Ag Sciences Education Good Preparation for Law School

Some students in the College of Agricultural Sciences are preparing for a career in agricultural law.
 

While the college does not provide many specific courses in agricultural law, the classes it does provide, along with the numerous agricultural activities on campus, help students develop a well-rounded education that is perfect preparation for law school. And there is a need for “ag-knowledgeable” attorneys because the law impacts modern agriculture in many ways.
“The fact that I had a broader education than the usual English or political science law students really helped me in law school,” says Julia Parrish, a 2002 Agricultural Business Management graduate from York, Pa. “With this education, I could contribute more to my classes than the other students could.” 

Parrish currently is employed by the law office of Marc Roberts in York, Pa., where she works in family and real estate law.

In addition to being well-rounded educationally, agricultural sciences students are also exposed to aspects of agricultural law in some of their classes.

“I became interested in law because of one of my forestry professors who’s an attorney,” says Derald Hay, a 2003 graduate in Forestry from Westchester, Pa.  “After doing some research for him, I became interested in learning about the legal methods of protecting forests.”

Hay was studying for his law degree at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and for his master’s in forestry at Penn State. He hopes to work in environmental law and someday for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Jennifer Beidel, a 2003 graduate in animal sciences from York, Pa., says she confirmed her interest in the law by taking a course in agricultural law in the college. She is now a clerk for a federal judge in Harrisburg.

“That course opened my eyes to the far-reaching impact that the law has on agriculture,” Beidel says. “There is certainly a growing need for lawyers who understand and can relate to the challenges faced by agricultural producers and agribusinesses.”

A resource for Penn State students interested in agricultural law is the Agricultural Law Resource and Reference Center, a joint effort of Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law and the College of Agricultural Sciences. Founded in the late-1990s and funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the center provides educational programs, information and materials to students involved and interested in agricultural law.