Published on
By Anna Sago
Before entering law school, Jessica Esguerra knew that she wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps by serving in the military. Now a graduating 3L, Esguerra will further her service by working as a staff attorney at Mizzou Law’s Veterans Clinic and continue serving in the Missouri Air National Guard in a new role.
Growing up, Esguerra knew she wanted to be a lawyer. However, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, she wanted to serve in the military first.
Though Esguerra initially planned to finish her service and go into health law after earning a master’s degree in health and human service administration, she found a new passion for advocating for veterans as a student and later TA at the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic.
Esguerra said that her background has helped her form bonds with the clinic’s clients.
“The veterans that were my clients as a student, I think that they appreciated that I also served because they got to tell me war stories, and I knew exactly what they were talking about, and when I told them what I did there was the camaraderie there,” she said.
Esguerra also said her time in the military before and during law school has helped her to think on her feet, be analytical and manage her time, skills she said will continue to serve her as a practicing attorney.
“For example, when I was deployed, we were flying over Syria, and if a plane needed to get gas, or if a plane needed to go bomb something, we had to manage all the pieces that needed to go together to make that happen,” she said. “I think that translates well, because in law school, you have to focus on a lot of different things at once.”
As she prepares to graduate in May, Esguerra received exciting news: she was promoted from Captain to Major in the Missouri Air National Guard and was hired by the law school to serve as a staff attorney in the clinic where she practiced as a student.
Looking back on her journey to this point, Esguerra credited professors like Chuck Henson, Rafael Gely and Thom Lambert for taking an active interest in her and other students’ learning. She also pointed to the school’s externship programs as experiences that helped her gain the skills to practice law, as well as the Veterans Clinic staff.
“The staff at the clinic are so passionate about the work that they do that it translates to any student that works in the clinic,” she said. “I think it’s important, not just because it helps mold the students in, like their law careers, but I have heard about students wanting to continue pro bono work in veterans law, even if that’s not what their main goal is.”