Title:Linda Schakel (L’86): Making an impact in more than one way

In 1986, Linda Schakel became one of a handful of women graduating from Georgetown University Law Center. In a highly competitive, male-dominated field, Schakel wondered about opportunities in her new career.

A former teacher for gifted elementary school students, Schakel decided to switch career paths and pursue her dream of practicing law. During that time, she recalls that it was almost unheard of to see a middle-aged, second-career female join a law firm, but deeply believed that Georgetown Law and its unique Jesuit values would help her accomplish her dream.

“When I graduated from college in 1970, not that many women went to law school,” says Schakel, who earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and later a Ph.D. in education with a concentration in gifted education. “I was 35 when I decided to go to law school. I looked at different universities and I liked that Georgetown was very accepting of second-career students.”

“When I got my first law firm job, I think I was the first 40-year-old associate that they had ever hired.”

Making a difference in DC

Now a retired partner at Ballard Spahr LLP, Schakel specialized in tax policy and tax-exempt financing for many years.

She also served as an attorney advisor in the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy, where she was responsible for tax legislative and regulatory projects in the areas of tax-exempt bonds, low income housing, empowerment zones and enterprise communities, work-opportunity, and welfare-to-work.

“I can drive around DC and see all of these public good projects that I would not have been able to participate in if I had not gone to Georgetown,” says Schakel.

“Georgetown opened many doors for me. My professor for Constitutional Law was Fr. Robert F. Drinan, a Jesuit priest and former U.S. House of Representative for Massachusetts,” recalls Schakel. “He served on the Judiciary Committee when they impeached Nixon and shared a lot of insight on one of the first major impeachments of that time. It was a terrific opportunity.”

Supporting today’s students

Schakel and her late partner, Michael Hodge (L’90), both transitioned from education to law. She made the decision more than 30 years ago to support scholarships at Georgetown Law, including through the law firm challenge.

Recently, Schakel created the Michael Vincent Hodge Endowed Opportunity Scholarship Fund with a blended gift that includes a bequest in her will and an outright gift that allowed the scholarship to be awarded during her lifetime so she can see the impact her gift is making in the lives of students.

The Opportunity Scholarship Program provides the most highly qualified candidates access to a Georgetown legal education and ensures that financial resources are never a barrier to their decision to enroll at Georgetown Law.

“Law school is expensive,” says Schakel. “Giving funds through my estate demonstrates my commitment to supporting students who need economic assistance for a variety of reasons. Students should be able to take advantage of the full law experience and spend more time learning about law, rather than picking up extra jobs.”

“I’ve been blessed with great experiences in my career,” she continues. “I tell law students to take advantage of as many opportunities as they can. Every interaction you have will further your legal education more than perhaps you realize at that moment.”