Law School
-
Is It Possible to Have Fun During the Bar Prep?
I remember after my first week of Bar prep the instructor telling us to enjoy our summer break—meaning Memorial Day weekend because that was going to be it in terms of free time and fun. I hate to break it to you but that’s mostly right, so take advantage of this long weekend and have some fun! Go get drinks, go shopping, hang out with friends, whatever you want to do because this is the last weekend you’ll feel like you can do anything without a tremendous amount of guilt and anxiety. Having said that, does that mean that you will have no fun or breaks for the reminder of…
-
The Bar Exam: Helping Family Understand Your Stress
Many will start their Bar course this week. I remember clearly how much fear of the unknown I had going into my first course. And rather than feeling somewhat relieved after the first day, I left feeling more nervous than before because I just didn’t know how I was going to learn everything I needed to learn in time for the Bar. I say this not to freak you out, but to show solidarity in the complete mind-F that the Bar prep can be; it’s a really difficult time because this is high stress, high stakes. Throughout the summer we’ll share Bar prep tips that are useful for those studying,…
-
Things to NOT Do as a New Legal Intern
Summer jobs are about to start in just a few weeks—this will be my sixth (!!!) summer working with interns and it’s hilarious to me the huge difference in my supervision skills that I have now compared to my first summer. Like, the fact that my first summer I had no supervision skills for one… Now that I have some experience on working with interns I can tell you how small changes in behavior can make a big difference in having a successful summer job. The open secret is that many attorneys strongly dislike working with students because it often ends up being more trouble than it’s worth. But I LOVE…
-
Don’t Do It: Things to Avoid After Law School Finals
One of the biggest difference between undergrad and law school is that in undergrad, you go into finals with a basic idea of what your grade will be in that class. In law school, all of your grade is dependent on this one final exam, and you have little idea what your grade will be or even if you are truly understanding the concepts of the course. So unlike undergrad, where you can turn in your bluebook and move on–law school finals stick with you for a long time. There’s always a little bug in your head reminding you that grades are coming and it makes you worry about how you…
-
Gift Guide for Law Grads
Graduations are coming up and I’m so excited to see my Instagram feed because it will be filled with celebrations! Whether it’s a graduation or the end of finals, I’m here for all the positivity! Because my love language is gifts, I want to share gift ideas for law grads that you can give your fave law student OR if you’re the law grad, you can casually send this to family members so that they can shower you with some presents-I’m so not above telling my loved ones exactly what I want as gifts! But seriously, getting through law school is no small feat and deserves real recognition. Further, the…
-
Confidence Boost: What All Law Students Need to Know
During law school, I kept a semi-consistent blog where I basically just re-capped my weekends (super riveting, I know). I was looking at a post I wrote after the first day of my Bar prep course and how much I was already freaking out about failing: But mostly I’m fearful because the one thing law school was great at was reminding me how unintelligent I am. I mean, when people asked me questions about theories or laws I would think to myself, “why are they asking me?” Seriously, my intellectual confidence took a beating so it’s no surprise that I am apprehensive about this whole Bar thing. Now, some people…
-
Law Student Transformation: Exposing Yourself to a Calling
It’s time for our Summer Series! We’re calling for Contributors for this summer and to give a preview of the really awesome voices of Latina lawyers, we wanted to share a piece by Roxanne. We last heard from her as a rising 3L and now she’s set to graduate in a month! Read about her exposure to direct client counseling and how impactful a law degree can be to both the student and community: I’m about a month away from graduating from Southwestern Law School. Looking back on the last three years of my life is hard, it makes me cry, because I’m so proud of myself for how…
-
Seeking Guest Contributors for Summer Series!
Latinas Uprising is seeking guest contributors for a special summer series! We want to showcase: The varied and engaging work law students are doing this summer; Sneak peeks into the life of law grads preparing for the Bar exam; and Pre-law students who are enjoying their last summer as they prepare for the start law school. If you fit into any of these categories, please email LatinasUprising gmail com with the subject line: Guest Contributor. Please provide your name; location; law school/year in school; and: If you are a current law student, please provide a brief (a couple of sentences) of what your plans are for this summer. If you are…
-
Cultural Conflict: Bridging the Family Gap
For those of us who are children of immigrants, or easily assimilated as immigrant children, there can be a feeling of disconnect between you and your family. It usually starts with a language barrier where we slowly find ourselves unable to communicate fully with our loved ones. Then the gap widens as you advance through school because the system is foreign to most of our parents*. The higher we go, the less likely our family is able to teach us or help us navigate the system. This is also often true for even those of us with parents who have professional degrees from other countries. It can be emotionally draining to feel…
-
Preparing for Spring Semester Finals
So, first—work. Again. There’s so much ebb and flow with deadlines and projects that it’s difficult to maintain a steady schedule here, which sucks. I apologize. I have one more big thing this week and then I’m “free” as in, back to regular programming. Thankfully. Anyway, as I’m winding down—those of you in schools are starting to gear up for finals. Ugh. Sorry about that too. I remember how finals time basically meant life was at a standstill—it was such a hectic time because I know there’s other things happening (readings, family obligations, moot court try-outs, etc) that make the idea of finals like a kind of far off thing…