Minka Lanier
“Law is more than a profession. It’s a calling.”
While this motto initially attracted Minka Lanier (’08) to Regent Law School, it was ultimately the faculty’s commitment to excellence in the integration of faith and legal scholarship that kept her here. Growing up in a military family, Lanier observed diverse cultures while living across the United States and Europe.
After earning a B. S. in Government from Cornell University, she began looking for a law school that combined the best of academic excellence and Christian thought without offending the integrity of either. She chose Regent. “When searching for law schools, I didn’t want to compromise the quality of my education. At Regent, I found that it wasn’t compromised at all,” Lanier said.
“I felt like everything the faculty did embodied excellence.” She recalls approaching a law professor after class with concerns that dissenting viewpoints on a certain topic had not been explored. “I told the professor that I didn’t agree with the way the topic was being presented. The very next class the professor allowed me to share my perspective,” she said. “I found the faculty open and welcoming to other perspectives.”
Now a first-year associate with Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, LLP, a corporate law firm based in South Carolina, Lanier plans on concentrating her practice on business and pharmaceutical litigation. She hopes to be a partner with the firm one day. “Whatever I’m doing ten years from now,” she said, “I know I’ll have my hand in bridging the gap between legal services and at-risk communities.
At Regent I’ve not only been able to cultivate my dream of making a difference, but I’ve gained the tools necessary to see it become a reality.”
