Fall 2018

-- By MarinaHernandez - 26 Apr 2018

How I Got Here

I am the daughter of a convicted felon, and neither of my parents completed high school. Despite being a fourth generation American, my family’s journey hadn’t quite matched the “American Dream” narrative. It may even be considered regressive in some ways. In light of the circumstances, all statistics predicted I wouldn’t amount to anything, but my parents were hellbent on breaking the cycle of poverty and incarceration starting with my siblings and me. I came to law school with general aspirations of fighting institutionalized racism in government and the criminal justice system.

Unfortunately, my first year has more clearly revealed to me the career path I do not wish to take as opposed to the lawyer I hope to become. I have learned that case reading and cold calls do not excite me, nor does moot court and bluebooking (probably a sign litigation isn't in my future). Rather, this year has confused me as to what I'm supposed to get out of law school at all. On the very last day of 1L classes, a professor stated in his closing remarks, “I think 1L professors see one of their core objectives as helping each of you to become persuasive.” While a great learning objective, I wondered why this goal had never been stated previously by anyone and I failed to see how the curriculum lends itself to enhancing our persuasiveness. To subsidize my lukewarm feelings about the 1L academic foundation, the attorneys I had the opportunity to interact with (mostly at law firm receptions), and their day-to-day projects made me even less secure in my decision to attend.

Even though 1L has failed to meet expectations in many ways, the experience has forced me to critically reflect on the type of work that will actually make me satisfied with my decision to attend law school. I hope to achieve two different goals and my motivation for returning in the fall is based on my belief that they can be accomplished through continuing my legal education . The first of these is to work on policy or regulatory measures with a systems-based approach. Prior to law school I worked as a public school teacher which seems akin in many ways to direct client services. Though teachers and public defenders are truly noble career paths that fulfill really important roles in society, I personally detested being confined by policies I did not agree with and did not want to enforce. While there are definitely benefits to working directly with people to positively impact their lives, I do not think those benefits would outweigh the restrictions that weigh negatively on me. I believe law school will give me greater access to work at the policy level.

The second ongoing role I hope to fulfill throughout my career is being a mentor for first generation college graduates and professionals. In the same vein, I hope to pursue a career that allows me amplify the voices of people backgrounds that have been historically been silenced in the policy-making process. Seeing my father barred from voting and face barriers to meaningful employment upon re-entry to society (effectively making him a second-class citizen) has made me passionate about hearing the voices of those from difficult walks of life as opposed to every decision-maker being from a middle-class, liberal arts educated background. Completing law school will allow me to broaden my capacity to be of service to others in this way.

Continued Optimism

The opportunities I have pursued for my 1L summer position and for my 2L courses have helped me to remain sure that law school was not a mistake. I am optimistic that there are many possibilities for growth an an aspiring attorney beyond the scope of exposure of 1L. My summer internship is focused on building capacity and providing resources to teachers who hope to run for elected office. While politics has its faults and drawbacks in effecting change, there is no question that local politicians wield significant influence on matters that affect their immediate communities. I hope to be a sponge over this eight-week experience in learning how the organization fulfills its mission by working with diverse individuals, and how it utilizes a body of teachers for policy change.

I also hope to take advantage of as many non-litigation based clinics and externships as possible to learn more about practices that do not fall within the corporate/litigation Biglaw divide. While also gaining exposure to various career paths, I plan to devote more time to networking with attorneys in governmental agencies or even non-practicing attorneys who have built careers promoting the social welfare of local communities in non-legal ways. I am excited to participate in an education-based policy lab next semester because of the opportunity it presents to work with real clients on matters that excite me.

This class has pushed me to think more critically about valuing my time and energy, and that I should not be content with giving up five years of my life to a job I don’t enjoy simply because it is the path of least resistance. On a smaller scale, I should not take courses or pursue opportunities that are not going to help me become the lawyer I hope to be simply because "everyone" says I should. I am excited to learn about unconventional ways that attorneys are advocating for their communities and impacting systems-based change through opportunities within the law school and in the wider community.

This draft is a very good start. It seems to me that there are open routes to improvement both in the writing and in the substance.

The best way to improve the writing is to remove unnecessary words and make sentences simpler. Consider, for example: "Even though 1L has failed to meet expectations in many ways, the experience has forced me to critically reflect on the type of work that will actually make me satisfied with my decision to attend law school. I hope to achieve two different goals and my motivation for returning in the fall is based on my belief that they can be accomplished through continuing my legal education." That's 67 words, saying what surely could be said in 15. How about, "Despite my disappointments here, I still have two reasons to return this fall"? Not everything can be reduced by a factor of four, but a serious editorial pruning would make much more room for substance.

You express how your family frames your social and political understanding very well. That reinforces the editorial conclusion: Substantively, the draft needs more of what you are for, and less of what you are against. Cold calls and bluebooking are not actually what litigation is made of, but there's no reason to doubt your intuitions at this point. So how about presenting a policy idea that does interest and excite you? The reader cannot help but understand what you have shown her about "How [You] Got Here." But both she and you benefit most from understanding, in detail, at least one destination you are mulling.

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