I spent my summer gearing up for law school. I had heard from friends who are attorneys that 1L fall is the hardest of all the law school semester. Even though I didn’t want that to be true, I still wanted to be as prepared as possible. But I didn’t sit in my room reading law school prep books and worrying about the school year. Okay, fine, I worried a little. But I didn’t let that stop me!

Instead of holing up in my bedroom in panic mode, I did things that bring me joy.

This summer, I read a book a week from June through the first week of August. I read fiction and poetry and non-fiction. I immersed myself into words and worlds I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of time for once the school year started. I went hiking – usually with my yellow lab who is the best hiking partner a girl could ask for. I saw moose and elk and deer (oh my!) on my hikes, and enjoyed the lush green summer in Park City, UT. I spent time with friends – over zoom and in backyards and on quick weekend trips (all covid safe) – that I wouldn’t be able to see once school started, either because of the distance between us or our mutual busy schedules. I spent time with my family – quiet mornings having coffee and discussing headlines in the news.

I didn’t want to waste away my summer – my “last summer of freedom,” my family so lovingly started saying. And I didn’t.

Now that school has started, I feel happy. Ready. Raring to go. I checked off things from my summer to-do list, did things I love with people I love, and I don’t regret a moment of it.

When I was accepted to law school, everyone gave me advice and a sort of “heads up” about what was to come. So many people would emphasize that there would be little to no time to do anything “regular,” much less to spend a lot of time with friends and family. I was told it would be easy to be swallowed by law school and that I should try to avoid that.

I am 10 weeks into law school, and I must admit that everything I was told is true. It is very easy to be stuck in the same law-school-focused routine and yes, it seems as there are not enough hours in the day to get anything done. Do not worry, I also make sure I prioritize sleep and make time for friends, family, and myself on the weekends. Doing this is important to me, because it keeps me connected to my routine prior to law school and keeps my non-law-school interests alive.

Prior to law school, I worked as a paralegal for the Superior Court of Los Angeles’s self-help department. This is where I became interested in public interest. Connecting with people of similar backgrounds as mine, while also providing an essential service to them, was gratifying. When I wasn’t working, I was collecting candles, reading, or binge-watching Netflix series. You. Riverdale, and On My Block are three of my favorites. I also tried to do high intensity interval training workouts at least 4 days per week, for physical and mental health purposes. I no longer do this, but as I am writing this, I realize I really should get back to it. Spending quality time with my parents has always been of high importance to me as well, so I try to have breakfast with them every weekend. Speaking of breakfast, one thing on my bucket list is to fly to Paris for breakfast and come back right after. It’s probably not worth the flight, but I think it would be fun. I mean, I have driven to Tijuana just for tacos, so I guess it’s who I am. Now that we are talking about bucket lists, I would also like to suddenly move to Italy for a year and then return.

Maybe I could later move to England for another year, who knows? I blame Eat Pray Love for this (if you have not watched this movie, go watch it!).

In the past years I have experienced so much life has to offer and I am grateful to God for bringing me this far. While my past experiences have opened many facets of life, for some reason, I still feel there is a world of incredible I have yet to see. I knew talking to people and teaching was a gift; to stand before students and instruct them has been my dream but what has not been clear is the kind of teacher I would like to be, until I made up my mind to join LMU Loyola Law School.

From the beginning of the application to the admission process, I was greeted with patience and humility from people with impeccable pedigree that I never could have imagined. At first, it was difficult to believe that people with this level of academic and social standing could be as nice as they were/are. But after resuming studies and attending classes for the past few weeks, I truly recognize that I have received this incredible world of academics that I have longed for many years. It has been amazing to meet with professors who are eager to see their students excel, not just in the classroom, but also in their careers! While I have had a few teachers in the past who have encouraged me, I have never experienced attending a school that has an institutional attitude of teachers wanting the best for their students. Indeed, it is incredible!

The attitude of the staff is as beautiful as the environment, making everything in Loyola fit together. From the academic staff to the administrative staff, the structural architecture and the landscape are all designed to fit in a beautiful way to provide an environment fit for learning.

If I had to choose again, I would choose LMU Loyola Law School.

Hi folks,

I am so excited to be a Jury of Peers blogger this year! It would be very uncharacteristic of me not to be here because all I do is write. My favorite hobby is breathing life into the twenty six alphabets to tell all these tales stuck up my sleeves.

I warmly welcome you into this space. I am ecstatic to make your acquaintance.

My name is Evah. I am a thoroughbred Kenyan girl. I graduated in 2016 from Moi University, Kenya with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B). In 2017, I enrolled for the post-graduate diploma at the Kenya School of Law. I sat for my Bar exams and I was subsequently admitted into the Kenyan Bar in 2018. I am a licensed Kenyan lawyer. For the last three years, I have been engaged in vigorous Civil and Criminal litigation.

In 2020 I decided to take a detour and enroll for an LL.M. and the pretty damn coolest thing happened when I got admitted to Loyola! I am part the chosen few who will get to undertake the Flex LL.M. This means I will complete my LL.M in three semesters instead of two. I already completed my first semester (Spring 2021) online from Kenya! Thanks to the great wicked pandemic that numbed our minds. On the bright side, it is simply amazing to experience both online and in-person! I am smack in the middle of my second semester. I am inching so close to completion.

Outside of school, I’ve got a couple of other things nosing over my hobby list. I love DIY projects, hiking, writing mundane things on my infamous blog and for the first time, I am attempting to be a long-form author. I have a 350 pages novel coming soon.

That’s it for now. I’ll tell you in advance that you and I shall have some fun on this blog.

Stay awesome. Much love!

Evah.

What’s up everyone!

My name is John and here’s a little bit about me.

Before law school, I attended UCLA for undergrad, and graduated in March 2020 with a degree in Spanish. Whenever I tell someone that my major was Spanish, I get a lot of surprised looks because it’s the last thing they would expect me to say. Choosing that major has been such a fulfilling experience and inspired me to pursue law. Studying Spanish has helped me master another language and connect with another community in Los Angeles.

After finishing undergrad, I dipped my toes into the legal world by working as a law clerk for a law firm specializing in personal injury and workers’ compensation. I worked there for a little over a year until I started law school. I was able to learn a lot about the legal process and the importance of client interaction and communication.

I’m not entirely sure on what field of law I would want to pursue for my law career. I hope to discover my passion at law school and explore the way in which law intersects with my interests which are sports, technology, video games, media entertainment, and cooking. In my free time I love watching sports and following the LA teams like the Lakers, Dodgers, and Rams. In high school, I played volleyball for a couple years on the junior varsity team. Sometimes on Fridays, I’ll be playing basketball with other 1L’s on the school basketball court.

A few items on my bucket list are skydiving, learning how to play golf, learning to ride a motorcycle, and learning how to snowboard. Hopefully this winter I’ll be able to cross snowboarding off the list.

Thank you for tuning into my blog! I’m looking forward to writing about my life as a 1L at LMU Loyola Law School.

Congrats, bros, you found my bio!

My name is Jaelin. Or Jae, Jae Kinney, JK. Or even J. Money (if you want to call me that, sure).

 

 

First, thank you for visiting my Jury of Peers blog. I remember what it was like researching law schools to decide on where to apply and where to enroll, so I know how overwhelming that is, especially when doing so in the middle of a pandemic. I hope my blog, as well as my colleagues will help you with your decision. Before I tell you about the ins and outs of law school, I’d like to introduce myself a little bit first.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Ashli, and I am a 1L in the Day Program. I grew up in a small town in central Texas. The kind of town where seeing people ride horses on the sidewalk by the highway isn’t really that surprising. After high school, I moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to attend the University of North Texas (go mean green!), where I graduated from in May 2021 as a first-generation college student.

I came to law school sure that I would pursue international human rights law as a career, but now that I’m here, I’m interested in so many areas of law that I hate the thought of choosing. These include public interest, criminal, immigration, and international law.

When I am not in law school, I love spending time at the beach and reading romance novels. I know it can be hard to imagine that I would willingly read more than what I am assigned for class, but I believe it is important to hold on to the activities that used to make you happy before law school. Reading has been my go-to happiness inducing activity since I was in middle school, and I’m simply not willing to give that up just yet.

Now, I know this is supposed to be about me, but I think it is important to show who makes me who I am. My family, specifically my mom, brother, and cousins, are my biggest supporters. They encourage me when I’m feeling sad or overwhelmed, listen to me ramble on about interesting things I learn in class, and, probably the most important, tease me put me in my place when I am getting just a little too full of myself.

Outside of practicing law after I finish law school, I plan to spend any and all free time crossing items off my bucket list with my best friends. We have a running list of things we want to do together including spending a month in Greece, visiting the American Girl Doll store in Chicago, seeing a real castle, and so much more.

For now, I am so excited to continue my 1L year and have the opportunity to write to you about my experiences. I hope you’ll continue reading, learn more about LLS, and fall in love with the Loyola community like I have.

Hello Jury of Peers! My name is Kelsey and yes, I am in my official Loyola Law School Tour Guide polo shirt. I am your resident 3L blogger and I am super excited to share my law school experience with you! I’ve been blogging since my 1L year, so this little corner of the internet holds a special place in my heart.

 

I’m originally from Las Vegas, NV and lived there until college when I moved to Irvine to get my bachelor’s from UC Irvine. (zot! zot! zot!) I graduated in 2018 with a degree in Business Administration and Drama. After I graduated, I moved back home and worked remotely as a social media manager for a small acting studio in Santa Ana.

*Professional photo credits at the bottom

Outside of school, I’m a very creative person. I play guitar, ukulele, and some piano. I’ve also been singing since before I could talk – literally. In college, I found a love for improv comedy (think “Who’s Line Is It Anyway”) and ended up being the captain of my team my junior and senior year. I also love food – although I doubt I rise to the requisite level to be called a “foodie.” I love to try new sweets places (smoothies, boba, milkshakes, donut shops, etc.) and I’m constantly craving a spicy yellowtail cut roll.

I’m really passionate about bringing theatre soft skills into the practice of law since we do so much public speaking. I was able to bring that idea to life as part of my position on the Day Student Bar Association last year. DSBA is the law school’s student government and I have loved being a part of it 2L and again this year.

Besides DSBA, I’m a member of the Women’s Law Association and got to be a 1L mentor last year. I am also a student ambassador (hence the sweet tour guide polo). And last year, I was a staffer on the International and Comparative Law Review, as well as a high school mentor through LLS’s Young Lawyer’s Program.

Since I’ve talked so much about music and theater, it’s probably not a huge surprise that I’m interested in going into entertainment law. But thanks to some really great professors, my interest has been piqued in other areas of law too.

Even though I’m about as far away from law school applications as a law student can get, I’m excited to provide you (hopefully) some solace as you begin your law school journey and share some of the tips I’ve picked up throughout my time at Loyola!

See you in the next post,

Kelsey

*photo 2 taken by Pio Valenzuela (www.revelca.com)

Hello Jury of Peers! I am so excited to share my first year of law school with you! Let me tell you a little bit about myself.

My name is Emily Bernstein and I’m from Park City, UT. I graduated from Chapman University in 2018 with a BFA in Creative Writing and a Minor in Political Science. So, if you ever want to nerd out about all kinds of books, poetry, or writing in general, you know where to find me!

After graduating, I moved to Israel for a year on a fellowship program where I worked for a non-governmental organization. I also attended lectures by former Israeli parliament members, leaders in human rights and LGBTQ+ movements, and so much more. It was an incredible year.

For the past two years, I worked as a Prosecutor Assistant with the Salt Lake City Prosecutor’s Office. Before Covid, I also was a club volleyball coach, putting my 8 years of competitive playing to good use! All of this was while I was applying to law school, spending time with my family and our dog, Doug (countless photos available upon request), and weathering Covid.

 

Prior to coming to LMU Loyola Law School, I practiced law in Nigeria with a specific interest in human rights and criminal law for almost six years. In those years of practice, I represented victims of human rights violations and defendants in criminal trials. In addition to law practice, I was a research assistant at the University of Ibadan Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law, coupling academics with practice. This combination gave me the insight that is required for law practice, which I have chosen- the pursuit of equity and justice. A desire which began many years ago!

When I was a little boy growing up in my hometown of Egbeda in Rivers State of Nigeria, I always wanted to study law, but could never answer the question of why. Of course, I was not expected to explain why at this tender age, living in a little village, it was beyond the “standard” for a boy of my age to think of studying law; let alone understand the reason behind such a serious decision. Surprisingly, my desire never wavered, instead, it only became more real. My vision of what I wanted to achieve with the law became clearer and clearer as the years would later reveal.

It was later in 2008 after completing my secondary education and eventually enrolling in a diploma program with a concentration in law that I realized, I needed to study law to advance social justice. This program introduced me to basic law and legal theories, but also sparked my interest in constitutional law, which completely caught my attention. As I studied constitutional law and reviewed the human rights issues embedded in this area of law, I knew that studying law for the pursuit of equity and justice was for me, especially after having observed human rights abuses within my environment.

At the completion of my diploma in 2010, I proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria for a law degree. This degree paved the way for my admission into the Nigerian Law School, a mandatory practical training program for admission to the Nigerian Bar Association. After my admission to the Nigerian Bar, I again went for a postgraduate degree program at the University of Ibadan, to obtain a master’s degree with a specialization in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. My goal is to be more equipped for the evolving concept of human rights globally. After discovering the weaknesses in the Nigerian criminal justice system, specifically around cybersecurity and data privacy, I decided to pursue a specialized degree in this field. Since LMU Loyola Law School has a strong cybersecurity and data privacy concentration, I decided to enroll at the law school and specialize in this.

After I complete this program, I intend to pursue a further degree in cybersecurity and data privacy to harness all the needed knowledge and expertise required to pursue a career in this field. My goal is to collaborate with government, agencies, institutions, and corporations in the hopes of achieving a safe cyberspace, both for the industry and its consumers.