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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Three Tips for Taking Care of Yourself (in Law School and in Life)
I’ve written a lot about making sure to take care of yourself. But some may not know how to do that, or may forget in the moments when it’s needed most.
When it feels like everything is on the line and your head and heart are pounding, it is easy to forget what a glass of water, a warm drink, a walk, or a hug from a friend can do. And even if none of those things fixes it, they may give you just enough relief to breathe, think clearly, and formulate a game plan.
So, without further ado, here are my go-tos for when life feels like a merry-go-round going full throttle (and also on fire).
Continue readingThe Anatomy of a Defense: How Criminal Justice Led Me to BC Law
17 minutes. That is how long the prosecution claimed it took our client, an engineering student visiting the U.S. from a war-torn country, to attempt a homicide and flee. When I mapped the cell-tower pings, calculated the distances, and cross-referenced the surveillance timestamps, their argument collapsed. Physics, it turned out, would be our best defense.
Continue readingWhy I Came to Law School: Health Care Through a Legal Lens
As a Black woman, I’m cognizant of the structural racism and sexism implanted within the U.S. healthcare system. As a pregnant-capable person, of the growing limitations surrounding reproductive health. And as a close relative of a recovering alcoholic, of the stigma and inaccessibility of care shrouding some patients, particularly harm reductive care. Life experience and professional engagement have deepened my investment in healthcare justice. As such, I’m focalizing my desire to practice through a bioethics lens with the hope of improving patient safety, health outcomes, and patient autonomy through health law and policy.
Continue readingThe Redline Realization: Finding My Footing in Big Law
I was asked to write about my summer at a law firm—specifically for incoming 1Ls who may have anxieties, questions, or simply have no idea what “Big Law” actually is.
I was in that last category.
Unfortunately, user experience may vary, so take mine with a grain of salt. I am enthusiastic, curious, and, at times, awkward. Your cool, calm, and collected nature may produce entirely different results for different people.
So, we’ll start there.
Continue readingThe Goldilocks Zone: 4 Things to Consider When Finding a 1L Summer Job
1L Fall can feel like a lot. On top of case briefs, cold calls, 1L rep elections and the Blue Book, the last thing you may want to think about is a 1L job. While you have time, it’s never too early to consider what you want your experience to look like this summer, and start planning accordingly.
Astronomers refer to the Goldilocks Zone as a potential place for extraterrestrial life to thrive. In the cosmos of 1L summer opportunities, think of your personal Goldilocks Zone as where you will thrive as you begin to put the hard-earned legal skills from this year to work.
The Career Services Office, your 1L professors, and 2Ls and 3Ls are great resources if you have questions. Additionally, here are some questions for you to help you get started.
Continue readingLaw School Via a ‘Kick in the Pants’
50 years ago this fall, I was a member of the very first class to start at the then brand-new BC Law School campus. But I ended up there after an unexpected — but well aimed — kick in the pants.
Continue readingEmpathy: The driving force of entrepreneurship
For people facing long odds, an entrepreneurial mind-set matters
This post was originally published in the Boston Business Journal. Authors & Innovators is a regular column by Larry Gennari, a transactional lawyer, BC Law adjunct professor and founder of Project Entrepreneur, and chief curator of Authors & Innovators, an annual business book and ideas festival.
About 77 million Americans have a criminal record. Experts expect that number to be 100 million by 2030. For the estimated 600,000 people returning home from incarceration annually, a criminal record creates substantial barriers to obtaining housing, employment, government benefits and continuing education, due to myriad federal and state restrictions. Getting an ID and finding a job — any job — are immediate priorities. No surprise that recidivism rates for returning citizens range from 29% to 59%, depending on the state.
Continue readingMy Summer at Legal Aid: Issue Spotting and Research
This summer, I’m interning at the Legal Aid Society of San Diego, a nonprofit organization that seeks to assist San Diego County residents and provide free legal representation, advice, and information. As the right to an attorney does not exist in legal cases, many litigants have to navigate complicated processes and forms, which can make it much more difficult for them to achieve their desired result in a case than parties with an attorney. The LASSD seeks to bridge that gap. The goal of the self-help clinics is not to provide representation, but to make the civil legal system more accessible for litigants.
Continue readingNo Post-Grad Job Offer? No Problem!
The journey of getting a J.D. is fraught with uncertainty, but there is a particular lasting uncertainty that many public-interest law students feel as they navigate their way through school. Specifically, public-interest students can find themselves at the end of a three-year J.D. program unclear on where their next journey lies.
One may find it unfortunate that the public interest sector does not have a defined linear track like the big-law business lays out for law students. It can feel daunting to constantly search for your next summer experience each school year without the certainty that you will be offered long-term employment.
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BC Law: Impact 