PUBLISHED:February 29, 2008

Emily L. Jura '08

1. Where are you from? Is your hometown famous/known for anything?
Columbus, Ohio. It has the only metal whistle factory in the U.S., I've heard. It also has a very large and active gay population. And Ohio State's there.


2. What is your undergraduate degree? Other degrees?
Political Science. I have no other degrees, but I'm getting an MA in Philosophy at the same time as my law degree.


3. What do you like most about Duke Law or what is your favorite memory of law school?
I'm on the Alaska Law Review, and over my second year spring break they sent us all to Alaska. There we met moose and wondered around under the clearest stars and dark-white mountains. The friendships grew closer because of the surroundings, and the surroundings more special because of the friendships. The trip is very dear to me.


4. What do you ultimately want to do with your law degree?
I want to be a public defender. A public defender is the court-appointed attorney for a person who is charged with a crime but can't afford an attorney of their own. The work deals with both chronic poverty and the power of the state. Public defenders are among the first to see, and the first to argue against, systematic abuses that ferment under this combination.


5. What unique accomplishments or abilities do you have that people might not know about you?
I had some swimming records at my undergrad, Beloit College. That's division 7 for those of you wondering. I speak a wee bit of Polish. And I play just a wee bit of accordion.