his or her day-to-day life, and Klapatauskas was an excellent teacher.
BRIDGET GOLDBECK ‘09 Philosophy
BRIDGET has been working at Hughes & Trannel, P.C., for nearly four years. She found the job posting through the career development office at Drake Law School, where she earned her law degree. She was offered a job as an associate attorney, and in March 2016, she was made partner. Bridget said, “My first year at Clarke I took a course about the BVMs and the history of Clarke (College) University. I learned about the BVM core values: freedom, education, charity, and justice. I believe this unique experience and education helped me tremendously in my career today. I understand what it means to fight for those who have practically nothing. I know the lessons I learned in studying the BVMs and their values helped me realize how important it is to treat all of my clients with respect and dignity.” When Bridget was a junior at Clarke, she had an internship at Reynolds & Kenline with Attorney Todd Klapatauskas. At that time, Klapatauskas was doing mostly criminal defense and personal injury work. She had the opportunity to interview witnesses, review deposition transcripts, review discovery documents, and attend court hearings. She even had the chance to observe a trial in Dubuque County from start to finish. She learned about what an attorney actually does in
I understand what it means
TO FIGHT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE PRACTICALLY NOTHING. - Bridget Goldbeck '09
Prior to the internship, she was on the fence about attending law school, but after working with Klapatauskas, her mind was made up. She shared, “Philosophy helped me come up with solutions to many different kinds of problems. The skills I learned at Clarke have definitely helped me think outside the box when it comes to coming up with solutions to complex legal problems.”
TJ KIRSCH ‘09 Philosophy and History
After graduating from Clarke, TJ continued his education, graduating from St. Louis University School of Law in 2013. He practiced law in St. Louis for approximately one year before being hired by the Missouri State Public Defender Division as a trial attorney. He worked at two offices of MSPD over three years. In 2017, TJ and a colleague started their own law firm, Sartorius Kirsch, LLC, in Jefferson City, Missouri. TJ said, “My studies at Clarke in history prepared me to analyze historical context. This helped a great deal in the law when the significance of judicial decisions is informed by its historical context, and when the rules of law we apply are in place precisely because of certain historical contexts.” He continued, “Clarke’s Philosophy Department did wonders to prepare me for the practice of law. One often hears people claim they would make a good attorney because they like to argue; while that is not really how the law works, the art of argument and analysis I learned from Professors Riley, Anderson, and Freund helped me immensely. I am sure they will be happy to learn that I recently argued that the judge should not agree with my learned adversary because opposing counsel had used a syllogism with no middle term; my client prevailed on that issue.” TJ said he tells everyone who will listen to study philosophy at Clarke. “It does not matter if you do not plan to get your Ph.D. in philosophy. Make it your second major; it will apply to whatever you do in life. Not only will philosophy teach you value, but also it helps you appreciate living and thinking well.”