Jasmine McNamara Matlock can identify the specific incident while growing up that convinced her she wanted to be a lawyer. As a high schooler in Marshall County, just southeast of Huntsville, Jasmine took part in a youth leadership conference in Washington, D.C., where students learned about the American legal system. As part of the conference, students had an opportunity to participate in a mock trial where they could argue a case.
“I remember calling my mom afterwards,” Matlock recalls, “and I told her, ‘I’m going to be a lawyer.’”
According to Attorney Matlock, the purpose for a career in law was simply to help people. Initially, she sought to do that by becoming a family law attorney. So, as an undergraduate at the University of Alabama, she received a Bachelor of Social Work degree as a first step in that direction.