Master of Legal Studies (MLS) student Abby Hirshberg has worked in retail in one way or another since her first part-time job in high school. For more than a decade, she worked at the University of Utah Campus Store, then—ready for a new challenge—transitioned to her current position in the Trademarks & Licensing Office at the university.
“A few months into my position as trademarks & licensing manager, I realized the job would involve reading, creating, and navigating contracts on a regular basis. This was an area where I lacked confidence, so I looked into classes and training programs to arm myself with the knowledge to wield legal language effectively,” Hirshberg says. “I never did find a single course that offered what I was looking for, but I kept coming across the MLS program. I started to entertain the idea more seriously once I discovered there was an online option.”
Hirshberg is now in her final semester of the online Master of Legal Studies program, which has been a great fit for her, offering the flexibility she needs as a single mom and a working professional.
In fact, Hirshberg always had a graduate degree in the back of her mind. Since she previously earned dual bachelor’s degrees in political science and international studies from the University of Utah, she has liked the challenge of being back in school this past year.
“I’ve come a long way from the first week of fall semester when I googled ‘how to write an essay.’ I was so out of practice! I’ve found it to be a lot like riding a bike; there was a major learning curve at the beginning, but it didn’t take me long to feel confident in my schoolwork,” Hirshberg says. “As someone who genuinely enjoyed and excelled in academics growing up, it’s been immensely fulfilling to exercise this part of my brain after a 10-year hiatus from school.”
One of the most rewarding, and surprising, aspects of the online MLS program for Hirshberg has been connecting and forming relationships with her fellow classmates.
“One member of our cohort coordinated a WhatsApp group message with everyone, and it’s been the primary source of notifications on my phone ever since. We’re regularly sharing insights into the course material, offering support however we can, and commiserating on the workload and technical difficulties inherent to a fully online program,” Hirshberg says. “We didn’t skip a beat when we finally were able to meet in-person at the College of Law convocation.”
Hirshberg wishes she had more realistic expectations about the time commitment required prior to beginning the program. Yet, with a good support system in place to help with childcare, she has been able to devote the time needed to complete her coursework.
“When I started the program last August, I anticipated the workload to be about five to eight hours on a weekly basis. Turns out, it’s closer to 10-12 hours. That took me by surprise and required a lot of sacrifice and flexibility from my parents and my son’s dad to take on additional parenting duties. The first month or two of the program was an adjustment period for us all!” she says.
But what Hirshberg has come to like best about Utah Law is the people.
“I cannot over-emphasize how meaningful the relationships I’ve formed with my cohort have been. As a solo mom, most of my free time is spent with my 4-year-old son in his world of trains, PAW Patrol, and pretend-play. Needless to say, I’m grateful for the adult interaction,” she says. “My classmates are whip-smart, interesting, genuinely cool people, and our professors have been absolutely wonderful.”
Come August, Hirshberg will finish the program along with the rest of her classmates. She plans on staying in her current position with the Trademarks & Licensing Office at the university.
“My primary reason for pursuing the MLS program was to improve my skillset for my current role in Trademarks & Licensing. I have no intention to pivot away from that—but if my boss is reading this, I’d be open to receiving a promotion once I wrap up in August,” she says.