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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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Summer Series: The Importance of Being Adaptable
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 Nadia, a returning guest writer and rising 3L who is doing remote work in the Public Guardian’s Office. While she is interested in being an immigration attorney, Nadia has taken on a position that is increasing her advocacy and client counseling in unique ways. Her ability to remain flexible in this new normal is the tool every Lawtina needs in her arsenal. Excited to hear from Nadia and the ways she’s…
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Summer Series: Believe in Your Power
I’m thrilled to begin the 2020 Summer Series! Not just because I’m excited of the work that fellow Lawtinas will share in this ever-changing, “new normal” world, but because we get to start off with a bang! We’re beginning with Yadilsa. Who is no stranger to Summer Series and has graciously shared her journey with us each summer. She just graduated law school and is prepping for the Bar. But what I’m more excited to share is her testimony to everyone that it can be done. You can reach your goals. We all start with some serious deficits but we have the drive, intelligence, and faith in ourselves to do…
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Summer Series: The Importance of Seeking New Experiences
Summer Series is coming to a close (did this summer fly by or what?!) and I am so thrilled to share Nadia’s summer with all of you. Nadia decided to try something new to expose herself to different areas of the law, to re-align her purpose after 1L year, and decided to spend her summer as a judicial clerk and is sharing the nuts and bolts of her day-to-day. This is immensely helpful info if you’re a prelaw or just unsure about what clerks do (I definitely did not consider it when I was in school and had no idea how great it looks on a resume! so don’t be…
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Summer Series: The Power of Planning
Summer Series 2019 continues! Today we have Melinda Reyes, a pre-law student who is not a law student…yet, but she will be! And she’s sharing her goals and plans on getting to law school and why the power of planning is just as important as the power of yet. Latinas are a force to be reckoned with and we often second guess our own greatness. And because of that, my dream of becoming an attorney sometimes felt out of reach. But even when it felt that way, I kept my dreams in mind and let them be my guide. I graduated last year from Boston University, and I now feel…
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Summer Series: Fighting for the Environment
Summer Series 2019 continues! Today we have Natasha Viteri, a rising 2L who decided to use her first summer working on environmental issues. Environmental law lacks enough of us in the space, which is a shame because Latinx suffer so much from harmful environmental policies. Knowing this, Natasha hustled to get her internship and shares with us the tips that worked for her to get her internship! ¡Hola Hermanas! My name is Natasha Viteri and I am a rising 2L at the University of Colorado Law School. I am originally from Quito, Ecuador and I lived in Houston before moving to Boulder. This summer, I am interning at Earthjustice, an…
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Summer Series: The Beauty & Value of Hands On Work
Summer Series 2019 continues! Today we have Gissell Rodriguez a rising 3L at Western New England University School of Law. This Lawtina shares her summer experience with us as an intern for a legal aid in New York doing hands-on client counseling work all summer long. She discusses the difference in services provided when clients are able to culturally connect with their lawyers and the skills she’s gained in a fast-paced legal aid office. Representing Minors in Immigration The federal government does not provide legal representation in immigration proceedings. This means that children who cross the border and are detained do not have lawyers. Statistically only 8% of children are…
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Summer Series: Putting Dreams into Action
Summer Series 2019 continues! Next up is Sophia Iams, who will begin law school in the fall. Sophia is a “nontraditional” law student in that she had a career as a consultant in the biotech industry in the Midwest and is raising a family. She shares how she decided to take the leap in changing her career’s trajectory and pursue a career in the law. Most importantly she shows us the value in seeking out professional fulfillment, even when it doesn’t fit the mold. Growing up I didn’t know much about lawyers. I didn’t know who they were or what they did. It’s difficult to understand a career path…
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Summer Series: You Can’t Be What You Can’t See
Summer Series 2019 continues! Today we have Karla Mardueno, a recent law grad from Howard law. She is studying for the Bar while completing a summer fellowship at MALDEF, and will begin working in Big Law once the Bar is over. That is a lot to balance, but she discusses who empowering it has been to begin her career surrounding by other powerful Lawtinas. “Don’t work while you’re studying for the bar.” This is the advice I got over and over again in the months leading up to my law school graduation. But when I learned that I could complete a fellowship during my bar summer, I could not…