Paulee Shakespear is making her storied name proud. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history (minoring in English) from Brigham Young University and currently works as an archives specialist at BYU Special Collections, caring for folklore collections from the 1960s to the present. She’s also halfway through her Master of Legal Studies (MLS) degree at Utah Law.
“I strongly believe that we need more professionals with legal and civic skills who can apply their interdisciplinary experience to other areas of life,” she says. “An MLS degree allows me to develop these skills and apply them to my current work in real time.”
Shakespear serves as the in-person MLS program liaison and says she loves being able to attend class in the Utah Law building and to enjoy the incredible campus.
“The course’s unique setup means that I can pursue an education without having to put work or other life events on hold,” she says. “I am with an incredible group of women from varying professional fields and life experiences, and I owe so much of my success in this program to them. The support and encouragement I receive from them is life-changing.”
Looking back on her first semester, Shakespear says she would offer her past self more courage and confidence in the MLS program.
“I remember being hesitant about coming back to school and taking on the extra workload while maintaining my usual work schedule. Though this worry did not stop me from pursuing my goals, I think it did impact my overall confidence at the beginning of my fall semester,” she recalls. “I have since learned that I am up to any challenge that comes my way!”
Classes about statutory interpretation, legal research and writing, and government structures have been especially beneficial, Shakespear says, and she looks forward to learning more for a future career.
“I am passionate about learning how the law interacts with fast-paced innovations like AI. Many of my personal studies focus on how current laws around intellectual property and copyright create the legal landscape in which AI, libraries, and archives interact,” she explains. “My passion for legal research and writing may take me down a paralegal path for more experience first, but I am interested in a graduate degree in library and information science to lean into a law librarian career path.”
Until she graduates at the end of the summer, though, Shakespear will continue to take care of BYU’s archives and learn more about potential jobs that mesh her interests.
“Right now, I am focused on enjoying my time in school and being open to any opportunities that come my way!” she says.