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Your Gifts at Work: Austin Pottorff

It’s safe to say that the month of May 2022 will be one of the most memorable of Austin Pottorff’s life. Just one week after celebrating his graduation from LSU Law with his classmates as their Student Bar Association Class President on May 20, he got married.

Now, the Sulphur-native is preparing to take the Louisiana Bar Exam and return home to launch his legal career with Fuerst, Carrier & Ogden, a Lake Charles-based firm that specializes in family law.

“I wanted to become a lawyer to give children somebody who is going to fight for them,” said Pottorff, who earned his undergraduate degree in criminal justice at McNeese State University. “I know that with divorce, adoption, or any kind of lawsuit involving children, the children are the ones who normally take the biggest hit. My little sister was adopted when she was four and she has been a constant inspiration for me to become a lawyer.”

As he embarks on the next stage in his life’s journey, Pottorff can look back on an extremely successful and active three years at LSU Law, despite the many challenges that were brought about by the pandemic. Along with serving as the SBA Class President during all three of his years at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, he was a Board of Advocates member, and an academic tutor and mentor. He was also a Junior Associate and Articles Manager of Louisiana Law Review as a 2L, and a Senior Associate and Issues Editor as a 3L, in addition to being a Board of Advocates member.

And even though he’s moving on from law school, Pottorff knows he is taking the close friendships he has made, the invaluable lessons he has learned, and the incredible experiences he has had at LSU Law with him. As he told his fellow classmates during his commencement farewell address: “We do not have to say farewell to the tools we’ve been given and the bonds we have made with each other. These will forever be a part of us.”

Throughout his time at LSU Law, Pottorff has been fortune enough to be the recipient of several scholarships that were made possible by LSU Law donors, and he credits the support with helping him reach graduation day and begin his career as an attorney.

“My scholarship awards mean so much to me. Naturally, as a law student, I was always stressing over my financial status,” said Pottorff, who enjoys drawing, painting, and sculpting in his free time. “My scholarships allowed me to focus on making the most of my time in law school rather than focus on how I was going to pay for it. I would like the donors who are investing in me and future students to know that without you, many of us would not be able to attend LSU Law and pursue our dreams.”

Support LSU Law scholarships

To attract and retain a talented student body at LSU Law, we must offer meaningful and nationally competitive scholarships. Every major law school in the country attracts top students through scholarships, and the LSU Law Center is a part of this very competitive environment.

Resident tuition has increased to over $23,000 for first-year students. With fees, room and board, personal costs and transportation, the cost of a legal education may exceed $35,000 per year.

The Law Center works diligently to attract outstanding students, and private scholarship funds are critical to our efforts to provide financial assistance to deserving students.

Learn more about how you can support scholarships at LSU Law.

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