Building Community Through Connection: Andrew Bean (‘15)

Written by Jane Salgado

Throughout his time in law school, in his professional career, and now as a member of the BYU Alumni Board and the Events Chair of the Dallas Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society (JRCLS), Andrew Bean (‘15) strives to surround himself with people who “uplift and drive you to be good and to excel.” Personal connection remains a key focus of his career and service as he works as co-chair of the Alumni Networking Committee to promote alumni engagement long after graduation and to build a stronger BYU Law community.

 “To see the people that I work with and how much they care about the law school is really rewarding,” Andrew said. “It’s fantastic to surround yourself with those people and to get to know them.”

Andrew’s path to BYU Law began early. As a high schooler, he first became interested in law after observing a root canal during a job shadow with a dentist turned him away from dentistry. Later, as an undergraduate at BYU majoring in International Relations and Business, his interest deepened as he became heavily involved in BYU’s Pre-Law Society. 

“Everything I did just further confirmed to me that, yeah, this is interesting,” he said. “I like it.”

When deciding where to attend law school, family members and a love for BYU influenced Andrew’s decision. His grandfather, also a lawyer, played a role in the founding of BYU Law School, and often told him that he wished there had been a place like BYU Law when he was studying law. 

“When I got accepted, it was a no-brainer for me,” he said. “I wanted to continue to surround myself with people whom I looked up to and felt like I could learn from, that would be good examples.” 

As a law student at BYU Law, Andrew continued to seek out connections with people who uplift and inspire. He advises new and aspiring law students to look for ways to connect with students and professors who can serve as role models and open doors to post-law school opportunities and to prioritize the things that will have the “most lasting impact” on one’s career.

“At BYU, these very accomplished professors that can catapult your career and trajectory are accessible in a way that I think, maybe at other places, not so much,” he said. “How you perform, what you do, the connections you make, and the decisions you make will determine the trajectory of your career for a long time. So focus on surrounding yourself with great classmates, great colleagues, great professors, and mentors.”

Andrew’s experience at BYU Law helped him prepare for and secure two federal clerkships following graduation, after which he moved to Dallas, Texas, where he’s now a partner at Hilgers PLLC. While living in Texas during his 1L summer, Andrew connected with fellow BYU Law alum Richard Salgado. Andrew eventually moved into Richard’s ward and, as former BYU Law Alumni Board President, encouraged Andrew to become involved with the alumni association.

“I’ve seen the joy Richard gets in the ways that he’s able to impact students' and alumni’s lives and experiences, and I think that’s very admirable and something that I’m interested in doing,” Andrew said. “From there, I’ve been slotted into being on the alumni networking committee, and that’s been a good opportunity to think about how we can best promote the law school and keep connections with alumni.”

A major focus of the Alumni Board is making sure that people know that “the law school cares about alumni.” Currently, one key initiative is building and expanding the BYU Law Alumni Directory to foster better connections after graduation.

“That’s our driving mission right now, to increase awareness, including awareness of the directory,” Andrew said. “A directory with just a handful of people isn’t really useful to anyone, and the way that the directory becomes useful is if it is a comprehensive database of BYU Alumni.”

As the directory continues to grow, Andrew hopes that more people will become aware of and involved with the Alumni Board, benefiting from the strong personal connections it offers. 

“The people that are serving on the Alumni Board are fantastic people,” he said. “They’re just exemplary examples of what BYU Law stands for, and it’s fantastic to surround yourself with those people and to get to know them.”

While it does require some time commitment, involvement in the Alumni Board’s committees and sub-committees is open to anyone with a desire to serve. The board’s members come from all over the country, and they meet monthly over Zoom, with an in-person board retreat at the Law School each year. 

“Anything that’s worthwhile takes time, but it often doesn’t take the amount of time that you think it does,” Andrew said. “Just raise your hand, and we’ll find a spot for you. If you want to get involved, if you want to support, you can.”

Individuals interested in becoming involved with the Alumni Board are encouraged to contact current Alumni President Jon Madsen or President-Elect Amy Smedley. Andrew says that in his time on the Alumni Board, he’s learned that there’s no requirement to join other than a “love of the law school, and a desire to give back.”

“That’s what knits everyone together,” Andrew said. “Many hands make light work – If you have a desire to serve, there is a place for you.”