After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision made same-sex marriage equality the law of the land, Clayton Goetz knew his personal life would be different. But he had no idea that the ripples of that 2015 landmark case would change the direction of his professional life, too.
“In the wake of Obergefell, all of a sudden, I saw a future for myself that I hadn’t seen before,” said Goetz, who had just come out at the time. “And it felt like the rest of the world opened. I felt this need to give back and plug into this community that I was building around myself of queer people, who were the ones getting me through that time of soul searching.”
He began volunteering with the San Francisco Steering Committee for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization — and soon found himself mingling with lawyers for the first time.
“I have no attorneys in my family, and my only other exposure to attorneys were billboards and ads for personal injury attorneys,” he said. “And then I started meeting attorneys who did other things, and it just opened my mind to what was possible with a legal education. It can get me close to these things I’m passionate about: the policy work, the advocacy, moving things forward.”
Law school was never something he considered when he left high school early and enrolled in college at age 16.
“I was really eager to get out in the world and be working,” said Goetz, who earned his bachelor’s degree in organizational behavior and leadership.
During his nine years in the working world before law school, Goetz tried a lot of different jobs: everything from selling kitchen remodeling for The Home Depot to working in sales and marketing for a mortgage bank. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he was commuting three to four hours a day as a recruiter in Silicon Valley.
“So, when we went all remote, I suddenly had way more time in my day,” he said. “And I was sitting around thinking: What do I want to do with my life? Where do I want to be in five years? I don’t want to be in HR. I was good at it — I enjoyed working with people one-on-one and interviewing and all that kind of stuff — but there was something missing.”
He decided to apply to law school and was intrigued by University of Wisconsin.
“I had volunteered with campaigns, I’m interested in election and political law and I wanted to go somewhere that was purple so I can see what is actually going on in the country in these national conversations that we’re having and really get close to the work,” he said. “I was also very, very lucky to be offered a scholarship that made a huge difference. So that really changed the game and made it possible.”
“It’s amazing how much this Law School experience at UW has changed the direction and course of what I’ll be able to do with my life.”
He quickly threw himself into Law School, competing with Moot Court, getting involved with the Wisconsin Law Review as an associate, conducting constitutional law research as a research assistant to Assistant Professor Joshua Braver, and serving as president of the Wisconsin Student Bar Association. This summer, he worked at a Washington, D.C.-area law firm and is applying for clerkships for after graduation. Ultimately, he plans to focus on litigation.
“I would love to work on voting rights cases, and it’s a great opportunity for pro bono work,” said Goetz, who interned at the League of Women Voters last fall. “I’m trying to really be very intentional about building my early career skills and seeing where that takes me.”
He’s come a long way from the young adult who was mostly focused on surviving in the ultra-expensive Bay Area.
“I knew that I wanted to do something with purpose and meaning and passion, but I just didn’t see how it would be possible,” he said. “I don’t know that I would’ve believed myself if I had told early-20s-me that this is where I’d be and this is the work I would be doing. It’s amazing how much this Law School experience at UW has changed the direction and course of what I’ll be able to do with my life.”
It’s the generosity of UW alumni donors who made it possible, Goetz added.
“That’s huge,” he said. “And I am so glad to be at a place like UW Law School and kind of stand on the shoulders of everybody else who came before and all of the pioneers who have passed through those doors, and hopefully, I’ll take that spirit with me.”
By Nicole Sweeney Etter