Ryan Malone (J.D. ’20) realized pursuing a career in law was the right path for him after thriving on the debate team at the University of Texas. While Malone studied English and Philosophy during undergrad, he was drawn to Georgia State for the Center for Law, Health & Society. The college being in an urban setting with tons of opportunity and staying in the south checked Malone’s other boxes, and made Georgia State Law the clear choice for him.
Here, as Malone gets ready to graduate, he reflects on his law school experience, and discusses how Georgia State Law is setting him up for success.
What drew you to health law?
My interest began because both my parents work in the health care industry. I also worked with a public advocacy organization that was involved in efforts to expand Medicaid in Texas. That experience emphasized to me the importance of health care, particularly for low-income people who otherwise may not receive healthcare or lose healthcare because of unemployment. That inspired me to pursue a career in health law.
Ryan Malone with classmates at the University of Maryland Health Law Regulatory & Compliance Competition
What experiences during your time at Georgia State Law stick out to you?
I’ve been involved with the HeLP Clinic for two semesters. It is incredibly rewarding to work directly with clients and to see the impact of your work in just a semester, which, compared to a lot of other legal work, is pretty fast turnover. It has been an eye-opening experience and has reaffirmed a commitment to helping low-income Georgians access healthcare and receive social security benefits.
Did you have any favorite classes?
Both of the health law classes that Professor Fuse Brown teaches I think are wonderful primers to the healthcare industry. They have allowed me to have conversations with people in the industry I could not have had otherwise. When you can talk about anti-kickback statutes with somebody for 30 minutes, it is instantly impressive because not a lot of other programs have that kind of expertise in their faculty or specificities in their class options.
Is there anything you would change looking back?
Going to law school you contemplate a lot of things. It’s a turbulent period of time where you can pick a lot of paths, but I could not imagine going to a different school. I’ve made friends and future colleagues that I really cherish, and built lasting relationships with many of my professors. The health law program and all of its professors have been really instrumental in how I think about the importance of health law and its applicability. This program both reaffirmed and renewed my interest in health law.
Interview by Mara Thompson