UM Law Student Preps Community-Service Career After Battle With Cancer

By Phil Stempin, UM News Service

MISSOULA – Cathy Grott spent decades teaching students to never give up on their goals.

Now, after overcoming cancer while attending law school, the University of Montana student is preparing to begin a new chapter of her own – after she graduates Saturday, May 16, from the Alexander Blewett III School of Law .

A nontraditional student, Grott came to law school after a career in education that included serving as a professor at Montana State University Billings.

Her decision to pursue a law degree began during conversations around the family dinner table during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were all sitting at the dinner table one day talking about politics,” Grott said. “We decided that someone needs to go to law school to learn the rules and the way things work.”

She only expected one of her children to take on the challenge, but they both elected to attend law school out of state. Grott surprised herself by deciding to go back to school as well, but closer to home at UM.

“This whole law school thing has been a whirlwind,” she said.

Grott’s path to law school came after a fulfilling career. She graduated with her undergraduate degree in 1984 and spent years working in education before continuing her own studies. She eventually earned both a Master of Public Administration and a doctorate in Political Science from Washington State University.

Her decision to attend law school was also influenced by her father, an engineer who faced a major health challenge later in life.

“My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer when he was 61 years old,” Grott said. “I asked him if he had any regrets, and he said that he wished he would have gone to law school. This really resonated with me.”

After arriving in Missoula, she quickly found purpose in the law school experience and in the possibility of using a legal education to help others.

During the summer before her second year, Grott underwent a hip replacement. At that time, doctors discovered breast cancer during a routine mammogram.

“They found cancer two days before the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (required for admission to the bar) and classes starting back up,” she said.

Grott faced surgeries, treatment and the demands of law school all at once. Still, she decided to continue.

Although she could have taken time away from school, she felt motivated to finish what she started.

“I could have taken time off, but I wanted to push through so that I could go back to Billings and start this next chapter of my life,” she said. “I found a new team of doctors in Missoula and they worked around my schedule. I had three surgeries and only missed about four classes.”

Grott credits the support of professors and staff at UM for helping her stay on track.

“My professors were so kind,” she said. “They worked with me to make it happen.”

Grott will return to Billings after graduation to study for the bar and start helping those in need.

“I’m retired, but I still have a lot to offer,” she said. “I’m doing this so I can help out underserved members of my community.”

Grott said law school changed the way she sees the next generation of attorneys.

“These students are so smart and there is so much kindness,” she said. “I’m happy to see that there is hope in these young kids.”

That optimism carries over into the advice she now gives to others considering a career change later in life.

“If you are thinking about a second career, and you have entertained the idea of going to law school, do it,” Grott said. “Don’t let barriers to continued learning keep you down.”

Grott credits her friends and family for helping her throughout law school.

“Having a strong support system has made this journey much more manageable,” she said. “I don’t think it would have been doable without them.”

For Grott, earning a law degree became about more than a profession. It became proof that learning, service and reinvention can continue at any stage of life. And after years spent encouraging students to keep moving forward, she now leaves law school carrying the same message herself.

“Don’t give up on your dreams,” she said. “You can find a way.”

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Contact: Phil Stempin, director of events, marketing and communications, UM Alexander Blewett III School of Law, 406-243-6509, phil.stempin@umontana.edu.