What does it mean to belong? Belonging would seem to imply a level of mutuality. I belong to you, and as such, you belong to me. While I’m quite acquainted with change and relocation, there seems to be a hardened insularity particular to Boston, with BC Law as its microcosm. As I struggle to assimilate into the social environment on campus, it has become increasingly obvious that belonging might not be so reciprocal after all. In these first few weeks, I find myself shoving into a cultural and regional crowd that seems not only cold, but indifferent to my presence. So, how do I foster a sense of belonging among younger, mostly non-People-of-Color, Massachusetts locals?
Continue readingBetter Lighting, Better Lattes: Study Spots Beyond the Basement
As we enter October, the weather will get colder, the leaves will get crispier, and law school will get spookier than ever. As someone who spent more hours in the Law Library basement last year than any sane person should, I can speak with authority when I say we’re approaching the point in the semester when it’s time to start considering alternatives. Luckily, BC Law students don’t have to travel far to find great study spots.
Continue readingStaycationing: How to Make the Most of Boston Summer
On the last day of my 2L internship, my supervising attorneys asked me what I would do with my remaining weeks of summer before classes started. When I said I would stick around town and make my own fun, it seemed like the tame answer to give. I’ve had so many silly adventures around this city, I haven’t felt the need to go anywhere else. My friends are here, and there is plenty for me to do. Here are some highlights from easily the most fun summer I’ve had since 2018.
Continue readingThree Questions to Ask Yourself When Picking Your Practice Area
No, this is not a BuzzFeed quiz.
There won’t be a personality type at the end telling you that you’re a “natural-born M&A associate” because you picked spreadsheets over courtrooms. Unfortunately, I also can’t promise that answering three questions will magically reveal your dream practice area.
I actually came into law school with a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do. I wanted to litigate, and I was already interested in white-collar defense. But if I’m being honest, I hadn’t really stopped to think about it on a deeper level. I knew I had experience in criminal law and liked the idea of it, but I wanted to make sure I liked the actual work too. If you took away the cool-sounding practice-area name, would I still want to do the job?
Continue readingCold Calls and Other Canon Events
I was sitting in the front row in class. In front of me, a powerpoint slide that, much like my brain, was blank.
I chanced upon a glance at the time on my computer and realized, to my horror, I had been trapped in my current cold-call for approximately thirty minutes. I looked back at my professor. Considering we were barely through the facts section, I had no hope that I would be reaching the end of this crucible, I’m sorry, case, soon.
Lessons on Success Through Helping Others
“Achievement is hollow if it only benefits you; true success is measured by how you help others.”
This reminder often came when my younger brother and I grew too focused on outdoing each other, yet it took years for me to truly understand my mother’s words. Growing up only a year apart, my youth was defined by achievements through competition, when every challenge felt like an opportunity to prove my worth. That mindset carried into my education, where every debate tournament, Chinese poetry contest, and final exam was met with an unrelenting desire to succeed. My achievements reinforced the value of hard work, preparation, and the payoff from delayed gratification, but it was my pursuit of a career in law that helped me come to fully appreciate my mother’s words. This epiphany revealed how a legal career will allow me to use my competitive drive in service to others to achieve true success.
Continue readingIs Lawyering like Playing Texas Hold’em? You Decide.
Card games have transcended the divides of class and culture for centuries. In my family, this timeless hobby serves as an essential experience at any large gathering. Different games have been taught and passed on from generation to generation. I started my journey with my grandma trouncing me in Pinochle, and I plan to carry on this tradition with my own grandchildren.
Continue readingMy 1L Summer Internship: From Classroom to Practice
Before this summer, most of my experience with the law had been in the classroom. I had spent my first year of law school reading cases, writing memos, and learning how to analyze legal issues, but I had never really had the chance to apply those skills to “real life.”
Continue readingSo You Want to Be a Bostonian: Weather
Welcome to the greatest place on earth. It’s probably smaller, colder, and meaner than wherever you came from. Still, you couldn’t have picked a better city to spend law school, or perhaps a lifetime.
Boston is many things; welcoming is not one of them. Our winters are cold, our people, even colder, and our insular culture can send you packing before you even hear someone say “wicked”.
Luckily for you, the prima facie case for being accepted as a “Bostonian” is as follows:
Continue readingWhat I Needed to Know Before Starting as a Summer Associate
Before starting as a summer associate, I was so anxious thinking about whether I would know anything that would have to do with my job. Considering I had only learned what transactional work was during 1L spring semester, all I knew was that I was (mostly) free from the Bluebook.
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