Diana, 2L

Spring break has finally arrived and I couldn't be any happier. This semester is flying by so fast and I could sure use this week off to review all the materials that have been covered this semester. Spring break in law school is not truly a vacation but a work vacation (what an oxymoron). I will work on a summary judgment memo, review and organize my class notes, write essays for scholarships and finally work on the social justice project for LSSC. For a recap, LSSC (Legal Skills in the Social Context) is a unique course that operates in small "law offices" of approximately 14 students. In the spring semester, the law office works on a social justice project which entails an extensive real-world legal research project on behalf of a community-based or public service organization. The social justice project is a class in itself, so this semester I am enrolled in Contracts, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Writing and the Social Justice Project.

My law office is working on a social justice project focused on researching the various difficulties in beginning small businesses, specifically within the minority immigrant community of Worcester, MA. My law office is working on behalf of the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts ("LACCM") who has received various complaints from the Worcester minority immigrant community about the various difficulties of starting a small business. Our law office is split into smaller groups of 3 or 4 students working on a different aspect of the project. My group is responsible for conducting focus groups in Worcester, MA with minority immigrants who either started or attempted to open a small business. We have conducted two focus groups--one with African and African American entrepreneurs and the other with Hispanic entrepreneurs. In addition, we interviewed personnel from City Hall and various nonprofit organizations that assist entrepreneurs who want to open small businesses in Worcester, MA. At this point, I can't discuss our findings but the experience has made me appreciate the contributions small businesses really bring to a community.

So far, the experience of working in this project has taught me how to work in a group setting, how to interact with a client, and how to write and put together a publishable report detailing our findings using extensive legal and anecdotal field research. In April, our law office will hold an oral presentation to LACCM and to the entire law school about our report.

That is all for now … till next time!

Posted by Diana at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While waiting in between sessions of the American Bar Association(ABA) Judicial Clerkship Conference today, I noticed the notes I had written in my padfolio. These notes included my first interview with the nonprofit legal services I worked with before coming to law school. I remember feeling so nervous about that interview because I really wanted to convince the attorneys that I wanted this position to see what lawyers did before I took the big step in applying to law school. Now, three years later, I am at this ABA Judicial Clerkship Conference, which encourages law school students to consider applying for Judicial Clerkship, and I can't believe how far I have come. Its amazing how far a dream can take you!

I'm at this conference thanks to CLEO who sponsored me to be here. The ABA Judicial Clerkship Program (JCP) encourages students to pursue clerkship opportunities while introducing judges to students whom they might not ordinarily consider as potential clerks. JCP is designed to bring judges and under represented law students together through structured networking activities. Approximately 50 judges from across the country are participating at this conference with the goal to motivate under represented law students to apply to judicial clerkships.

Honestly, I think it would a great opportunity to clerk for a judge after law school because the experience really hones research and legal writing skills. Unfortunately, I lack the confidence in my legal writing ability because I just started writing in that capacity. I just have to remember that with persistence and hard work my legal writing ability will improve.

On another note, I found a place to live in El Paso, TX for my summer Co-op. What a relief! Can you believe the rent is only $400 a month and it includes all utilities and furniture. All I need to bring with me is my luggage full of clothes. I will keep you posted on future updates about my first summer Co-op!

Posted by Diana at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After reviewing many law school applications for the 2012 class, I want to share some useful tips to those individuals who are in the middle of their law school application process. I was selected to be part of the NUSL student committee that reviews law school applications for the next upcoming class. Based on my observations thus far, there are a couple of pitfalls that I believe all applicants should avoid:

#1: In your personal statement, please make sure to always include your reasons for attending law school and the reasons why you want to attend a particular law school. It is such a disappointment to read a captivating personal statement and nowhere in the statement does the applicant mention their reasons for wanting to become an attorney. Remember that your personal statement needs to answer two very important questions: Why law school? and Why this particular law school? By including the answers to these two questions, you will automatically stand out from the other applicants because everyone has their own particular reasons for wanting to attend law school.

#2- Make sure to include an addendum explaining why you have a low LSAT score or a low G.P.A. The addendum is your opportunity to express yourself and explain to us your reasons for attaining such low grades and/or LSAT scores. After reviewing so many applications, all the applicants look the same and redundant. As a lawyer, you will become someone else’s advocate. When submitting your law school application, you are acting as your own advocate. Leave nothing to assumption.

#3 Make sure you request Letters of Recommendations from individuals who really know your academic and/or professional background. There is nothing more distasteful than reading a letter of recommendation where the recommender states that he/she barely knew you or that you were not a good student.

These are just some pitfalls I have observed that could be avoided by taking proactive actions. Good luck to all the applicants out there. Just remember that you are your own best advocate!

Posted by Diana at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)