Growing up with her father being a physician, Baylee Culverhouse (J.D./M.S.H.A ’21) was always drawn to the healthcare field. Academically though, her interests leaned towards English and writing, so early on she decided a career in law was what she wanted to pursue. When Culverhouse started looking at law schools, Georgia State Law was the easy choice because of its nationally ranked health law program and downtown Atlanta location.
Culverhouse is now one semester out from graduating, where she’s had a variety of health law opportunities while at Georgia State Law. From interning in the legal departments at Grady Memorial Hospital, the Centers for Disease Control, and MagMutual to being a summer associate at firm that specializes in medical malpractice defense, Culverhouse has been able to experience many sides of the health law field. She also recently ranked third in the a national health care regulatory and compliance writing competition and has a job offer waiting for her after graduation in private practice. Here, she discusses how her time at Georgia State Law is setting her up for success in the health law field.
Why did you pursue a Master of Science in Health Law in addition to your J.D.?
It is a great dual degree because I am still able to finish in three years, and I wanted to be able to speak the business language with clients and understand their points of view. The legal side is usually seen as this entity that shuts down the fun, so I wanted to understand the business and the pressures that clients are facing before I go in and give advice. It has been a great program.
What classes or organizations have been your favorite?
My favorite class was Director Fuse Brown’s Health Law Finance and Delivery class. She is just a fantastic teacher. She’s an expert on the subject, so to take one of her classes was really amazing. She’s a really great asset to the health law program.
I am also involved in the Student Health Law Association and have served as the 3L President this year. We’ve had to adapt to a lot of challenges this year, but we’re trying our best to stay relevant and keep students involved. SHLA is great because it narrows your community. When I came to Georgia State, I knew I wanted to do health law but wasn’t really quite sure where to get started, so SHLA helped me get familiar with how to get started.
Another organization I have really enjoyed is the Georgia State University Law Review. This year, I have had the honor of serving as Lead Articles Editor—a role that has really strengthened my legal writing and editing skills.
Are you happy with your decision to attend Georgia State Law?
Yes. There’s a lot that you get plugged into here and that’s really what I love about it. The location makes it so easy to get involved in the legal community. I have a few friends who went to other schools and it was so hard for them to do externships—some would have to move to Atlanta for a semester. Meanwhile, Georgia State is right down the street from the CDC, Grady Hospital, and other wonderful opportunities. We can go to class in the morning and be at work in the afternoon, and that’s what has really changed my career.
Overall, Georgia State has just been a really great place for me. I am definitely going to miss my professors and classmates, but the Atlanta legal community is small so hopefully I will be seeing a lot of them.
Interview by Mara Thompson