Boston’s charm lies significantly in its ancient origins that locals and tourists alike can still sense to this day. The vast expanse of Boston Common, centuries-old churches lining busy streets, and historic event markers all play a role in shaping a familiar image of the city. I firmly believe that no other big city in the United States can claim this aesthetic to the extent that Boston can. This memorable layout does, however, come at a cost.
Continue readingfirst year
Discovering Advocacy Before the Courtroom: My Journey to Law School
One Monday morning in the summer of 2022, I was greeted at work by my boss eagerly telling me today I would be meeting the defendant in the self-defense case I just started working on. After anxiously waiting until lunch, I watched with surprise as a young boy—barely five foot seven and still sporting a baby face—walked through my door and told me he was just seventeen yet was being tried as an adult for second-degree murder.
Continue readingThe Case for Doing Less
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” ― Ferris Bueller
In the throes of 1L year, while dealing with difficult material, a new learning environment, networking events, and perhaps feeling completely overwhelmed and lost, a law student is likely to hear a common refrain. It often goes something like, “I know this is rough, 1L is so tough, but it gets so much better in 2L.” And like most aphorisms, it contains a nugget of truth. In many ways, the law school experience changes fundamentally between your first year and your second. The classroom experience becomes less intimidating and more familiar. You can choose your own class schedule and have agency over the areas of law you wish to study. Even more importantly, for some, you have the chance to partake in experiential learning opportunities, such as clinics and externships, which are not available to 1Ls.
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 readingWhat’s the Deal with the 1L Elective?
We’re nearing the end of the fall semester, and course registration is almost upon us. For 1Ls, that means being able to choose your spring 1L elective. While the idea of an extra class may seem overwhelming, for me, the 1L elective ended up being an opportunity to discover a new area of the law.
The 1L electives fall into three buckets. The large majority are “Experiential” classes that allow 1Ls to gain practical knowledge from practitioners, in topics ranging from Mergers & Acquisitions to Criminal Law to Work Law. Some are “Perspectives” courses which push students to think about the meaning of “law” and “justice” through the humanities and social sciences. My 1L elective, Introduction to Human Rights, Refugee, & Humanitarian Law, was a Perspectives course, and taught me both the successes and challenges of defining and litigating human rights issues. Our class also visited the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington D.C. to see this work in action (check out Alex’s great article about the trip!). Finally, the policy-oriented courses, like Restorative Justice in Courts, take a critical look at our legal institutions and explore pathways for reform.
Continue readingWith 100 Things to Do, What’s One More: Why I Joined Client Counseling
It’s October, and across Boston leaves are changing color, the sun is setting earlier, and Christmas decorations are making an – excessively – early appearance at Costco. More locally, on the Newton Campus, the word outline is being thrown around, you can’t go 30 feet without hearing someone stressed about a memo, and the realization that “Oh, the summer job hunt starts now,” has hit.
With my packed to-do list staring me down everytime I open my daily planner, you might expect me to be hunkered down in a study room somewhere, noise canceling headphones in, ready to methodically complete all my assignments. Or, you might expect me to be darting in and out of office hours, trying to make sure I have the best understanding possible before I really sit down and begin exam prep. You might even expect me to be opening SAGE and starting my summer job search.
Continue readingPast Experience Pays Off: How A Podcasting Career Prepared Me For 1L
“It is not down on any map; true places never are.”
― Herman Melville, Moby Dick
A little more than four years ago, I found myself in the producer’s chair, attempting to put together my first podcast for Wondery Media. The episode centered around a mystery story, one that remains unsolved. It was no unsolved murder or whodunit yarn, but instead a tale about what happened to a 7-foot 900 lbs bronze statue of Joe Paterno, the disgraced former-head football coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions. The statue disappeared in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal that rocked the State College community back in 2011 and led to Paterno’s firing; a previously unbelievable outcome for a coach who at that time led the NCAA in career victories. The whereabouts of the statue remain unknown, and while that mystery remained, what became clear to me as I bumbled my way through putting that story together was just how little I knew about what an adequate producer does every day.
Continue readingHow Can Line Dancing Help Reframe 1L September? Let Me Explain.
By Catherine Beveridge
As a 1L, you might think the torrent of information coming your way will start to slow after orientation. We covered the major bases like the academic success program, experiential learning, the job search, and even heard an inspirational talk with Fr. Jack Butler. However, when classes start, it ramps up even higher. Every club has an introductory meeting, networking events pop up, and the career office promised to leave you alone but here they are with a resume workshop right as you want to go home on a Friday afternoon.
After another day of classes, introductory meetings and workshops I found myself on my bed, exhausted and staring face-up at the ceiling. That was when I discovered a way to step back.
Continue reading1Ls, We’ve Got This (Don’t We?)
I’ve known I wanted to go to law school since I was in the 4th grade. My teacher decided to throw a mock trial competition, and I was assigned to be one of the attorneys for my client who had his tap shoes stolen from his neighbor. I had an absolute blast winning the case for him, and from then on I knew I wanted to do with my life what I did for that one week in 4th grade.
That was almost 12 years ago. The other day as I sat in my Civil Procedure class I thought to myself: “I cannot believe I’m here right now.” It had always seemed like law school was just an idea, until it became a goal––and now it’s just what I do every Monday-Friday from 9am-3pm.
Continue readingFour Things I’m Looking Forward to in 2L
With less than a month before finals, the reality has dawned on me. After I take my last final for Con Law, on May 13, I’ll officially be done with 1L. Law school, thus far, has been a rewarding experience. I’ve learned more about the law than I could’ve ever imagined possible in just one year.
Here’s what I’m looking forward to as I take the next step in my law school journey.
- More free time
Let’s face it. The 1L schedule is rough. In one way, it’s great to come away with exposure to all different types of law. But I definitely won’t miss the 8:30 am-4:30 pm school days. The main piece of reassurance I’ve received from my older peers has been that “it only gets better from here.” Having more of a work-life balance next year will certainly help.
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BC Law: Impact 