Two Alumni, Two Law Schools—Excellence Honored
An Unforeseen Calling
This spring, two Maranatha alumni celebrated remarkable academic achievements.
At Regent Law School’s Commissioning Ceremony, Nathanael Price received the 2026 Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award, the school’s highest academic honor, as the top graduate in his class. In addition to earning the highest cumulative GPA, he received Book Awards for the highest grade in eight courses. Faculty commended his “uncanny intellectual agility in the classroom.”
As he entered college, Nathanael anticipated a career in education, like his father, or in journalism; a future in law had not occurred to him. “But I started seriously considering law school,” he reports, “after taking Constitutional History from Dr. Licht and Business Law from Dr. Davis.”
Among his most meaningful experiences at Regent was helping publish a volume of the Regent Law Review. He also interned with the Robertson Center for Constitutional Law, conducting legal research and assisting with amicus briefs and white papers. The experience provided valuable training, interaction with legal scholars, and exposure to complex constitutional issues, including one memorable U.S. Supreme Court case involving a faith-based pregnancy center and a question of “prudential ripeness.”
A Calling Confirmed Through Experience
Nearly 200 graduates participated in Notre Dame Law School’s Hooding Ceremony. Among them was Tim Davis, who graduated magna cum laude, made the honor roll five times, and received the Faculty Award for Excellence (the highest class grade) in Legal Writing 1 and Legislation & Regulation. His entire family, grandparents included, were present to celebrate the occasion.
Tim’s interest in law began early through his father, an attorney whose stories made the profession appealing. “When I joined the Air National Guard as a JAG Corps paralegal my sophomore year of college,” Tim explains, “I got to witness some awesome attorneys in the courtroom, which confirmed my desire to go to law school.”
Tim attests that Maranatha prepared him for that path. He credits Steve Board, Tracy Foster, and Angela Morris for helping him develop discipline and creativity. He also grew in ethical decision-making, servant leadership, and problem-solving.
As managing senior editor for the Notre Dame Law Review, Tim gained valuable experience in legal scholarship. His favorite project, however, came through Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic, where he worked on actual cases. One was particularly moving—helping a small church resolve issues with the IRS. “It was super meaningful,” he says, “to apply everything we were learning in law school, to lighten the burden on a church.”
Retrospective Advice
Constituting 100% of the grade, exams became a formidable challenge for both men. Staying current with reading was key for Nathanael, while Tim followed a three-point strategy: pay close attention in class, memorize important information as acronyms, and pray.
Looking back, Nathanael would advise new law students to take time to build relationships with classmates and professors. Affirming the validity of his mother’s focus on lifetime reading, Tim recommends, “Practice reading, because you’ll be doing a lot of it.”
What’s Next
Both plan to take the bar exam this July before completing clerkships. Nathanael will serve with Judge Alice Batchelder of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati and then for Judge Ryan Holte on the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington DC. Tim will serve under Judge Joshua Dunlap of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston.
Nathanael hopes to work in business litigation and to develop an appellate practice, and perhaps to serve in state or federal government. Tim is interested in litigation.
We congratulate these new juris doctors for pursuit of excellence and desire to serve the Lord with the skills He has given them, to be salt and light in the judicial realm.