Bailey Kadian never intended to follow so closely in her father’s footsteps. Yet she and her father, Mark Kadian (LAW ‘91), both chose Case Western Reserve University School of Law after receiving undergraduate degrees in English from the University of Michigan.
“Many people think I wanted to be a lawyer because of my father. But he never pushed law school,” recalled Kadian, a third-year student. “It really was through writing that he had the most influence. Growing up, he wanted us to know how to express ourselves and would say, ‘I don’t care what you decide to do, but you have to know how to write and communicate effectively.’ ”
Now, Kadian has combined her passion for writing and editing with her interest in law as editor-in-chief of the law school’s Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine— ranked second among all specialty journals in the fields of health, medicine, psychology and psychiatry law. Her note on the COVID-19 pandemic and its legal implications for special education programs will appear in the spring 2022 issue.
Kadian, who taught English for a year to sixth-grade students in American Samoa as part of the WorldTeach program, has a personal affinity for education law—including matters related to students with disabilities. But her interest in health law developed as she edited challenging journal content while under the guidance of her Health Matrix faculty advisor, Sharona Hoffman, who described Kadian as “responsible, respectful, communicative, and a pleasure to work with, both as a seminar student and as editor-in-chief of Health Matrix.”
“Professor Hoffman has been an influence and invaluable resource, even beyond my work at the journal,” Kadian said.
Kadian also has discovered a passion for litigation. In spring 2021, she won the Dean Dunmore Moot Court Competition, an intramural appellate advocacy tournament in which second- and third-year students compete in an NCAA bracket-style competition judged by faculty members, local judges and experienced practitioners. Kadian said she registered for the year-long appellate litigation course not knowing whether she would enjoy it.
“I’m as surprised as anyone that I went so far in the class,” she said. “But I’m a theater kid. … I may have borrowed from my acting background as a way to engage in the competition.”
In January, she will begin preparing for the ABA Moot Court team, which competes in the spring. In addition to her full-time studies and journal responsibilities, Kadian works remotely for the education and municipal law group of Clark Hill, an international firm with offices near Kadian’s family home in Detroit, where she hopes to settle after graduation.
It may be a lot to juggle, she conceded, but for now, Kadian plans to enjoy every opportunity that comes her way.
“My three years here have no doubt presented challenges, but this training has been incredibly rewarding,” she said. “I look forward to what is to come."