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.

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.