From mock trial to the New Mexico Supreme Court, Taryn Osborne is where she loves to be

Since seventh grade, Ohio University alumna Taryn Osborne has loved being in a courtroom.

During law school at Case Western, she explored various kinds of law practice, but after graduating in May 2022, Osborne is happy to be back in a courtroom.

"I started participating in mock trial in seventh grade and continued with it in high school. When I started thinking about what I wanted to study in college, I thought about how much I enjoyed mock trial. I realized that I not only had fun coming up with characters for our witnesses to play, but I enjoyed crafting arguments and thinking about how I could use the case law to strengthen my arguments," Osborne said.

"At OHIO, I joined the Ohio University Mock Trial Team during my sophomore year and found myself really enjoying my studies in political science. I found an interest in how the law affects society, what 'justice' really means, and how the legal system works and doesn’t work," said Osborne, who earned a B.A. in Political Science Pre-Law, minor in Spanish, and a Law, Justice & Culture Certificate from the College in Arts and Sciences in 2018.

After graduating from OHIO, Osborne went to law school at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where she got involved in the Women’s Law Association, the National Lawyers Guild, and the Anti-Trafficking Advocacy Team. She also served as both an associate editor and articles editor of the Journal of International Law.

"I chose Case Western for law school because of its strong emphasis on experiential learning. I wanted to spend time learning practically about law, in addition to my studies in the classroom," Osborne said.

That practical experience included spending her first summer working for a personal injury firm and her second summer working for a small business, estates, and trusts firm. But still she struggled throughout law school with picking a particular area of law that interested her the most.

"I interned with the First Judicial District of Colorado for my last semester of law school and worked with criminal, civil and domestic relations dockets. I enjoyed the variety of cases I saw and the opportunity to get an inside look at how judges make decisions and how courts work behind the scenes," Osborne said.

In June she started a judicial clerkship with the Honorable David K. Thomson, Associate Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court.

“Taryn immersed herself in the many pre-law experiential learning and co-curricular opportunities while she was a student at Ohio University,” said Larry Hayman, Esq., Assistant Director and Pre-Law Advisor at the Center for Law, Justice & Culture. “She was president of OHIO mock trial, served as an Access to Justice Intern with Southeastern Ohio Legal Services, led the Pre-Law Learning Community for three years, and served as a program assistant for the Summer Law and Trial Institute. These experiences helped develop her leadership skills, public speaking skills, and advocacy skills that will serve her well in her legal career.”

Q&A with Taryn Osborne

Q: Who were your favorite professors and how did they make an impact on your life?

A: I am the first person in my family to pursue a legal career, so I needed a lot of guidance through my undergraduate studies, extracurriculars, the law school admissions process, and even during my time in law school. I can’t give enough credit to Larry Hayman for providing me that guidance and mentorship then and now. He has remained an invaluable resource since I graduated from OHIO.

I took several classes with Jennifer Fredette, and I always admired the way she made every one of her classes so fun. One particular class of hers that sticks out in my mind is Politics in Comics.

Each class I took with Julie White challenged me to think critically in ways I had not before, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with her as she advised my senior thesis.

Q: What was your ah-ha moment at OHIO — that point where you said to yourself, “I’ve got this!”?

A: I was in the pre-law learning community my freshman year, and I had the privilege of being its learning community leader for the next three years. I remember preparing to meet my students at the beginning of my sophomore year, wondering how I was supposed to mentor 25 new students when I barely had it figured out. As I started planning all of the advice I wanted to give them, I realized just how much I had learned already. Also, I didn’t need to have it all figured out — I could learn with them while still imparting the little bit of wisdom I had gained so far. I had to be patient with myself. I have carried these lessons with me in each new class, internship, and job I’ve had since.

Q:  What was the hardest hill you had to climb (not counting Jeff Hill) at OHIO? And how did you overcome challenges or obstacles in your path?

A: Because no one in my family has any experience in the legal profession, it was difficult for me at times to picture my future and my path. So, I leaned on my peers and professors and sought guidance as much as possible. I immersed myself in OHIO’s robust pre-law programming and resources and asked many questions. Any time the Center for Law, Justice, and Culture was having an event or needed help, I quickly volunteered my time. I think this helped me gain an understanding of what I wanted to do with my career, but also put me in the habit of being a self-starter.

Q: What are your favorite OHIO memories?

A: I have so many great memories, but I will name just a few. Traveling to Northern Ireland with the Center for Law, Justice & Culture during my sophomore year was an experience I will never forget. I also remember fondly many evenings of Mock Trial Executive Board meetings, conducting serious board business but having so much fun doing so. One of my favorite events each year was Pre-Law Days, and I enjoyed participating and volunteering to help with it. During law school, I was thankful for all I had learned about coffee from my time working at the campus coffee shops.

Q: What’s the one thing you would tell a new OHIO student not to miss?

Always say yes to new experiences! Of course, you should focus on your studies and coursework, but some of the best experiences I had at OHIO came from doing new things that were outside of my comfort zone. I went to a women’s crew practice during my freshman year on a whim because my roommate wanted to join the team, and ultimately I joined as well and made some of my best friends to this day (and also met my fiancé!). You will encounter countless opportunities through your time at OHIO, and I would challenge you to try some new things.

Read more about political science alumni and CLJC alumni.