When Nathaniel Fouch '20 J.D. graduated from law school at the University of St. Thomas, he went from the classroom to the courtroom. Now he is now back in the classroom. Fouch is currently in his first semester as a full-time doctrinal faculty member at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio.
We recently caught up with Fouch to learn about his journey to and career path after law school.
Being from Kentucky and having lived in Texas, why did you choose St. Thomas for law school?
I chose St. Thomas for its mission. St. Thomas is unique among law schools in that it was intentionally founded to train lawyers in a different way, and it really does live up to its commitment to integrating faith and reason in a search for truth with an emphasis on morality and social justice. As a prospective student, these commitments resonated deeply with my own Catholic faith. St. Thomas’s focus on mentorship and professional identity formation and the authentic community and communion among students, faculty, and staff confirmed I made the right choice. Minnesota’s charm also helped!
What do you like about teaching?
I believe each of my students has what it takes to be an excellent lawyer, and I relish the feeling of helping them tap into that potential and learn and grow to become the people and the professionals they were meant to be.
My first experience of formal teaching came when I taught citizenship classes in El Paso, Texas, for a year after college. I loved watching my students absorb the material, planning new ways to connect with them, and building relationships. I get to do the same thing at Capital, marrying my passion for teaching with my passion for the law.
What drew you to a career as a professor?
I want to be for law students what my professors were to me—a mentor, champion, and teacher who offers counsel and guidance, writes letters of recommendation, and makes connections that pave the way to their future success. I have always loved the life of the mind, and it was my own professors—more than anyone besides my parents—who encouraged and fostered that in me. They instilled me with confidence and the knowledge that I really could do whatever I wanted to do if I put in the work. Coming from a high school that did not challenge me, nor equip me to grow or succeed, into environments like Berea College and St. Thomas which did both, my professors were my heroes.
How do you bring your professional experiences in private practice and as a judicial law clerk the classroom?
As a judicial law clerk, I dealt with cases across a variety of practice areas and was able to quickly familiarize myself with complex concepts, analyze how the facts of a case affected the law’s application, and articulate this reasoning in a way that practitioners could appreciate and utilize in future cases. As a practitioner, I used this intimate knowledge of the law and rules of procedure to better advise and serve my clients. The opportunity to learn and engage across such a breadth of legal subject areas helped me see how the pieces of the puzzle of law fit together and made me better able to teach. I draw on these experiences daily in the way I think and talk about the law.
You are active in the Dayton Bar Association and you founded the Dayton Catholic Lawyers Guild. Why is it important for you to give your time to these organizations?
I cannot emphasize enough the value of local bar associations to attorneys and law students. In the face of increasing isolation among attorneys, the bar association is an authentic community in which we can form or strengthen friendships and take advantage of opportunities to grow as professionals.
I founded the Dayton Catholic Lawyers Guild to supplement my experience in the local bar and create a space where folks who were serious about their faith and their profession could come together in fellowship. The Guild has fostered deep friendships and meaningful conversations about the ways in which we are called to serve our community and our Church.
Who has inspired you professionally? Why?
Rather than list all of the professors who have inspired and continue to encourage me as an academic, I want to highlight a figure who had an outsized influence in my professional identity as a lawyer. My first job out of law school was as a judicial law clerk to Judge Richard H. Kyle Jr. of the Minnesota Second Judicial District. I learned more in my brief time with Judge Kyle than in any other post-law school experience. Not just about the law and how the justice system functions, but about how to be a good lawyer. He’s the opposite of self-promoting so you would probably never hear about it, but his sound legal judgment is coupled with true wisdom and compassion and a willingness to always learn more. I don’t think he knows the impact his example had on me so this is as good a place as any to say that you never know who you might inspire by doing good work and being a person of integrity and honor.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
The University of St. Thomas School of Law is a special place and I’m proud to represent it in the academy.
