Learn What It’s Like to be a Lawyer ASAP, and Get in the Loop!

Law school is a scary time for even the bravest and most outgoing first-year law students. You don’t understand the weird legal stuff that people talk about at social events. Lawyers and other law students make law-jokes you don’t think are funny. And, for the most part, you feel as though you are out of the loop. As a law student, I highly recommend students to diligently work to get some exposure to the world of a lawyer as soon as possible—the first semester of law school is a great, if not crucial, time to start.

I had a hard time getting in the loop at first. I tried to mingle with attorneys when I could, but it was hard for me to jump in a conversation with them. Many people approached my concern with good advice such as “just be yourself, people have to like you for who you are.” However, this advice did not get me too far because I was already being myself. My problem was that I did not know what it was like to be a lawyer, so I could not relate to them. I took the wrong approach to this issue at first by ignoring it and avoiding embarrassment. I decided to focus only on the academic side of law school and took solace in the belief that I would somehow figure it out later. However, this hurt my ability to get a job later when I could not relate to the lawyers who were interviewing me.

That is when I started searching for the missing link—the link to the information that would get me in this exclusive club for lawyers only. I observed other students who I felt were in the loop. How did they figure it out? A quick survey revealed that these students had been more proactive than I had been and were working or had worked at a law firm, had convinced an attorney to mentor them, or had taken the plunge at networking events and learned by trial and error. I had focused just on studying.

I was lucky enough to finally figure it out while working at a law firm in the summer after my first year. There I explained my concerns to a St. Thomas alumnus who mentored me and got me in the loop. Just in time for my last on-campus interview; however, this was almost too late for me. Plus, there were a couple of awkward moments during my first year of law school that I would have been happier without.

Now, what do I recommend to you: the prospective law student or the law student who is not in the loop yet? I have identified many opportunities I took advantage of that made a huge impact in my law school career and showed me what it’s like to be a lawyer: (1) get a mentor ASAP; (2) search for and go to every networking event possible; (3) join organizations on campus; and (4) get an externship placement.

First, mentors will be the key to understanding what it takes to be a lawyer because you can share your concerns with them and they can back you up at networking events. A mentor should be a lawyer or faculty member, or other second-year and third-year law students who you feel are in the loop already. Asking someone to be your mentor is not an intrusive request, so do not be afraid to ask. From my experience, people in this profession are happy to mentor students who ask.

Second, networking events are a great place to make friends in the legal world, and while you may not understand what they are talking about all the time, with enough exposure, you will start to pick things up. Remember that the point of a networking event is to meet people. No one will take offense to you inviting yourself to listen to a group discussion. Pay careful attention to people’s comments and others’ reactions. After enough times, you will hear groups of people talking about something you have heard discussed before. Now, you will have something safe to say because you heard someone say it before and saw the reaction of the group. This will enhance your confidence with group conversations at networking events. And before you know it, you will be in the loop, talking and laughing about weird legal stuff just like everyone else.

Third, joining organizations on campus will open up many more opportunities for networking. Student organizations are geared toward helping students establish relationships with lawyers and other law students. Some students may even be willing to share their mentor with you.

Finally, working as an intern for a law firm, judge, or government agency will put you in the loop for at least 20 hours a week. St. Thomas has one of the best clinical placement services I have heard of. Almost everyone that applies gets placed somewhere. This is extremely helpful in many ways. You learn what it’s like to be a lawyer by watching and practicing, and it will look great on your résumé. This program has allowed me to work for a federal judge, the US Attorney’s Office, and I am now applying for a placement at the State Attorney’s Office. It is imperative for you to take advantage of this clinical placement program while at St. Thomas.

I hope my thoughts have helped you in some way. I welcome questions and relevant examples of social situations you have been in and how you reacted to them. Good luck!