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What’s a Weekend? Use Your Break Wisely
One of the things that law school stole from me is the ability to take a nap. During law school, I just couldn’t nap from the anxiety of having something “more important” to do. Now, that I’m far out of law school, I barely ever nap and I totally blame law school for that. I hope you come out better than I did. But for a lot of people, it’s break time and that means a lot of napping and other fun things! Most of us are either at break from school or there’s a lull at work (or even better, you’re on paid vacation–holla!). I’m taking time off before the…
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What to Take on Your Next Work Trip
I don’t actually travel a ton for work (thankfully!) so if you travel a ton this list will probably look cute, but I am not in that hardcore travel life so the things I take when I go on a work trip are pretty basic because most of my trips are short one or two night trips. But for those of us that travel occasionally there are a few things I have to take with me to make the trip more comfortable. One. Exercise gear. I’m not about to front and act like I use the hotel gym when I travel because I don’t and I’m not sorry about it.…
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There’s No Crying in Baseball, or a Law Firm
Just like in baseball, there’s no crying in a law firm. Sorry, but I am staunchly on #teamnocry when it comes to showcasing emotions at work. I feel bad saying this because we should be able to show displeasure and sometimes we can’t control our physical reaction to anger or frustration. I am totally guilty of this–I actually cry pretty easily. But this is the stance I take because I fear when you allow your emotions to overcome you in a way that allows others to mark you as vulnerable, it’s an incredibly difficult hole to get out of–not that it’s not possible, but it can take a while to…
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It’s the Final Countdown: Managing Stress and Time During Law School Finals
A reprieve from what’s to come tomorrow— Hey, law students, are you feeling a little stressed right now? I remember how HORRIBLE my 1L fall semester was right around the holidays. I still felt academically in the dark about everything; had no idea how to study; was in a nervous wreck about money; and just felt completely lost. I hope you’re doing better. But it’s tricky because you may think you get it, but you never really know until you’re graded on that god awful curve. It can feel overwhelming right now as you prepare for something that’s unknown to you. And even as a 2L, you know what’s coming…
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Every Word is Your Word
This Friday as things were winding down I saw a post from a young Latina in college who was being questioned by her professor for writing too well. He accused her of plagiarism (a heavy claim) and specifically doubted that the language she was using was “hers” because he didn’t think she was capable of using the word “hence” in a correct manner. …. The student was rightfully hurt by this situation. And sadly, reading this account didn’t surprise me because many of us have these experiences. Instructors who question our abilities and right to be present in a way that cuts deep; that in turn make us question our…
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Uprooting The Seeds of Domestic Violence
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and it’s an important topic for me because I work daily with survivors of domestic violence. That’s the general reason why this matters to me, but another big reason why advocating for survivors of DV matters to me is because I also experienced & observed inter-family violence in the home as a child by my former step-father. One thing about me is that when I want to understand why something is happening, I like over-do it and research it to death. These life circumstances were no different, and by the time I was in middle school, I would seek out books about DV in…
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What Lin Manuel Miranda Can Teach Us About Law School
First, and foremost, I have been on the Lin Manuel bandwagon since 2010. It’s on record, people. So I saw his tweet today and was like aha! his work ethic is a great example of how to succeed in your educational pursuits. He tweeted: You will have to say no to things to say yes to your work. I mean, I know he’s an artist, but he was basically describing the path to a J.D. It’s not a newsflash to current law students or attorneys that getting to (and through) law school requires sacrificing many things in order to succeed. But in the midst of that sacrifice it…
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Battling Isolation and Loneliness as a New College Student
Can I tell you how hyped I was to start college? I was so excited! I had the full “traditional” American experience at a four-year university and absolutely loved it. Yet, I would see some students around me who hated it and I just didn’t get it. What’s not to love? There’s so much freedom and new experiences and friends and parties and learning etc etc. I didn’t get how people could feel lonely or dislike college—and then I went to law school and was like oh. I get it. The loneliness and feelings of detachment that many students of color experience when they start college smacked me in the…
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De-Stressing & Self-Care in the times of Social Media
I consider myself super lucky in that when I started working as a full-time attorney there was a more open philosophy re: vicarious trauma and attorneys. While there’s still an old-school though that nothing we do should impact us emotionally, the truth is that many of us that work in various areas of the law are exposed to ugly human behavior-there’s no question that can impact our own mental health. That’s reality. Then we add the atrocious, urgent, and infuriating state of our country in regards to how people of color are treated and it results in feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety, etc. It’s not a great headspace to be…
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In It to Win It: Overcoming Competitive Law School Environments
How exciting for all of you starting your 1L year! The first few days are usually a good mixture of excitement and dread. The dread comes from many places—not knowing what’s happening, waiting to be called on, and dealing with the weird situation of making friends but also knowing these friends are also competitors. That sounds overly-dramatic. I mean, yes, you’re competing for rank and grades but it shouldn’t be as high-stress as some law school communities make it. But law school is horrible like that—it creates an environment where you have to be all about your self-interest and that leads to some really dick-ish experiences. We’ve all heard the…