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Olivia Burpo is a third-year student at IU McKinney who is looking forward to graduating in May. She grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana, and attended IU Bloomington as a law and public policy major at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Any lawyers in your family? What made you decide you wanted to go to law school? And what brought you to IU McKinney in particular?

There are no lawyers in my family, but as a young student I developed a strong interest in government and the judicial process. Growing up, I participated in theater, choir, and dance and always enjoyed performing. So, when thinking about my future, I was drawn to careers which had opportunities for public speaking and oral advocacy.

I selected IU McKinney for law school because of the wealth of opportunities for law students in Indianapolis. There are so many benefits to learning law in our state’s capitol. As a 2L, I was able to extern at the Indiana Supreme Court during the spring semester while earning course credit for that work. I really value that experience and the impact it had on my professional development. I am also a proud Hoosier and have always known that I wanted to practice law in my home state of Indiana. Going to McKinney, I was able to begin growing my network while still in law school and make significant connections with local practitioners.

What has your experience been like as a student at IU McKinney?

I have truly enjoyed my time at IU McKinney Law. McKinney offers countless ways to gain legal experience beyond the classroom in the form of externships, clinics, and extracurriculars. For example, last semester, I was part of the Appellate Clinic, led by Professors Joel Schumm and Suzy St. John. Our Appellate Clinic group was comprised of six certified legal intern students. We were each given a real criminal appeal to work on from start to finish, while supervised by our experienced professors. The Appellate Clinic was my first experience working with my own client, an opportunity many law students never have.

McKinney has also been particularly special for me because of the faculty’s willingness to foster connections with and mentor students. I have been so blessed to learn from a fantastic group of distinguished educators with a variety of different backgrounds and experiences. Professors at McKinney are always willing to offer support and guidance because they genuinely care about the success of their students.

What student groups have you been involved in?

There is no shortage of ways to get involved at McKinney. One way I got involved at McKinney is through Moot Court. As a second-year law student, I participated in the McKinney Law Staton Moot Court competition. Moot Court exceeded my expectations and fulfilled my desire to advocate. After the McKinney Staton Moot Court Competition, I joined the school’s national competition team and traveled to Philadelphia to participate in the American Bar Association’s annual moot court competition. This year, I was honored to be chosen as the chief justice of the Moot Court Executive Board. In this role, I worked with the McKinney administration and the rest of our fantastic board to plan, prepare for, and operate this year’s Staton Moot Court competition.

Student organizations are another fantastic way to get connected with those who have similar interests. I have served as the vice magister (or vice president) of McKinney’s chapter of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Honor Society, been part of the Criminal Law Association Board, and acted as a Student Ambassador. There are countless different student organizations to join at McKinney, and students are encouraged to create new organizations of their own as well. 

What externship or clinic courses have you taken part in? Have you worked as a summer associate anywhere?

I worked as an extern at the Indiana Supreme Court in Justice Molter’s chambers during the spring semester of my 2L year. I feel so lucky to have worked with Justice Molter and his two fantastic law clerks. I really value that experience and the impact it had on my professional development. As a 3L, I was part of the Appellate Clinic, where I was assigned a real criminal appeal to work on from start to finish, while supervised by experienced professors. In both my externship with Justice Molter and in the Appellate Clinic, I was able to earn course credit. But more importantly, these opportunities have shaped me as a professional and have provided hands-on experience that I would not have gotten otherwise.

I worked as a summer associate at Church, Church, Hittle + Antrim during the summer after my 2L year. I absolutely loved my experience at CCHA. In my summer associate position, I gained experience in numerous areas of law, including everything from business litigation to sports law. The attorneys at CCHA are wonderful to work with and provided meaningful mentorship during the summer and throughout my 3L year. At the end of the summer, I was thrilled to accept an offer for employment as an associate attorney after graduation.