News @ Georgia Law August 2013 Student Profile
Name: Xon R. Hostetter
Age: 35
Hometown: Augusta, Ga.
Expected graduation year: 2015
Georgia Law extracurricular activities: Journal of Intellectual Property Law
Undergraduate degree / institution / year: Philosophy and Religious Studies / Asbury College / 2000; PhD in Philosophy / UGA / 2008)
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What did you do before attending law school?
I obtained a doctorate in Philosophy and then taught at various levels. I taught at a public school, a private school, a private reading company and for philosophy departments in Georgia and Kentucky.
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Why did you choose to attend Georgia Law?
I am a native son of Georgia and it is a wonderful happenstance that the university I already admire also happens to have a highly regarded law school. As someone who wants to practice law in the South, it was a no-brainer to study at UGA if they were willing to have me.
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What inspired you to become a lawyer?
I studied philosophy because I crave the puzzle of thinking through why things are the way they are and how things work. The law is one of the few subjects in this world that allows me to continue that analytical approach to the world while also giving me something to do with the things I am able to figure out. Solving puzzles and then doing something with them is what draws me to the legal profession.
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Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
I hope to be practicing in a way that allows me to be in a courtroom from time to time. But as long as I am using my mind to think through problems and help clients, I’ll be happy.
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Thus far, what is your most memorable experience from your time at Georgia Law?
I will never forget the first day of classes, when a Socratic-minded professor started putting us through our paces and we all quickly realized that this was serious. Professor Dan T. Coenen is a master of teaching you to think hard about what you are studying so that you truly learn how to grapple with the law. It’s demanding but for me it is also very fun, and I knew that first day that no matter what else happened I was in the right place and I was going to enjoy law school.
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What are two things you always have to have with you when you study?
My laptop has to be nearby and handy, even if I am reading out of a textbook. Some people find it distracting to have that window into the internet right at their fingertips, but I find it comforting to know that I have a quick escape if I need it. The other thing I have to have is a good sharpie pen for marking up the margins of my book. Highlighters are too much show with little benefit for me, but I live and die by scrawling my thoughts and questions into my book with a good pen.
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What do you like most about living in Athens?
I love the atmosphere of Athens. Athens has such a wonderful reputation as a college town, and it really is well deserved. The beautiful college campus, the cozy downtown and the proximity to a large city. It really is a perfect backdrop to the hard work that goes into an experience like law school.
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What do you do to handle the stress of law school?
I putt balls, just to get up and move around and allow my brain to reset a bit. The practice is helping me on the course as well as in the classroom so far.
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What would you consider your greatest accomplishment in life?
I have managed to marry a wonderful woman who supports me in every way possible. There is nothing that makes you stronger than being able to do whatever you have to do in life while knowing that, at the end of the day, you can go home and be entirely yourself with someone who understands you and accepts you as you are. Finding her is the best thing I’ve done by far.
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What is your favorite place on campus? Why?
Sanford Stadium on a football game day in the fall is hard to beat, but honestly sitting in the law library and looking out the enormous windows onto North Campus is my favorite place. Sitting surrounded by books and that view always helps me relax and lean into whatever I’m doing.