I’m Irving Steel, a law student at Roger Williams University School of Law. Before law school I founded an environmental nonprofit, co-founded a media company, and earned a Master of Public Health. The thread connecting all of it is the same: take a complicated system and make it legible to the people it affects. That is what I write about here. For the unfiltered day-to-day, see my Law Student Notes.
Most people encounter the law at its worst moments: a lease dispute, a denied benefits claim, a government form designed to confuse. I started this blog because the gap between what the law says and what people think it says is too wide, and that gap tends to hurt the people who can least afford it.
Before law school, I spent years covering community stories in Connecticut: local organizations, veterans, people doing quiet work that rarely makes headlines. That work taught me one thing: the people who most need information get the least of it.
Law school has widened my interests rather than narrowed them. Before law I studied international relations, led business ventures across the U.S. and China, and earned a public health degree, so I gravitate to any area where rules meet real life, whether that is public interest, government, business, or international work. This past spring break I worked with the Sugar Law Center in Detroit through my school’s pro bono program, and it confirmed what I already suspected: I like legal work that puts me close to the people it affects.
This blog is my attempt to write law plainly, accurately, and for people who need to understand it. Nothing here is legal advice. But it is an honest effort.
If something I’ve written is unclear, incomplete, or wrong, reach out: irvingsteelre@gmail.com
A bit more
- J.D. candidate, Roger Williams University School of Law (May 2028). Lexis Ambassador.
- M.P.H., Public Health Leadership, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
- B.A., International Relations (Global Studies Certificate), University of Georgia. Studied abroad at Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3.
- Service and pro bono: VITA free tax preparation, Alternative Spring Break, Veterans Appreciation.
- Before law: co-founder and director of a Connecticut community media company, international business leadership across the U.S. and China, adjunct faculty at Mitchell College.
- Languages: conversational Chinese and French. Research: Lexis and Westlaw.
Currently
- 2L at Roger Williams University School of Law (J.D. expected 2028)
- Summer 2026: legal intern, Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Non-Profit / Public Charities Division
- Master of Public Health; founder of an environmental nonprofit
- Writing: plain-language explainers drawn from classes, internships, and pro bono work
- Pro bono: Alternative Spring Break with the Sugar Law Center, Detroit (2026)
- Open to summer 2027 internships, research assistant roles, and clerkship conversations in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts
If you are hiring
I write to make the law legible, which is the same skill a junior lawyer owes a client, a partner, or a judge. Start with my selected writing, or see my experience for the resume view. If you are hiring, mentoring, or want to compare notes on any of it, get in touch through the contact page, email me at irvingsteelre@gmail.com, or connect on LinkedIn.
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