Dean Natalie Blazer
Interviewed by Phil Tonseth ‘23
Hi, Dean Blazer. Welcome to the Hot Bench! Let’s start with the basics. Where do you call home?
I was born in Fairfax, Virginia. I grew up going to Wintergreen, as my parents had a place there that we frequently visited, so Charlottesville is also home. Basically, I claim all of Virginia.
When did you start thinking about law school? And why’d you decide on UVA?
I was the editor of my high school newspaper, so I originally thought I’d be a journalist. After not initially liking my communications major in college, I switched to political science and was drawn to immigration and asylum law. During undergrad, I had an internship at an immigration clinic in downtown Boston, spent a summer in Bosnia researching refugee and asylum issues, and spent my entire senior year working as a legal clerk in Boston College Law School’s Immigration and Asylum clinic. I helped translate documents and conversations with detained Serbian nationals and learned so much about asylum law that would serve me well later on in my career.
As for my interest in UVA Law, that started the summer before my senior year, when I worked as a paralegal for Baker Botts LLP in Washington D.C. Both the partner and the summer associate I worked for were UVA Law grads (or soon to be), and, although they were both brilliant and hard-working, they were also laid back and cool. They were my first real impression of UVA Law. Combined with the good stories I’d heard about UVA from my friends who went there for undergrad, I knew it’s where I wanted to be for law school.
I saw that you spent your 1L summer interning at the Sarajevo War Crimes Tribunal and that you clerked for the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia following graduation. Can you describe those experiences?
I had spent a summer living and researching in Bosnia while I was in college, so when I was a 1L, I thought that maybe I’d be able to do something law-related there and get to go back to that part of the world. I worked for a British prosecutor at the war crimes tribunal, lived in Sarajevo, got to use my language skills, and experienced a completely international tribunal. It was an amazing experience; truly transformational! The prosecutor I worked for said I was so lucky to be in the United States and that the best formal training I could possibly get as a young attorney would be at a big law firm. That was the first time I considered doing anything “corporate.”
So my 2L summer, I did a BigLaw summer associate position, but I never wanted to let go of my public service work. The firm knew that international work in particular was important to me, so they let me work in their Paris office for a month that summer, and also let me delay my start date after graduation so I could clerk for an appellate judge at the ICTY in the Hague. My firm was so great about it too; they encouraged and supported my pro bono work on similar issues once I returned to NYC. My first time arguing in court was an asylum case for a young man from the former Yugoslavia [Dean Blazer won that case, of course]. I can’t say enough about how accommodating and welcoming my firm was about allowing me to continue my interests and my desire to do pro bono work, as they truly worked to keep my job fulfilling and honestly kept me at the firm for longer than I expected!
How big of a culture shift was there between the ICTY and your subsequent BigLaw position as an associate?
Living in both Sarajevo and the Hague are completely incomparable to BigLaw in NYC. I appreciated the culture of my firm (they called themselves the “UVA Law of law firms” for their collegiality, warm and friendly attitude, dedication, and hard work), but it was an obviously different experience from doing public service work abroad. I was able to find my way through the pro bono side of the firm, and I also engaged in a lot of recruiting, coaching high school mock trial teams, and engaging in the women’s affinity group. My firm experience was great, but I’d do anything to be able to live abroad again.
Did you always see yourself coming back to work in academia?
First, I never thought I’d be in BigLaw for seven years. I used that time to aggressively pay off my student loans, knowing I’d move on to something else one day. Towards the end of my BigLaw career, I was recruiting a lot and visited so many law school campuses during interviews. Every time I was back on a law school campus, I felt so happy and fulfilled talking to administrators and students. It reminded me of my time at UVA Law, and it started to dawn on me that some of these administrators were former lawyers, and that they had made this their full-time job. So I started to really think about it, could I work in a law school?
For about a year, I gathered information by talking to anyone I could find who worked in some sort of law school administration job. To make that big of a career leap, I wanted to make sure I would really love the day-to-day work. After all of this research, I narrowed my potential transition down to working in admissions. I then saw Columbia had an opening, and, realizing I could make this huge career move without leaving my Upper West Side apartment, I applied. Long story short, I got the job, and I knew from my very first day at Columbia that I had made the right decision.
From reading applicants’ stories, to witnessing the beginning of their life-changing law school journeys with exciting careers ahead of them, I loved it. After two-and-a-half years at Columbia, the Dean of Admissions at Georgetown (someone I had spoken to during my information gathering phase) called me to say they were looking for a Director of Admissions. I took the promotion, moved to D.C. and found myself managing a large team and making all kinds of decisions I never had to before. I loved the challenge. About two years into my time at Georgetown, Dean Cordel Faulk left UVA Law, and Dean Goluboff called to talk about my current role. I never thought I’d make it back to UVA Law, although deep down I knew that’s what I always wanted to happen. Even now, six months into the job, it’s still completely surreal. The legitimate connection I feel to the community here and the ability to talk about my own experiences to admits is wonderful. It’s truly so full circle.
Looking back at your time on North Grounds, what’s something you know now that you would tell yourself coming into law school?
Truly enjoy every moment of 1L year. Well, all three years, but 1L gets a bad rap as such a difficult and crushing time. While it’s a lot of work, it’s also a time to do so many other things! It was my favorite year of law school. You’re learning so much for the first time, forming bonds with your sectionmates, and learning to think in a completely new way. Stop thinking 1L is a year to simply “get through,” it’s fun if you let it be fun, and something you only get to do once (ideally). I always tell admitted students that UVA Law isn’t just a means to an end (a law degree), it’s a full experience. Also, you don’t need to be at the top of your class to do great. Enjoy your time outside of class.
Having just completed Admitted Students Open House and working towards closing out this current admissions cycle, what’s your hope for the incoming class or some advice you’d like to pass along to them?
I hope they have the full UVA Law experience that all students deserve. I want them to experience campus, Charlottesville, and the UVA community in full effect. We worked hard this cycle to connect to admits to get to know them, so we hope they see our mindfulness in bringing in a diverse class from all over the world and all different backgrounds. I hope they contribute as much to UVA Law as they get out of it.
Let’s do a lightning round!
Favorite food?
Appetizer: peel-and-eat-shrimp.
Entrée: New England style lobster roll, preferably eaten at the beach, and French fries.
Dessert: Ice cream sundae, vanilla ice cream on a brownie or cookie, with hot fudge and whipped cream.
Cocktail: mezcal margarita on the rocks with salt.
Favorite place in Charlottesville?
Any running trail. They’re my happiest place.
Anti-Stress Hobby?
Running. Working remotely allows for a lunch break run.
Pet peeve?
When people gun their car engines super loud and speed down the street. I don’t know why but that sound boils my blood.
Favorite word?
I really like the word scuttlebutt.
If you could pick one song to play in the background of your life, what would it be?
“Get Along” by Kenny Chesney
What’s your spirit animal?
My cat Brie Bella. (She and her sister Nikki are named after the WWE Bella twins). I mostly just want to BE my cat; she has the best life. Sleep whenever she wants and is absolutely adored.
Where’s a place you’ve never been, but would like to go?
Africa. Not just a traditional safari vacation, I want to go to Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, the Congo, all of it. I love everything I’ve been able to learn about the culture, wildlife, and natural landscape.
If you could make one rule that everyone had to follow, what would it be?
The golden rule. Treat everyone as you’d like to be treated. We need more empathy.
Secret wonder of Charlottesville that people should know about?
Southern Crescent. It’s all outdoors, they have huge firepits, and Bayou-style New Orleans cooking. I love their conch fritters, everything is so laid-back and it feels like a hidden gem. I also love that the place is named Southern Crescent after the train route that runs from Charlottesville to New Orleans!
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nblazer@law.virginia.edu