Dylan sent Ashley a Facebook friend request not long after that first meeting in the law school lobby. She “accepted it anyway for networking opportunities.” After all, he was a 3L in the Class of 2014, and she was a 2L in the Class of 2015.
What Ashley didn’t know was that Dylan had a crush on her.
“Due to other relationships and graduations, it took a few years for that crush to turn into something more,” Ashley said.
The couple didn’t reconnect until 2016 when Ashley joined the West Virginia Public Defender’s Office in Martinsburg, West Virginia, where Dylan was working. Law school gave them a foundation on which to build their relationship.
“Although we weren’t together during law school and even in separate years, our time at WVU Law and in Morgantown gave us shared experiences — teachers, classes and social events — that created a shared base level for our knowledge and earliest experiences with the law,” Ashley explained. “It comes in handy while case planning and reminiscing about the good old law school days.”
Married in fall 2017, the Battens now live in Martinsburg and are “proud puppy parents” of Tully, a rescue.
Ashely’s advice to law school couples is to make time for their relationship outside of the normal class and homework routine.
“Set some time aside to be you and not just law students. Law school can take over your life, but setting limits on how often you will talk about class will help you make space for your relationship to blossom and for you to grow,” she said.
Ashley and Dylan are both still Public Defenders in the office where they fell in love in the Eastern Panhandle. Ashley’s passion is working with children charged with crimes, and Dylan enjoys litigating adult felonies and misdemeanors.
