AGRICULTURAL LAW SOCIETY HOSTS TIFFANY DOWELL LASHMET, AG LAW SPECIALIST WITH TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE EXTENSION

Tiffany Dowell-LashmetOn February 4th, thanks to a partnership with the Agricultural Law Society, students met with Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in Agricultural Law with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Although not an A&M alum, Ms. Lashmet is well-connected to the Aggie Network. In 2014, Ms. Lashmet taught the first Agricultural Law class at Texas A&M School of Law. Initially a five-hour class every other Saturday, she passed the torch on to the current professor, Jim Bradbury, when she moved to Amarillo, Texas, to pursue a full-time career with the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Program. She candidly shared her story and advice for students interested in agricultural law, providing some helpful and entertaining anecdotes for any student.

Growing up on a ranch in eastern New Mexico, Ms. Lashmet pursued agriculture at a young age as a member of 4H and FFA. Straight from high school, she entered junior college on a livestock scholarship. She soon dedicated herself to ag as a profession and graduated with a degree in Agribusiness (Farm Ranch Management) from Oklahoma State University, followed by her JD from the University of New Mexico.

During her first summer of law school, Ms. Lashmet clerked at a boutique civil litigation firm. In preparation for her second summer, she applied to all 25 top law firms and was offered a position at Paul Hastings in San Francisco as a summer associate. Ms. Lashmet joked with students listening always to take the chance of applying, as you never know what might work out if you shoot for the stars.

After graduation and offers from both firms, Ms. Dowell-Lashmet opted to take a job in Albuquerque practicing civil litigation. Although not an agricultural setting, she emphasized the value of working on plaintiff and defense work to see both sides of different cases. Additionally, the firm took on a handful of insurance defense casessmall-scale car accident casesto train associates. Though these experiences, associates were able to work on all discovery motions, arguments, depositions, and meditations for these cases.

Ms. Lashmet admitted she loved this job and would still be practicing at this firm had it not been for the Aggie lure. She received an email about her current position at A&M and immediately recognized her dream job. Knowing that few of these positions exist and infrequently become available, she applied and was hired to provide agricultural law education to rural landowners and agricultural producers. She has now been in this position for over seven years.

Specifically, as an AgriLife Extension Specialist, Ms. Lashmet explained that her overarching responsibility is to find ways to educate rural landowners and ag producers on legal matters. These matters involved land and water use, liability, contracts, estate planning, and related issues. Ms. Lashmet appreciates the freedom to create her own program in this position, noting that the program she built differs significantly from the program of the beef or cotton specialist in the office down the hall.

The candor and enthusiasm she exhibited in speaking to law students were indicative of her success, as she gives 60-65 program presentations annually. In addition to programming, Ms. Dowell-Lashmet relies heavily on digital outreach through her podcast and blog “Ag Law in the Field” (accessed here: https://aglaw.libsyn.com/). She has been posting once or twice per week on different Ag law issues for the past seven years, on topics ranging from fence law to hemp law. Students interested in Ag law should check out her page because any topic of interest is likely to be present. Be sure to subscribe to her podcast by entering your email address, and new posts will come directly to your inbox.

Additional beneficial resources can be found on her blog, including her handbooks, the general Texas Ag Law Handbook, free PDFs covering all topics in ag law, and a resources page containing links to other blogs.

Ms. Lashmet shared great advice for students interested in Ag law, starting with the tried-and-true: networking! She encouraged and welcomed students to reach out to her. She also suggested students look through her podcast to find topics that interest them and contact her podcast guests and contributors about job interests and how to get involved in the field. She recommended attending the State Bar of Texas Agriculture CLE in Lubbock (at her alma mater, Texas Tech) and touted this as the best ag law networking opportunity in Texas. Ms. Lashmet is on the planning committee, and students may attend for free. 

Another organization highly recommended is the American Ag Law Association (AALA). Not only does she consider this the best ag law group in the country, but Ms. Lashmet also met some of her closest friends through this organization. She relies on these contacts to consult about any ag law issue nationwide. She recommended the student membership, which has other networking benefits, including activities that may help students expand their knowledge, such as webinars, writing competitions, and even a quiz bowl team. The AALA annual conference will be held in New Orleans in November 2021. (https://www.aglaw-assn.org) Additionally, the AALA listserv is where Ms. Lashmet found the posting for her current position.

Students interested in part-time work are advised to check out the National Ag Law Center’s research fellow program. She will be taking on a student to help her as a research assistant through this program. Her current RA just helped publish a law review article, and many TAMU Law students have participated in the Center’s programs in recent years. If you are interested, email her, and she will provide information. She is accepting a summer RA, and course credit is also available. 

Finally, Ms. Lashmet noted that the Ag law field is only growing. She pointed out that the average rural landowner is of retirement age, and many will soon be ready to pass their land to the next generation. This phase has resulted in demand and opportunity for lease agreements, estate plans, and other transactional work. 

She further touched on the growing need for water lawyers in Texas, where the population is growing, and water resources are limited. Ms. Lashmet quipped, “more people are coming to Texas, and they aren’t bringing water with them!” Another developing area that might appeal to students interested in intellectual propertytrademark Ag law. She even has a podcast dedicated to the topic. If these aspects of Ag law do not meet your particular interest, Ms. Lashmet encourages students to investigate further. The Ag law field is so broad it encompasses many realms of law. Ms. Lashmet stressed again to do research and network and directed students to the internet. An abundance of resources exists online because “we [ag lawyers] love our field, so we put out lots of content!” 

Ms. Lashmet’s talk was engaging and informative, and students enjoyed chatting with her casually after the meeting. She is eager to help any students interested in practicing ag law.