While never a lawyer, she often turns to her law degree

“Time spent on education is never wasted.” I have lived my life by these words. It was during my studies in Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law that I first grasped their importance.

Twenty-eight years after graduating with my Juris Doctor and passing the Ohio Bar Exam, my law degree continues to open doors for me — although I never formally practiced law a day in my life. You read that correctly. Not a single day.

The skills I acquired from my legal education — the ability to think critically, negotiate, understand an issue from many sides, fully research an argument and write well, among others — have paid dividends throughout my professional career.

My boyfriend (and now husband of almost 27 years), Dmitry, and I arrived on the Columbus campus in the fall of 1992 after graduating from Miami University. A Ukrainian immigrant, Dmitry enrolled in the College of Medicine aiming to become the first doctor in his family. (He did.) I attended Miami on a full piano scholarship, added a second major in English literature and dreamed of becoming an attorney in the music industry.

Things went swimmingly that fall. I loved the Socratic teaching method, case law, my incredibly smart and diverse classmates and, of course, game day Saturdays! I even used my music degree as the musical director and accompanist for the law school’s musical theatre production of “Trial by Jury.”

Then, first semester grades came out. I was barely passing. And I was devastated.

What was happening? I always prepared for class. I participated in discussions and debates. I religiously attended my study groups. I put in hundreds of hours reading thousands of pages of case law. But, somehow, I was struggling to fully “get it.”

I did the only thing I could think of — I called my dad in hysterics.

He listened to my lament: I was a law school failure. My dreams of a fabulous legal career were crashing down around me. I should just quit now; I obviously was not cut out for this work.

As only my dad can do, he boiled my situation down to the core.

“Amy, you have two choices. You can quit with one term of law school under your belt and try to get a job with your two undergraduate degrees. Or, you can figure out how to ‘get it’ and finish your degree, whether you decide to practice law or not, because time spent on education is never wasted.”

After lots of soul searching, I chose the latter. The decision has paid off throughout my life in ways I never could have imagined.

The next two and a half years were some of the most challenging and humbling of my life. I hounded my professors after class with questions. I spent hours with my legal writing teacher editing drafts of memorandums. One of my most valued mentors and my professor for Constitutional Law, David Goldberger, let me do pro bono work to gain experience. I solicited my friends to quiz me about cases over coffee. The law library became my second home.

Slowly, I figured it out. I not only finished law school, but I graduated with a GPA above 3.0 despite that disastrous first term. I earned a JD from The Ohio State University, and no one could ever take that away from me. I passed the bar exam that fall and was ready to start my first real job.

After applying for more than a hundred legal positions and meeting no success, I interviewed for a business role at a large international consulting firm. I was hired in January 1996. My law degree not only garnered me a bump in my starting salary, but also an invitation to join the process consulting group, where I would design and write computer code for large banks.

Had I ever studied business, let alone written a single line of code in my life? No. But I was assured that because of my legal education and analytical problem-solving skills, I would be a great fit.

I spent the next three and a half years building computer systems for banks. Based on my performance, which I attribute in part to my legal training, I was credited six months of work experience and promoted early.

When I subsequently moved into sales, I often was asked to work closely with the lawyers as a business liaison on our deals. My familiarity with contracts and business law allowed me to quickly translate legal jargon into “business English” for my team.

For the last decade of my almost 15-year consulting career, I ran strategic projects in finance. I worked for global leaders, including directors, the head of investor relations and finally our chief financial officer. In this last role, I was hired for my legal skills and my ability to efficiently parse complex information and communicate it effectively.

One of my craziest experiences working for our CFO came when she asked me to attend a large conference involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act on her behalf. I am almost positive I was the only non-C level finance executive or in-house counsel there. To say I was intimidated would be an understatement. But, my law degree got me in the door and gave my company’s leadership confidence in sending me.

When I left consulting for a music career as an accompanist, I was able to negotiate my own contracts. When I published my first book last year, I independently finalized my deal with my publisher. When I sit on boards of directors, my church council or a committee at my children’s schools, my law skills accompany me. The list of ways my Ohio State law degree has enriched my life professionally and personally is long indeed.

This spring, our eldest daughter graduated from college. Dmitry and I could not be prouder. For her, and for graduates everywhere, I offer the same wisdom my dad shared with me all those years ago. “Time spent on education is never wasted.” These words are relevant whether you are a new or seasoned alum.

None of us can predict the future or know exactly where life will take us. But one thing is sure: No one can ever take your degree away. You earned it. You are a Buckeye. And you are on your way.

Where you go is up to you.

Amy Matuza ’95 JD and her husband, Dmitry Nepomnayshy ’96 MD, have three kids and live in Andover, Massachusetts. She is the author of Food for Thought: Twenty-Minute Life Recipes from Mom, written for young adults moving out on their own.