Hello again, Jury of Peers!

There are 2 kinds of people in law school: people like one of my friends who love to network, and people like me who find networking extremely daunting. It’s not that I don’t like to meet new people and make new friends in the industry, it’s just that I’m shy. I know, it’s a word not often associated with lawyer-types, but we exist! So, if you’re a shy person who wants to go to law school let me hand down a few nuggets of wisdom about how to build a network when you’re shy (or just bad at networking).

Tip 1: Phone a Friend

A great way to network without feeling so awkward is to go to events with a friend. Whether or not they love to network, going to events with a friend gives me a social respite where I can relax for the moments in between actively networking.

Tip 2: Home-Field Advantage

Loyola actually hosts quite a few networking events on campus, both mixers and speaking events. Sometimes just being in a familiar environment can ease the stress of networking, so going to events on campus can make networking more bearable.

Tip 3: Have a Job to Do

This tip is not for everyone, but personally, I find networking to be easier when there is a common goal or an external reason why you are connecting with new people. For example, I was doing an informational interview with an attorney who told me he did most of his networking in law school by being on the board of a club and planning speaking events. Fast forward to my 2L year, I ran for speaker chair on DSBA (student gov’t) so that I had an external reason to reach out to attorneys I thought were really cool. Asking them to come speak to campus is a great way to bring attorneys to the home-field (see: tip 2) and create a common goal you both are working towards: a successful speaking event.

To be frank, my in-person networking skills have atrophied during the Zoom Era but that’s not to say there aren’t advantages to zoom networking too. One major advantage is that you get to be in your own environment which can be soothing. Another is that the interactions tend to be more intentional since most people can’t stumble into Zoom rooms the way you can stumble into an in-person event.

My favorite event that I have been to was actually on Zoom my 2L year: Women in Big Law. It was a small group of women talking about the troubles and the triumphs of being a woman in law. It felt very intimate even though we were all dispersed throughout the country. And it was a great way to meet lawyers that normally would be geographically hard to reach.

Any way you want to network is good, especially when you’re just starting out. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there because 9 times out of 10, it will be a positive experience.

See you in the next one (for my very last post ever!),

Loyola provides many opportunities to network and to learn more about the different areas of law.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Loyola has many student organizations and groups that represent many ethnicities and the different areas of law (for more information on student groups, see this link). The 2L’s and 3L’s in a student group will inform and give advice to the 1L’s about what that area of law entails. The student groups will disseminate information about student opportunities and networking events. The student groups also organize guest speaker events with professors and attorneys to give insight into their areas of expertise and to answer questions that students may have. For example, during the fall 2021 semester, I attended an event hosted by Consumer Law Society, where a guest speaker attorney gave an inspiring talk about perseverance and gave us networking tips. He recommended writing handwritten notes because they stand out and are memorable. Last month, I attended an intellectual property panel organized by the Intellectual Property & Cybersecurity Law Society. I heard from current Loyola professors and attorneys about trademark, copyright, and patent law. As a bonus and an incentive for students to attend, a lot of these guest speaker events will provide lunch for attendees.

Loyola also has an awesome career development office. All the counselors are very friendly and work closely with all students in helping us draft our resumes and cover letters when we are applying to our first summer jobs. The career development office has set up very helpful workshops to give students advice on resumes and interview skills, and hosted informational panels about summer and career opportunities. Loyola also uses “Symplicity,” which is a portal for students to access information about potential employment opportunities and applications. The career development office often updates the portals with new listings and frequently notifies students when new opportunities arise.

Overall, there’s been many opportunities for students to network, to learn more about areas of law, and to pursue employment. It’s up to us to seize these opportunities. Don’t be shy or let anything hold you back. Attend as many events as you can, because you won’t regret it.

As I said before, Loyola’s network is solid! And for those interested in PI work, there’s a lot of opportunities.

First, I would take part in the Public Interest Career Day (PICD)! It’s hosted in February 2022 and provides a great opportunity to get in touch with nonprofit organizations you’d like to work with and earn interviews.

I would also suggest speaking to professors and faculty on campus for research opportunities. There’s quite a few who are always looking for students to undertake research for.

I also can’t stress enough the importance of joining clubs on campus. As someone who’s part of three (BLSA, DSBA, and CLS), I can say with utmost certainty that I’ve been able to meet new people and make connections thanks to these clubs.

Also don’t be afraid to reach out to professors, alumni, faculty, and other students just to speak. Everyone on campus is more than welcome to speak about opportunities. And I can assure you, they’ll have a lot of insight about their experiences in the legal field.

As I write this post (mid-March), I’ll be applying for clinics, trial advocacy, and possible externships for the fall. Don’t stress too much about these things during your fall semester; the time will come to discuss these and apply. Just focus on finishing your first semester of law school during the fall.

And IF there is a Barrister during your law school years, go to it.

From personal experience, law school does take up a good chunk of your life. Literally speaking, it IS your life for three years.

If there’s ever an opportunity to know your peers outside of a school setting, Take the opportunity. It’ll be fun, and besides, what else do you have to do on a Friday night? I mean, this year, it’s Wednesday night, but we don’t have class the next day. So…

Last thing. Don’t limit yourself to just one opportunity or field. Be open to any and everything, because that’s how you’ll find out what area of law you’re truly interested in. Even if it doesn’t sound appealing at first, just go for it. You never know where that interest will take you. And just as you’ll find out as well, the areas of law are more connected than you may think. A housing internship may lead you to a Big Law opportunity down the road. Or a writing class you take now could be useful to you when you enter tax law. You just never know.

Anyways, have fun with this. Law school is exciting, fruitful, and very rewarding if you follow your heart and do what makes you happy.You got this.

 

Hello again, Jury of Peers! Today we are talking experiential learning and all the benefits. I’m not going to lie, I was very scared to take experiential classes because I thought I wasn’t ready and was going to look stupid compared to everyone else, but that was not the case. I really enjoyed my experiential learning and I encourage you to do as much of it as you can while in law school.

I really wanted to do a clinic but, unfortunately, the stars never aligned. However, I have taken many experiential classes that I want to share with you.

First things first: Trial Advocacy. I truly think this is a class everyone should take, whether you’re interested in going to trial or not. It gives so much context to so many of the classes you take like evidence, criminal procedure, and legal writing. It also helped me test out being a trial lawyer to see if it was for me. I got to work in a group to try to convict a drunk driver which was a really eye-opening experience. The class itself doesn’t have a lot of reading so it’s a great elective to add in if you have a particularly heavy reading load as well.

The second class I took that I also believe everyone should take is Motion Picture Contract Drafting. I know, I know, it might sound boring but I actually had a really fun time in the class. We got fake deal memos every week and basically did scavenger hunts through template contracts to make a contract that fit the deal memo. To be honest, contracts was not my favorite 1L class, but after taking this class and getting context, I definitely changed my tune.

The third class I took was intro to negotiations. The thing I loved most about this class was my partners in our midterm and final negotiation. Most of law school feels like you’re fighting by yourself, so having a teammate felt really good. Getting to call to debrief after and re-live the highlights was amazing. I feel like I didn’t get a ton more out of this class than negotiation classes I took for my business major, which is why I wouldn’t recommend everyone take it like the previous two, but if you’re interested, it definitely gives you practice in legal negotiations.

The last experiential class I took is not marketed as one but I consider it to be one: ethical lawyering. In that class we do a client counseling portion of the class where you meet with a client then write a memo about it. I personally think that being able to create rapport with clients is a huge part of the job so getting a few chances during that class to meet and discuss a case was a huge plus for me.

Hopefully I’ve allayed some of your fears (if you had any) about experiential learning at Loyola. Everyone is really kind and willing to help you if you struggle in these classes just like any of your other classes. There are so many ways to earn your experiential units that truly the only “wrong” way to do it is to not invest yourself in them.