Kyle Hurysz prepares for career in business law

When he was younger, third-year UNC School of Law student Kyle Hurysz received a cerebral palsy diagnosis, which shaped his childhood. He enjoyed sports but never played them, pushing him to focus on academics.

“When other friends of mine were playing basketball, I was reading books,” Hurysz said. “That steered me towards an academic path.”

And while he didn’t know it at the time, cerebral palsy was shaping his approach to his law career.

“A big part of the practice of law is overcoming challenges, and I’ve had to do that since Day 1,” Hurysz said. “I think that’s helped prepare me for thinking outside the box, which is required in this profession.”

Before becoming a Tar Heel, Hurysz graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (now Pennsylvania Western University at Edinboro) in 2021 with undergraduate degrees in economics and political science. He then earned a master’s degree in economics from Columbia University a year later.

His love of sports came back into play when he considered law schools. He watched lots of baseball, basketball and football and played sports video games growing up. Carolina athletics caught his eye as a youngster and partially inspired his desire to come to Chapel Hill.

Hurysz’s love for Carolina started with an obsession with Carolina athletics as a child. (Submitted photo)

“I’m a big sports guy, and I’ve always viewed UNC as a sports powerhouse,” said Hurysz. “It’s really cool to be able to go to football and basketball games.”

But the law school itself was a great fit for Hurysz.

His first year at Carolina, he joined the North Carolina Law Review, the law school’s flagship journal, after participating in the Joint Journal Competition. During the weeklong event, students rank six legal journals at Carolina they want to be a part of, and then the journals select students to work for them.

At the NCLR, students write pieces that cover the most pressing contemporary legal issues. Hurysz became editor-in-chief this year, and his role involves selecting articles for publication, coordinating assignments between the journal’s teams and working with University officials.

Hurysz has greatly enjoyed his time as a student in Chapel Hill and appreciates the way the law school connects scholars with opportunities like summer experiences, clinic programs and externships.

This summer, he worked as a summer associate in the Houston office of the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom. He focused on transactional work, including corporate mergers and acquisitions. Hurysz wants to do more business-oriented work like corporate transactions.

As editor-in-chief of the North Carolina Law Review, Hurysz selects articles for publication, coordinates assignments among the journal’s teams and works with University officials. (Submitted photo)

“UNC is well known everywhere,” said Hurysz. “Our career development office is also outstanding. They make sure everybody at the institution ensures our students are prepared to enter whatever they want to do, whether it’s a big law firm, public interest or a judge’s chambers. Whatever they want to do, they’re going to be prepared to do it at a high level from the start.”

In his final year at Carolina, Hurysz looks forward to continuing to contribute to a “community that defies the norm for these top law schools.”

“We have an incredible community at Carolina Law,” he said. “Everyone here is so supportive, and I’ve made so many great friends. I think that’s a credit to the institution.”