Natalie Ritz (’24): A Thirst for Deeper Meaning

Natalie Ritz has a passion for knowledge. Her zeal to learn is fueled by reading – almost anything. You name it: Literature, poetry, legal contracts, novels …

“It’s always a thirst for a complete and total understanding of the text,” she said during a recent phone interview. “That’s something I can’t just turn on and off in my brain. And it doesn’t matter what type of document I’m reading, whether it’s a novel, a short story, a poem or an indemnification clause, I’m still homed in on the deeper meaning. What is its purpose?”

Ritz’ love for the written word led her to Converse College, where she majored in English/Theatre. It is also where she was introduced to novelist Toni Morrison, whose writing style and charismatic tone served as kindling for her fiery passion. In fact, during Spring 2020 semester (her senior year of college), Ritz was inspired to examine Morrison’s classic short story titled Recitatif for her Capstone project.

“The story is written so that their racial identities are completely ambiguous,” said Ritz. “It forces the reader to pull back and reflect on their own life and learn about inherent biases. She did this intentionally. Recitatif is one of my all-time favorite pieces of literature.”

Reading and writing about Morrison was a transformative experience, but so was another event: COVID. The pandemic would require Ritz to consider a course correction, one that led her back to the classroom to study the law.

During that final semester at Converse Ritz was enrolled in the class — Environmental Literature in Appalachia – which featured non-fiction literature about fracking and the coal industry and its impact on the community.

“We were reading about these families who were displaced or impoverished because of the coal mining industry,” she said. “I began asking myself, ‘How can I be part of the solution?’”

That’s when she discovered environmental law, a revelation that changed her course of study.

Ritz began pursuing law schools and eventually landed at Charleston School of Law where she met Professor Jean Steadman.

“Professor Steadman has this incredible passion and the way that she can command a classroom and have every single person engaged in transactional law work that spoke to me,” said Ritz.

During her three-year journey at Charleston Law, Ritz was learning in the classroom, internships, externships, student organizations and networking with alumni. She was a member of Women in Law (student organization) and Chair of the Transactional Law Team (advocacy group). In addition, she poured herself into community work, splitting her first summer as an intern for the public defender’s office in Greenville and later Johnson Smith Law, a commercial real estate firm. After her 2L year, Ritz served as a legal intern at Lokey Law Firm in Charleston followed by an externship in the legal department at Volvo.

In addition to her passion for practicing the law Ritz confessed, “I always thought that one day I would end up teaching, it’s something I’m passionate about.”

So, after passing the bar and accepting a position as the Assistant Solicitor for the Seventh Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Spartanburg, South Carolina, she applied to teach Business Law at her alma mater.

She realized that dream the last month when she stepped in front of her students for the first time.

“I had a pinch me moment,” she said. “At first, I was nervous because the students were essentially my peers. There was a level of insecurity at first because I was thinking, ‘Are they going to take me seriously?’ Then I remembered how qualified I am to be teaching this course.”

“Natalie is a born teacher,” said Charleston Law professor Jean Steadman. “She is truly brilliant and intuitively capable of reading her students to gauge not only their interest but their understanding of the material.”

“I wanted to do what Steadman did for me,” said Ritz.

Natalie Ritz went from earning her undergraduate degree in English/Theatre to practicing law. In the last six months of 2024, Ritz she graduated from Charleston Law, passed the bar, accepted her first full-time legal position and a teaching opportunity to teach Business Law at her alma mater, Converse College.

“I am honored to call her a colleague in the practice of law,” said Professor Steadman. “I simply gave Natalie the support and reassurance that she would make an amazing attorney and professor who would make a difference. She did the hard work; I had the pleasure of watching her confidence grow and voice become louder.”