Law School
-
Summer Series: Prepping for the Marathon
Another Summer Series story! Summer Series shares stories all summer long from Lawtinas all over the country. We get to hear from pre-law students prepping for their upcoming year 1L year; students in different internships; and law grads prepping for the bar exam. Today we hear from Danielle Taylor, a Texan who has moved to the Windy City to start law school. Danielle breaks down all the things she’s focusing on to put herself in the best position for a successful fall semester! Who can serve as an authority on the best way to prepare for law school? Could someone have enough perspective on if they prepared correctly…
-
Are you ready? Things to ask yourself if you’re interested in the law
There is a never-ending flow of advice about law school (hello, exhibit A is this blog). But a lot of the advice, as we’ve shared, often fails to take into account the circumstances that many Latinas experience that make their decision to go to law school the right step for them. We’ve shared before why it’s important to ignore bad advice, why you have the skills to be a lawyer, but what else should you be asking yourself before you take the big leap? One. What’s my motivation? I am one of the weird zealots in the profession that feel being a lawyer is a calling. We should be…
-
Summer Series: From Imposter to Empowered
Welcome to another Summer Series post. Summer Series allows us to hear from Lawtinas from around the country sharing their summer with us—we’ll hear from pre-law students, law grads prepping for the bar, and rising 2Ls/3Ls in their summer internships. Today we hear from Angelica Austrich, a risking 2L in New York. Not only did she come to the states from the DR to study law and had to adjust to culture shock but she also scored an immensely cool and empowering summer gig with Congressman Espaillat’s office! Here is her journey, so far… One of the statistics that sticks with us is knowing that only 2% of the…
-
Summer Series: Getting Thrown into the Fire.
Another Summer Series post! Summer Series showcases different experiences of Lawtinas throughout the country, whether they be pre-laws, law grads, or rising 2L/3Ls. This helps show all the diverse work and experiences that come with working in the law and through law school. Today we hear from Rachelle Ramirez, a rising 2L, who recently conquered her first year and is now experiencing her first legal summer. We’ve all heard horror stories about law school. Getting cold-called when you haven’t read a single case in the last week or when you fail the class you thought you had in the bag. But what really worried me the most was the search…
-
Summer Series: Navigating the Legal World as a First Generation Woman of Color.
I am thrilled to kick off our seventh (!!) summer guest post series! Summer Series is a way for us to learn from Lawtinas throughout the country. They share their summer experiences whether it’s an internship, prepping for the bar, or getting ready for law school, its a great way to get a glimpse of array of work available within the legal industry and to see that while it can often feel like we’re alone in this process there are many of us, all across the nation, who are going through this similar journey. And so today, I’m so happy to introduce you to Bianca Ybarra, a law grad who…
-
What to do with a Gap Year
For those planning to attend law school, you may hear about the importance of a gap year. A gap year, generally speaking, is a year+ long break between undergrad and law school. I like to encourage them even though I went straight through. What is the goal of a gap year? It can be anything you want it to be, really. You can spend the time getting your money right so you can afford to apply for law school; you can spend the time getting more information about the legal profession/meeting lawyers so you can be sure the law is for you; and/or you can spend the time strengthening your…
-
Law Student Don’ts: Mistakes to Avoid as a Law Student
I’ve spoken often about how weird law school is and how common culture shock can be—and that’s because not only is the Law a foreign concept but the process of law school itself is also really weird. And it can be easy to stumble, especially when you’re new or when you’re not event sure of what are the expectations. In fact, that’s how I feel I went through law school—one stumble after the next and thankfully I never fell flat on face enough to not get back up, but it doesn’t and shouldn’t have to be that difficult. You shouldn’t feel like you’re fumbling in the dark to figure out…
-
When Misunderstandings Feel Like Accusations
I remember the first time I was accused of wrong-doing in law school and how enraged I felt. When I was weeks away from ending my first year of law school, one of the editors for one of the journals emailed me and unceremoniously told me they were rejecting my application and then offered me the “advice” to be honest in my resume going forward. It was a complete shock to my system. I was incredulous and shocked, how could they accuse me of lying on my resume of all things?! So, as a true aries, I pushed back, hard. Demanding meetings and clarifications and probably made enough of a…
-
Bounce Back: Saving your GPA after 1L Year
So, I love this community because I posted this on Insta and how excited I was to have other low-ranked law graduates represented in the White House. That’s my type! Mostly joking (I have no clue if MY PRESIDENT graduated in the bottom half of his class, but if he did, then I’m in good company). The reality is that I STRUGGLED my 1L year and when grades came out, I was disappointed but not surprised that I didn’t do so hot. More Bs and Cs than I had expected. I really didn’t know what to do, I was to embarrassed to go to the TAs and didn’t even know…
-
Mastering the Interview
Soon, it will be interview season for folks looking for summer positions. I’ve been thinking about my first interview for my 1L summer job and how grateful I am that the organization was so Latino-centered that they gave me a lot of grace that I wouldn’t have received in other spaces. It’s not that I didn’t take the interview seriously, it’s just that having only ever worked retail or service jobs, I didn’t get that there is an added polish that is expected in the legal industry. So if you’re about to interview what are the things you should focus on for this extra polish? Looks. Ugh, I hate offering…