. >> lauren grew up in maryland, halfway between baltimore and d.c., with her friend katie o'hare. >>e knew each other inside out. i'd always know she could cheer me up. she was a funny girl. she was a riot. >> how would she make you laugh? >> the things that would come out of her mouth sometimes didn't have a filter. >> why did she go south to go to school? >> she loved the south. she was a country girl at heart, and when she got there, she loved it. she didn't want to come back up here. >> and lauren certainly knew what she wanted. wanted to be a lawyer, but not one of those corporate types or even a crusading prosecutor. lauren wanted to be a public defender, a voice for the poor and the accused. why did she want to do that? >> she always wanted to help people. always. >> and mercer law school, perched on its hillside in one of macon's sweet spots seemed right for her. >> she was a fan of nancy grace. nancy grace graduated from there. >> oh, well. lauren found a great apartment across from the school. even the maintenance man was a student. soon she was everywhere, running in the p