Major(s): Government, Psychology
What is your current role? What was your journey in arriving there?
I am currently a second year law student at Washington and Lee University School of Law.
Last summer I worked for the Legal Services of Northern Virginia, which is an organization that provides free civil legal services and resources to indigent people living in Northern Virginia. I primarily worked with the Housing team, which focused on landlord-tenant/eviction cases.
This upcoming summer I will be working for the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project and a small firm in Louisville, KY called Kaplan Johnson.
My primary reasons for wanting to attend law school revolved around social justice and advocacy, and these experiences are a means to use the law to work towards those. I have a strong interest in access to justice and providing people with access to the legal system who do not have the means to do so. I hope to place equity and compassion at the heart of any career that I choose.
What do you enjoy about your work? What challenges does your industry currently face?
My favorite part of my legal experiences have been connecting with clients. Legal aid brings in clients who exist at the intersection of many vulnerable identities, and getting an opportunity to help them is so rewarding. That being said, this type of work can also be emotionally taxing. I think that is the greatest challenge attorneys face engaging in non-profit work or otherwise.
What do you enjoy about your work? What challenges does your industry currently face?
My favorite part of my legal experiences have been connecting with clients. Legal aid brings in clients who exist at the intersection of many vulnerable identities, and getting an opportunity to help them is so rewarding. That being said, this type of work can also be emotionally taxing. I think that is the greatest challenge attorneys face engaging in non-profit work or otherwise.
How did your time at Wesleyan influence your career choice/journey?
While I had the idea of attending law school before Wesleyan, my time there solidified that it was the route I wanted to take. The way that Wes promotes creativity and choice in their course selection helped reinvigorate my desire to learn and explore my curiosity. Without that, I think that it would have been easy for me to feel burnt out after graduation and be unable to continue on with more school.
Through my involvement in organizations like ASHA and the Middletown Harm Reduction Initiative, I realized that I wanted to pursue a career that focuses on community building and providing the care and empathy that is seldom given to disenfranchised groups. Wesleyan is a great place to engage in advocacy and activism, and this fueled my passion to continue that advocacy and activism throughout both my professional and personal life.
In making my decision to attend law school or not, I was able to talk with various Wes alumni about their experiences in law school and the law school application process. These connections were paramount to my decision. Wesleyan produces law students and attorneys that go on to work in about every legal career path imaginable. Being able to see the breadth of options regarding career choices solidified that I wanted to attend law school right after graduation, even if I did not know what type of law I wanted to practice yet.
Do you have any advice for students thinking about entering your industry?
1. Talk to as many law students and attorneys that you can! I think that it is difficult to really understand what being a lawyer/law student entails until you discuss it with those experiencing it. Discussions with Wes alumni can also help you clarify WHY you want to be a lawyer, and you must remember that why as your legal career progresses.
2. Regardless of if you think you’ll get in, apply to that school! This mentality applies not only to law school applications, but your personal and professional life as well. Don’t discount yourself and refuse to apply to schools, jobs, leadership positions, etc. because you don’t think you’ll get it. Even if it’s a shot in the dark, apply. You never know and you may be surprised! I doubted myself continuously throughout the application process and job search and the imposter syndrome is real. However, Wesleyan is a great school and you are more qualified than you think.
3. Don’t forget your why. I think it is hard to enter a field that prioritizes high salaries and not be swayed. Make sure that throughout your law school experience you remember why you wanted to come to law school and prioritize that.
Updated February 27, 2024
