Spring 2025 Winner of the Lawyers of Tomorrow Scholarship

Daisy Rachel Lopez

In her essay, Daisy shares her personal experiences that inspired her to become an attorney. Driven by a desire to address the lack of respect non-English speakers often face, she aims to create a culture of inclusivity through her work. She also aspires to mentor future legal professionals. Congratulations, Daisy, and we admire your hard work!

Read Daisy's Essay Here:

From a young age, I was certain that I wanted to practice law. However, getting to that point did not come easy and this interest stemmed from personal experiences with attorneys. Growing up in a Latino household, I often saw the struggles that my family faced when they were attempting to retain an attorney. I was often the translator for both my grandmother and my mother during these interactions. Unfortunately, I was able to witness first-hand the treatment that people receive when they do not speak the predominant language; we were often dismissed and disregarded. While these interactions were far from ideal, they made me realize that there was a lack of compassion and understanding in the legal field, especially in our small town. These interactions inspired me to pursue a career in law and be the change that my family and I so desperately needed in our encounters. Regardless of my practice field, I want to ensure that no family ever experiences the same way my family and I felt when dealing with those attorneys. I want to ensure that they always feel heard and respected.

One of my goals as an inspiring attorney is to create a culture of inclusivity and respect. I am a firm believer in fostering client transparency as this can only help the attorney-client relationship. This cannot happen when the client is disregarded and treated as a burden. I aim for my clients to feel at ease and confident when they are retaining my services. My goal is to ensure that they feel heard instead of feeling like a burden.

As I advance in my career, I wish to be a mentor for young women pursuing law. In a small town, it was especially rare for diversity to be present in the legal field. Although I am grateful for my mentors back home, I was often left doubting my abilities to succeed in a field where I had very few people who looked like me. This all changed when I attended the University of Texas at Austin where I joined Minority Women Pursuing Law. There, I was exposed to a variety of legal professionals and opportunities. I had a mentor who guided me through the law school application process and through pre-law opportunities, such as UT’s Pipeline Program. In the future, I hope to give back to young aspiring professionals in the form of mentorships and resources; I want to ensure that the future of the legal profession is aware of all the possible opportunities related to the legal field. Despite my practice field, it is my end goal to incorporate these two goals in my professional career.