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TYRELL G. DANIEL
STETSON LAW CLASS OF 2020
“Not just one person, but the entire Stetson Law
community has made a significant impact on my life,
especially my Fall 2016 Part-Time student cohorts.
Dealing with so many people with different life
experiences, backgrounds, and ways of thinking has
been extremely beneficial to me as a future attorney. ”
— Tyrell G. Daniel, Part-Time Law Student
Tyrell G. Daniel is enrolled in the part-time program
at Stetson Law and averages about 11 credit hours per
semester. He broke his leg one week before starting
law school but did not let the temporary physical
incapacitation distract him from achieving his goal of becoming an
attorney. As he prepares to graduate in May 2020, he understands
from experience the bedlam law school can sometimes be.
“The life of a law student is organized chaos,” he said.
Daniel knows law school is all about time management and
maintaining focus, so he uses his Apple calendar as his daily
planner to keep his chaos organized. In addition to classes, he
works 40 hours a week as a paralegal with the Florida Office
of the Attorney General. His entire weekends are dedicated to
preparing for class.
“Learning the law is a complex process,” Daniel said. “At times,
you feel like you have no idea what you are doing and none of
it makes any sense. Then it all starts to come together, and your
mind becomes a developed hub of information that at one point
you didn’t believe was possible.”
Daniel has an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice with a
Minor in Biology from Hampton University in Hampton, Va.
He also has a Master of Public Health degree from Florida State
University. When he graduates, he will be the first attorney in
his family.
During his time at Stetson Law, Daniel won the second annual
William Reece Smith, Jr. Pro Bono Competition for his work
with Children's Legal Services. The experience opened his eyes to
the countless children who are victims of their environment and
who cannot advocate for themselves. It inspired Daniel to become
part of the solution by making pro bono work a part of his career
as a future lawyer. His long-term goal is to practice health care
law, specifically health policy and administration. He said he
hopes to advocate for people in the community who are unable to
advocate for themselves and to find ways to provide health care to
disadvantaged groups in rural communities.
Daniel said he has learned many things during his time at Stetson
Law, including that hard work does pay off and you shouldn’t
be afraid to try new things, because you never know what
opportunities you might be missing. For example, before law
school Daniel did not intend to do litigation; however, after taking
trial advocacy with Judge David Demers, B.A. ‘68, J.D. ’72, and
Susan Demers, B.A. ‘71, Daniel gained an interest in litigation
that he never thought he would have.
“Not just one person, but the entire Stetson Law community has
made a significant impact on my life, especially my Fall 2016 Part-
Time student cohorts,” Daniel said. “Dealing with so many people
with different life experiences, backgrounds, and ways of thinking
has been extremely beneficial to me as a future attorney.”
B Y S A R A H S H I R L E Y
PARTTIME STUDENT SUCCESS