5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Law School
Summer 2023 will mark 7 years since I graduated from Georgetown University Law Center! Like so many other Black women, I was the first in my immediate family to go to law school. As a hyper-independent person (eldest/only daughter of immigrant parents much?), I navigated the process without a trusted roadmap. Over the years, I've spoken with law school hopefuls about what I wish I'd known before opening up that first casebook. Here are 5 things I routinely tell folks:
1. Renegotiate your financial aid package.
People emphasize the importance of 1L grades for your internship/employment opportunities, but 1L grades could also lead to an increase in your financial aid package. I didn't know until the last semester of my 3L year (!) that I could have renegotiated my financial aid package based on my 1L academic performance. Without generational wealth, I relied entirely on merit scholarships, work-study, and massive federal student loans to cover the exorbitant cost of law school. I might have walked away from law school with a lower student debt burden if I knew I could ask for more financial assistance once enrolled.
2. Regard all traditional law school advice with a healthy dose of skepticism.
You'll hear a lot of "you have to," or "you should" when it comes to law school advice. You have to take Evidence or Fed Courts, you have to do moot court or mock trial or journal write-on, and you have to choose between private and public interest. I found success in pursuing law school activities that suited my strengths and interests. I opted for Curriculum B/Section 3 at GULC, knowing I am an interdisciplinary learner. Instead of moot court or mock trial, I chose alternative dispute resolution--I like to negotiate and be an iron fist in a velvet glove. I wrote on to The Georgetown Law Journal, but became Membership Development & Diversity Editor. I took classes I was curious about and did well in; classes I felt obligated to take resulted in weaker performances (Corporations!). You can chart a unique path that includes your version of the traditional law school experience.
3. Seek out experiential learning.
In past interviews, my most compelling answers came from my internships, externships, practicums, and clinics--not from the classroom. I chose a D.C. law school because I wanted access to learning opportunities year-round, and I found them. After 1L, I chose at least one experiential learning activity every semester. I interacted with practicing attorneys and saw life beyond grades, the bar exam, and other false binaries. Experiential learning opens up your world--dive in!
4. Take advantage of counseling services.
Law schools manufacture toxic, performative, zero-sum environments of vicious competition that are not reflected in most of the real world of law practice. Law school is also performative: How many highlighters did you drain? How many hours were you in the library? How many footnotes did you read? How many times did you raise your hand? Some people quite literally do not survive the process. I wish I had taken advantage of counselors on campus to support my mental health during the journey.
5. Law school curricula will not radicalize you, but the people and practitioners you meet will.
Law schools generally teach you what the law is, but not why it is that way. Law schools generally do not teach you how to take things up by the root. You'll have to seek out additional learning--from movement lawyers, elders, scholars, and more. Go to radical lawyering conferences; start a reading group with trusted fellow students. It's extra legwork, but it is a worthwhile investment.
Feel free to share my advice with any prospective law students in your life and network! Is there anything you wish you had known before starting law school?
