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“Something that’s been a motivator throughout law school has been the assumption on my part—maybe it’s a naive one, maybe it’s mistaken—that there’s something edifying about trying as many things as you can,” says Nat Lewis (LAW ’25).

Lewis studied English when he was an undergraduate student, and he loves reading and writing. “I was interested in creative writing, and I did a lot of fiction and poetry writing,” he says. Studying English permitted him to access a range of disciplines—and law school seemed like a way to push that to the next level. “I wanted to leverage those skills in different contexts,” he says.

He enrolled in Chicago-Kent’s , a full-tuition law school scholarship for extraordinarily talented and motivated students who have the potential to influence the profession’s direction. Honors scholars explore numerous aspects of legal practice and public policy through close collaboration with Chicago-Kent faculty members.

During his first visit to Chicago-Kent, interactions with current Honors Scholars made an impression on him. “I was really moved by the opportunities for mentorship within the program,” he says, recalling his thought process when he was considering which law school he wanted to attend. “I was also so intrigued by the idea of moving through law school with this core group of people.”

Through the program, Lewis was connected with a peer mentor, who introduced him to the and . Lewis joined both groups, serving as the executive notes and comments editor of the latter, and acted as a class representative to the .

As someone who benefitted from the mentorship and investment of professors and older students, Lewis feels it is important to invest in and help younger students as much as possible. “I think there is this expectation that [Chicago-Kent students] are generally pretty kind to each other. I really appreciated that opportunity to try and encourage the school’s culture to continue to be kind.”

Lewis also became heavily involved in Chicago-Kent’s , a student-run help desk located on the sixth floor of the Circuit Court of Cook County at the Richard J. Daley Center. It is designed to serve as a starting point for litigants who must navigate an unfamiliar and complex court system on their own.

Lewis worked at the Self-Help Resource Center as supervisory manager.

Lewis also served as a teaching assistant to Assistant Professor of Legal Research and Writing Angela Debush for the Legal Writing I and II courses. He mentored students in the courses, helping them with their writing and giving back to the law school.

Lewis also thrived professionally outside of the college’s walls.

The summer after his first year of law school, he externed for the Circuit Court of Cook County Judge Alison C. Conlon, who serves in the Chancery Division. His second summer was spent at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he had the opportunity to work in multiple legal areas.

Lewis is interested in a range of transactional practice areas, including banking and investment funds, but with an offer to practice in Chicago, he’s grateful to be able to continue trying practice areas at least for one year.

“I was looking for opportunities where I could get as much experience before committing to a certain practice area as much as possible,” he says. “The firm that I just committed to has a unique, unassigned program where you don’t have to choose your practice group until your second year as an associate.”

For Lewis, the learning is far from over. “But with the instruction and mentorship that I’ve received during my time at Chicago-Kent,” he says, “I do feel confident that I’ll find my way.”