Breaking Law School Barriers I: Finding Guidance

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.

So you want to go to law school?  Felicidades! I think it’s great and we need more women of color in the profession.  There are a lot of questions that you’ll have to answer before you can take the right steps to get into school (finances being a big part), but before you even get to figuring out how to pay for law school, you have to game plan how to apply so that you get accepted.  The main way to make a game plan is to find someone that is easily accessible and can guide you in this process.

In college, I knew I wanted to go to law school, but I knew no attorneys and very few law students.  When I started researching law school options in 2005 (ay dios, so long ago!), I had no idea where to really start.  There were some websites that kind of helped, but the reality is that many people that frequented those sites were trolls, or cynical, or just plain mean.  Instead of giving helpful information, they would make snide comments about people’s options and potential.  That is not helpful.

Instead, a great way to learn about the process is by relying on real people who you can trust to have reasonable answers.   This means finding professionals and law students that are willing to help you.  If you know no attorneys  but are still in college, you can do something simple and join a pre-law society, or ask college guidance counselor’s for alumni info.  These connections will help you find someone who’s been through it and can help answer your burning questions about the application process.  If you’re not in school you should try to really analyze your social network to see who, if anyone, is an attorney or in law school or knows an attorney or law student (it’s ok if you have to cast a wide net).  Once you have a possible contact, reach out and ask questions about the application process.

The point is to find someone(s) that can help guide you, and can help you think of things you don’t even know are part of the equation.  It may be awkward contacting a virtual stranger, but sometimes that’s our only option.  While it would be great to have deep-rooted and organic forms of mentorship; we Latinas sometimes have to make our own way.  And that’s ok!  So, don’t worry about the awkwardness.  I’ve never met an attorney unwilling to discuss these types of things, but if you do hit a roadblock then send questions our way.  The point is to find someone that can be your resource.

A few important questions to cover are:

–How did you select which schools to apply to?

–How did you prepare for the LSAT?

–How did you prepare financially before starting school?

Obviously someone that graduated from law school ten years ago may have different options than you do now, but I think these three questions cover some of the primary work you have to do for your application.

Notice I didn’t list: should I go to law school?  Because many people will tell you no.  I don’t believe in naysayers.  I’ll admit it’s a horrible market and most JD programs are unjustifiably too expensive.  I do take issue with that.  Caution should be taken when you decide if and where to attend.  But, I also know the power that comes with a J.D. and the change you can make as an attorney–I live it first hand.  I refuse to dissuade other Latinas from earning the same type of power.  So ask away so that you can make the most effective and objective decision that’s best for you.