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Breaking Barriers: Selecting the Right Law School
Law school is different when you’re brown. It shouldn’t be, but it is. I mean, you already know that life is different for us. I think about this past summer when I did an outreach trip with coworkers and we traveled in southern Illinois. Someone wanted to stop to get a drink at a hole in the wall bar, but I became a wet blanket and encouraged us to just get to our next meeting spot. Not because I didn’t want a drink–hello, you must be new, but because I was so hesitant about entering a bar in the middle of S. Illinois. Whether that’s fair to those residents or…
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Breaking Barriers: FAFSA and Proving You’re Low-Income
April is Financial Literacy Month and I want to talk about financial aid for school. For the most part, I depended on FAFSA to help pay for college and law school. I was super thankful to have access to grants, scholarships, and loans but it wasn’t easy to navigate the financial aid system with little help. While I’m years removed from filing for FAFSA, I do recall the feelings of anxiety—would this year’s package give me enough to cover everything? How will my mom help pay the family portion? How much will I need to earn this summer? Can I find another campus job? I’ll be honest that I hella…
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A Community Living Through Trauma
I’ve been think a lot about trauma and the experience of Latino youth. What spoke to me most recently was the video of this young girl, Fatima, crying because the U.S. government took her father away from her. It’s clear by their story that her dad is an immense part of her life, a supporter, motivator, protector, provider—everything a good dad is. And now he’s been ripped from her. For what purpose? I read this story and thought of countless of others that I’ve read of Latino children who live in constant fear and anxiety of this happening to their families. Who hear their parents being called illegal or criminals.…
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First Impression: What if You’re Not Good Enough?
A few weeks ago I read some reports from the Yellow Paper Series—reports on studies conducted on racism and bias in the legal field. The report, Written in Black & White, discusses the way implicit bias impacts how supervising attorneys review written assignments by attorneys of color, specifically Black attorneys. Previous studies have shown that supervising attorney are more likely than not to perceive Black lawyers as having subpar writing skills in comparison to their white counterparts. Written in Black & White delved further in the topic by seeking out whether confirmation bias causes supervising attorneys to then evaluate legal writing by Black attorneys in a more negative light. Implicit…
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There is No Try: Last Things To Do Before the Feb Bar
Many of you are just three weeks away from the February Bar. Eeek! This far out you just want it to be over but you also feel like you’ll never know what you need in order to pass the bar. It sucks. At the moment, there is also so many distractions. Every day there seems to be a new situation that demands our attention and/or creates unease about the state of our nation. I don’t envy any you, for realsies, but I am sending positive vibes your way. Here are some things you should keep in mind as you finish your bar studying: One. Be selfish. These last weeks are…
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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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One, Two Step: Mastering Law School Finals
Hope everyone had a restful break from work/school! I know all the students are starting crunch mode as you prepare for finals. I’m a bit removed from that but believe me, law school finals anxiety is a feeling you never, ever forget. In fact, my first holiday as an attorney was one of my happiest because I was so thrilled to not have to worry about any exams! You’ll get there eventually, but in the meantime you have to master your exams. I hate to say this, but preparing for your finals is a two-pronged process. The most important part of studying for law school finals is not just understanding…
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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…