Wendy Gerwick Couture Wins University Mid-Career Award

This spring, University of Idaho College of Law Professor Wendy Gerwick Couture was awarded a 2018-2020 University Mid-Career Award in recognition of her contributions to the university, her college, students and field. At the mid-career mark, Couture has hopes about the future trajectory of her career.

“When I am at the end of my career, I hope that I will be able to look back and see that I made a lasting positive impact — on my former students, on the field of securities regulation, and on the College of Law,” she said.

Learning the Law

After Couture earned her undergraduate degree at Duke University in economics and French, she was drawn to law school and graduated as valedictorian from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

“I’ve always loved solving analytical problems, whether it’s the impact of new economic policies or the conjugation of an irregular verb. When I learned that that’s the essence of being a lawyer, I couldn’t resist,” Wendy Couture

While in law school, she was inspired by a professor to study securities regulation.

“My securities law professor, Marc Steinberg, changed the course of my career. His enthusiasm for the area of law, with its endless intricacies, was infectious, and his brilliance was inspiring,” she said.

She hopes to emulate his example through her work with her own students at U of I.

“Throughout my career, Marc has been my champion, encouraging me to pursue opportunities that I wouldn’t have had the confidence to pursue without his support, and inviting me to join him on important projects, long before I had earned the honor of doing so. I hope that I can have a similar impact on my students’ careers,” she said.

Early Career

After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn, United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Under Judge Lynn’s mentorship, Couture honed her legal writing skills.

“Judge Lynn is a beautiful writer, and I learned from her red pen,” Couture said.

Couture then practiced securities litigation at Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, LLC, a large firm in Dallas, Texas.

“The mid-2000s were an exciting time to practice securities litigation in Texas,” said Couture. “Even though I was a junior attorney, I was working on cases that were making national headlines, and I had the privilege of learning from some truly brilliant attorneys.” 

Becoming a Professor

Teaching eventually called her away.

“I was drawn to teaching because it drew on my favorite aspects of practice – brainstorming with creative and smart people, sharing ideas, and probing complexities,” she said.

She started her academic career as a visiting associate professor of law at U of I, and then went on to join the faculty of St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas, as an assistant professor of law, before returning to the University of Idaho as an associate professor of law in 2010.

“I will always be grateful to U of I for taking a chance on me by hiring me for my first academic position. That year, I learned the fundamentals of building an academic career, and I confirmed that this is my dream job,” Wendy Couture

“I will always be grateful to U of I for taking a chance on me by hiring me for my first academic position. That year, I learned the fundamentals of building an academic career, and I confirmed that this is my dream job,” Wendy Couture

An early success reinforced that she had chosen the correct career path.

“Very early in my career, one of my articles was selected by a prominent professor as one of the top 10 securities regulation articles of the year. At that time, I was an unknown scholar with few connections in academia, and this small honor was incredibly meaningful to me. I still keep the letter in my desk drawer,” she said.

From her experiences, Couture understands that supporting students can make a difference.

“The best part of my job is receiving emails from former students, letting me know that they applied a concept that we discussed in class or thanking me for contributing in some small part to their own successes,” she said.

Article by Cara Hawkins-Jedlicka, College of Law.

Published May 2018