Andrew McGowan, L'16
Andrew McGowan’s, L’16, journey to the University of Richmond Law School has been both adventurous and circuitous, to say the least. McGowan began his higher education studies when he was just 16 years old, later graduating from the College of William and Mary with a double major in physics and religious Studies. Shortly thereafter, he continued on to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton as a research assistant. This experience would open new doors for McGowan that later led him back to his native Virginia for his first professional opportunity. Yet the pull to further his education was still very present — this time leading him briefly to a Ph.D. program in physics at Virginia Tech.
Fast-forward a bit, and McGowan’s journey finally lands him in Richmond. We pick up with his story after he decided that law school was a better fit than the Ph.D. program. “The tipping point was a conversation that I had with an attorney at McGuire-Woods,” he says. “During that conversation, I concluded that being a lawyer would help me achieve a lifelong goal: helping individuals to realize tangible outcomes.” And, like previous experiences in McGowan’s academic career, his pursuits at Richmond would be another launching pad for more adventurous twists and turns — this time with an international context.
Last summer, McGowan steered his Richmond Law pursuits abroad for an internship and study abroad program in the UK. For five weeks, he worked at the Hackney Community Law Centre as part of the law school’s clinical placement program. There, he handled a variety of duties, including preparation of documents for an asylum-seeker and drafting letters to clients, courts, and government agencies. In metropolitan London, the internship gave McGowan the opportunity to get to know and work with a global clientele. “The experience was transformative,” he recalls. “In addition to learning the subject matter quickly, I had to learn how to work in a completely foreign system.”
Later in the summer, McGowan moved on to study law at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, as part of Richmond Law’s foreign summer program. In this setting, he was totally at home in one of the intellectual centers of the UK and formed deep relationships with his peers in the program. Each night after dinner, McGowan would take long walks outside the city, pondering the topics from his courses and enjoying the experience of living and studying abroad. “The courses were tremendous, intellectually challenging and very rewarding,” he says. “The [professors were] compelling, combining stories with the subject matter to bring the law to life.”
McGowan’s now back on campus at UR, but it would be foolish for us to think that his academic journey is winding down now. He, of course, has more plans for his future. This summer, he will be working with the Washington, D.C., office of Cooley LLP in the firm’s Technology Transactions group. “The people there inspire me,” he admits. And if we’ve learned anything from his story thus far, this inspiration will surely lead to more unique endeavors and opportunities to keep the journey rolling.