When Natalie Jump ’26 arrived at Maine Law, she thought she had a pretty clear sense of what she wanted to do. After studying environmental studies at Ursinus College, she imagined a future rooted in environmental policy and advocacy. Law school had not even been on her radar when she first entered college.
“I was not interested in law school entering college,” Jump said. “I had not considered it at all.”
That changed almost by accident. During college, she found herself enrolled in a constitutional law course that quickly reshaped the way she thought about her future. The class sparked an interest that continued to grow throughout her undergraduate years.
“I really took to it,” she said. “That professor told me I should consider the law and law school. He opened my eyes to everything you can do with a law degree, including environmental law and policy.”
For Jump, who was born in Skowhegan, ME before spending much of her childhood in rural Georgia, the law became a way to think more deeply about advocacy and public service. After graduating from Ursinus in 2023, she came directly to Maine Law, drawn in part by her longstanding connection to the state.
Like many law students, Jump discovered that some of her strongest interests emerged in unexpected places. Before arriving at Maine Law, she never pictured herself in a courtroom. That changed once she began gaining hands-on experience through clinics, internships, and advocacy work.
“A lot of the stuff I said I was not interested in before coming to law school, I ended up liking,” she said. “I had said I never wanted to be in a courtroom, but I learned there is a lot more to it than I realized.”
Her interests still remain grounded in environmental and land use law, but her experiences at Maine Law broadened her perspective on what legal practice could look like. During her time in the Rural Practice Clinic in Fort Kent, she found herself drawn to criminal defense work and the realities of direct client representation.
“That’s the part of law school I would always do exactly the same,” Jump said of the clinic experience. “One thing it opened my eyes to was the reality of having clients and actually being able to have the personal and professional relationship with them. You get this sense that the law is known and predictable, but people are not, and that’s where the complexity of practicing lies.”
The experience also helped her build confidence before entering the profession.
“You get to be the lawyer,” she said. “It is scary, but I think it is scarier to go out into the real world and never having done this before.”
Jump said the Rural Practice Clinic also challenged assumptions she had heard about practicing in smaller communities. Having grown up in rural Maine and rural Georgia, she felt comfortable in that environment, but still found herself appreciating the unique sense of connection in Fort Kent.
Outside the clinic, Jump immersed herself in nearly every aspect of Maine Law life. She served as co-chair of the Women’s Law Association, participated in the Environmental and Energy Law Society, competed in Admiralty Moot Court, and served as executive editor of the Maine Law Review.
That role, she said, pushed her professionally in ways she had not anticipated. The experience also helped her develop management and leadership skills early in her career.
“I had a team of people on the law review that reported to me,” she said. “Managing other people and deadlines was unique to me, and I am glad I will not be doing that for the first time in a year.”
Following graduation, Jump will clerk at the Kennebec County Superior Court for Justices Murphy and Mitchell before joining Perkins Thompson as an associate. She is especially interested in the administrative law work that comes through Augusta and the complexity of cases handled at the Superior Court level.
Looking back on her time at Maine Law, Jump sees law school not simply as preparation for a profession, but as an experience that reshaped how she understands advocacy, community, and the practice of law itself.
