Home Law School News From Des Moines to D.C.: Drake Law alumna works for U.S. House of Representatives

From Des Moines to D.C.: Drake Law alumna works for U.S. House of Representatives

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Carrie Wolf

To say that Carrie Wolf has a unique job would be an understatement.

Wolf, an Assistant Parliamentarian for the U.S. House of Representatives, is one of only six attorneys in the nonpartisan office that provides advice regarding the rules and precedents governing procedures in the House to its presiding officers, members, committees and staff.

Wolf’s duties include advising on procedural matters while the House is in session, referring introduced measures to the appropriate committee on behalf of the Speaker, and drafting and compiling the precedents of the House for both internal use and for formal publication.

In addition to Wolf’s career in Washington, D.C., she is a judge advocate in the Air Force Reserves. Wolf joined the Air Force following her graduation from Drake Law in 1997 and her current unit of attachment is the 18th Air Force at Scott AFB located in Illinois.

“I always appreciated the way Drake prepared me for the day-to-day practice of law,” explained Wolf. “The prospect of transitioning from the classroom–where everything is hypothetical and nobody’s life is irreversibly altered by wrong answers or incomplete assessments of the facts–to the real world can be daunting. Drake Law graduates, as a result of the many opportunities Drake extends for honing practical skills in real-world environments, are uniquely poised to succeed in a profession that demands far more than a sterile knowledge of the law.”