First Year (part 1)

Law school, like life is about the choices you make. You chose to be here, to persevere through all the hurdles society has placed before you, and to pursue a career in law. When I first got to law school, I thought most of my choices were over, (what school, what program, where to live...etc) finally I could just relax. I could not have been more wrong.

The first thing you have to choose in law school is how your peers will see you. The JD/LLB program is unique in that you will spend an inordinate amount of time with your classmates over the next three years. So you’re faced with the challenge of introducing yourself to a whole new group of people. It is a challenge, but I just tried to be myself and I made a point of trying to get to know most of the people in my class. I admit, I was judgemental at the start, whether or not those judgements were correct, it limited my ability to truly get to know the variety of people in my class. Balancing who you are with how you want to be seen by your classmates, professors and your friends, is not easy. Be yourself, but choose which parts of yourself to be in front of your peers. Remember that the people who are your classmates now, will be your partners and professional peers in the future. My advice: choose friends you can trust, but choose study groups that will help you succeed...unfortunately, they probably won’t be one in the same.

To be continued...