• Law School

    Does Rank Matter? Picking the Right Law School

    How many have heard the advice to not go to law school if it’s not in the top ten? Or don’t go to law school if it’s not a free ride? Or just, don’t go to law school? As a reminder, there is a lot of general public opinion about who should go to law school and why. And very rarely does that general advice take into account the special circumstances many Latinas find themselves in when it’s time to apply. So when you hear advice that dissuades you from your goal, consider who is giving it to you and if you’re even the audience they’re considering when they offer…

  • Law School

    Making the Right Choice: Picking Law Schools

    When it comes to deciding where to apply to law school it may seem like you have 200+ choices and that can feel super overwhelming. But the reality is that based on your goals, needs, stats, and finances your options won’t be as vast. And that’s a good thing! Lots of people cast nets far and wide when they apply, which is one strategy. But if your finances are limited (like mine were) then you have to be judicious when it comes to deciding how many fee applications you want to pay for and that means really understanding what each school can offer you. When I applied, the LSAC fee…

  • Law School

    Law Student & the Power Suit: Picking the Right Business Suit for Law School

    So no one gets too happy at the thought of a new school year, but for those that are starting law school this year it can actually feel a little exciting! Plus, it’s the start of school supplies season and that’s always a good thing (I seriously have a planner problem, in that I constantly am buying new planners)! Aside from the general items you’ll need for the academic year (a post for another day), there is one item that you should consider purchasing now so that you’re ready to participate in all the professional events schools tend to set-up at the beginning of the year: your basic suit. Having…

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  • Law School

    Picking the Right Internship

    Your first year of law school, it can feel like a lottery as to where you end up for your first summer job and, unfortunately, it still is a struggle to gain clarity as you move on to your second year. If you are a 2L/3L, picking internships can feel like such a make or break experience and as if you’re at the mercy of the potential internship site/employer. Let me share a story: when I was a 3L, I attended the biggest public interest job fair in my area (fun fact, I had missed the previous year because I had to work and a law school admin sort of…

  • Law School

    Tough Choices: How to Know Which Law School is Right for You

    Like everything else in life, picking a law school is complicated. If it was a science, then you would just go to the highest ranked school, but that is not always the best choice. And what if you got into schools all similarly ranked? How can you really know which one is the better option? Thankfully, with just a little extra research you can make a decision that best fits your goals and plans. One. What’s the vibe? It’s important to visit your schools if you can. Visiting will let you get a feel of the school, the lectures, the students, and the nearby businesses. Of course, it may not…

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  • Law School

    Don’t Go to Law School If It’s Not Free? Ignore This Bad Advice

    If you’re starting to look into law school there is one thing you’ll see that’s highlighted over and over again and that is how expensive law school can be–it’s like, ridiculous. Grad school and other professional degrees are really pricy and can be enough to scare you from applying. The other thing you may notice as you’re doing your research are well-meaning (maybe) folks that say if you’re not going to a T14 law school, you should only go if it’s free. And do that I say, “yikes, your classism is showing.”   To the first point, a T14 school is the top tier law schools that are highly ranked…

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  • Issues,  Law School

    Can I Even Do This? How To Determine If You Can be a Lawyer

    Deciding to go to law school is difficult. There are so many factors everyone considers–is the cost worth it? will I be happy? should I move out of state or stay close to home? The overwhelming question many would-be applicants ask is “should I go to law school?” and more often than not, money is the factor. Can you manage the debt and will you earn a living that makes the debt worth it? But…for many of us, even before we get to “should I?”  we experience a ton of self-doubt that asks not should you, but can you? Can you even go to law school and become an attorney?…

  • Law School

    What Does it Mean to Think Like a Lawyer

    We often hear this phrase as a new law student and maybe even covet the praise. You give an answer and the professor mentions that now you’re thinking like a lawyer before moving on to stump another student. But what does it mean? Do lawyers really think a certain way? What if you never feel like you’ll get there? Rest assured, once you get through law school you will surely know how to think like a lawyer. But I’m here to explain right now what that really means. Lawyers think analytically, strategically, and only with emotion if it’s necessary. Omg, does this sound like a robot? Yeah, well we’re kind…

  • Law School

    Breaking Barriers: Selecting the Right Law School

    Law school is different when you’re brown. It shouldn’t be, but it is. I mean, you already know that life is different for us. I think about this past summer when I did an outreach trip with coworkers and we traveled in southern Illinois. Someone wanted to stop to get a drink at a hole in the wall bar, but I became a wet blanket and encouraged us to just get to our next meeting spot. Not because I didn’t want a drink–hello, you must be new, but because I was so hesitant about entering a bar in the middle of S. Illinois. Whether that’s fair to those residents or…

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  • Law School

    Breaking Barriers: Selecting a Law School

     This series, Breaking Law School Barriers, tackles the big and small issues that come into play when you’re deciding if you’ll even attend law school.  The purpose is to give practical advice for college students, and for current law students and attorneys to give suggestions about their real world experience. Applying for law school is an incredibly long process and it can be stressful, anxious, and tedious (and expensive!). For those that have just finished the application round, the next big step is deciding which law school you will attend. When I started my process, I constantly compared my experience to other students of mean, and saw that they were…