Nick Maxwell is a JD candidate at Yale Law School. He received his AB in Social Studies from Harvard College in 2022 (Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa), where his studies focused on American legal and political institutions. While at Harvard, he was awarded a fellowship from the Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale Law School. After graduating from Harvard, Nick attended Tsinghua University in Beijing as a Schwarzman Scholar and completed a Master’s in Global Affairs in 2023. In 2024, Nick graduated from the University of Oxford with an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice, where he studied on a scholarship from Christ Church College.

Nick has extensive experience in drug policy and public interest legal work. He has lobbied the Ohio Legislature for changes to the state’s 911 Good Samaritan Law, conducted original research on Ohio’s Medical Marijuana program that was published by Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, and worked on several legal challenges to the distribution of Ohio’s $1.1 billion in opioid settlement funds. Additionally, during the summer of 2021, he organized a series of second-chance legal clinics in several underserved areas of Ohio.

Nick’s desire to pursue a JD stems from his direct observations of the powerful ways in which law shapes society and drives change. He hopes his legal education will prepare him for public service at the highest levels of the United States government.

Nick is from a small town of 5,000 people in central Ohio. His childhood experiences helped spark his interest in the opioid epidemic and shaped his passion for working for those in overlooked communities. He enjoys hiking, loves dogs, and is an avid poker and chess player.