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Latinas and Domestic Violence.
A friend from law school works in an agency that represents survivors of domestic violence and posted this poignant and incredibly sad alter for Day of the Dead to honor the murdered victims of domestic violence. As someone who works first hand with DV survivors this really struck a chord, I hear countless violent stories of survivors who barely made it out on time—and then there’s so many incidents of choking/head trauma that make me worry about the future health of those clients. Unfortunately, DV is a major problem in all communities, including ours. One in three Latinas will experience physical inter-family violence in their lifetime. This means that too…
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Mistakes at Work: how to avoid them & how to fix them
While in school, I often heard that the big difference between medical school and law school was that no one’s life was at stake. Technically true. While no mistake we make as attorneys will cost someone their life (excluding criminal defense lawyers—no pressure), the fact is that big mistakes still can impact a client’s life in big ways. We’re entrusted to handle sensitive, consequential matters that may not be life and death, but will often affect the quality of life for that client. Unfortunately, we’re human and mistakes will happen. Part of growing into your job means learning how to independently manage all the required steps in your work so…
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When Family Emergencies Impact Law School
The unfortunate thing about law school is that you don’t go through it in a vacuum. Other people keep living their lives and experience milestones and setbacks while you’re trying to make it to the next semester. If big emergencies arise it can really affect your grades and law school trajectory in big ways. In my case, the morning we were supposed to register for our spring semester 1L courses–I spent the day sobbing because my father had been diagnosed with cancer (he’s healthy now, thank God). I was just an emotional wreck, and while I needed to let it all out emotionally, I ended up missing out on registering…
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Looking Good: Eyeshadow Primer for Work
One of the negatives about makeup is that it’s so easy to get it wrong. Too heavy-handed and it can look overwhelming; a slight misapplication can look sloppy; too light and it’s gone in an hour—I takes patience and practice, imo. One big thing for me is that if you’re going to wear makeup in a professional setting it needs to look appropriate and be applied well. A big problem I see (and I categorize it as a problem because it can be distracting) is smeared eyeshadow/liner. Eyelids can get oily, even mine and I have a super dry skin. I hate to admit that I’m often distracted by people at…
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The Importance of Diversity (and I’m not talking about Race)
If I have not scared you enough into preparing for your summer job then rest assured I will keep trying. Appointments with career services will be here soon and deadlines will be fast approaching, and one of the things you have to decide soon is where you’re planning to apply. Perhaps you had a really good experience with an agency your 1L summer. Or you’ve been interning during the fall semester with a new agency that you really are enjoying. It’s natural to want to keep working for a place you enjoy. However, if you’re dealing with a legal market where offers are not certain, or you’re working public interest where…
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Notorious RBG, A Book Review
It’s hard to not sound like a fan girl when discussing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but there’s good reason to be her fan! It may sound like an exaggeration to say she paved the way for gender equality in the law, but when you study women jurisprudence you can see how vital she is to this movement. So imagine how excited I was to be able to review Notorious RBG*!? Super excited. However, I’m going to calm down my inner fan girl and give this book an appropriate review. The book is written by journalist Irin Carmon and attorney, Shana Knizhnik. I have often wanted to read more about RBG,…
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Seek Our History: The Purpose of Hispanic Heritage Month
One of the reasons that I Loved college (with a capitol L) is because of the Latino student group. It was small, but mighty. I learned so much about leadership, collaboration, advocacy, friendship, etc. etc. through this group, but one of the most important lessons was how vital culture is to our identities. For many years, I grew up isolated from family traditions and my culture (long story). It wasn’t until college that I realized how embracing my traditions and culture wasn’t just acceptable, but necessary. So for me, Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to go beyond my normal routine and learn about the highs and lows of the Latino-American experience.…
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The Question to Ask during Mid-Terms: Am I doing Ok?
One of the most common problems with law school is that we barrel past every week without thinking much about what you just learned. This makes sense because who has time to sit down and think about past topics when you have so many new ones to learn, on top of papers, job applications, life… But it’s a big misstep to not stop and ask yourself during mid-terms: am I doing ok? And I’m not referring to mental health (though do stop occasionally to think about that). Rather, are you understanding the material? Do you get what the professors are trying to teach you? Are you forming and flexing the…
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Nude Lipsticks for Work
So in case you don’t know this—I’ve always been a makeup fanatic, but I didn’t turn into a full blown product junkie until I started studying for the Bar. That’s when I discovered Youtube gurus and it’s been hell on my bank account ever since. However, one big mistake I’d make is that I’d see a pretty shade on someone and go get the same thing—not thinking about how that shade may not work for my skin tone #rookiemistake. So when I started working full-time, I finally made it a point to buy nudes that were actually Nude For Me, which as a brown girl, is really important to take…
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Spotlight On! Family Law Attorney Jennifer Alfonso
This is another installment of the series, Spotlight On! A series where we showcases Latina lawyers and learn about the early successes in their careers. Today we meet Jennifer Alfonso, a dynamic Latina lawyer. If you follow her on Instagram, then you know how refreshing it is to see that she really enjoys practicing law! Today she shows us what it means to trust your instinct even if it takes you to a place you didn’t at first envision for yourself! When did you start practicing? About a year and a half ago. What made you want to pursue a career in law? Being a journalism major and never wanting…