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 readingSo You’re an Incoming 1L? Here’s What to Expect, Month by Month
Hi, future 1Ls.
I hope you’re well, considering you’re only about a month away from starting law school.
Some of you are excited beyond measure, trying to consume every Reddit recommendation you can find. Some of you are stressed and already drafting warning notes to your loved ones about the person you’re about to become over the next three years.
Consider this my own warning note—one intended to level out both camps.
Continue readingSix Important Things I’ve Learned About Law School: A Note to Future Students
As a third-year law student in their last semester of school, I find myself reflecting on the last 2.5 years at BC Law. As my fellow 3Ls can probably relate to, law school flies by so quickly—its imminent end feels jarring, and it’s hard to comprehend you have the skill set to both take the bar and to don the title of attorney.
Remarkably, since I started law school, so much of what I learned about the legal world and myself came from experiences outside of the classroom. I didn’t expect this to be my reality when I was sitting in my law school orientation back in August 2023. Now that I can see the “light at the end of tunnel,” I find it fitting to share with you future law students a few of the myriad of my lessons learned and beliefs instilled in me throughout law school.
Continue readingThe Opportunity Cost of Early BigLaw Recruiting
It’s your first semester of law school at BC Law. It’s been just a few weeks since orientation, and you’re trying to get your footing. Torts makes sense, because slapping someone is obviously a battery. Contracts feels manageable too; you think about your apartment lease, or your brother’s offer to buy you McDonald’s, to think through offer and acceptance. Law Practice is a bit frustrating because you’re expected to learn the Bluebook on the fly. And Civ Pro? You have no idea what’s going on there—but that’s a problem for later.
Meanwhile, you’re figuring out how to be a law student. Do you take notes like you did in undergrad, buy color-coded notebooks to handwrite in class, or type a near-transcript of everything your professor says? When do you start outlining—and what even is an outline? Will you sound stupid if you go to office hours to ask about Twombly? And then there’s the club fair. Should you apply to that 1L Representative position for the Law Student Association? Or for the Business Law Society? Both would look great on your resume. But not too many commitments so soon—you still need time to read your cases, pour hours into over-detailed briefs, and prepare for class. Maybe one club application and casual involvement in the others will be enough for now.
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 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.
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