Shaw Brings Ag Background, Passion for Justice to Role as Janzen Schroeder Law Clerk

Growing up on a family farm in Scottsville, KY, gave Kaleigh Shaw a deep appreciation for agriculture as well as passion for justice. Shaw is currently serving as law clerk for Janzen Schroeder Ag Law where she combines her interests and is learning more about the application of law in agriculture.

A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Shaw started her career in a management role for a company in Indianapolis.  As she supervised employees, her calling to pursue law became clear. “Things in the world are not always fair, and I was seeing injustice in the lives of my employees and realized I wanted to help people navigate the legal maze people can find themselves in,” Shaw says.

Now a second year law school student at the Indiana University McKinney School of Law, Shaw is focused on the intersection of government and legislation. She points out that most aspects of life are regulated in some way by the law, either in the proactive establishment of a law or the interpretation of laws once on the books.

Her time as an intern for Indiana Farm Bureau gave her experience in public policy work and she is enthused about working with the team at Janzen Schroeder to gain trial and appellate experience. 

“Something I realized from my work at Farm Bureau is that the needs of agriculture and those of environmental groups are not mutually exclusive. I can help bridge the gap with my farm experience and education,” Shaw says.

She finds it interesting how much the Constitution impacts ag law and is often cited in today’s ag legal issues. “For example, I am researching Checkoff programs which involve First Amendment considerations,” Shaw says.

Just like the variety of working on a family’s farm with row crops and animals, Shaw enjoys that ag law is different every day. “You can work on a property dispute in the morning and then be working on solar contracts and then livestock issues, no day is the same,” she observes.

Shaw will be with the firm through the summer, assisting in a variety of ways. “There are so many regulatory agencies involved with ag, you have to stay up to date to know what the impact will be for farmers.”

While her career path may take her far from the cornfields of her youth, it is clear Shaw will continue combining her passion for agriculture with the desire to help justice prevail.