Studying in Law School

Before coming to Loyola, I was told by several people that I would need to find a study group. You know that scene in Legally Blonde when Elle is trying to find a study group? That is what I envisioned.

In reality, study groups are just groups of classmates getting together and bouncing questions and hypotheticals off of each other. You do not have to bring muffins to bribe others (though it probably would make finding a study group exceptionally easy) and there is no “right” size for a study group, it can be two people or eight people. The truth about study groups is that they are really helpful if you like to study with other people, but they are not necessary to succeed in law school.

Personally, I study far more efficiently by myself. I get distracted easily when other people are around because I like to talk socially more than I like to talk about the cases that we just read. In all of my classes we have in-depth discussions about the material, so I never feel as though I am missing out on hearing the ideas and opinions of my peers, all of which are really helpful in shaping my own thoughts on the different subjects.

I am a firm believer that you should study the way that works best for you, not the way that everyone tells you is the “normal” way to study. I know several people that are thriving with their study groups, and I know several people that are thriving through self-study. No matter what road you decide is best, your peers will be ready to support you in class discussions, study groups, and a lot more. I have mentioned this before, and it really is true: the students here want to see others thrive, not tear them down, and in turn it creates a collaborative, helpful campus environment!

Take A Walk In My (Slightly Worn-In) Shoes

“Stressful.” That is my go-to answer every single time someone asks me, “Well, hey. How’s law school going?” Trust me, I get asked this question AT LEAST five times a week by family, friends, and coworkers. Balancing a work and school life is tough. For me personally, I have never had a week when I thought to myself, “You know what? Law school is such a breeze.” My week is jammed pack with a twenty hour work week and a full-time school schedule. I will not lie to you…there are days where I just do not want to go to class. 99.9% of the time, I get that feeling on Monday/Wednesday nights when I get off work at 6:30PM and have to drive from Beverly Hills to Loyola for an 8-10PM class. On those days, I have to remind myself that I NEED to be there because going to class is crucial if I want to earn a good grade. Once I concur that feeling and am actually in class with my friends, I instantly feel happy that I’m there and can engage in class discussion. Keep in mind that it is inevitable that you will face those same days…when you feel burnt out and just want to go home and sleep. When that happens, just remind yourself of all the reasons that going to class is in your best interest and focus on the fact that your friends will be there (and will likely be just as exhausted as you are.)

While my default mental state may be stressed out-of-my-mind, I honestly feel like the best decision that I have ever made was applying to law school. Many of the experiences and relationships that I cherish the most now-a-days have resulted from being a Loyola student. Every day, when I feel like everything is piling up and I just need a break from reality, I have a long list of classmates that I know I can hit up (and who are also looking for a brief moment to escape the grind.) The fact is…law school is only three years. Then, we are sent out into the “real world” as lawyers. We have to make the best of these years - make long-lasting relationships, network, and soak up as much knowledge as you possibly can.

A Day in the Life of a 3L Law Student

My typical law school day begins around 7am when my wife and three-year-old daughter get up to start their day. My classes don’t start until later, but I’ve got to help the others get out the door on time since my wife drops my daughter off to preschool on her way to work. After they’ve gone, I usually start reading for my first class if I hadn’t already done so. This typically takes about an hour or so. Once I’m all read up and showered, I head off to campus.

Once on campus, I go to class, eat lunch (preferably at some sort of panel or event, but certainly not every day) and do some more reading and studying. After classes are done for the day, I typically go home or stick around campus for an hour or two of work, depending on what’s due. Because I tend to front-load the first part of the day with reading/studying, I am freer in the later part of the day. In the late afternoon, I typically go to the gym or the store or do whatever “life thing” needs to be done. Around 6:30 pm, everyone is back home and it’s time to hang with the family. I’ll typically cook dinner, play games with my daughter, give her a bath and get her ready for bed. Once my daughter falls asleep, my wife and I hang out and chat or watch TV together until we hit the hay around 11:30 pm.

A Beautiful Kind of Perspective

My Saturdays are filled mostly with studying these days. That’s how it was this past Saturday, too. My Criminal Law professor assigned a practice midterm (sounds fun, I know), so I spent about 6 hours, starting in the morning, doing some last-minute studying. Then, I spent 3 hours taking the test. I capped it all off by starting — but, alas, not even finishing — my reading for the same class, to prepare for Monday. By the time I walked out of the law library — the best place in town to while away an entire Saturday, of course — I was more than a little dazed. The sun had been down for several hours.

I put my books in my locker and caught a Lyft to Hollywood Forever Cemetery for their annual Dia de los Muertos Festival.

I got to the festival — which celebrated its 18th year this year — well after it started. The roads through the cemetery were lined with vendors, as well as with altars, which families had set up for their loved ones. I picked my way through the face painted crowd and found my friends waiting for Colombian rock band Aterciopelados, the final band of the night, to start playing.

After 12 hours of studying, it was a best kind of release. We sipped beers and felt the air, the first cool night of the year. Around us, a celebration of life and of the lives of family members who’ve passed on to the other side. It was a beautiful kind of perspective – a reminder that even when you’re buried in books, it’s important to get out and live a little.

A Day In the Life of A 1L Evening Student

As a student in the evening program that works part-time, my days surely look very different from your typical law student. Before starting law school, I scaled down how many hours I work each week to free up some time to study and also to keep up hobbies of mine. I knew from the beginning that I wasn’t willing to forego my exercise routine, experimental cooking, and time with my family.

Typically, I start each day by going to the gym around 5 am and I tutor my first student at 9 am. Sometimes I have other students after that and some days I don’t. During the week, I come home and experiment a little bit with cooking in the middle of the day and work on my food blog, but then I make my way to campus usually some time between 2 and 4 pm to study, handle anything that I need to on campus, and review my notes for class. I do most of my reading for class over the weekend so that during the week I’m not so pressed for time to study and I’ve noticed that it really helps! I have class Monday-Thursday at 6 pm, but I don’t work after class most days. This is a luxury that I have that many other evening students do not because they work full time and utilizing that time after class to study is often critical for them. I make it a point to wind down after class instead and prioritize sleep since I wake up so early. I have found that a lot of law students push themselves to do more work and review more and, in the process, don’t sleep enough. It may seem counterintuitive, but this extra studying might actually be hurting them if it consistently gets in the way of them getting proper sleep. So, I have made the conscious decision not to fall into that trap if I can avoid it.

The only way that I’ve been able to sustain this lifestyle is by careful planning and time management. Without this, I wouldn’t be able to balance law school, work, and my hobbies and, if I didn’t do that efficiently, all areas of my life would suffer. I definitely think there’s a method to my madness because I’ve done well in my classes thus far, I just have to hope I can keep it up!

A Day in the Life of a 1L Student: November 1, 2017

5:40 a.m.: My alarm clock rings, and I hit snooze for the first time. When you’re in law school, you squeeze sleep out of every minute.

5:50 a.m.: My alarm clock rings a second time, and it’s time to get up and get the day started.

6:15 a.m.: I grab my breakfast, my books, and I’m out the door and headed for the train station. Today, I opt to take the metro into the city because a) Class gets out at 3:10 p.m., b) Afternoon traffic out of the city is awful, and c) It’s game 7 of the World Series so everyone is out on the roads trying to get around the city to cheer on the Dodgers. When I don’t take the metro, I hop into my Beetle and make the 1+ hour commute into Downtown LA listening to my favorite morning radio show.

7:45 a.m.: After two trains and a shuttle ride, I make it to campus. After dropping my books off in the Hall of the 70s, I head over to Sonia’s to pick up a coffee. Drinking coffee is like drinking water for law students especially as the semester nears its end.



8:20 a.m.: Civil Procedure class begins. It’s time to put away cell phones and laptops and crack open textbooks and laptops. You may ask why, and the reason is different professors have different classroom policies. For this particular class, our co-professors prefer an old-school, non-technology policy to eliminate any and all distractions.



8:20 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.: I have Civil Procedure and Property classes back to back on Wednesday mornings. Honestly, Wednesday is always the toughest day of the week due to my two toughest classes: Civil Procedure due to amount of detail in the subject matter, and Property due to the number of rules and exceptions in stating the title to property. But nonetheless, I take everyday as I get it and try my best to get the work done and try to understand the material.

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.: Lunch time! The best part about long days are club meetings. And the best part about club meetings is food (and of course, listening to and learning about today’s subject matter)! Today, the Entertainment and Sports Law Society is holding a panel with Loyola alumni who work in television. They discuss their experiences, the paths they took to achieve their goals, and advice they would give us, the next generation of Loyola lawyers. One of the coolest things about Loyola is the community of alumni who come back and try to put forward for the next generation.

1:10 – 2:00 p.m.: It’s back in the classroom for legal research. Today is our last legal research class for the semester. I can’t believe we started this class back in August, and now we’re done for 2017! Like most of this year, everything is just going by so quickly! Today, our professor lets us out early so we can complete our fall practicum at home. As you can probably guess, law students live for days like this. It means we can head home early and get an extra hour to rest or catch up on work.

2:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.: A shuttle and two rides, and I’m back in my hometown of Azusa.


 

3:30 p.m. – Until I go to bed (about 12:00 a.m.): When I get home, the rest of my day is split between doing homework and taking care of my dog. On a regular basis, I make sure to give myself personal time to stretch, take a break, and relax for a bit. Some days, this break time is spent at the gym. Other days, it’s spent watching makeup tutorials on YouTube or going on rides at Disneyland. Most often, it’s spent talking to my loved ones. Today, my break time is spent watching the Los Angeles Dodgers play in game 7 of the World Series. No matter what it is I do, I’ve learned the importance of finding balance between work and play.

So there you have it, that is a day in the life of the average 1L student. Until next time friends!

A Typical Day

6:00 AM: My alarm goes off for the first time.

6:20 AM: My alarm goes off for the fifth time. I finally get out of bed and head straight for the coffee machine.

7:00-7:10 AM: I leave my apartment in Westwood to drive to Loyola. I HAVE to leave the house by 7:10 at the absolute latest or I will hit terrible traffic and will not make it to class on time. I normally eat breakfast in the car and then get a second coffee at Sonia’s as soon as I get to Loyola.

8:00 AM: My first class of the day! If it is Monday or Wednesday, I have Criminal Law with Professor Levenson, and if it is Tuesday or Thursday, I have Torts Law with Professor Hayden.

12:00 PM: By this time on Mondays and Wednesdays I am finished with classes (Property Law with Professor Petherbridge after Criminal Law) and normally drive back home to Westwood in order to avoid afternoon traffic. At least once a week, however, I stay on campus from 12 PM to 1 PM to attend a speaking engagement from one of the many law professionals that the clubs at Loyola bring in. The speakers are always law professionals in the LA area that share how they have gotten to where they are and give advice on how to navigate the job market and the legal field. Plus, there is ALWAYS free food at these events, which makes it even more enjoyable.

1:10 PM: If it is a Tuesday or a Thursday, I do not go home and instead stay on-campus after Civil Procedure with Professor Dudovitz because I have Legal Research or Legal Writing with Professor Burch or Professor Riordan. If it is a day I go home early, I normally take a break. I eat lunch and almost always take a nap (I really support napping).

3:10 PM: On Tuesdays and Thursdays, this is when I head back home. I am normally unable to nap on these days (and if I can, it is a very short one) but I still take a quick break and grab a snack.

4:00 PM: Study time! By now, depending on the day, I am either just starting to study or I have been studying for around an hour. I like to review whatever I learned in class that day first and then start on the reading for the next day. Depending on the material, this can take an hour or four hours per assignment, it just depends on the length and the subject. I eat dinner somewhere during all of this reading and normally take a break to talk to my roommates or check social media before diving back in.

9:00 PM: I am ALMOST always done reading and reviewing by this time of night if I have been diligent in my studies. This doesn’t always happen though, so sometimes I find myself studying right up until I go to bed. If I do finish, I get the last few hours of the night for myself and will choose to watch a movie, read a book, or catch-up on my DVR.

12:00 AM: I am rarely not in bed by midnight—even with a nap—and I go to sleep, ready to do it all over again!

Where Are They Now: The 2L Edition

Last year, everyone told me to just “make it through 1L year and everything will be easier.” I will admit that I do not have to spend as much time on my classes as I did last year, however, I do find 2L year very challenging. I have found balancing work, school, and my extracurricular activities to be a little stressful at times, but I have faith that it will all pay off in the end. The best part of this year is that I already have a strong relationship with classmates who I can turn to for de-stressing and for study groups. Additionally, I have found that I have carved out more time this year for life outside of law school. I make more time for myself this year with going to concerts, relaxing, and constantly reminding myself that it is okay to not be hovered over my books 24/7. All in all, this year is not quite what I expected but it is flying by. It has been a reminder that law school will be over before I know it so I need to cherish all the moments I have with friends and to seize as many networking opportunities as I can. 

Fall Semester Update

Being a 3L, my classes and coursework are pretty much dialed in for this final Fall semester. With a couple years’ experience, you tend to know what the coursework will be like, what the exams will be like, and how to juggle your outside interests within the framework of being a full-time student.

What’s different as a 3L is your focus isn’t so much on grades, it’s about preparing for the bar exam and your post-school career. At certain times, I did not want to focus on these things so much and just concentrate on school, but it became clear that I needed to. Regarding bar exam prep, it was important to me to pick my 3L classes in a way that doubled as bar prep. Taking the “hard” bar exam courses during school seemed like the right thing to do to save aggravation later. Then I had to shop around and pick a bar prep course, all of which are very expensive and require tons of post-graduation studying.

As for focusing on my long-term career goals, I’m doing what I can to beef up my resume in this last school year. That means keeping my grades up, doing as much practical work as I can, and filling out my resume. I have never worked as a traditional law clerk, so I sought out a part-time law clerk job to fill that experience gap.

Overall, the 3L lifestyle is relatively easy in terms of classes, homework and exam preparation. But the change in focus may be unusually difficult and require some more time and energy than one might expect.

Expectations

The main thing I worried about before law school is something I think most people worry about: What if I don’t like it? What if the classes are too hard, or boring? What if I don’t make any friends? What if I find out that, after all the work it took to get here, law school isn’t for me?

I’m pleased to report that I do, in fact, like it. Law school has been as engaging as I hoped it would be. And it's already providing a window into a future I’m thoroughly stoked about.

In my last post, I mentioned my Torts midterm; Torts specifically is a class I found way more fascinating than I thought I would. It’s a class about solving real life situations — the kind of situations that you’ll certainly face at some point in your life, if you haven’t already. It involves taking abstract concepts — like, when does a relationship with another person establish a legal duty of care for the other person? — and actually bringing those concepts down to earth, finding the situation where the abstract rule can solve a real world problem. It’s so satisfying, like when you find the key fits into a lock. (It helps that my professor, Adam Zimmerman, is brilliant at helping students understand how textbook concepts play out in the real world.)

My other classes are fascinating in other ways. In Criminal Law, the injustices built into the the American system come into sharp relief; in Property, we talk about how philosophies of ownership shape the law and our everyday lives. Even in Civil Procedure, for me is the most challenging class, we’re shown the blueprint instruction manual for how regular folks go about getting justice in our Kafka-esque legal system.

If all of that sounds interesting to you, I guarantee you’ll have fun in law school.

But, of course, I didn’t just go to law school to bury myself in books. Like everyone else, I was excited to be a part of a little community of students who were chasing the same goal as me. And so, even in week 10 of law school, making new friends is a thrill, and helps put my own journey into perspective.

For instance, a couple weeks ago I helped out at the annual PILF auction, a fundraiser on campus that helps raise money for scholarships for students who want to work in the (traditionally lower-earning) field of public interest. It was awesome to see some of my classmates, who I know are studying corporate or tax law, come to support the cause. And, of course, it was a great excuse, post-Midterms, to drink some free booze and even see our professors in a non-school context, which is actually not as weird as you might think but, in fact, might give you the sense that professors are (shocker!) real people like you.

The thing I’m the most excited about, though, is that even at this early juncture I’ve found easy ways to get involved in the L.A. community. Loyola in particular is great for putting volunteer opportunities in front of students; you’d have to be willfully ignoring them to not find something.

A couple weekends ago, I drove down from my apartment in Echo Park to a community center in Watts to assist a nonprofit with client intake. The nonprofit helps folks convicted of misdemeanors and even felonies get those crimes taken off their records, which can help them get jobs and make a new life. I met with a particular client who was in dire need of employment, she said, and felt that a few blotches on her record were holding her back. We sat together at a wooden table in the midst of 15 other tables and worked through the details of some of the forms. I truly felt like I was doing a service, for her and for my community — that this small act was disproportionately powerful to someone who needed it so badly. That’s the power of the law, I thought — if you can access it, you can do everyday things that, for people who have been effectively shut out of the system, can have a profound impact. It reminded me of why I wanted to go to law school in the first place. And it confirmed that I’m in exactly the right place.

Fall Semester Update

Looking back at the last two months or so that I’ve been in law school, I’m quickly realizing that so much has changed in this short period of time.

For example, I never expected to be able to learn so many different things and, in effect, change a good bit of how I think in such a short period of time. This is because the way you learn in law school is completely unique and, of course, dramatically different from the way you learn in college. I knew this before starting, but I really didn’t fully grasp it until I was actually thrown into it. No one sits and holds your hand to teach you all of the terminology and what not (at least not for most things), but you learn by reading and researching on your own prior to coming to class and then your professor clarifies the material for you and highlights what is important. At first, this was completely jarring for me. However, I’ve grown to appreciate the process of struggling with my readings, reaching my own conclusions, and then checking in with the rest of the class. In a way, it’s rewarding whether I’m right or wrong and helps me interact with and remember the material, which is obviously the goal. Those first few weeks, though, you wouldn’t have caught me dead saying these words.

I’ve also grown to appreciate many other things – some of which are specific to Loyola. Over the short period of time that I’ve been a law student, I’ve seen faculty make themselves available to students and do their best to accommodate our busy schedules. This is of particular importance for evening students because many, if not most, of us work during the day. However, my professors and other faculty members want to help us succeed and have gone above and beyond to give students the opportunity to get help outside of class time. I’ve also grown to appreciate being on a small law campus. When I first began looking at law schools, although I really wanted to go to Loyola, I was on the fence about going to a school with a separate law campus. Coming from UCLA, I thoroughly enjoyed being on a big campus. In the past two months, though, I’ve noticed that there are many benefits to being on a small law-only campus. For example, I love that I always run into people I know when I’m on campus and that everything that’s available on campus is tailored to law students.

All in all, my law school experience thus far has been nothing but positive and I’m excited for what the rest of the semester holds!

Fall Semester Update

It’s crazy to think that this time last year I was scoping out potential law schools and starting (and if I’m being completely honest, procrastinating on) the application process. What’s even crazier is that now I’m two months into being a law student! It seems like for the longest time I had been anticipating law school and getting back into the groove of being a student, and now I’m here: two months into school with about a full month of classes left to go before finals and before I’m done with my first semester of law school! It’s honestly so mind-blowing and scary to think just how fast time flies…

Presently, I’m anticipating my first grades as a law student. We recently took our first midterm for torts and submitted our first graded assignment for legal writing class. One of the things I haven’t completely wrapped my head around just yet is the grading process. Loyola, like most law schools, grades on the curve. If you’re like me, a humanities and social sciences student, grading on the curve will be just as foreign of a concept to you. At UCSB, I was very much used to an A being an A, a B being a B, and so forth. Here, that’s not completely the case. Our grade for each assignment or exam is graded on a curve with a specific formula. That grade is then combined with any other assignments, exams, and points and then calculated with yet another specific formula that distributes a spot on the curve to each student. It’s complicated, scary, intimidating, and nerve-racking, but I’d like to think that I gave both tasks my best effort. So fingers crossed that all goes well!

I’m two months in, so how exactly am I faring in law school? Well, I told my friends a couple of weeks ago that I likened law school to being in the ocean. It’s vast, deep, intense, seemingly endless, and can be overwhelming. Currently, I feel like I still have my head above the water. School has been exactly what I imagined: late nights, lots of hard work, drinking plenty of coffee, attempting difficult problem sets, memorizing rules, and briefing cases. But finally understanding the concept is so satisfying, and that “Aha! Eureka!” moment is such a beautiful thing. So now, I’m just looking forward to ending the semester as strong as possible so I can start the new year off on a good note.

Stay tuned! There’s more to this adventure, and the best is yet to come!

Fall Semester Update

This week is the tenth of my law school career and I honestly do not know where the semester has gone. Midterms have come and gone, coffees have been consumed, and five packs of highlighters have been depleted.

So far I have not received any of my midterm scores (probably why I feel so carefree), but first-year day students have received our first writing assignment scores. I was pleasantly surprised by my score and have to give credit to Professor Riordan, who was not only very accommodating of all of my section’s questions, but was also very clear on what was expected. That is one of the things that I enjoy most about law school: the professors are ABUNDANTLY clear about what is necessary for each assignment. In my opinion, the more straightforward, the better, and my professors are very straightforward.

Overall, law school has been what I expected: it is a lot of time and work. You cannot coast through law school, and if someone has told you that you can, they are lying or didn’t coast as well as they say they did. But honestly, the work is completely worth it when a professor gives you positive feedback and acknowledges the effort that you have put in, or when you are rewarded with a good grade.

By far the most surprising thing about law school has been the fact that I still have a life! I like to complain to my friends and family that I do not, but that is only because in comparison to the life I had before, I definitely have less time. Instead of watching multiple Netflix episodes a day, I normally can only watch one, and I often find myself ordering-in food rather than going-out to eat so that I can eat and study at the same time. Little things have changed, but I still have a relatively similar life to the one I had before school started. I will let you know if that changes in five weeks, aka the beginning of reading week.

Truth or Truth

When I started as a first-generation law student, I was hearing horror stories from everyone. Today, I am going to debunk two of the ones that kept me up at night riddled with anxiety. First, everywhere I turned people were telling me, “The first thing you need to do is find a study group as soon as possible. You cannot survive without a study group.” As a Los Angeles transplant, I did not know anyone when I started at Loyola so the thought that my grades might be dependent on my ability to make several friends incredibly fast was a little scary. Although I was fortunate enough to make great friends and actually did have a study group for two of my courses, I survived without study partners for all of my other classes. Study groups are great if you learn material better with a group of peers, but (a) they are not the best study method for everyone and (b) if you are not in one, it will not ruin your chances of earning a high grade.

Secondly, when I was not nervous about finding a study group, I was concerned that I had no time for a “release” from school. “Say goodbye to free time, time with friends, and a social life.” I cannot begin to tell you how many times I heard that and worried that I would not have time for family, Disneyland, and Netflix. (Obviously, I have my priorities in order.) Additionally, when was I going to have time to hang out with this hypothetical study group if my whole life was going to be outlining and reading? However, throughout the year, I realized this also was not 100% accurate. Sure, there is A LOT of reading and studying, but that does not mean you have to completely forego your life outside of school. In fact, I would argue that everyone needs a little time for release and to separate themselves from all the stress. Long story short, not everything people tell you about law school can be taken as being automatically accurate. To use the extremely overused phrase, “Keep Calm and..” enjoy the next few years. It will be over before you know it.

Debunk A Law School Myth

In some ways, I am glad I read a book about transitioning into the law school lifestyle before I started as a 1L. In other ways, not so much. The book I read was dedicated to preparing incoming students for the massive life change they were about to experience. It detailed all the ways that law school life was going to be different than your old life: the way you study, the way you socialize, the amount you sleep. One thing was abundantly clear throughout the book – being a law student will probably damage your personal relationships. I have not found that to be true at all.

Sure, there may be some adjustments to a new social life when entering law school. You may have less time for your old friends, family. But the idea that this will actually damage your personal, intimate relationships is much exaggerated. I told my wife to be aware for this impending storm as I began law school. Truth is, the storm never came. Law school does not require 18 hours of your day. If you plan your days reasonably well, you will have free time to spend with loved ones. And as with any new commitment, like a new job or a move out of town, you might see some relationships lose their former luster after a while. But law school isn’t really the insidious cause of this; these changes are the result of the natural and regular transitions we go through when we attempt big things.

Debunk A Law School Myth

Your mental image of a first-year law student's typical Friday night might look something like this:

That’s a pretty accurate representation of my night this past Friday. I spent almost the entirety of this past weekend studying for the midterm in my Torts class, my first big hurdle in law school.

But that picture is definitely not an accurate representation of my typical Friday night. In fact, the myth that law students don’t have lives — that they spend every waking moment buried in books — isn’t true at all.

Taking time to do the non-law school things you enjoy is actually pretty essential to making sure you don’t have a meltdown while you’re here. I got that advice from more than one professor during orientation, and I took it to heart.

This past weekend, even with the study marathon, was a pretty good example. Over the past year or so, I’ve gotten involved in planning small music events in L.A. It’s satisfying and thrilling to create an experience for other people. Since June, I've been helping plan a big show at a local venue featuring a legendary German synthesizer player named Roedelius and a pair of wonderful artists from Japan, composer Aki Tsuyuko and painter Ippei Matsui. (I know, kind of obscure.)

Then, when I got my midterm schedule a few weeks ago, I found out my Torts midterm was scheduled for October 9th — the day after the show I was working on. What could I do? The show had already been in the words for months.

Like anything in law school, you make it work. All things considered, I still spent around 25 hours studying for my Torts exam between Friday and Sunday. (Some students, I know, studied even more.) But at 5 on Sunday, I set aside my Torts notes and headed to the venue. 

The show itself was stressful; some of the equipment from Japan didn’t work with the venue’s setup, which sent me on a last-minute trip to Best Buy for a 50-foot cable. But the show itself went beautifully; the artists radiated pure wonder and benevolence. After the show, Roedelius himself, who is 82 years old, walked around the venue barefoot (!) and introduced himself to fans. I think it was just what I needed to balance myself a little.

The next morning I slept in a little, went for a jog, and then studied for a couple hours before heading to school. I won’t lie — the test was stressful. Law school isn’t easier than people tell you, and it might actually be harder. Things you thought you knew how to do, like read and write, can suddenly seem foreign.

But the myth that law school students don’t have lives isn’t true. It’s just that the lives we do have are kind of crazy. The key, for me anyway, is to take all opportunities you can to do adventurous things — without forgetting to give yourself some rest along the way.

Debunking A Law School Myth

Before I started law school, I was flooded with horror stories about what I should expect on the day-to-day. What horrified me the most out of everything I heard wasn’t cold calling or the law school exam, but that my classes would be immensely, arguably unbelievably, competitive. I heard from countless people that my classmates would be waiting to watch me fail. I was told stories about students refusing to share their notes, for instance, with people who had missed class because they were sick just because they didn’t want to give their classmates any sort of perceived advantage.

It’s true, the curve is scary and you are competing with those around you. However, in the short time I’ve been a law student, I’ve learned that the environment isn’t as cutthroat as I was told it would be. In fact, my classmates are always looking out for one another. The curve doesn’t keep us from helping each other when we need it. As an evening student, I’ve also noticed that my classmates are very understanding. We’re all working at least part time jobs and some of my classmates have families to take care of on top of their work and school commitments and everyone in my class is sympathetic to that. We’re sympathetic if someone has fallen behind on an assignment, didn’t have time to review before class, or doesn’t understand a concept. I’ve seen my classmates come together time and time again to try to help others who might otherwise fall behind and not be able to catch up.

For me, this is the biggest and most important myth about law school that I’m happy to debunk. Law school isn’t the scary, competitive, lonely place that I was told it would be. Instead, my section is a welcoming, understanding, and supportive community.

Debunking A Law School Myth

HELP! GET ME OUT OF HERE! Everyone is out to get me! Everyone wants to see me crash and burn! Everyone wants to see me fail so they can get ahead!

I think we can all agree that when we initially thought of law school, we thought of an ultra competitive environment where everyone was out to get each other in order to get to the top. We’ve all cringed at depictions of law school life in film and television that portrayed students as overly ambitious, vicious, and willing to do anything and everything in their power to get to the top. And no, these depictions didn’t stop at just the students for we’ve also seen media representations of harsh, intimidating, and merciless law school professors who ask the most difficult and unanswerable questions, expose their students’ weaknesses, and pick on them endlessly.

Thankfully, I’d like to say that this is all a myth. I’ve been a student at Loyola for several weeks now, and I can honestly say that I have not encountered any of the meanness we’ve all seen in movies and television or witnessed the ultra-competitiveness that we may have heard other hardened law school students and attorneys say.

It’s true that law school students aspire to do well, but honestly, that’s not a surprise because law school, as I’m sure everyone has told you, is a big investment and time commitment. In my time here, I’ve been a witness to a community of students trying to do their personal best while also trying to help one another. I’ve seen this in the way that everyone in legal research class collaborates on in-class assignments to make sure everyone gets full credit. I’ve seen this in the way people sit outside before the start of lecture to go over ambiguities and material from the night before. I’ve seen this in the way that people share outlines and notes when someone has been sick for a couple of days. I’ve also met caring faculty and staff who genuinely want to see their students thrive. The professors I’ve encountered this semester have been understanding of the fact that we’re all still trying to adjust to this life and career path we’ve chosen. They’ve been willing to meet with us to get to know us, encourage us, and help us in whatever way they can.

So fret not! The myth that everyone is out to get each other is just that, a myth!

Myth: People Are CUT-THROAT

Before starting law school, I heard about how cut-throat all of my peers would be. I was told so many horror stories about students giving each other the wrong answers on purpose and how people were so competitive that they would do literally anything to get ahead (I literally mean anything). I have asked a couple of my friends and they've all said they also heard several terrible stories before coming to law school.

Luckily, I am here to tell you that this is purely a myth at Loyola. When someone gets cold-called in class and clearly does not know the answer, people are there to help them out with a whispered hint. Someone is always around to answer questions (correctly, I might add) and people are always willing to study together and bounce ideas off each other. I just had my first midterm on Monday and when it was finished, there was collective relief that we had survived and joy that we had all made it through the first half of Property Law. We are competing for grades (the classes are curved and people who want to be lawyers generally like to win), but no one is out to get you or ruin your chances. If we all succeed, Loyola succeeds, and if Loyola succeeds, our degrees continue to help us get jobs (which is really the goal).

So do not worry if you have heard stories about people removing library materials or one of the many cut-throat law school rumors. People are far more focused on bettering themselves rather than tearing others down. It is a lot easier to get ahead by studying than by becoming a master saboteur!

Summer Time

During this past summer, there was gorgeous weather, plenty of concerts, flocks of people going to beaches and Disneyland, but I missed the majority of that as I spent the summer indoors working for a talent agency. As I began working there on Monday after finals concluded on the previous Thursday, I did not really have a “break” from the stress of the school year. I worked full-time until early-August at which point I finally celebrated making it through 1L year with a one week trip to Hawaii. When I came back from the trip, I had one more week of freedom until 2L year began.

With all of that being said, as my dream has always been to work in the entertainment industry, I have zero complaints. I was able to dive right in, attend events as a VIP guest, speak with “movers and shakers”, and get an inside look at the music industry. It was an incredible learning experience which helped shape my new understanding of what working within the industry actually means. While I cannot honestly say that I missed outlining, reading cases / statutes, and the wonderful gut-wrenching feeling that accompanies the Socratic method, I am glad to be back at school with my classmates and making new memories as a proud Loyola Law student.

My Last Law School Summer

My summer was an interesting, productive one, with some fun thrown in there right near the end. I started the summer working as a summer associate for a big employment law firm in Downtown L.A. The office was on the 63rd floor of the tallest building currently silhouetting Downtown’s skyline – complete with marble countertops, mildly abstract art pieces, a fridge full of Le Croix flavored sparkling waters, and all the other accoutrements of corporate law firms. My work at the firm largely comprised of research projects for various lawsuits that the firm was defending. The research in and of itself allowed me to familiarize myself with the basics of employment law while assisting the associates and partners with tough and exceedingly narrow questions of law. The work was exciting at times and very educational.

Early in the summer, I represented one of my Juvenile Innocence and Fair Sentencing Clinic clients at the California Court of Appeal. The experience was invigorating as well as nerve-wracking. Luckily, with being employed full-time, I didn’t have the opportunity to get too nervous about the oral argument that I was to deliver. The time crunch allowed me to hyper-focused on the work and ignore any developing fears about the prospect of arguing alone in front of a panel of judges. Ultimately, the process went smoothly, I argued the case competently, and a couple months later we found out that we prevailed on the matter. Our client’s sentence was vacated with a remand to the trial court for a new sentencing hearing.

Like my past clinical work, the experience was extremely gratifying in a number of ways. I highly encourage anyone reading this to look into clinical work at Loyola; the programs are amazing and present extraordinarily unique opportunities to students.

I rounded out the summer with a brief but satisfying trip to Prague and Amsterdam with my wife. What a joy that was. We also found out the day before the trip that she is pregnant with our second child. This new one will be due right around spring semester finals in 2018. Yikes!

My Summer Before the Start of Law School

In the summer in Los Angeles, electricity runs through the pavement. It pulls surfers to the beach, couples to the gardens of Griffith Observatory, families to the picnic grills and cool grass at Hollenbeck Park. I felt it this summer. On a few bright Sunday mornings, I brought crates of records to a rooftop restaurant to spin for the brunch crowd. I sweated through long, late shifts at the bar where I worked, then watched my friends make music in shifty, cobbled-together spaces. I visited Vicente Pedraza, the man who once ran the influential cumbia sonidera label Discos Barba Azul, at his Santee Alley stall. And Arshia Haq, who, visited Pakistan and came back to L.A. with her own deeply spiritual recordings of Sufi music. (Both allowed me to share their stories in L.A. Weekly.) I brought some of my favorite musicians together in the basement of a restaurant in Chinatown for one transcendent night of music. We stood in the back alley between sets, across from the restaurant cooks taking their breaks, smoking their cigarettes, and talked about our plans.

The news this summer was dire. We watched young people gather under a banner of hate in Charlottesville, then listened with dismay as our president validated them. Closer to home, L.A.’s neighborhoods boiled over with anxiety about displacement and gentrification. Our city’s homelessness crisis seemed worse than ever. It became clear that DACA, the federal program that allows those who entered the U.S. as children to go to school and work without fear of deportation, was the President’s latest target, with 100,000 of our Angeleno neighbors in the crosshairs. The freedom of a Los Angeles summer is intoxicating, but I start school at Loyola with profound excitement — the feeling that I’ll gain an education that will help me do my part to make this city even more just, more equal, more electric.

My Summer Before the Start of Law School

Unlike many of my peers, this summer was tumultuous for me in many ways. I didn’t spend my summer on vacation with my family or even relaxing and leisurely preparing to enter law school. Instead, my summer was spent working and trying to make my way off of the waitlist and into the Loyola Law School Class of 2020 or, alternatively, 2021. The whole experience sounds pretty miserable on the surface, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Although law school waitlist is a notoriously difficult place to be, I learned a lot about myself in the process. Namely, I learned that I’m much stronger than I thought I was.

Throughout the summer, I made it a point to seek opportunities to push myself out of my comfort zone. I may not have known where I would be in the fall, but I knew that I’d need to develop an essential set of skills to excel once I made it there. I was working full time as a tutor for students with learning disabilities, but I knew I wanted more. I had always been hesitant to take on new opportunities by myself, so I knew that I needed to face this fear head on. So, I started volunteering with Neighborhood Legal Services in their employment law clinic. This was an incredibly rewarding and eye-opening experience because it taught me so much about what it meant to help others navigate the complexities of the law. Although it was difficult for me to find the time to volunteer, I knew that my difficulties paled in comparison to many of those that I helped. I continued to pursue this endeavor in all aspects of my life – actively searching for and seizing opportunities that were presented to me instead of waiting for them to come to me.

All in all, what could’ve been a very difficult summer to me, turned into one of the greatest periods of personal and professional growth that I’ve ever experienced.

Onto the Next Adventure

This summer was different. No, it did not include traveling to somewhere foreign and exotic. It did not involve an exciting music festival. It did not involve a grand exciting thing. Rather, this summer marked the end of one adventure and the start of another.

On the morning of July 21, 2017, I woke up thinking, “Today is the day.” It was the last day at the boutique law firm that I had worked at for the last two years since graduating from UCSB. It had been two years of hard work and eye-opening experiences. It had been two years learning to work with clients and collaborate with legal and medical professionals. It had been two years of working for my boss and truly learning from her what it meant to be an ethical, hard-working, and compassionate attorney. It had been two years of learning that a career in the legal field was one that I wanted to pursue and that it was a community that I wanted to be a part of. More than anything (and honestly, as cliché as it sounds), it was two years of really cultivating my interests, dreaming, and growing. It was the end of the adventure of navigating through the ins and outs of professionalism and stepping foot into the legal world.

On the afternoon of July 21, 2017, I walked out of my office with a hint of hesitation and reservation. Coming to this office and sitting at my desk had become my routine and my daily expectation. I was so used to picking up the phone to check-in on the clients I had gotten to know over the course of my employment, meeting with my boss to touch base on projects and issues, and chatting with my co-workers and neighbors upon passing. Was I really going to give up what was comfortable, safe, and normal only be thrust into the intimidating and high stakes world that is law school?

After all the goodbyes had been said, I sat in my car for a while staring at the building. I grew up here. I faced challenges like dealing with frustrated clients, receiving and accepting constructive criticisms, learning the procedures of Workers’ Comp, studying for the torturous LSAT, and even anticipating my decision letter from Loyola. I had also faced triumphs during my tenure here like buying my first car, getting my first acceptance letter, and waving goodbye to my LSAT textbooks. As strange as it sounds, the building with all the little offices, businesses, and people inside had become a community that I had relied on for the last two years of my growth and development.

But I realized that it was time to turn the page on this chapter. I had learned everything I needed to prepare me for my next adventure, and I was ready for all that law school would present. So I pulled out of the parking lot on that day with the end of my first legal position in my rear view mirror and the promise of a new adventure at Loyola before me. Onto the next adventure.

The Summer of Food

My life belongs to food.

Okay, that is (a bit) dramatic, but I will admit that food is one of my constant priorities (and I am sure a lot of you reading can say the same)! For that reason, my summer before 1L can be classified as the “Summer of Food.” I visited Austin, TX, Grant’s Pass, OR, Cabo San Lucas, Las Vegas, NV, and several cities up and down CA, but I consider it visiting brisket, tacos, farmer’s markets, fresh seafood, and some of the best brunch food in the world!

I really made it a point to spend these meals with my family and friends. I am from the Sacramento area, so while moving to LA meant amazing food and a stellar law school, it also meant leaving some of the most important people in my life (even more important than food) up north. I spent happy hours with my mom after work, ate car show vendor food with my dad, enjoyed some of the best Vegas restaurants for my Aunt’s wedding, and visited my undergrad city of Santa Barbara for meals next to the ocean with friends.

My life now belongs to Loyola (sorry, food), but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way because I am confident that I used my summer as a time to relax and enjoy time with loved ones while eating some of the best food that even LA can’t provide (I truly don’t know if anything can beat brisket in Texas). Now I am relaxed and ready for the demands of 1L, but more importantly (kidding, kind of), all of the food that Los Angeles has to offer!

Here We Go Again

Hi all! To the 1Ls out there: Welcome to Loyola and the beginning of your legal career! To those of us returning, we know the drill by now…outlines, readings, and A LOT of coffee. For those of you who do not know me, my name is Holly and I’m currently a 2L who aspires to work in entertainment law. I spent the summer interning at a talent agency in the music department and am continuing my time there this fall in the tv/film department.

For any of you terrified by 1L horror stories, you are going to make it! You are going to make amazing friends, networking connections, and you are about to have one unforgettable year. If I were in your shoes again, here is the advice I would give my 1L self. First, get to know your professors as much as you possibly can. Do not be afraid to go to office hours and if you’re nervous, grab someone to come with you. Second, meet your classmates. It is super easy to let your studies and worries get the most of you during your first year, but don’t forget to make time to get to know the people in your section. I know people have been constantly hammering the importance of “study groups” in your head. Truthfully, everyone learns differently and you should do what is best for you. I personally am usually an independent studier, however, there were a couple of courses that I (thankfully) had a study group for. Either way, get to know your section mates - you will be glad you did.

Third, get involved with organizations on campus. I’m personally on the board of the Immigration Law Society, Business Law Society, and the Entertainment and Sports Law Society - each of these organizations (and many more) have amazing networking opportunities and events on/off campus that you all should come out to! Fourth, look into getting a mentor. Law school can be very intimidating. There’s a lot going on with deadlines, outlines, exams, worrying about externships, etc. Mentors can help ease a little bit of that stress because they’ve been in the exact same spot you are now. Finally, breathe. Taking care of your physical and mental health is the most important thing during school. Find time to destress. Personally, I recommend netflix/hulu.

Introduction - Steve Riley

Hi Jury of Peers readers! My name is Steve and I am a 3L at Loyola Law School. This is my third year contributing to this blog, which I am told makes me the first blogger to go 3 for 3!

My pre-law background is in music. I went to college for music, I worked for a few years at a boutique record label right out of college, then I spent about 7 years playing drums professionally – working typically as a recording musician and in musical theater productions. I made the transition to law school after my daughter was born and I began to lose passion for the musician lifestyle. That being said, music and the arts are still extremely important to me. I go to concerts and movies regularly, play guitar every day, and still occasionally work freelance music jobs.

My law school experience for the past two years and a few months has been largely a great one. I enjoy the intellectual rigor of being a law student and think it brings out the best in me. I enjoy reading cases, drafting arguments and taking each new step (and there are many) as it comes. I will be graduating in May 2018 and will be expecting my second daughter in late March 2018. I’m sure this will make finals and bar preparation all the more challenging, but I’m sure it will also inspire me to close out my law school career on a high note. Enjoy the blogs! We’ve got a very interesting batch of bloggers this year.

Introduction - Chris Kissel

Not too long after I turned 22, I decided to go to law school.

That was seven years ago.

Back then, I had just graduated from Seattle University with a degree in English, and all I knew was I wanted to write. I had worked as the news editor at the school paper, interned at the local alt-weekly, wrote papers about American economic history, and blogged about politics. I thought I was off to a good start.

But I had also fallen in love with Seattle, and I felt certain I wanted to be a part of the city in a meaningful way. I knew a couple of lawyers, and I figured law school was the way to do that. If nothing else, it would give me plenty to write about.

In the intervening seven years, I learned that things rarely turn out the way you plan.

Seven years ago, I was working at a book store in Seattle and plotting my future. One night after work, I got a text from a friend who told me he could get me a job in New York City. One week later, I was on an airplane. Who could pass up a writing gig in the cultural capital of the world?

Things went from there. I made an adventure out of my 20s. I ended up working in radio in New York for a few years. As part of the job, I spent much of my time in cities like Shreveport, Yakima, and Utica teaching radio DJs how to blog. Later, I learned how to DJ myself, and gigged around the city; I worked as a bike messenger; I worked in bars; I played in a band. I got back to writing, which will always be important to me — it's the way I find my bearings in the world — and when I moved to L.A. a couple years ago, I got to know the city by freelance writing about the local music scene.

L.A. reminds me of everything I loved about Seattle. It's a big, complicated, strange city, a city of shiny dreams and stubborn struggles; of Hollywood studios and working class neighborhoods; of Kendrick Lamar and Raymond Chandler; of cumbia blasting from backyard parties and experimental music emanating from warehouse art spaces.

As I became absorbed in this city I was reminded of my original desire to be a useful part of something bigger than myself. I don’t regret a single weird minute of my ‘20s. But I couldn’t be more ready for what’s next.

Introduction - Breanna Khorrami

Hi! My name is Breanna. I graduated with a B.A. in Gender Studies from UCLA in 2015 and am currently a first year in the evening program at Loyola! After I graduated from college, I worked as a tutor for students with learning disabilities full time for about two years. In that time, I also started and operated my own tutoring business, worked as an editor for a political news blog, worked part-time at a local private high school, volunteered with a few different organizations, and even started my own food blog. Because I’m an evening student and am only taking classes part-time, I’ve been able to continue tutoring and operating my food blog and also get more involved in on-campus groups at Loyola. In the short time that I’ve been a student here, I’ve found my involvement in on-campus groups to be one of the most interesting and rewarding aspects of my student experience and I’m excited to see what the rest of the school year holds!

However, my interests aren’t limited to what’s on campus… which is a little hard to believe since I feel like I almost never leave! When I’m not studying, in class, or working, I also like to cook, run, hike, read, and (to my wallet’s dismay) shop… a little too much. Making time to do all of these things while working and going to school has been a little difficult so far, but getting a routine down has made a world of difference.

In any event, law school has been a great experience so far and I’m feeling really optimistic about the rest of the year!

Introduction - Nicole Dela Rosa

Hello there! If you’ve made your way onto this blog, you must be one step closer to making one of the biggest decisions for your education, career, and life. So welcome!

So who am I? Well, my name is Nicole, and I am a 1L day student here at Loyola. I am currently a blogger for the Jury of Peers and my section’s representative for the Immigration Law Society in addition to participating in other organizations.

Before coming here, I worked as a legal assistant for two years at a law firm in the Inland Empire that specialized in Workers’ Compensation, Personal Injury, and Trusts and Estates. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard work, and there was definitely a learning curve as it was my first legal position. But I truly miss working for my boss, who was such an amazing mentor (Shout out to her, if she’s reading this). I also miss the clients that I spent so much time working with and getting to know. Before that, I went to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where I double-majored in English and Global Studies. Go Gauchos! I graduated in 2015, a year early, which helped me figure out what I wanted to do for the next chapter of my life. Thus, all of this has led me to where I am now!

So it’s been about 7 weeks into my first semester here, and so far, it’s been good. I know, shocking right? I think everyone, myself included, has this image of law school as a black hole that sucks you in and takes over your life, and you have no time for anything else but school, reading (A LOT), and stressing out about getting cold-called. While most of that is true, I’ve learned in the last couple of weeks that normal life is still possible (or at least, as normal of a life as possible for a law student) if you try to balance, surround yourself with positive people, and do things that make you happy. For me, that includes yelping restaurants and trying new food, cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers, overusing my Disneyland annual pass, and spending time with my dog and the people who matter most to me.

So sit back, relax, and join me here as I make my way through my crazy whirlwind of an adventure that is 1L year!

A Little Bit about Me - Jordan Avey

The phrase “So tell me a little bit about yourself” has always given me minor heart palpitations. What kind of personality do I have? Are those actually my interests? What have I even accomplished? I live with myself 24 hours a day, yet get thrown into a panic as if I don't even know my last name (did you read that as Carrie Underwood?). So, although I’ll have second-guessed this introduction of myself 32 times by the time I am finished writing, I will try my best to “tell you a little bit about myself” without giving up.

I graduated in December of 2016 from my undergraduate university with a B.A. in Political Science and minors in English and History (anything scientific gives me more heart palpitations than introductions, so just know you are my inspiration if you are surviving or have survived a B.S.) and was heavily involved in my sorority. While an undergraduate, I completed a legislative internship in a Congressional office in D.C., which, although an amazing experience, showed me that a career path in politics was not completely for me. After I graduated, I worked for the public school district in my hometown of Elk Grove, CA for the 8 months before law school started.

Although I have a background in both education and politics, as a law student I have found that I am most interested in Consumer Law. This may change (I am only a 1L), but I do believe that I will ultimately end up in the field of litigation even though my Criminal Law class is incredibly compelling. Something I have already realized about law school is that even if you are focused on one area of law, all of the areas are so engaging and expansive that it is hard not to be interested in all of the fields.

On the non-legal side of my life (which still exists, though barely), I enjoy spending my time reading, watching television, clothes shopping, and trying new foods. All of those interests seem so unoriginal, I wish I could tell you that I am a certified sky-diver, but I’ll give an accurate representation of myself. I cannot survive without 2-4 cups of coffee a day, I hate caramel, I will not choose between being a cat-person or a dog-person, and I highly recommend naps.

Most importantly, I am so excited that I will have the opportunity to share little pieces of my life here! I think that it is incredibly important to know what you are getting yourself into when you commit to law school, so I will try my best to accurately illuminate the details of law school life over the next year.

Summertime's Right Around the Corner

Summer cannot come fast enough. First of all, summer means that final exams are over and, unless you are taking summer courses, no exams for a couple of months. The first week of summer break is pretty much dedicated to the write-on competition for law review. For those of you that are unsure what law review actually is and its importance, do not fret! As a first-generation law student, I honestly had no idea what the importance of law review was. Basically, law review is a student organization that provides the opportunity to publish articles on a variety of legal issues. Loyola is pretty unique because it has three separate law reviews accepting applicants. Although it’s very competitive to be accepted, it looks prestigious on a resume and helps you stand out to employers.

After the competition, I will be getting my start in the entertainment industry. For anyone who knows me at all, you would know that I have wanted to work in entertainment since before I can remember. Beginning this semester, I am finally going to be able to live out that dream. I will be working as an intern for Paradigm Talent Agency.

As for myself, I have no doubt that being a J.D. student at Loyola is one of the main reasons that I have been able to secure summer employment for a company which I have respected for the better part of my life. As a law school with one of the most prestigious entertainment concentrations in the country, Loyola has opened the door for networking opportunities. For example, I made a connection during a casual conversation in which I discussed being a 1L student at Loyola. Through the networking process, this connection led to the introduction to someone with strong connections within the industry. If I had never discussed being a Loyola student, this networking opportunity would have never arisen. For all of you considering Loyola for your law school education, I would just like to leave you with one final thought. At Loyola, professors care, students actually learn, and the networking opportunities you will be exposed to could change your entire life.

Summer 2017

This summer I will be working as a summer associate at the law firm of Littler Mendelson in Century City, CA. They’re an international firm with almost 1300 attorneys that specializes in Labor and Employment Law. They’re currently ranked #1 in that field according to Vault.com. I am extremely excited to begin this chapter of my law school life, which seems to blur the line between a “job” and “education.” Surely there will be much to be learned during the course of the summer, but I have been assured that I will be given plenty of “work” to do as well. Whatever is the balance between work and education, I will do my best to make the most of the experience.

Even though I would like to work as a research assistant this summer, there just won’t be enough time. I have been interested in doing such work, but I’m afraid that it will have to wait until next school year.

Loyola was instrumental in helping me secure a summer associate position with a big law firm. I participated in OCI during the summer which set me up to interview and ultimately get the job offer with Littler. I interviewed with about 20 different firms at OCI (on-campus interviews), and had a few call backs. None of those call backs ended with a job offer, but they did assure me that I was “close enough” to keep pursuing Big Law jobs. Graham Sherr, Loyola’s Assistant Dean for Employer Engagement contacted me shortly after OCI to ask if I wanted to interview with an additional firm, Littler Mendelson. I wasn’t sure that it would work out because I didn’t have any background in employment law, but I put my best foot forward anyway. If it weren’t for Graham thinking of me and having confidence in my ability to get the offer, I would have never interviewed and who knows what my situation would be right now. But luckily for me, Graham did an extremely good job of matching me to an employer who ended up valuing my skills and background enough to offer me the job.

Summer '17

Actually, a few hours before writing this post, I had just confirmed my summer plans. This summer I will be working as a volunteer law clerk for the Riverside County Public Defender’s Office. I’m really excited to see hands on what attorneys do in the field, and for the ability to put everything that I’ve learned and crammed into my head this past year to use, besides reciting it out on a piece of paper, haha. I’ve mentioned many times in previous posts that after graduating I would love to go into governmental work/public interest, and I can’t wait to be able to experience what my future could potentially hold.

Loyola played a huge part in helping me get my summer job, in that the career development center helps to facilitate many interest/involvement fairs that let you meet future employers, network, as well as schedule interviews, which is how I had gotten this job in the first place. It was so helpful having the career development center, as well as the public interest office be a foundation and support system in finding employment, in that I’m pretty sure I would still be struggling to find a job right now if it wasn’t for them.

Working Pro Bono

As all of my past blogs have pointed out, Loyola is unique. Today, I want to discuss Loyola’s commitment to supporting careers in public interest law. To motivate students to dive straight into the public interest field, Loyola requires all students to complete 40 hours of pro bono work. In all honesty, Loyola’s pro bono requirement was one of the many reasons why I felt like Loyola would be a good fit for me. Even though I plan to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, I am extremely excited to complete my pro bono work over the next couple of years. It will give me an opportunity to get experience in a field that I am passionate about, but may never have another chance to fully pursue given my chosen career trajectory.

At this point, I have not given much thought to what avenue I want to take to complete my hours, but I do have a couple of ideas. I believe that working in immigration law or child advocacy can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Hopefully, by this time next year, I will have completed some (or all) of my pro bono hours and will be able to share an in-depth look into the world of public interest law. In the meantime, I look forward to figuring out exactly how I want to use my pro bono hours to explore the public interest field.

My "Pro Bono Requirement" Experience

I have completed my pro bono requirement through my work with the Juvenile Innocence and Fair Sentencing Clinic (JIFS). Within the clinic, my work was focused on servicing the needs of my real-life clients in their various stages of litigation. For one of my clients, my time has been working on issues relating to her innocence petition and preparing to file a very large brief with the court hopefully by the end of the semester. For another client, I spent most of the previous semester working to get him resentenced from “life without parole” to a parole-eligible sentence. In January of this year, we were successful at doing just that. With my final client, my work has focused on getting his case re-heard by the California Court of Appeal. Through a brief filed with the California Supreme Court, we were successful at getting his case remanded back to the appellate level for further review. Hopefully we will be in court arguing on his behalf before the end of the summer.

Overall, these experiences have been immensely valuable. Working on cases like these have drastically improved my legal writing skills and have prepared me to litigate on my own and with partners going forward. I learned how important it is to prepare your materials early, to get feedback, and the importance of working on multiple drafts until your work is as perfect as it can be. I also learned the value in collaboration in the legal world. People will always bring different skills and strengths to the table, and knowing how to leverage those strengths is key to personal success. Collaboration has also taught me how to put forward my best work and to be open to constructive feedback. There’s no use in spending your law school years defending your flaws and inexperience. It’s perfectly reasonable that you need these years to hone your craft, and your student partners and professors understand that. It’s good to put yourself out there and do “real work” early on because by the time you’re at a law firm earning a salary, you probably want to have those first few kinks worked out.

Pro Bono Requirement

One of the things that first attracted me to Loyola was the fact that they were the first ABA accredited law school in California, and one of the only schools that I had visited that had a mandatory pro bono requirement. Having been an intern at a legal services office, this appealed to me, since I took part and witnessed first-hand the low-income clients the office had taken in, and how important it was for them to be able to go to legal services for their legal needs.

However, being a first-year law student, I am unable to complete my pro bono year until the completion of my 1L year. Although throughout the course of the year, I have given a lot of thought as to how I would like to complete this requirement. I had recently accepted a summer externship, and had met with my career counselor seeking various options for me to not only work as a law clerk during the break, but also put in some volunteer time to make a dent in the hours that I have to complete.

Since I had mentioned in a previous post that I was interested in going into public interest or government after the completion of my degree, I am potentially looking into clinics that involve work in civil or criminal litigation, as well as well entertainment, since that is a possible route I was thinking of going down as well.

You Stay Classy, Loyola

Full disclosure: I watched one of my favorite movies, Anchorman, recently for the first time in a while so the following blog may contain several references to it. When you start law school, people are going to hammer the importance of networking into you. If you’re anything like me, you might find yourself wondering why it’s such a huge deal. Like Ron Burgundy, “I wanna say something. I’m gonna put it out there; if you like it, you can take it, if you don’t, send it right back.” Knowing how to network is one of the most pivotal skills to help you land a job. Don’t get me wrong, it can be intimidating to put yourself out there. I met with my career counselor early last semester to discuss my own concerns about effective networking. She gave me some pointers and helped me be more confident about the process of making connections. Using her tips, I was able to make some new contacts and I have been very fortunate to secure a position with a company which I have admired for years.

I also took advantage of Loyola’s mock interview program last month to learn about areas for improvement. Mock interviews can be incredibly helpful to prepare yourself and build your confidence for the real thing. As Brian Fantana would say, “They’ve done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time.” In all seriousness, my interviewer, H.P., was candid and helpful in showing me some things to work on prior to my real interviews. Additionally, while I’m typing this, Loyola is hosting the Spring Law Firm Reception where students can mingle with prospective employers and participate in mini interviews for summer positions. “Don’t act like you’re not impressed”—Ron Burgundy. One of the best things about Loyola is how the school’s career development team goes above and beyond to help provide opportunities for students to meet with employers. Even before finding summer employment, I felt confident knowing that career development services were available if I needed their help.

Life in law school can be craynar (a combination of crazy and gnarly). Shout-out to my classmates C.B. and C.B. for introducing me to this word. So, if you find yourself like Ron Burgundy in a “glass case of emotion,” turn to your career counselors. They will ease any fears you may have, give you some tips on how to improve your candidacy, and can share any details about workshops or seminars that may help with your career path.

Networking and Career Development Opportunities

Loyola definitely offers its students a vast array of opportunities to network and learn more about legal practice areas. Each week, there are several different panels, events, lectures and workshops covering a broad selection of topics. Whether you’re interested in entertainment law, summer internships, civil rights or nearly any other law topic, there is sure to be an upcoming event tailored to your interests.

I have personally attended numerous lunchtime panels and events. I have become fond of faculty workshops where visiting academics come to present their research and answer questions/critiques about the papers that they’re writing. It’s fun and interesting to watch our professors ask very tough questions and wage intellectual battle with each other over the presented topics. Panel discussions are also great because you can get a broad overview of a different topic. I recently attended a panel about “law and technology” which was fascinating for a variety of unexpected reasons. I don’t always make a point to technically “network” at these type of functions, but I do tend to ask questions and introduce myself to people who I find particularly interesting. The great thing about networking in law school is that practicing attorneys all went through this process and are they feel a sort of kinship with current law students.

The Career Development Center also offers a lot of valuable events and opportunities for students. They’re always there to help with building your resume, interview preparation, general advice and a seemingly endless array of services. They also put on employer-engagement events and those often lead directly to interviews and jobs for Loyola students. I have always felt free to take advantage of the CDC and they’re happy and willing to help out in any way they can.

Networking and Career Development Services Opportunities

One of things I found most helpful during my short time here was the amount of ways I can network and be able to develop my career right from the start. Many student organizations have lunch time speakers and panels, as well as workshops and networking opportunities with guests from various organizations, agencies, and industries coming to speak to students regarding their particular field of work. I’m glad to say that I have attended quite of number of these, due to the interest that I have in various fields such as the public sector, in-house counsel, and the like. Attending these discussions during my break is a great way to learn more about life post-law school, as well as get a free lunch ;)

A lot of the programming put on by the Office of Career Development was especially helpful, most particularly the Public Interest Fair that was hosted at UCLA. I had spent an entire day interviewing with various employers in the government/public sector, which was really convenient since all my interviews were in once place, at one time. I also had the chance to speak with various other organizations and agencies at the fair that had set up booths for students who are interested and looking for more information regarding their area of work. The Career Development office, as well as my counselor, has been extremely helpful in helping me not only find an externship for the summer, but helping me make important decisions regarding my future in law.

My Externship and Clinical Experience at Loyola

I have completed a judicial externship and have also participated in two clinics as a 2L. I think experiential learning is perhaps the most valuable opportunity given to Loyola Law students and puts Loyola in a different class than other schools.

I did a judicial externship in the summer between my 1L and 2L years. I applied all across the board to every federal judge in Los Angeles and ended up with an offer from a federal magistrate judge. The experience was great for me. Judges and their clerks have a lot going on, and they could use help when they can get it. I was completely open to doing whatever work was thrown my way. My judge and her clerks responded by giving me a lot of projects. While I worked on matters that would tend to be low on the priority list for a judge or career clerk, as a learning law student I was glad to have the opportunity to make my mark on those projects. I was able to greatly improve my persuasive writing and my judge was extremely generous with her time and gave me a lot of personal feedback. I came away from that experience a much better writer and more confident to move forward into my remaining law school years.

The clinics offered at Loyola are a great way to learn, grow, and impact peoples’ lives in a positive way. In my work with the Juvenile Innocence and Fair Sentencing Clinic (JIFS), I’ve been able to write briefs on behalf of our clients, respond to their needs, and to represent them in court. It’s been a lot of work but I can’t recommend joining a clinic enough. There’s something about working with real stakes and legitimate deadlines that will drastically improve your legal mind. In my experience, you’ll find yourself well supported by experienced attorneys, but at the end of the day, you need to own your work product and represent your client’s position competently and with vigor. Gaining that experience while still in school is so incredibly valuable and will end up looking great to employers when the job hunt is on.

My Summer Externship Plans

There’s so much more to law school than just obtaining your law degree. It’s amazing how many things you can get involved in here at Loyola, for the benefit of your education and your future career. This summer I plan on externing in the public interest sector, and it is one of the things I am looking towards working for after I graduate. I am excited to look into what my potential future career will consist of.

The Career Development Center helped me essentially with finding a job for the summer, which at the beginning of the year, I didn’t even know where to begin with that endeavor. My career counselor helped clean up my resume, cover letter, and explained to me the process of applying and what potential externships I could look towards concerning my interests.

I have not yet selected a concentration, but I am considering various options. Many of the 2Ls and 3Ls I’ve sought advice from suggested that I take up one, because it can be beneficial in the long run towards my career, since it would highlight and add emphasis to that specific subject of law.

And the Winner is: Loyola Law School

First things first, can we talk about the Oscars this past Sunday?!? It was easily the most memorable thing I have ever seen on an awards show. I don’t know about you guys but for me, it was so uncomfortable to watch, but at the same time, I could not force myself to look away. Although I felt bad for the La La Land team, I was thrilled to see that Moonlight was rewarded for being such a beautiful and honest movie. Okay, we can move on now.

If you do not know me, the one thing you would probably figure out within fifteen minutes of our first conversation is that…I eat, live, and breath the entertainment industry. My love for the field is at the core of my very being. I know, I know—I can be a little dramatic sometimes. In all seriousness, since I was just a child, I knew that there was only one industry that I could ever be fully satisfied with. And that, my friends, was how my lifelong passion for the entertainment industry was born.

For this reason, when I was trying to decide where I would spend the next three years of my life, it was either going to be Los Angeles or Manhattan. I knew that I definitely only wanted to attend a law school with a strong entertainment law concentration. As it happens, Loyola has consistently been among the top of entertainment law programs in the entire country. Thankfully, I was smart enough to apply to Loyola and blessed enough to be accepted. I guess you could say that things worked out because along the way, I have gained some amazing friends and been privy to some pretty incredible opportunities, many of which the Entertainment and Sports Law Society organized.

Although I am stoked to take some entertainment law courses next year, for now, I am trying to navigate through my core classes and excited to learn more about my 1L elective—international law with Professor Glazier. The process for picking your elective is pretty straightforward. Each student ranks their preferences for the courses, and the Registrar's Office makes every effort to make sure you get placed in one of your top three choices.  I was incredibly lucky to have been placed in my first choice and have already learned a lot, including that you can pay a small fee and become a Baroness or Countess of Sealand…To be honest, I’m still contemplating whether to become Countess Holly or Baroness Holly. Thoughts? I chose international law because I feel like it is incredibly important to know what’s going on not just in America, but all around us. Additionally, I think learning about international law is even more important given the current day and age.

Anyways, I have to get back to studying for my Contracts midterm, so wish me luck you guys. I want to leave you with one takeaway: Let there be no confusion here—in my eyes, there is only one winner for best law school and it’s Loyola.

What I Appreciate Most About Loyola

One of the things I appreciate most about Loyola is the faculty, and their dedication to their students. I have had numerous interactions with my professors during class time and office hours, and I have noticed that every time I speak to them regarding a question about class, to a specific topic I am having difficulty in, they are more than willing to go the extra mile to make sure I have a stronger understanding of the subject, and that I am prepared to handle these issues in the future when I am practicing.

Loyola prepares its students to be more than ready after graduation to able to apply the concepts that are learned in the classroom to real world situations that are likely to come up when working as an attorney. And it’s not just from the faculty—the career center is always helpful and available when I need to speak to them regarding potential externships, as well as interview help and resume/cover letter building.

My experience thus far has helped me gain a better understanding of the law, and that I am not just learning what the law is, but also how to apply it, and the various rationales for its implementation and the reasons why we have it. Being here has helped to reinforce why I wanted to study law and become an attorney.

Loving the Balance at Loyola Law School

What I love about Loyola is that there is always a balance on display when you’re here. I see people lounging in the sun during the afternoons, talking and laughing. On that same day I will also see people intensely studying in the library, surrounded by books, print-outs and empty coffee cups. I can attend fun Loyola events at bars and clubs which are thrown purely for the fun of it. I can also attend a lecture or panel where the topics could not be more serious. I hear people talking intensely about some litigation issue out of one ear, and here people gossiping about their social life out of the other ear.

There are young people here, older people here, and there doesn’t seem to be a disconnect. There are people from all walks of life all gathered into one place achieving their own goals while helping each other out. People celebrate their diversity here while also enjoying their existence in a place where ethnicity, age, race, social status don’t matter so much.

The environment at Loyola is balanced, equalized and normalized in a way that the outside world wishes itself to be. As someone who is a bit older than average, I sincerely hope that the younger students (and incoming younger students) appreciate this sort of environment as much as I do. There are not many places where intellectual honesty is valued as much as, say, the sort of car you drive or whether you look amazing in your Instagram photo. I think Loyola keeps the older feeling younger, and the younger feeling more mature. We can all learn something valuable from each other, and that is what makes Loyola a great place to be.

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I Love Loyola and So Will You

Valentine’s Day just came and went this week. For those of us who had Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” on blast all day, I say, ‘Good Riddance’ until 2018. Honestly, it really seems like 2017 is flying by, and my first-year classes at Loyola are probably the reason why. This semester, many of my classmates (and myself) are overwhelmed because we are having to balance job searches with classes. I thought last semester was rough, but this semester makes it look like child’s play. Don’t get me wrong; I would not trade a minute of it.

Quite frankly, I am happy at Loyola. There is something about going to law school in downtown Los Angeles. As a kid growing up in rural Alabama, I was always passionate about the entertainment industry. Naturally, like Billy Joel with New York, I was in a Los Angeles “State of Mind.” Side-bar: If you have never heard Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind”, do yourself a favor and listen to it immediately. He’s nicknamed the “Piano Man” for a reason, you guys. Back to our Loyola discussion: The thing I love most about Loyola is the people. Both the faculty and the students here really do, in my opinion, make Loyola an incredibly unique and inspiring place.

I have been very fortunate during my time here to meet some incredibly genuine, smart, and helpful people that I am proud to call “friends.” Whether we are in the library hunting for a study room to prep for Contracts or we are grabbing a quick bite/Diet Coke at Sonia’s after Civ Pro, I know that I can count on them for help with schoolwork or just to help me escape the stress of Memo-writing. The people really do make the experience. As someone who is prone to being introverted when in a new atmosphere, believe me when I say that your law school friends will play such huge roles in your life.

Building Relationships with Faculty

For me personally, I haven’t yet had too much of the opportunity to build a close relationship with a faculty member. However, this does not mean that I don’t want to in the future. In my short time here at Loyola, I’ve met many faculty members—most of them my own professors—that I would love to get to know outside of the classroom setting and learn things about them, such as their reason for pursuing law, what attracted them about the field they are currently in, and what steps I can take to get to where I want to end up after law school.

However, I have gotten to know some professors a little bit through office hours when I have questions regarding class material. I feel that this is a good way to connect to professors because there is open, face to face communication, rather than exchanging emails that can be quite distant and impersonal.

The faculty themselves are readily available when it comes to asking questions in class and in office hours. Faculty members are also quick to respond via email, which I find is super helpful, as I am not always on campus to be able to go upstairs in the Burns Building and drop by. Also, it’s very easy to run into a faculty member at Sonia’s, and the professors I’ve encountered are always engaging and often strike up conversations with me.