Although a St. Louis native, Tamar Hodges was living in Atlanta and working as a registered nurse at a Level 1 trauma center when she decided to pursue a JD. Hodges wanted to work in healthcare in a new way – by guiding medical professionals and organizations through complex healthcare regulatory issues.

However, as Hodges began looking at law schools, she wasn’t only considering her own needs, but also those of her young son, Jaden.

“Once Mizzou Law accepted me, my then 7-year-old son and I traveled to Columbia, Missouri for Admitted Students Day,” Hodges said. “I instantly sensed the spirit of community that I did not feel when I visited other law schools. The Admissions team even had a Mizzou hoodie for Jaden and Dean Bob Bailey gave him a behind-the-scenes tour of the Mizzou Arena. After that, we were sold on Mizzou Law.”

With the additional responsibility of caring for her son, it was important for Hodges to have support from the University as she completed the tough legal curriculum.

“I was tremendously fortunate to have amazing professors for every single class I took during law school and I even developed relationships with professors whose classes I did not take,” Hodges said. “The staff and other law school departments (Admissions, Financial Aid, Career Development, Library, Registrar’s Office, Dean’s Suite, etc.) were just as amazing and made Mizzou a very positive experience for me.  It’s no secret that law school is tough so combining that with being a single-mother was quite challenging. Yet, everyone was so supportive!”

Now Hodges works as a Healthcare Regulatory Associate at Husch Blackwell LLP in Jefferson City, Missouri. Her long-term goal is to become a partner, but for the moment she is focusing on developing her niche within her healthcare regulatory practice.

Her legal accomplishments so far include:

• Missouri Bar Leadership Academy, Class of 2019-2020
• The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis Young Lawyers’ Division CLE Chair
• Young Lawyers’ Division Award of Merit, 2019
• Missouri Pro Bono Wall of Fame, 2018
• Missouri Lawyers Weekly, Women’s Justice Award: Leaders of Tomorrow, 2016

Hodges encourages students to pursue a law degree from MU and to get as involved as they can in extracurricular activities.

“For prospective law students, my advice would be to attend Mizzou Law because you will receive a quality education,” she said. “For current students, my advice would be to become involved with activities outside the classroom because it makes you well-rounded and you’ll have the opportunity to interact with people you probably otherwise wouldn’t have.”