Bench & Bar September/October 2026

COLUMNS

CAREER-DEVELOPMENT PLAYBOOK CHASE STUDENTS RUNS THROUGH LAW OFFICES AND A FOOTBALL FIELD F or some Salmon P. Chase College of Law students, what they learn outside a class room can be as important as what they learn inside one. Sometimes that is in a law office, in a courtroom … or on a football field.

Students this summer had internships, clerkships and associate positions in such places as prosecutors’ offices, law departments, firms and solo practitioners. For one student, the lessons-learned came from a commonwealth’s attorney’s office and a football field. MADELINE KETRON spent summer with the Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney in Northern Kentucky and leading up to it (when not in class), spring as a fullback and guard with the Cincinnati Cougars, a women’s tackle football team in a nationwide association of about 60 teams. Combined, the experiences are an important page in her playbook for becoming a lawyer. “I learned so much working at the Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. I was given lots of speaking opportunities and various different dockets, which helped me learn the Kentucky rules of evidence, criminal procedure, and how to handle prosecuting a case from start to finish, as well as what to do in a criminal trial with speaking roles.” WHAT SHE HAS LEARNED ON A FOOTBALL FIELD IS ALSO COMING INTO PLAY FOR HER FINAL SEMES TER AT CHASE, BEFORE AN EARLY GRADUATION IN DECEMBER. (Her football career began with flag football as an undergrad uate at Northern Kentucky University. In her second year at Chase, she decided to take her game to another level, and to try out for the Cougars.) “Football has helped me become a better law student in several ways. I am a fullback and a guard, so my entire position revolves around reading other people’s actions and making a very quick choice that can make or break a play for the skill-position player following my block. This has helped in the courtroom when unexpected things happen, because I no longer stress about what others are doing; I only focus on what I need to do in the moment,” she says. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in criminal law in Northern Kentucky and (spoken like a true athlete) “I plan to keep playing football as long as my body holds up.”

Chase student Madeline Ketron (above) and football player Madeline Ketron (below)

20 september/october 2026