Mary Lauren Walden
Name: Mary Lauren Walden
Undergraduate info: Bachelor of Business Administration at Belmont University
Changing her Tune: Mary Lauren Walden had dreams of becoming a superstar in Nashville, Tenn. She moved to Nashville in 2005 to pursue a career as a recording artist. Walden also began attending Belmont University — just in case her singing career didn’t pan out. As a sophomore music business major, Walden’s career path veered toward law when she became inspired by her classmates who were pursuing record deals.
A New Song: "I was still very interested in the entertainment industry, but living on a bus wasn't the lifestyle I wanted,” Walden says. “I grew up interested in law because my grandfather was a judge, and I wanted to choose a career field where I could combine my love of music and the law.”
Her interest in law grew deeper during her first internship at SESAC, Inc. (a performing rights organization), where she worked in business development and witnessed copyright laws being broken and enforced.
Since that time, Walden has interned and worked at a number of intriguing places, including Warner Bros. Records, Curb Records, the Tennessee Supreme Court, and Zumwalt, Almon & Hayes. At Warner Bros., Walden tracked album sales and chart success of country music artists, including Faith Hill and Blake Shelton. At Curb Records, she learned about “good” and “bad” deals in the music industry while assisting the legal and business affairs department.
On Track: Walden is currently a 3L student and hopes to someday practice in Intellectual Property and Business Law. Her mentor is Derek Crownover of Crownover Blevins, P.C., a graduate of UT’s College of Law, whom she met while pursuing a music career in Nashville.
“Choosing to attend law school at Tennessee College of Law was definitely the best choice for me,” Walden says. “I feel like I am prepared to succeed and ready to practice.”