Tiffany Mitchell comes from a long line of veterans.

“My dad, uncle and grandfather all served,” said the Milwaukee native. “And in 2003, I enlisted in the Army. At about the same time, my sister also joined the Marines.”

Currently a second-year student at University of Wisconsin Law School, Mitchell, who works as an assistant operations officer for the Mission Command Support Group in the Army Reserve, said her interest in law stemmed from a desire to improve the military justice system.

“I wanted to help change the system for the better,” said Mitchell, who has been deployed twice. “People who look like me are disproportionately impacted by the current military justice system, which was acknowledged by the Department of Defense (DoD) in a report last year.”

The report found that, while “the DoD has made laudable strides toward achieving equal opportunity for all Service members. … Significant racial disparities exist across the investigative and military justice systems.”

It was her experience with and observations of racial disparity that ignited Mitchell’s desire to become a lawyer and help change the system. She could think of no better place to accomplish that goal than in Wisconsin.

“Wisconsin is my home. I was born here, my family is here and I hope to practice law here,” she said. “I think University of Wisconsin Law School will provide me with the best legal foundation to accomplish my goals. Also, Wisconsin has great Veteran benefits, and I can use my Wisconsin GI Bill for tuition.” 

After being out of school for so long, Mitchell was concerned about the transition back to the classroom.

“But I knew that I could apply the research and analysis skills I developed as an intel officer in the Army Reserve and am happy I made the choice to pursue a legal career,” she said.  

Because of her deployments and overseas training exercises, Mitchell became interested in the law of armed conflict.

“UW Law allows me to explore and learn more about international law through course offerings, the Wisconsin International Law Society, international law events and panels, and professors with international law and military justice practical experience,” she said. 

After law school, Mitchell hopes to contribute to making the military justice system fairer and more just.

“I want to either become a JAG officer in the Army Reserves or provide legal assistance to veterans and servicemembers in some way,” she said. “Both veterans and current servicemembers deserve access to the best legal resources. I want to help provide those for them.” 

Article by Kassandra Tuten, University of Wisconsin Law School External Affairs