Brain tumor survivor completes first year of law school

GREEN BAY – Jarrett Brown, a former resident of Green Bay, has completed his first year of law school. Brown can be described as a non-traditional student because of his blue-collar background and age, but he is also non-traditional in that he entered law school a little over one year after having brain surgery to remove a tangerine-sized tumor, which was diagnosed as an atypical (type 2) meningioma.

For nearly two decades, Brown worked in seafood processing plants, meatpacking plants and other factories.

In May of 2022, Brown graduated with a Bachelor of General Studies (concentration in Political Science) degree from Fort Hays State University.

In December of 2023, Brown graduated from the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law with a Master of Legal Studies degree.

Since childhood, Brown wanted to become an attorney, but never thought it was a possibility for him.

While working as a paralegal in 2024, Brown finally decided to take LSAT and go to law school.

In August of that year, on the day he was scheduled to take the LSAT, he was wheeled into an operating room to remove the tangerine-sized tumor.

Before the surgery he was told that complications could cause him to lose his physical and cognitive abilities or even his life.
Brown woke up after the surgery to find a longtime friend, Will Harris, at his bedside. Brown recognized Harris and conversed with him that evening.

Several days after the surgery, Brown was released from the hospital and returned home. Just 28 days after the surgery, Brown took the LSAT and scored well enough to gain admission to two of his desired law schools.

Brown chose to attend the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law and began classes in August 2025.

“I arrived in Little Rock exactly one year after the brain surgery,” Brown said. “I was not sure I would make it through the surgery, but I did and that gave me the opportunity to fulfill my dream of attending law school.”

Law school is intense and is designed to be difficult for even the brightest students. There are long assigned readings, classes to attend, case briefs, memos, and briefs to write, and cold calls to answer.

Many students make law school the main focus of their lives because that is the only way to get everything done that needs to be done.

“Law school requires the ability to focus and the mental stamina to read, process, retain, and recall information for long periods of time,” Brown said. “It is tough for everyone, but it is especially tough for me because of my age and the health issues I have had.”

During both semesters in his first year, Brown did not perform as well as most of his classmates, but he still considers completing the first year an accomplishment. “After all I went through with the surgery, radiation, and recovery, it is remarkable that I made it to law school,” Brown said. “The work has been difficult, especially anything that requires memorization, but I have done incredibly well, all things considered.”

Brown’s favorite part of his first year of law school was interacting in person with his classmates, the professors, and the law school’s administrators.

“I did not get the traditional four-year college experience and I earned my master’s degree online, so I am really enjoying the experience of learning from my professors on campus with my classmates,” Brown said. “I have enjoyed getting to know everyone in class, participating in study groups, joining campus groups, and attending events.”

In April, Brown was awarded one of five UALR Bowen Summer Public Service Fellowships. He will spend the summer working with an agency that protects the rights of vulnerable Arkansans.

“I am grateful that I was chosen for one of the fellowships and I look forward to spending the summer working with the agency for the benefit of its clients,” Brown said.