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All We have is Each Other: Addressing the Harm Increased Immigration Enforcement Causes Our Communities
One year later and it is difficult to navigate the feelings of anger, disappointment, fear, and hope (rare) that our communities have endured this past year. As I think back on all that was done to us and how we, collectively, met this moment, I keep circling this truth: that all we have are our rights and each other. Yes, it is is difficult to believe in a legal system, to push for justice and fairness in a time where that seems almost naive. But when we look back to see what stopped further harm and damage, next to the community care, is the legal fight and community of advocates…
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Into the Unknown: Navigating Chaos Together
It is difficult to know what to do or what to say in these moments. I’m living in a city that is under siege by a federal government determined to prove the worst of immigrants and Latinos. I know that many of you, dear readers, are scattered across cities and towns that are facing similar harm. And the harm is coming from all angles, fed and local, government and residents, in person and online. A constant barrage of people radicalized to believe the worst of us. How do we move forward in this way? When the administration began, I gave some steps I was taking to help maintain my sanity…
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200 days of a rest: lessons learned during my sabbatical
“But I’ve always worked?” That is what I kept telling myself a little more than a year ago when I was weeks away from my job ending. I was going back and forth on finding a job (any job) so that I could keep working or following the lead of some of my colleagues and take a break before looking for my next role. I ultimately took the leap and went on break for 210 days. It was exactly what I needed to rest and reflect. I’d like to share a few lessons learned and encourage you to invest in self, in whatever way that looks for you. First, at…
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Solo Navigation: Career Advancement as a First-Generation Attorney
What do you do when you’re the first to enter a space? When no one in your family or close friends have been in those spaces, how do you figure out how to act and advance to the next stage? I recently saw a TikTok of a guy mentioning how he is in spaces where now has to figure things out alone because he didn’t come from a family who had professional jobs and sometimes it didn’t make sense to follow their advice. This resonated with me and reminded me of the advice many first-gens get about keeping our head down at work. Thinking that eventually our good work will…
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“If You Don’t Know How, Learn.” Lessons from A Million Miles Away
Last week after an especially jolting 5k (pro tip: don’t decide to run a 5k and then fail to train when you have asthma), I decided to take it easy for the day and watch A Million Miles Away. oh. my. god. I was a sobbing mess. It’s a must see, if you’re Latino, if you feel connected to migrant farmworkers and their story, or if you simply want to see a story about perseverance and determination. AMMA is a biopic of the first Latino to go into space, Jose Hernandez. He grew up as a migrant child farmworker, earned a degree in engineering and went on to join NASA,…
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Hello, It’s Me.
I feel like a negligent parent because I really thought a summer break would mean more and more written content, but that is not what happened! My bad. Last we spoke, my job was ending and I was figuring out what my next steps would be. In early May, I decided I would take the summer to figure out—really assess—what I wanted to do next. While I kept my law license active, the days of traditional practice seem behind me. Not in a “I wish I could go back” way, but rather my goals have moved past direct rep. I put in ten good years doing it and when I…
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Who are You to Judge? Managing Feelings Around Clients
You’re not going to like your clients. Well, you’ll like some of them but more than likely you’ll have a few that you just don’t like. It could be because of their personality or because of their decisions, or because they zap your energy, or they’re downright rude…clients are humans and we normally don’t always love every human we engage with. But when you’re representing them, you’re duty to your client requires you figuring out how to overcome feelings of dislike. Now to be clear, there’s no duty to like your client. But when you dislike someone or find yourself judging their behavior/character, it impacts your work and that is…
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What I did Right in Law School
Surprise, not everything I did in law school was a mess LOL. Though I often share all my mistakes and upsets in law school, I did, in fact, manage to graduate on dean’s list after 1L year and snagged some cool experiences that helped me land employment post-graduation. But I rarely share that mostly because the overwhelming stress and chaos of law school seems to reign supreme. But as many are about to start another semester, I figured it was a good time to share some things that I did right when I was in school. And by “right” I mean that despite the internal doubt and external barriers, I…
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Taking Control: Applying to the Right Law Schools
Out of 200 choices, how do you pick? When it’s time to apply for law school, choosing which ones to apply to can feel overwhelming. Where do you even start? And each of the applications cost money? And what if you’re not sure that you’re T14 material, do you still just apply to the top schools? The first thing to remember is that the application process is a numbers game and while you shouldn’t limit yourself, you should be realistic about where to apply to make sure it’s the best option for you. And there are so many other things to consider beyond rank. Take my case, for example, I…
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Summer Series: Breaking the Glass Ceiling in IP Law
It’s another Summer Series post! The series where law students, law grads, and pre-laws share what they’re doing for the summer. Today we hear from Cassidy, a rising 2L who will share about her experience in intellectual property—one of the more difficult areas of law to break into because it’s one of the few that does require a specific background, but Cassidy is doing it! Let’s hear more from her! Hello everyone! My name is Cassidy Aranda, and I am a rising 2L at Chicago-Kent Law School. I am currently working as an Intellectual Property Summer Associate at Ice Miller in Chicago. Intellectual Property focuses on protecting people’s innovations. Intellectual Property…