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Skills Beyond Question: Beating the Imposter Syndrome
I have been writing a few pieces outside of this site lately and have been trying to find the guts to make pitches to “bigger” platforms because there’s a voice in the back of my head that questions my ability to write? And to be honest, I would have taken the leap to do more and more writing a year ago, but my fear kept holding me back. I keep thinking that I’m not that good, I have no real training, is my voice even needed? But a few things happened that encouraged me to push myself. Maybe I will fall flat on my face in my attempts to write…
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Meal Prep 101
So like, do other twenty-year olds just stumble into making dinner like I did or is it a more natural process? After I graduated college, I started law school so I went three more years into my adulthood completely unsure on how to eat like a normal adult. Those three years were a whirlwind of evening classes, late night studying, and events that I just didn’t ever think to cook (or had the time to do so). Weeks after the Bar, I found myself married and facing three months of free time as I waited for my job to start in November. I figured I better try to cook since I…
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Quirky or Unprofessional: Spend Your Capital at Work Wisely
I recently read a comment online about a young woman who was new to her job and doing really well, but had been getting looks from people because she was taking notes on her arms. She realized she was using up social capital at work by doing that and decided to opt for a notebook to look a little more professional. As I was reading this I kept thinking–what are some ways we use up social capital at work that hinder us? I’m defining social capital as the goodwill people have towards you at work. You want to accumulate enough of it so that people take you seriously, are willing…
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Breaking Barriers: What’s Your Major?
I’ve received a few questions on what is the right program to major in while in undergrad if your ultimate goal is law school. The great thing about law school is that you can actually major in anything and still get in (assuming you meet all the other criteria, obvi). When I was in school we had a ton of different degrees in my class–from dance, to biology, to a former gynecologist. Of course, there were a ton of poli sci degrees and finance as well. I majored in sociology, but if were to do it again I think I’d consider maybe a double-major in journalism or some other degree that’s…
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Latina Leader: Criminal Defense and Immigration Attorney Latisha Rivera
This is another installment of the series, formerly called Spotlight On! A series where we showcase Latina lawyers and learn about the successes in their early careers. Today we talk to Latisha Rivera, a criminal defense/immigration attorney based in Baltimore. Now, through our Instagram community, I am privileged to see sneak peeks into the lives of so many of you and all the hard work you do. So it’s no small thing when I say that Latisha works! I see her putting in the time to make herself a better litigator and advocate that always leaves me so impressed! Super excited to have her share some of her knowledge today: 1. When did you…
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Why We Talk About Our Struggles
There was a big back and forth online this week about the discussion that took place between Jessica William and Salma Hayek at some like women in Hollywood retreat. LA Times had a transcript on the event. Essentially, this was a huge, missed opportunity in intersectional feminism. Jessica tried to explain how her identity as a black woman is almost always on the forefront of how people see her and Salma (and Shirley MacLaine [da fuq]) dismissed this as almost silly. On top of also making some statements that seemed to imply programs that are akin to affirmative action are condescending… But Remezcla did a great piece on this situation…
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There is No Try: Last Things To Do Before the Feb Bar
Many of you are just three weeks away from the February Bar. Eeek! This far out you just want it to be over but you also feel like you’ll never know what you need in order to pass the bar. It sucks. At the moment, there is also so many distractions. Every day there seems to be a new situation that demands our attention and/or creates unease about the state of our nation. I don’t envy any you, for realsies, but I am sending positive vibes your way. Here are some things you should keep in mind as you finish your bar studying: One. Be selfish. These last weeks are…
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Sidebar: Netflix and Dread
Only three years, 11 months, three weeks, and two days before the next inauguration. And it can’t come soon enough. What’s always supposed to feel like a fresh start and clean slate, has been mostly a month of dread. I’m almost always anxious about these new policies, “leaders,” and what it will mean to my community. And if I’m being real, what it means to my potential employment because the federal funding for legal aid is potentially on the chopping block. I know I’ll survive these next four years, but I don’t envision that it will be easy. On a much more positive note, I’m not taking lying down nor…
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Breaking Barriers: De-Mystifying the LSAT
We all know that I basically tripped my way into law school. Like, information was so inaccessible when I was applying. I kind of generally knew I had to take an exam, but didn’t really know the purpose or how important it was to the process. So I signed up to take it because a book I read said I should sign up for it in June before my senior year. Then I spent a semester before “studying” for it. Meaning, I had one practice book that I worked on sporadically and that’s it. I didn’t understand that this was not an assessment of how smart I was (like other…
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Is There Anything I Can Do? On White Allies & Their Duty to Act
Because of this site, I keep updated on stats regarding Latinx lawyers and lawyers of color in general. We, Latina lawyers, keep staying at 1.3% of the profession–it’s a neat little trivia fact I like to pull out when I can. The other day I mentioned this to a White colleague who was shocked at the low rate of Latina lawyers. And then she genuinely asked what could she do to improve diversity in the legal field. I talk a lot (a lot) about what our community can do, about what we can do as individuals, not because I think the onus is on us, but because no one is…