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Happy Halloween!
Ok how is October over? How are the holidays just weeks away?! I’m excited for the holidays, but I’m sure quite a few of us are feeling a little apprehensive because the closer we get to the holidays the closer we got to finals and other pressing deadlines. I remember barely enjoying Thanksgiving my 1L year because I had to work Black Friday at a retail store and then get back to studying. It was the worst. But things get better! That’s the great thing about the end of the year–it’s the start of something new! Speaking of new–what are some topics/suggestions you’d like to see added to the site? Any…
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Promoting Yourself in Performance Evaluations
Filling out evaluations is usually no fun. It can be time-consuming, anxiety-inducing, and can result in criticism you weren’t expecting. But some C-level executive decided evals were a good idea, and now most of us have to do it. Let’s just be happy that Microsoft’s former method of evaluating on a curve (!) hasn’t gone mainstream. When you have a chance to do a self-evaluation, it’s really important that you take advantage of highlighting your accomplishments as much as possible. The reason being that you’re likely the only one that is best suited to describe everything you’ve done well. Sometimes it’s difficult to do it, but we have to get used…
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Slaying Goliath II: Saving Money for Law School
I started law school immediately after college. This means I jumped into professional school without really understanding the nuances of loans, finances, or how to pay for my cost of living when I had only ever had small part-time retail jobs/work study. Now that I’m years removed, there are quite a few things I would do different, but the main thing I would change is my approach to paying for law school. Since I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer, I should have started taking the financial aspect more seriously and started planning and saving from the beginning. Of course, hindsight is twenty/twenty so instead, all I…
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When to Take a Compliment and When to Take a Hint
When you first entered the world of law, did everything feel normal and natural? For most, it takes time getting used to working in this profession, partially because we have to learn how to navigate the ins-and-outs of appropriate professional etiquette and customs. All systems of power create these procedures and social norms as a way to distinguish themselves from others. The legal community is no different in that it has imposed high standards of professionalism and business etiquette. If you didn’t grow up with parents or a close network that also abides by these standards then often it’s going to take a lot of trial and error before you feel like…
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Creating Institutional Change
If you could change anything about your law school to make it better for Latinos or women what would you do? Would you want more professors of color? More mentorship opportunities? Administrators that handle sexist/racist comments correctly? What I wanted when I was in school was more litigation opportunities for the Latino students. At my school, moot court/trial advocacy was king and the advantages of being part of a team were very evident. Unfortunately, many times the school seemed ambivalent about whether or not students of color were privy to those advantages. For example, until I was a 3L, my school sent one team to the Hispanic National Bar Foundation’s…
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Slaying Goliath: Paying for Law School
The biggest hinderance to applying, attending, graduating from law school is: money. It is ridiculously expensive. unnecessarily so, and I do believe a huge reason why the cost is so high is an attempt to keep the status quo in order. Because who suffers more by not having all types of capable and intelligent people earn these degrees? Not just the students that can’t afford to attend the school, but also those communities in which the people reside–but that is a post for another day. While there is no excuse for the high cost, there doesn’t seem to be any real movement to make this an affordable degree. If you’re going to start law…
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Deciding on Appropriate Interview Attire.
On Monday we talked about preparing for your summer applications. Now let’s talk about looking the part during your interviews. The look you’re going for, regardless of the legal sector (private, public, government, etc) is: conservative. And the only real rule that applies to everyone, is that you have to wear a suit. Other than that, I’m a huge believer that as long as you look presentable, professional, and clean-that’s all that matters. Too bad I don’t run the world… In reality, there are a lot more “rules” imposed on women and how we should dress when interviewing. If you want to truly play it safe, most schools will…
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Confidence and the New Attorney
Bar results come out today in some jurisdictions!! Congratulations to all those that passed!! What an amazing feat!! While we hope you’re busy celebrating, we also want to take a moment to talk about the importance of confidence as you begin practicing law. For the most part, confidence is a self-given gift. You bestow it on yourself and say to hell with other people’s opinions and own your skills and abilities. It’s not easy getting there. Especially during your first few months in the legal profession. I never took as hard of a hit to my self-esteem and self-worth as the three years I spent in law school. My writing…
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Finding Your Voice In Law School
To talk or not to talk in class– that is the question. No one wants to be a gunner, and I won’t encourage people to talk in class just to show off–that’s not my jam. However, the unique thing about law school is that almost always there’s a forced participation by way of the socratic method. Sometimes you know it’s coming if the professor goes in some type of order; other times, you’re waiting (dreading) to be called. Because participation is inevitable, it’s important to have confidence in how you convey your opinion in class. Nothing screams timid and weak like someone that gets easily flustered and rolled over by…
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The Beginning.
It’s the last Friday of the month! How is it already almost October, Fall, and nearing the end of the year?! I don’t understand it. But this post is titled “The Beginning” because it is a new season and because tomorrow so many people will go take the LSAT, which is the official real beginning of the law school process. We wish all of the test-takers an abundance of great luck and calm minds. And for those Latinas taking the exam we want to scream: Si Se Puede! We are keeping our fingers crossed! For the last Friday post, let’s share some of our favorite stories from around the…