Last month, as part of BC Law’s Immigration Clinic, my clinic partner and I advocated for our client’s release from detention during a bond hearing in front of an immigration judge, and were denied. Given his circumstances of indefinite long-term incarceration and mental illness, this denial was heartbreaking and unjust in more ways than one. I dreaded making the call to my client to discuss the outcome of the hearing and our next steps. I expected to hear intense sadness and frustration, and I certainly would not have blamed him if he took part of that out on me. But instead – though he was undeniably sad – he told me that my argument was perfect and exactly what he would have wanted to say if he were able to speak during the hearing. He expressed his gratitude for all our hard work and representation, despite the outcome. Of all the responses I imagined, this perhaps shocked me the most.
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How (Bad) Movies Helped Me Survive Finals
“Whoever a werewolf imprints on can’t be harmed. It’s their most absolute law.” ― Edward Cullen in Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1
The stress of law school finals can humble even the most confident students. It distills months of study, outlining, and class participation into one exam to determine your mastery of the material. It all comes down to a few hours in a classroom. It’s daunting, overwhelming, and, even at times, exhilarating.
Continue readingWhat I Learned About Endurance by Running the BC Law 5k
If you read my athletic resume, my various positions would tell you I do not like distance running. Playing forward on the high school field hockey team? Sprinting. Downhill skiing? If you’re an east coast skier like me, it is sprinting. Softball catcher? I sprint to first base when I am at bat. Speed was always my better strength, not endurance.
So, what convinced me to sign up for the BC Law 5k? It was something fun to work towards at the end of the year aside from my finals and the law review write on. But mostly, I wanted to conquer and build my endurance rather than run from it.
Continue readingSeeing What Sticks: Trial and Error in Law School
For many law students, a consistent record of success follows them. A high undergraduate GPA, strong LSAT scores, and glowing recommendations make it seem like aptitude is a given and success is inevitable. Nevertheless, the heavier and harsh realities of law school quickly tear apart fanciful notions of an easy-breezy life. But if there was ever a place to fail, law school would be the place.
Let me explain.
Continue readingThe Five Best Bookstores You Have to Visit
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and while I’m not pulling my hair out over the prospect of finals, I’m thinking wistfully about summer plans. Not a vacation, no – I’m thinking of the 48 hours I will have every week, free of assigned readings and impeding cold calls.
The perfect amount of time to visit one of the city’s many bookstores. For those of you who will be in Boston this summer, here’s a small guide.
Continue readingWhat Exactly is the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam?
This past week, like many of my 2L peers, I took the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam or the MPRE. This exam is a vital prerequisite or co-requisite to the bar exam for admission in most U.S. jurisdictions. So why have many people never heard of it before?
What is the MPRE?
The MPRE is a 2-hr, 60-question, multiple-choice exam, administered three times a year (March, August, and November), designed to test knowledge of the rules related to a lawyer’s professional conduct. There are two important things to note. There is no negative scoring so it doesn’t hurt to guess. And while you answer 60 questions, only 50 questions are graded. The remaining 10 are used for testing purposes and are indistinguishable from the graded questions on the test. In other words, answer every question. As for the material tested, while each state has its own set of ethical standards, the MPRE tests on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct so only worry about that.
Continue readingThree Crucial Lessons I Learned From 1L Fall to 1L Spring
So much time has passed since my first blog post I made back in the early fall. While it is difficult to see it in the busyness of my school day, when I take a step back, I realize that those roughly 6 months have completely transformed me as a student and person. Downtime isn’t easy to find during 1L, but I decided to take the time here to discuss some of the things I found to be different between my fall and spring semesters. Disclaimer: this is my experience only; however, I am hoping it’s more relatable than not.
- Classwork
Maybe it’s because Constitutional Law and Criminal Law speak more to me than Torts and Contracts, but the classwork this semester is just easier to understand and engage with. Having experienced a semester of sitting in class not knowing how to take notes, being afraid to start an outline then completing three, and taking my first law school exams, I now have an understanding of what is expected of me and how to actually do it (awesome!). The fall experience made me more confident in reading my assignments and going into class knowing what I should be taking away from the readings, but also not stressing if I don’t know because guess what: that’s the point of class! My comfort level in taking and organizing notes have also improved, especially with my late-fall discovery that I cannot focus on typing my notes using OneNote’s default Calibri font. Typing my notes in Times New Roman has been a huge game changer (whether this is scientifically backed or not is none of my business). To summarize, having 1L Fall under my belt has informed me on how I should properly and efficiently be gearing my focus this spring semester.
Continue readingMy Externship at Wayfair Surprised Me
This guest post was written by Tom Books, Class of 2026.
For those who do not know, externships allow students to work a part-time job off campus for class credit. Possible placements include judges, government agencies, nonprofits, and in-house departments for companies. When planning my schedule for Spring Semester 2L, I decided to apply for a few in-house counsel externships. I had already done a government internship and will be doing transactional work at a firm this summer, so I figured an in-house role would provide a new perspective to legal practice while also preparing me for corporate work at my firm.
Continue readingWhat’s the Secret Sauce? It’s ‘Medium Rare’
If you move for law school, you inevitably leave things behind. Often this is a favorite restaurant. You cannot exactly fit it in the car, and trying to recreate dishes at home is never the same. As much as I love my new home in Boston, there are places I miss from my life as a paralegal in Washington D.C.
Imagine my surprise when I’m scrolling through Instagram and Boston Uncovered posts about one of my favorite D.C. restaurants: Medium Rare has opened a location in Arsenal Yards over in Watertown! To say I was giddy does not do my feelings justice. I loved that place–in fact, it was the location of my last meal in D.C. with my parents and older brother right before I drove out of town for the last time.
Continue readingBar for the Course: Comparing Different Bar Prep Options
With my 3L year rapidly coming to a close, one of the biggest questions on my mind for the past few months has been what bar prep course I should use. We’ve all gotten the emails and seen the representatives sitting outside the library, but what is the difference between all the different options? Although I have yet to actually go through any bar prep course myself, here is what I’ve learned from my many hours questioning reps and otherwise scouring the internet.
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BC Law: Impact 