Spotlight on Brian Welke, 3L

Brian Welke, 3L

Q. Where are you from?

A. Bettendorf, Iowa. It's a part of the Quad Cities, which is a group of towns along the border of Iowa and Illinois along the Mississippi River.

Q. What does becoming a lawyer mean to you?

A. Having and developing the skills to approach and solve any problem in a disciplined manner. This is not limited to legal problems as being a lawyer is more about how you think than about what you think.

Q. How did you spend your summer?

A. My 1L year I married the love of my life, went on a honeymoon in Germany, and interned at the Virginia Beach Circuit Court. This past summer I interned at Representative Scott Rigell's district office and at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk.

Q. What surprised you most about Regent?

A. How small the student population is. My undergrad was much bigger so it's kind of novel to me that I've been in the same classes for the past 2 years with the same people.

Q. How is law school different from your college experience?

A. The professors care about you not only as a student but as an individual. They take the time not only to answer and clarify things with you, but also get to know you on a personal level.

Q. What is your favorite class so far and why?

A. Drafting Contracts. The notion that I can create private law that binds multiple parties is both scary and inspiring. It is scary in that if you draft it foolishly you can hurt your own client, but also inspiring in that a well drafted contract can be elegant in its own right.

Q. What kind of law do you hope to practice after graduation?

A. I really like the policy side of the law. Not just what the law says, but why it says what it does. I would like to work in D.C. forming the policy side of the legal world. Other than that, I really like corporate or finance law. I like the transactional side of law over litigation.

Q. How would you describe the group of your closest friends found here at Regent?

A. I'm lucky in that my wife is also a 3L. We met at undergrad and both came to Regent at the same time so we take most of our classes together. Other than that, I was a Marine for a while and one of the guys I deployed with in 2005 also happened to come to Regent at the same time so we just picked up where we left off.

Q. How do you prefer to study?

A. My wife and I turned one of the bedrooms in our house into an office so I spend most of my time at my desk at home. Other than that the kitchen table or on the couch with my dog are a few of my other favorite spots.

Q. What is your favorite book of all time and why?

A. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It has so many twists and turns that regardless of how many times I read it, I still get pulled into the character web spun by Dumas.

Q. What is your favorite Bible verse?

A. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12. “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” I think that the best witness for Christianity is how we live our lives, not the words we use to explain our worldview.

Q. If you could meet with anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why?

A. C.S. Lewis. He was a veteran so I think we would click on that front, but he also had a great way of connecting deep theological questions with modern issues while not forgetting the practical and human side of arguments.

Q. If you had an entire weekend available, what would you do in the Hampton Roads area?

A. First, I'd go to a winery with my wife for an afternoon to relax. Second, I'd work in my wood shop because wood-working is something I've been doing since I was young with my grandpa, but I haven't had much time these last two years to spend out there.

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