“What kind of law are you going to practice?”

It’s a question every incoming law student is bombarded with from the moment they register for the LSAT, but I never felt fully prepared to answer it. I was interested in dozens of legal paths before law school, and a year at Boston College has only broadened my interests.

One of the most daunting and impressive things I learned as a 1L is how deeply the law is tied into everything in our society, and I feel less pressure to immediately specialize now that I’ve begun to understand the scope of a legal career. The problems we’ll face in our careers won’t fit into neatly organized and labeled folders, and Boston College teaches students how to analyze complex issues by recognizing their depth and dependence on other factors. Environmental law, international law, national security concerns and public policy are all blending in our current national debate about leaving the Paris Agreement.

With that in mind, I wrote an op-ed on the national security implications of withdrawing from the Agreement in the Boston Herald, which you can read in full here.

Brendan McKinnon is a rising 2L at BC Law. You can reach him directly at mckinnba@bc.edu.