Graduation

Graduation. I wish I could say it was an easy word; a manageable word. But personally, I’m struggling with it more than I thought I would. 

One part of me is excited. 

That part of me is proud that I made it through law school; that I made it through law school in the strangest of times. Glad for the chance to have met some of the smartest people I know and make some new friends. Thankful for the opportunity to even go to law school. Eager to see what life holds for me outside academia. Thrilled to not have homework anymore.

The other part of me is mourning. 

Grieving the friendships, experiences, and little moments that I lost out on due to the pandemic. Yearning for the spontaneous lunch dates and “hellos” on campus that won’t happen anymore. Devastated the free lunches are running out. No one ever deluded me with the idea that law school would be easy, but, man, no one ever told me it was going to be this hard. 

And what’s worse, no one told me that the hardest part of law school is leaving. I’ve spent 23 years of my life in school and now there is no more school. Graduation feels somewhat like a joyous thrust into the shark infested waters of Bar study then practice. Loyola is safe and kind. Real life is not as generous. So, while I’m met with pride for my accomplishments, I’m also met with doubt. 

My safety nets are fraying away with each step I take toward the moment they announce my name from the podium. I have to start making choices – in some cases, I’ve already had to – that will chart the course of my life. 

There is no more “path” to follow. Like many of my classmates, I do not have a post-bar position lined up yet but perhaps that just means there is an uncharted adventure for me to seek beyond the parking structure at 919 Albany. 

For those of you who followed along with me this year, or any past years, I hope you got to see that law school can be joyous as well as arduous. I hope you got to see that if I can do it, so can you. I came to law school with no plans, no experience, and no lawyers in my family; just the delusional belief I could handle it. And it wasn’t always graceful but perfection doesn’t leave much room for character growth.

Law school in itself was a new beginning after a monumental chapter of my life. So, though I’m not a fan of change, law school has taught me how to handle it.  

I strangely thought this day would never come, but I won’t “see you in the next one.”

Summer Plans

Hello all! I am writing this blog post from the library at Loyola, where I have spent more time than I would like to admit (and at least 10% of it has been napping at the desk because I deem that a good way to use my time, I guess). Anyhow, two years and twenty blog posts (give or take – I’m not good at maths) later, I am here to tell you what I plan on doing with my summer after graduating from Loyola. (But can I first once again mention how ridiculously fast time has flown by?)

Now, onto what I plan on doing this summer:  I do have something lined up after graduation, but it’s not long-term, so I’ve recently started applying for full-time jobs back home in preparation for my return. I’m pretty excited to be seeing my friends and family again, but I’m definitely also very sad about leaving LA (admittedly, a pretty big reason is probably the weather – it recently snowed back home (yes, in April!!!!), and I’m not looking forward to having to actually wear a winter jacket again). 

Between the job applications (and stress eating), I’ll be spending two weeks on a road trip around the US with some friends (only ever as a passenger though, because I still do not have a driver’s license, so I will be the snack supplier to make up for my lack of driving). Honestly, I didn’t spend much time travelling during the academic year – the furthest I went was San Diego on a weekend road trip – because (a) I cannot drive and so it wasn’t like I could go far even if I wanted to, and (b) because, duh, school. However, soon I’ll be exam and reading-free, and I absolutely plan on making use of that before leaving the country. 

Since this is my last blog post (ever!), I’m feeling inclined to just ramble on and on (and on), but there’s really nothing left for me to say. So with that, I would just like to say good luck to anyone who is applying (or has already applied) to Loyola! Moreover, to any LLM students who will be moving to a whole new country (or even continent), and leaving all your friends and family behind, I know how nerve-wracking that can be/seem. And while  I can only speak from my experience, if yours ends up anything like mine, you’ll have an amazing time both at Loyola and in LA, and become part of a community of people.

And with that final tiny ramble, I’ve had a great time writing for Jury of Peers, and hope you all have a great summer. 

Summer Plans

The spring semester at law schools, especially at Loyola, is always filled with new possibilities as to what the summer will hold. There are so many opportunities for students, including on-campus clinics, and the hundreds of externships Southern California, even nationwide, have to offer. Although it may seem overwhelming at first, students can always start by narrowing their options down by their interest. As a student interested in family law, I exclusively looked for summer opportunities in the public and private sector that were family law based. I am pleased to announce that I have accepted a summer associate position with Feinberg, Mindel, Brandt and Klein, one of the largest family law practices in Southern California. I am greatly honored to be accepted into this position, as many family law firms do not offer summer associate positions. This opportunity would not be possible without the various resources at Loyola. For example, I first learned not only about this position, but family law in general, from my alumni mentor, Ms. Ashley Andrews. We were matched under the Loyola Alumni Mentorship program and she has been a great resource for finding opportunities. Secondly, the Judicial Field Placement program run by Professor Delfino was an immense help in acquiring this position. I truly feel my experience working with a family law judge in the Superior Court was critical to my application. Finally, the Collaborative Family Law Clinic in the Center for Conflict Resolution offered by Loyola was great experience to make me a strong candidate. I am so grateful for the opportunities at Loyola, and am excited to start at my summer associate position!

Summer Plans

It is hard to believe that my 1L year is coming to an end and I am gearing up for finals and my summer internship! While days and weeks of this year have felt never-ending, this year has flown by. After finals, I am excited to begin an internship at the office of the Los Angeles County Counsel, with a focus on providing legal support for the LA county board of representatives. Loyola was very helpful in securing this job early in the application process. I was connected to this employer through LLS’s on campus interviews (OCI) and secured the position after two rounds of interviewing. OCI consisted of a resume collection by all the employers participating followed up by interviews for those whose resumes were selected. All of this was organized on an online platform called Symplicity, which was easy to use and made the whole process very organized. LLS was a huge help in preparing my resume, sharpening my interview skills, and talking through the different kinds of employment opportunities that would be available. I have always had a strong public interest focus, and I am very excited to learn more about the legal issues facing our local government this summer. 

Summer Plans

This summer I will be externing for Judge Fruin of the Los Angeles Superior Court - Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Judge Fruin has a close relationship with Loyola Law School and a lot of his externs come from Loyola. I will be externing for Judge Fruin along with 2 other 1L’s from LLS.

During the fall 2021 semester, Professor Delfino, who is the director of the externship department at LLS, dropped by after one of our classes to introduce us to judicial externship opportunities. Judicial externship opportunities are available to 1L’s during the summer and 2L’s during the school year. After 1L midterms that semester, the career counselors also visited one of our classes to inform us about the resources that the career development office provides. We were all required to make a counseling appointment so that our counselors could get to know us and help us draft our resumes. 

The application process for a judicial externship happens early and is very competitive. Judges began accepting applications for 2022 summer externships on December 1, 2021. Judges will either require a hard copy to be mailed to them or accept applications via email. The materials required to apply include a cover letter, resume, writing sample (usually an objective memorandum from your legal writing class), and a copy of your current 1L grades. My career counselor was awesome and very attentive and helped me look over my cover letter and resume. I also got feedback on my writing sample from my professor and the Legal Writing Assistants Program.

After I sent my applications in December, Judge Fruin reached out to me in January for an interview. I was able to set up a mock interview immediately with my counselor and she provided me with professional feedback. The mock interview helped me practice and made me less nervous. I had my interview with Judge Fruin over the phone and he offered me an externship position, which I accepted. I am super excited to be working in the courthouse this summer and to learn more about the legal processes in court. Hope everyone has a successful and fun summer! 

Summer Plans

So, it seems my plans are finalized for the summer!

This summer, I will be working with the California Department of Industrial Relations as a legal intern for the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). Woot Woot! I’ll be helping combat wage theft, protecting workers rights, and upholding employment laws in workspaces. It’s a ~9-week program that spans from June to August.

I secured the position via the PICD, the fair where nonprofit legal aid organizations come together and interview law students for possible internships. I cannot stress enough how imperative the fair is for finding opportunities. 

As for the fall… that is such a long way away. I’m thinking of undertaking an externship with a legal aid organization, or maybe taking a judicial externship for the semester. But I have a feeling that an externship won’t be needed. I think I’ll be busy with my plans as is.

As I write this, I plan on writing on to Law Review, trying out for Trial Advocacy, and applying for a clinic. All of this alongside working a part-time job as an Auditor. This, to me, will offer more than plenty of things to do for my 2L year!

There really is no right or wrong answer for undertaking opportunities in your 2L year. But I will give two pieces of advice:

1) follow your intuition. Go where your skills and passions are best suited. 

2) make connections. No matter where you go or what you do, always be sure to make friends and meet new people.  

And finally, HAVE FUN! Law school is three years. But it can be exciting, fun, and rewarding, if you play your cards right and enjoy the experience. I won’t lie and tell you that exams are fun. Nor is the studying; or the outlining; or even the impending thoughts of what you’ll do after law school. But the friends you make, the things you learn, and the experiences you have make the journey all the better.  

And when the time comes to enter law school. You’ll be ready.

That said, this is Jae Kinney, signing off. Until next time…