Up and Coming Alum: Lucy Diaz ('17)
Chicago-born, Lucy Diaz (’17) first came to St. Louis for a year of service with Casa De Salud as a Spanish interpreter and patient navigator. The experience sharpened her perspective on access, advocacy, and systemic change, and it led her to pursue a career in law that would enable her to make a positive impact.
She went on to earn her degree at Saint Louis University School of Law, completing a concentration in health law while remaining open to various legal practice areas. Today, Diaz is a judicial law clerk with the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, a role that plays to her strengths: legal research and writing. Recently honored with the University’s SLU Pioneer Award, she is recognized as an “up-and-coming” leader.
The SLU Pioneer Award recognizes graduates whose innovative spirit and unwavering commitment to Jesuit values have made a lasting impact. Awarded annually, it honors alumni who have distinguished themselves professionally, forged new paths in their fields, and paved the way for others. Nominees exemplify SLU’s mission through their dedication to service, social justice, and excellence, living out the pioneering spirit that has shaped the University since its founding.
Receiving the SLU Pioneer Award left Diaz feeling “very appreciative [and] very grateful” to the judges, her colleagues, and the SLU staff who nominated her and have supported her professional growth. The recognition, she said, affirmed the collective investment in young lawyers and was a reminder “to be the best lawyer you can be.”
Early Compass: Service, Bilingual Roots, and a Path to Law
Diaz didn’t arrive at law school with a fixed blueprint. Growing up in Chicago, she frequently stepped into advocacy roles by mediating disagreements, connecting people with resources, and leveraging her bilingual background to help her community navigate complex systems.
A year of service in St. Louis reinforced what she was already sensing: “There’s a need,” she recalled, especially for advocates who can open doors for others. Law, for Diaz, became a way to turn that principle into action.
Appellate Lane: Craft, Reputation, and Return
Diaz has spent most of her career as a judicial law clerk with the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, researching complex issues and drafting memoranda for judges. The work sharpened her instincts and affirmed her fit. “You’re being asked to contribute to a legal piece that’s going to go out in the world,” she said. Specific responsibilities, such as researching issues of first impression and mentoring interns, were validating. After four years of clerking, she stepped into civil litigation for a year.
Diaz then returned to the Court of Appeals when a newly appointed judge sought an experienced clerk. The invitation to return underscored something she’d come to believe: reputation is built on work product and work ethic.
Looking Ahead
Diaz intends to continue working as a judicial law clerk but is interested in the academic side of the profession. Teaching and mentoring come naturally to her, whether supervising interns at the court or supporting students through alumni channels. Her goal is simple yet expansive: she wants to continue inspiring the next person considering a career in law and help them see the many ways they can contribute.
From a service year to a clerkship path, Diaz has shaped a career where writing is a form of leadership. In an era of rapid change, she returns again and again to the fundamentals — adaptability, work ethic, precision, mentorship, and the conviction that well-crafted work can move the law and the people within it forward.
This article was originally published in the SLU LAW Brief alumni magazine issue 2025.