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Don’t Go to Law School If It’s Not Free? Ignore This Bad Advice
If you’re starting to look into law school there is one thing you’ll see that’s highlighted over and over again and that is how expensive law school can be–it’s like, ridiculous. Grad school and other professional degrees are really pricy and can be enough to scare you from applying. The other thing you may notice as you’re doing your research are well-meaning (maybe) folks that say if you’re not going to a T14 law school, you should only go if it’s free. And do that I say, “yikes, your classism is showing.” To the first point, a T14 school is the top tier law schools that are highly ranked…
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Break It: Moving Past Stereotypes to Advance your Career
I want to direct folks back to the ABA report about women of color leaving law. The report is great and breaks down so many of the issues women face that cause a road block in their career. One frequent theme that the participants highlight is how difficult it is to find mentors/sponsors in their career because they are not able to make a connection with those in positions to help advance their careers. The women profiled found it difficult to connect with the white male leaders in their firms, but noticed that the men did not have that same hesitancy/barrier to help white women. They hypothesize that a big…
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Summer Series: Trusting Yourself
Wow. In what I hope is the wildest summer of our lives (because no one needs a 2020 repeat), I am still sad to see this year’s Summer Series come to an end. But the end of something isn’t always bad, especially when we get a gem like today’s guest writer. Genesis Palma is a law school grad who planned to grow this summer. And she did just that. I am so excited to share her piece, which discusses coming to terms with the damage law school can cause, taking a moment to reflect on what is best for you and our mental/financial help, and always, always recognizing the strength…
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Summer Series: Rising to the Challenge
Another Summer Series Post! Today we hear from Stephanie, a rising 3L in Texas who is clerking for a Judge. Clerking is such an important experience that not enough Lawtinas get to experience! Stephanie gives insight on what it takes, the challenges she’s facing, and her dedication to meet the standards set by her Judge. What I love most about this is that Stephanie is recognizing the challenges in her work and does not shy away–in fact, she’s leaning into it, knowing it will make her a better, stronger writer. Que animo, Stephanie! Makes us all want to work harder! My name is Stephanie Gutierrez, and I am currently a…
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Summer Series: The New Normal
Another Summer Series Post! Today we hear from Lizette Rojas, a Rising 3L from California who is interning (remotely) with an immigration nonprofit. I love this post because you can see that Lizette has found her legal passion and finds joy in client interaction. While working remotely has created a new normal, even during this time she sees the difference her work and advocacy make in the lives of her clients. I am currently interning with Oasis Legal Services, a non-profit organization in Berkeley that provides legal services to LGBTQIA+ immigrants. I had always planned on working in criminal or immigration law, but once I began working with Oasis, it…
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Summer Series: Into the Unknown
We’re back with another guest post for Summer Series 2020! Summer Series is a way to learn from other Lawtinas about their summers and to see all the ways you can use your law degree. Today we hear from Anna, a rising 3L who is interning, remotely, with a non-profit. She is grappling with figuring out the next steps in her career and how covid has made a huge impact. While it is not easy, her ability to remain open-minded and flexible in what the potential next step could be is allowing her to be receptive to any and all new opportunities that may come her way. Take it away,…
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Never Making Partner: Can You Be a Happy as a Lawyer?
The ABA recently issued a report on Women of Color in the law on why they leave or stay in the profession. The results are …stark. It was nothing surprising, but even still, it was disappointing to know the same issues I’m struggling with for a decade are issues women who have been practicing twice as long have endured. It’s like, ya, guey. Please stop. The study (which is worth reviewing) discusses the bias and stereotyping the participants (all women practicing for more than 15 years) experience. They discuss the prove it again bias; the othering we experience as attorneys; how we are never seen as equals by those in…
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Clients Only Want Attorneys who have Great (writing) Skills
Ok, first does anyone even get that Napoleon Dynamite reference? Well, if not please go watch it soon so you can find my little subject line funny… Anyway, my point today is how to strengthen your writing skills because it’s true–clients want it and being a strong writer makes you an even better lawyer. This post is aimed at anyone who wants to get better, but I’m particularly thinking of my rising 2Ls, who likely took a beating this last academic year and may feel like they’re not as good as they once thought. First, don’t worry! Yes, legal writing is different and can be difficult, but it can be…
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Don’t Talk in Whispers: Becoming Better at Advancing Racial Justice
Many years ago (ok not that many, but a while ago) I was a freshman in college and will be forever grateful that my school had mandatory events for MLK day. I randomly attended one on white supremacy, expecting to learn about organized white supremacist groups (hi, I was a criminology major so felt it was more align with my studies). But instead, I experienced an eye-opening panel that “raised my consciousness” and became really the first step in understanding racist systems; acknowledging racial injustice; and pursuing racial equity. On this site, I never hesitate to talk about race and its impact in the legal system because I believe that…
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Using Your PreLaw Summer Wisely: What Every 0L Lawtina Needs to Know
We’ve spoken about using the summer before law school strategically but I thought this was a good time for an update especially as the idea of remote learning next semester is still a possibility for many people. First, while it’s smart to use this time to prepare for this next phase in your life, it’s also important to enjoy your last summer before law school. It may sound silly to tell you to enjoy time at home, when that’s all we’ve been doing! But once you start law school a good portion of your time and your focus will not be as free as it is now. So no matter…