goals on hold forever; life is messy. My wife Dena, who is a saint, has encouraged and supported my law school journey from the start even though it meant uprooting our family and parenting without the support system we (previously) had in place.
How has being a dad impacted your law school experience?
My bar review attendance has been spotty, to say the least. Fatherhood is another full-time gig that starts 5 p.m. on weekdays, all day on the weekends, and all those fun nighttime pickups, so I’m forced to be much more efficient with my study time.
What life lesson(s) do you believe you are modeling for your children?
It’s important to invest in yourself, while also making time for family.
What advice would you provide to parents who are in or are considering law school?
Invest in a good babysitter. Whether you need extra time to work on a memo, or take your partner out for a well-deserved date night, a reliable babysitter sitter will keep you sane. A big part of that is the background knowledge that you have the ability to get a reprieve when you need it.
Jay Geyer (Class of 2023)
Father of Sophie (9) and Claire (6)
What inspired you to pursue a law degree?
I always wanted a career that would support my family and challenge me intellectually. Prior to law school, I completed a Ph.D. in philosophy and had hoped academia would be that career. That career path wasn’t panning out and I had some friends who had left the academic world for the legal world. I came to realize that the practice of law was much more interesting than I’d expected. Unlike academia, it’s also connected to the real world in a fulfilling way. It’s satisfying to know that I’ll be directly helping clients in a tangible way, and I’m excited to begin practice in the fall.
How has being a dad impacted your law school experience?
I think being a parent keeps you grounded in law school. There’s no chance for you to get sucked into the typical law school anxiety traps when you’re constantly being interrupted by the immediate demands of parenting your kids. It also makes the stakes both more real and more manageable. I knew that for my family’s sake, I needed to come out of law school with a decent job. But they don’t need me to clerk on the 5th Circuit. So striving hard to be at the very top at the expense of time with my kids never really made sense.
What life lesson(s) do you believe you are modeling for your children?
Hopefully, they’ll have the confidence to take some risks and make mistakes knowing that Dad switched careers in his mid-30s and it worked out okay. I also try to engage their curiosity. They’re pretty smart (if I may brag) and interested in what I’ve been learning. I like to think that they’re getting some insights into how society is structured in the process. At the very least, they’re able to bring in some sophisticated legal concepts when arguing with each other or with us. The other day my 9-year-old, frustrated by my alleged breach of an oral contract to help her with an extracurricular project (I have no memory of this conversation), presented me with a written contract to sign.
What advice would you provide to parents who are in or are considering law school?
You can do it! You will want to think through what it’s going to look like and what adjustments will need to be made. My wife works full time and, because I had a more flexible schedule, I took on most of the parenting responsibilities before law school. We knew that arrangement wouldn’t be possible anymore, especially around final exams. We made it though, thanks in part to having grandparents nearby, but also because we figured out how to communicate expectations clearly.
Alexander Ray (3L)
Father of Leonnie (2 1/2) and Ophelia (3 months)
What inspired you to pursue a law degree?
I studied branding and advertising strategy as an undergraduate but felt the scope of my studies limited the amount of impact I could have on the businesses I was working with. Feeling a bit lost, I wandered career paths for a bit before landing a job at a start-up. I quickly fell in love with the industry and looked for ways to continue my education within this niche. Law school was the next best step for me to develop the skill set I would need to consult technology companies through each phase in their life cycle.
How has being a dad impacted your law school experience?
Apart from now having a caffeine dependency, being a dad gives me purpose. No matter how much I enjoy what I am learning or who I am learning it with, coming home is the best part of my day. When school gets crazy, I remember that there are bigger, more important things in my life. I miss my daughters every day, and it makes the time I do get to spend with them that much sweeter.
What life lesson(s) do you believe you are modeling for your children?
As a first-generation lawyer, I hope my daughters see that they can reach any goal that they set, even if they have to pave their own way.
What advice would you provide to parents who are in or are considering law school?
It will be difficult, but you will survive. Live near family if you can, and save up money if you can, but at some point, there is a level of unpredictability and you just have to make the jump. In addition, I have found a lot of strength in meeting other families in law school. Having a support community is essential to success.
Eddie Shore (Class of 2023)
Father of Analisa (4) and Nicolás (1)
What inspired you to pursue a law degree?
Before law school, I wanted to be a history professor. I got my Ph.D. in Latin American history at UT, where I met my partner, Cristina, who was a law student at UT at the time. I soon discovered that I was more passionate about justice and serving others than purely doing academic research. Cristina’s compassion for her clients and commitment to justice inspired me to go to law school to make a difference.
How has being a dad impacted your law school experience?
Being a dad to Analisa and Nicolás made me a better student. They taught me balance, grace, and laughter, which helped me get through the most challenging moments in law school.
What life lesson(s) do you believe you are modeling for your children?
I hope we are teaching our kids resilience and to be compassionate citizens, to love learning, and to work for justice. Analisa will have memories of my time in school. She still talks about when I took her to our class dinner with Prof. Johanson at La Mancha! I hope that watching her papi get through law school will nurture her intellectual curiosity and inspire her to follow her passions.
What advice would you provide to parents who are in or are considering law school?
Embrace the challenge and follow your dreams! Law school with a family sounds really tough but I couldn’t imagine law school without them. My family has inspired me to do good and they supported me when I was down (and sleep deprived). They helped me to approach the most stressful moments with perspective and courage. And you will have precious Sunflower Ceremony family photos for a lifetime.
Danny Woodward (Class of 2023)
Father of James (newborn)
What inspired you to pursue a law degree?
I spent most of my twenties traveling and generally not working towards a particular career. A few years ago, I found my passion working with refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants and eventually realized that I wanted to make that into a career. Law school seemed like the best way to maximize my impact doing that sort of work.
How has being a dad impacted your law school experience?
Well, James was only born during my last semester so I wasn’t a dad for most of my time at UT. That said, I knew that we were headed in that direction, so I made an effort to frontload the hard classes into my 2L year. After James was born, time became a huge issue. I really started to reflect on what had made me successful earlier on in law school and made sure to prioritize those things while dropping some of the extra tasks that maybe had less impact.
What life lesson(s) do you believe you are modeling for your child?
I hope I am modeling that it’s important to work towards a better world in whatever way you can. I’m also trying to show that you can always make time for family, no matter how large that to-do list looks.
What advice would you provide to parents who are in or are considering law school?
It’s totally doable! First, remember that your priorities might not be the same as most of your classmates’ and that’s OK. People will understand if you can’t attend something or do that extra activity. Also, find a schedule that works for you and stick to it. Don’t stress out if you’re not studying as much as your classmates seem to be. Work both expands and contracts to fit the time you have and you’ll probably surprise yourself with what you can achieve. Finally, make sure to focus on communicating with your partner about what you need and also what they need. Parenting takes a team … and don’t be afraid to ask for help from family! We had family come help out during finals and it made all the difference.