Press Release: Recent brain tumor survivor takes law school final exams

Recent brain tumor survivor takes law school final exams

Jarrett Brown, a first-year law student at UALR Bowen School of Law, underwent emergency brain surgery to remove a tangerine-sized tumor in August 2024. Going into the surgery, there was no guarantee that he would come out with the same physical and cognitive abilities he has always had. Defying the odds, he took the LSAT 28 days after the surgery and did well enough to be admitted to two law schools.

“I wasn’t sure that I would be the same after the surgery,” Brown said, “But thanks to the medical professionals at the hospitals in Green Bay, WI, everything worked out and I was able to go on with my life.”

For nearly two decades, Brown worked in seafood processing plants, meatpacking plants, and other factories in far-flung corners of the country. During that time, he advocated for the rights of workers in his workplaces and communities.

“I have spent most of my adult life trying to improve my life and that of others,” Brown said. “All of that was at risk of coming to an end, but I got a second chance to make a difference.”

By design, law school is not easy for anyone. It takes a high grade point average, a strong LSAT score, and a track record of success just to get in. Then there are heavy books to read, court cases to brief, rules to remember, and cold calls to answer.

“All of my classmates seem like they are smarter and more articulate than I am,” Brown said. “That may or may not be true, but they are all very impressive. Considering everything that has happened with my health, and the fact that I will turn 40 soon, I feel like I am doing alright.”

Brown hopes to graduate in 2028 and practice law in Arkansas. “I want to spend the rest of my life living here helping to improve the lives of Arkansans who need someone tough enough to stand up for them.”

Brown can be reached at jarrettevanbrown@gmail.com or 920–396–8765.