10/15/2026
“I feel really passionate that there's a gap between legal education and the way that the legal system works.
If the law is like a current that's humming around everybody, in a perfect world, I’d want everyone to understand how it's affecting them or at least have the resources to explain it effectively.
When I sued my landlord before moving to Cincinnati, I was working at a law firm at the time, so I had all these resources. I would talk to the lawyers and ask, ‘Hey, I don’t really know what this means, do you mind just explaining them to me?’
And they'd be like, ‘Honestly, I don't really know either.’
I thought, ‘If I’m struggling with all the resources and time that I have, how would other people in more precarious situations with less resources manage?’
Through opportunities provided by UC KCL, I was introduced to the Hamilton County Help Center. The Help Center has these resources that try to explain things in a more digestible way. I worked there as pre-eviction defense doing same-day limited representation. It felt very serendipitous, full-circle working with tenant rights.
The track I’m on in public interest is more one-on-one interactions with clients, so if I’m trying to communicate something and there’s a sign that maybe this person's not understanding, I try to ask myself, "How can I back up and explain this better?"
I always want to be working on communicating more effectively and humanizing with clients in my career. Even if the result isn't what we wanted, I want them to feel like they had somebody in their corner advocating for them and helping them use their voice. If I can make any progress there, I will be pleased.”
Olivia Bishop - JD 2027
