Ep 31: Rewriting The Bar: How One Man’s Fight Reshaped Legal Access for Online Law Graduates
🌐 Website: https://lockelaw.us 🔗Email: nl@lockelaw.us
By Sherry Sutton | Heart of the Hustle Show
Discover how attorney Nelson Locke challenged the Texas Supreme Court and helped change the law for thousands of online law school grads. Written from Sherry Sutton’s perspective, this blog explores how content can build movements — and why it’s time to tell your story.
A Story Worth Fighting For — And Sharing
If you’ve ever been told that the way you got here disqualifies you, that your path wasn’t the “right” one, or that your story doesn’t belong in the room — then you already understand the importance of what Nelson Locke accomplished.
When I first met Nelson, he wasn’t just a guest for the podcast. He was already in the middle of a fight that could change lives.
He didn’t say that at the time. He didn’t dramatize it. He was calm, composed, measured. But behind his words was a fire that every entrepreneur, advocate, and change-maker knows:
The system was broken. And someone had to fix it.
In his case, that meant taking on the Texas Supreme Court.
This blog isn’t just a recap of that journey — it’s an exploration of how storytelling, content creation, and a mission-driven voice can create real, measurable change.
Because what Nelson did in the courtroom… you can do with your brand, your message, your story.
And we can help.
Why This Story Matters to Me (And Should Matter to You)
When Nelson Locke first appeared on Heart of the Hustle, I expected a conversation about nontraditional legal careers, or maybe a few insights into how the legal industry is adapting to the digital age.
Instead, I got a firsthand account of how outdated policies — built to exclude people — were actively blocking highly qualified attorneys from practicing law.
And Nelson wasn’t just talking about the problem. He was doing something about it.
He’d been denied entry into the Texas Bar, not because of his experience or conduct, but because he earned his law degree online, from Purdue Global Law School — an institution not accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
That one detail, that one bureaucratic checkbox, had more weight than his 13 years of legal experience, his clean record, or the fact that he had already passed one of the toughest bar exams in the country.
Sound ridiculous? It is.
And yet, it’s also exactly how many of us experience professional rejection.
Maybe not through legal systems, but through resumes that get tossed because the “right” school wasn’t listed.
Through funding that gets denied because we don’t fit the mold.
Through rooms we’re kept out of because our credentials didn’t come through the usual channels.
So when Nelson said he was going to challenge the system — and win — I knew this wasn’t just a legal story. This was the story.
The story of transformation.
Of hustle.
Of rewriting the rules.
The Power of the Personal Mission
Nelson didn’t set out to start a movement.
He wanted to practice law.
He wanted to serve his clients.
He wanted to be recognized for the professional he already was.
But the moment the Texas Board of Law Examiners said "no" — not because of ethics or errors but because of an antiquated rule — his personal mission became a public one.
This is what I see time and time again in the stories we tell through Heart of the Hustle.
People come in thinking they’re just here to share their work.
What they end up doing is activating others.
That’s what Nelson did.
His story resonated because it’s universal:
Doing everything right, only to be told you’re still not enough
Facing a faceless system that wasn’t built for you
Having to prove — again and again — that your experience counts
If you’ve ever had to fight twice as hard to get half as far, you understand.
A Win Bigger Than One Man
Fast forward to June 2025.
The Texas Supreme Court ruled in Nelson’s favor. But they didn’t just rule for Nelson. They went further. They ordered a review of the rule itself — the one that had long prevented graduates from non-ABA-accredited schools from applying to the Texas Bar.
In short: the rules changed.
The ripple effects of that moment are still unfolding, but here’s what we already know:
Online law graduates now have a path to practice in Texas
Other states (Florida, we’re looking at you) are beginning to re-evaluate similar restrictions
The gatekeeping grip of the ABA is finally being questioned at a judicial level
That doesn’t happen often.
And it certainly doesn’t happen because of one man’s story… unless that story is shared.
That’s where content creation steps in.
What Happens When We Share the Right Story at the Right Time
When Nelson’s first episode aired, it exploded. The views. The shares. The DMs.
Not because of clickbait.
Not because of a gimmick.
But because of a real story that so many people saw themselves in.
The podcast episode led to:
Attorneys reaching out to join his cause
Law students asking how they could support reform
Institutions taking notice
More importantly?
It gave him momentum.
People who didn’t know Nelson before knew him now.
His legal argument was strong.
But his public credibility became even stronger.
That’s what storytelling does.
That’s what content — done right — makes possible.
And that’s why I’m writing this blog. Because this isn’t just about Nelson.
It’s about you.
If You Have a Mission, You Need a Platform
I built Heart of the Hustle because I got tired of watching brilliant people get drowned out by louder ones.
The loudest voice shouldn’t win.
The most strategic one should.
And the most strategic voice is the one that shows up consistently with:
A clear story
A strong mission
Content that connects
When Nelson came to the studio, we didn’t just film a podcast. We captured a movement.
You can do the same.
Whether you’re launching a business, fighting for policy change, building a brand, or changing an industry — your story needs to be shared before the win happens. It needs to be nurtured. Supported. Made visible.
That’s what our studio does.
That’s what I do.
What You Walk Away With
When you're a guest on Heart of the Hustle, you walk away with far more than a 30-minute interview. You leave with:
✅ A professionally produced podcast episode — fully edited and platform-ready
✅ Short-form video reels, optimized for IG, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube Shorts
✅ Branded quote graphics that reinforce your voice
✅ A full-length blog post (just like this one), SEO-optimized to drive traffic
✅ Email copy that helps you stay connected with your audience
It’s more than a show. It’s a content engine built to work for you.
And you don’t have to script a thing. Just show up, tell your story, and I’ll help the world hear it.
Let’s Talk About You Now
If you’ve been sitting on a story — a big shift, a bold mission, or even just a hard-won lesson you want to share — now is the time.
Not when the website is done.
Not when your offer is perfect.
Not when the book is written.
Now.
Because someone is already searching for the very thing you’ve lived through.
And your story might be the one that opens the door.
🎙️ Be a guest on Heart of the Hustle.
📍 Walk away with a month’s worth of strategic, professional content.
📣 Let’s make sure your voice is heard — by the people who need it most.
Final Thought: The Next Nelson Locke Might Be You
Here’s what I keep coming back to: Nelson didn’t know this would work.
He hoped. He planned. He fought.
But he took a leap — in the courtroom and on camera.
And because of that, people paid attention.
The rules changed.
The system shifted.
That’s what happens when you combine truth with storytelling.
So whether you’re in law, education, finance, wellness, art, or advocacy — your experience has weight. Your voice has value. And your story might be the one that moves someone else into action.
Let’s tell it — together.
🎧 Full episode with Nelson Locke now on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.
— Sherry Sutton
