🤘Student Spotlight: Chandler Lawn ’26

For this edition of Texas Law’s 2025-26 Student Spotlight series, meet 3L Chandler Lawn! 

Hometown: Houston, Texas
Degree: B.S., Music Industry, University of Southern California

How have your experiences studying abroad in Peru and teaching in Spain shaped you? 

Because I’ve studied Spanish my entire life, I’ve taken every opportunity I’ve had to live in Spanish-speaking countries. I came to Peru in 2019, fresh off a very intense season of music campaigning, and was burnt out from social media influencing. My “Machu Picchu Moment” came when I realized I didn’t want to live a life where I was forced to monetize every waking moment as content. I’ve been off social media ever since, and that experience continues to shape my perspective on technology regulation and its impact on artists today.

When I accepted my Fulbright grant in 2022, I moved to La Rioja and began working as an elementary school teacher in the small village of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. While in Spain, I went weeks without hearing or speaking English. It was the most challenging year of my life, but it showed me that I was capable of overcoming just about any challenge (a realization that came in handy as I began my 1L year a month later!). 

Tell us about your musical experience. Is there any aspect of this talent that has been applicable to law school? 

In high school, I attended the Grammys for a song off my first EP album “The Flashbacks.” After several years of pursuing artistry full time, I pivoted to law with the hopes that I could effectuate lasting, systemic change as an attorney while still preserving the joy in my art. I continue to write and record my own music and play piano, guitar, and ukulele. Between my personal music projects (which can be found on Spotify) and my years teaching music to elementary students, I’ve learned that music is a universal connector … not unlike the law. Music gave me a reference point for the beginner’s mindset that’s crucial for law school success. It has also given me firsthand insight into being an artist navigating the legal system–a perspective that underscores nearly all of my research and advocacy at Texas Law.  

What made you choose Texas Law? 

Texas was one of the last schools I applied to from my apartment in Logroño. Although I initially didn’t think I wanted to return to my home state, living abroad clarified the immense value of an in-person support system of family and friends. That value has done nothing but grow since I began in 2023. The unwavering support from faculty and staff here has been nothing short of phenomenal. Also … I love the color orange!  

What’s the most interesting class you’ve taken at the Law School? 

DRS! Texas Law is unique in its offering of Directed Research & Study credits with tenured faculty. Last fall, I was lucky to be supervised by our esteemed Copyright Chair, Professor Oren Bracha for a 60+ page research paper on AI-related issues in the music industry. A major law school goal of mine was to continue the writing and publishing I began as the editor-in-chief of USC’s “Journal of Music Industry.” Ultimately, my first DRS project was published by the Texas State Bar’s Sports & Entertainment Law Journal this past summer, and I am currently pursuing several additional legal research and writing projects—all thanks to Texas Law! 

What’s your personal motto? 

“Choose your hard.” Life is going to have tough seasons, period. The inevitability of difficulty makes those rarer moments of free will all the more valuable. I’m willing to undertake short-term suffering in exchange for long-term goals—the kind of “compound interest” that I hope will benefit both me and my loved ones during my short time on Earth. 

How do you envision your life after Texas Law? 

After my graduation in May 2026, I will stay in Austin for another year to clerk for Judge Albright in the Western District of Texas. After that, I plan to return to New York to continue working with Sheppard Mullin’s Entertainment and Technology team, ensuring that creators are compensated as fairly as possible during this tremendous shift into the generative AI era. I’d like to become a mom, an author, and a passionate Texas Ex from wherever in the world I end up eventually settling down. Hook ’em Horns!