There’s no one-size-fits-all career path for lawyers, and the same goes for your law school experience. Your journey is your own, and to make sure you’re getting the most out of your legal education, the CSO strives to get to know each of our students on an individual level. That’s why every 1L has a
Student Spotlight: John Paolo Gutierrez (’23)
As 1Ls prepare application materials in a bid to participate in the 2022 SCBA Diversity Fellowship, John Gutierrez (’23) shared his experience as a fellow in last year’s program and what it has done for his law school journey. Read John’s story below:
“I have always loved storytelling. As a child, my mother would lull me to bed with old Mexican-heritage stories from her abuelita that painted reminiscent pictures of Jalisco’s red-dirt ranches that we would visit in the hot summers. Although I did not know it at the time, these stories were my first cultural connection to my Mexican heritage. Their folkloric lessons introduced me to my family values and, in time, taught me to love my Chicano identity that seemed ever fleeting as my family assimilated into an American lifestyle.
Continue Reading Student Spotlight: John Paolo Gutierrez (’23)
Things I Missed
You got accepted to Law School! Congratulations! Now, I want you to take a deep breath and buckle up for an information dump, because that is what the 1L Orientation is. Once you get through that, you will go straight into trying to figure out what a case brief is and how you can possibly get through all your reading assignments. You will likely feel as though you cannot focus on anything else because if you do, for even a second, you will forget everything you just learned in class and will fall desperately behind in your reading. So, I want to take a moment to point out some things I missed in my first semester.
Everyone’s first semester is the same to some extent. None of us have ever encountered anything like law school–and we will likely never encounter anything like it again. But law school is not only about learning the law; it’s about networking and building connections, finding out more about yourself, and discovering the type of law you want to practice after law school. I didn’t realize there were opportunities to advance these facets of my life running in the background during my first semester.
To start, let’s talk about an acronym that you will see in early emails that may make no sense to you (Was that just me? Oh well, I’m going to tell you anyway.) “CDO” stands for “Career Development Office” and it was my number one missed opportunity; not that it’s too late–I am still a 1L after all–but I wish I had understood what it represented, not just what the letters stood for, earlier. I cannot stress enough how useful their website is. I highly recommend starting here: Create Your Career Plan. From there you can find awesome timelines to assess what you can do for your career during each year of law school.
Why I Went to Law School
Growing up, I didn’t know anything about law school. I remember researching “how to become a lawyer” and immediately closed the tab because it looked too intimidating.
When I started undergrad at UC Davis, I decided to get involved with student government. I met a lot of students majoring in political science and international relations. They were pre-law, I was pre-med. After freshmen year, I realized that I just could not put myself through another science or math class; no matter how much I studied, I struggled with the concepts. I realized it was because I lacked the motivation to pursue a career in the medical field. It was my parent’s dream, not mine.
Coming from an immigrant family, I was terrified to fail. Failing meant disappointment to my parents. Disappointment to all their struggles to get me to a four-year university. The medical field was all I had ever known and what I told them I wanted to do, but I was not passionate about it.
As I continued getting more involved in student government, I realized I enjoyed advocacy. I liked helping people and advocating for important structural change. Many of my colleagues were pre-law and they gave me great advice on how to prepare for law school. I was also happy to find that, unlike being pre-med, I was not required to take specific courses. I chose two majors that I greatly enjoyed, Sociology and Psychology.
Life as a Remote Part-Time Law Student
I am entering my second semester of law school in the part-time program… Who would have thought that would happen for me?! I am 30 years old and have been a horse trainer since I was 10 years old, or at least that was when my mom put a receipt book in my hand and taught me how to start charging my client. So, one might say that my experience so far has been a complete and utter culture shock. I was filled with so much doubt regarding my ability to integrate into this wholly new way of thinking and doing things.
One thing you learn early in training horses is that horses need constant care and diligence. There is never a day off because, at a minimum, horses need to be fed and watered. This holds true for law school as well. As Professor Telfeyan reminded my GLS I class frequently, daily diligence is key.
Equal Justice Works Now Accepting Applications for Summer Fellowships!
Are you interested in a career in public interest law? Have you considered becoming an Equal Justice Works Fellow? EJW is currently accepting applications for two summer fellowships:
- Rural Summer Legal Corps (due February 8, 2021): Partnering with Legal Services Corporation (LSC), Equal Justice Works