It didn't take long for Jae Lynn Huckaba, J.D. '21, to discover that her undergraduate education at the University of the Ozarks gave her an advantage over her classmates at the University of Miami School of Law.
The first-generation college graduate from Forrest City, Arkansas., earned majors in English and Spanish with high honors from Ozarks in 2018 before embarking on law school. She finished her first year of law school, ranked in the top 3% of her class, and received a position as a Dean's Fellow for her strong performance in her law classes.
"After my first semester of law school, I realized I had an advantage over my classmates because I attended Ozarks," said Huckaba. "In undergrad, one of my professors told my class that we were already doing the same work expected of any first-year law student around the country. I did not really believe him until I was a first-year law student applying the knowledge and skills I learned at Ozarks in my law courses. Law school did not intimidate me because I was prepared for it. "
Huckaba, an associate at the Miami firm of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, said Ozarks' emphasis on writing in her classes was explicitly helpful in law school.
"Lawyers are professional writers," she said. "Every course I took at Ozarks was writing-intensive, which translated well into law school where your grade for a course depends entirely on one, closed-book, written essay exam."
Following her first year in law school, Huckaba spent the summer working on humanitarian relief cases, writing briefs, and filing petitions with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services as part of an internship with a Miami nonprofit organization, Catholic Charities Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami, Inc. At the nonprofit, she spent many hours translating documents and interpreting client interviews in Spanish and, at times, Portuguese.
As a second-year law student, Huckaba received the Gerald Kogan Endowed Scholarship, which is awarded to law students "who demonstrate integrity, scholarship, and devotion to public service."
"My Spanish degree has opened many doors for me," Huckaba said. "After four years within the program, I went from a beginner to an advanced level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish. Because of the degree program, I also had the opportunity to travel to Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, and Bolivia. Those travels allowed me to gain valuable insight into Latin American culture and history, as well as additional languages spoken within the regions. When I received my acceptance into the Latin American Studies master's program, I also received a partial tuition waiver because of my 'impressive' undergraduate studies in Spanish and travels in Latin America. Plus, I quickly tested out of all language competency requirements."
In 2021, Huckaba graduated early from law school magna cum laude and moved to Punta del Este, Maldonado, Uruguay, to complete her master's degree. In Uruguay, she interned with a law firm, reviewing contracts, and participating in civil law hearings.
Six months later, she graduated from the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences as the first University of Miami law student to complete the joint degree program in Latin American Studies. Her master's research in Latin American Studies focused mainly on immigration policy, including the U.S. response to the Venezuelan migration crisis, climate-driven migration, and how Major League Baseball can influence how people in the United States perceive immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean.
She is an associate at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP in Miami, focusing on cross-border insurance coverage disputes and representations and warranties matters. Her pro bono practice focuses on immigration with an emphasis on humanitarian relief, such as asylum and temporary protected status. She also represents military service members and veterans in filing and appealing Service Members' Group Life Insurance Traumatic Injury Protection claims.
"My experiences fit into my current legal practice because I work on cross-border transactions and coverage disputes involving multi-billion- and million-dollar companies across the globe with an emphasis on transactions involving disputes and clients located in Spain and Latin America," she said. "My Spanish degree program at the Ozarks undoubtedly prepared me for graduate studies in Spanish and a career where my Spanish sets me apart even in a city full of native Spanish-speakers."
Huckaba said the two things she enjoys most about practicing law are that "lawyers are professional writers and lawyers have to know something about everything – so my career keeps my writing dreams alive and my Jeopardy skills sharp.
"My career has also allowed me to make meaningful connections around the world, as well as provided me with the opportunity to give back to my family and community in the Arkansas Delta," she said.
Read more about Miami Law’s joint degree programs.
