Law School

If you ever want to get humbled in life, go to law school.

I had no idea what to expect when I first started on this journey. Now this post is long mainly because I have to squeeze in 2.5 years of law school highlights and break down some terms but I think it is worth the read. I am the first lawyer in my family, so I did not have any insight on what law school entails.  My initial interest in the law profession came during my senior year in high school.  We were assigned a project for our Senior Seminar and I presented on becoming an attorney.  Ironically, my presentation focused on criminal law attorneys; which is the area of law I currently practice. I knew that I wanted a career that focused on service to others and also helped to make a positive difference in their lives.  Additionally, growing up I did not see attorneys that reflected my cultural identity.  Honestly, it was rare to encounter people with college degrees in my hometown.

When I enrolled in college, I majored in Pre-Law and minored in Philosophy.  Although the course track helped me with my analytical reasoning skills, I later realized that I did not need a “law related” major in order to go to law school.  Many law students come from diverse backgrounds and majors. I attended law school fairs and LSAT workshops to prepare for this journey.  I was well on my way. Plot twist: When I actually sat for my LSAT, I was nine months pregnant and experienced intense and heavy contractions throughout my exam. (Yes, I was in much pain and it sucked). I often joke that my son took the LSAT too lol.

I put in applications to my desired law schools and ultimately attended the University of South Carolina School of Law.  While I am grateful for the education this amazing institution provided me with, I was shocked by the lack of diversity. This hit me especially hard after attending an HBCU.  My law school section (a group that I was assigned to take first-year courses with) had a total of six minorities out of 75 people. I experienced and observed many eye opening racial issues with my peers.  In fact, I had a professor laugh and say how they could not tell me and my line sister apart in class. The professor would constantly call us by the incorrect names. Not to sound like a broken record, but we do not all look alike. Thanks.

On the other hand, I had wonderful first year professors that spent a lot of time using the Socratic method. The Socratic Method is a popular teaching method in law school where professors ask students question after question to help them with critical thinking, reasoning, and logic concerning their arguments under pressure. We would sweat in our seats in fear of being called on to discuss a case and feel humiliated if we did not do well. The “hot seat” was never fun, but all law students have gone through this and it did make us better. Honestly, none of us knew what we were talking about because we were just starting out. Law school does not teach you how to become a lawyer, but how to think like a lawyer.

  Imagine feeling super smart and entering a class of other super smart people. I quickly learned that we were all big fish in a little pond. It can get intense quickly when you are competing to not be at the bottom of the curve. Of course classes had what we called “the gunners.”  Those were the people that would constantly raise their hand to hear themselves talk in class, challenge the professor, and think they knew more than everyone else.  The other students would secretly love when the professor would shut down the gunners.  Usually most gunners would get humbled after grades came out at the end of the semester. 

Taking 6 courses, reading 30-40 pages per night per class, the Socratic method, and having one semester exam that determines your final grade was extremely overwhelming and stressful.  On top of that, the professors equally expect students to be prepared for class each day. It never seemed like there was enough time in the day. In hindsight, this taught me balance and prioritization, which is necessary in the legal profession and life. My best advice was to always stay ready and try to get good outlines for final exams; which are rare to find if you do not know the right people. I knew the right people lol.

I spent a lot of late nights studying in the library and doing assignments.  It literally consumed my life.  During exam time, my friends and I would leave the law school library and walk over to the campus library and study all night. I am thankful for them, because we would not have survived law school without encouraging and supporting one another. Additionally, I would spend most weekends traveling and spending time with my son, who my parents graciously help me raise during law school.

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While I will not bore you will my long list of law school activities, I will share one of the highlights I experienced. During law school, I participated in the Judicial Observation Experience (JOE) Program where I was able to shadow a Judge for two weeks.  The Judge I shadowed was amazing and I still keep in contact with him today. One valuable piece of advice he gave me was to secure a clerkship after law school.  From that experience, I received my first look at how Judges make decisions in cases and why they choose their specific rulings.

Following the JOE Program, I was fortunate enough to secure a federal and circuit court judicial internship. I also received a coveted circuit court judicial clerkship after law school. During my final semester, I was able to act as a student attorney in real court cases.  I received my first glimpse of practicing law and it was nothing like what is portrayed on television where the attorney receives a case and it seems they go to trial almost immediately. However, I enjoyed the trial prep process and fell in love with advocating for the rights of others.

Once graduation came, I knew I was ready to conquer to world (or so I thought because who is going to hire an attorney that is not licensed and let them represent them in court?). So that lead to my next challenge… THE BAR EXAM and that was a beast that I never saw coming.

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Love and Live Free,

-L