When Hope Webb found herself sitting across the table from employment attorneys, pushing back on their legal reasoning and holding her own in complex workplace investigations, she knew she needed something to back up her instincts. What she didn’t know was that the perfect credential already existed.
“I always felt like I was sitting with the lawyers and pushing back on the lawyers and having dialogue with them,” said Webb, senior principal in Employee and Labor Relations at Amazon. “[I thought,] there has to be something out there to give me the credentials or accreditation or something to prove that I can do this.”
After more than 20 years in human resources, spanning industries from advertising to retail to manufacturing, Webb began searching for a program that could formalize the legal knowledge she’d built through experience. She’d always been curious about law school but knew a JD wasn’t the right fit. Then she discovered Tulane University Law School’s online Master of Jurisprudence in Labor & Employment Law program.
Finding the Right Fit
Webb enrolled in the program while serving as Associate Director of Corporate HR at Leprino Foods, the world’s largest mozzarella cheese manufacturer. The timing was anything but simple. Midway through the program, she was recruited by Amazon, onboarding into one of the most demanding corporate cultures in the world while continuing her coursework. Then COVID hit. Then Amazon became embroiled in the largest union organizing campaign in U.S. history, in Bessemer, Ala., and Webb was there on the ground.
“I should have failed,”’ she said with a laugh. “But if I could do it in the situation I was in, anybody can do it. The Tulane faculty members are so flexible and understanding.”
She graduated in May 2021 with a strong GPA. Five months later, she was promoted to ER Principal at Amazon.
Building Skills That Transfer Directly to the Job
For Webb, one of the most unexpectedly valuable aspects of the program was the writing. Courses with Professor Jennifer Cooper—particularly the Legal Analysis sequence—pushed her to research thoroughly, construct well-supported arguments and communicate with precision.
That rigor paid off in ways she hadn’t anticipated. Amazon is famously a writing culture—executives present ideas through written narratives rather than PowerPoint slides, and every argument must be cited and defended. Webb found herself uniquely prepared.
“Writing at Amazon was like legal writing, and I feel like [the program] prepared me so, so well, just in time to get to Amazon.”
Credibility Among Peers—Including Attorneys
On Amazon’s employee and labor relations team, Webb works alongside colleagues who largely hold JDs and came from law firm backgrounds. She credits the MJ program with helping her earn her place at the table.
“For lack of a better word, it gave me some ‘street cred,’” she said. “I can speak about law classes and the things I learned and the experience.” She noted that her team now includes two other MJ graduates and a current Tulane student, a testament to how the program resonates within the industry.
The curriculum also sharpened her ability to anticipate changes in employment law. She recalled classroom discussions about open seats on the National Labor Relations Board and what different appointments might signal for the future of labor relations, conversations that made her a more informed voice in professional settings.
“I felt like, in conversations with my colleagues, I was more informed of what the future was going to hold, or what the probabilities were of things happening in employment law,” she said.
An Alumni Community That Keeps Giving
Webb has returned to Immersion Weekend—an in-person learning and networking experience on Tulane’s New Orlean’s campus—multiple times since graduating, and she described a sense of belonging that surprised her given the program’s online format.
“There’s a feeling of camaraderie. You’re part of this community. I’m a super proud Tulane alumna,” she said.
She’s also spotted Tulane’s table at major industry conferences like SHRM, where she stopped to connect with current program representatives.
Advice to Prospective Students
For HR professionals, operations leaders or anyone working in the labor relations space who has ever wondered whether law school might be the answer, Webb has a clear message.
“It is an exceptional way to still feel the accomplishment of what law school might be like, but I don’t need the law degree. I still have access to the same level of faculty, the same level of expectations from that faculty.”
She paid for the program entirely out of pocket and said she would do it again without hesitation.
“For the cost, your return on investment is amazing. It is worth the money.”
Earn Your MJ in Labor & Employment Law Online With Tulane
Ready to take the next step?
To find out more about Tulane University Law School’s online Master of Jurisprudence in Labor & Employment Law, including course information and admissions requirements, explore our online resources or schedule an appointment with our admissions team to discuss your options in detail.