This fall, I completed my eleventh orientation at my law school. It hardly seems possible. This year, our keynote speaker was a person named Maureen Sanders. She was chosen because she embodies all the qualities one would want in a law school orientation speaker. She is a graduate of our school. She was a tenured professor and currently teaches as an adjunct professor. She has a thriving private practice specializing in civil rights and constitutional law. Finally, she is an eloquent and entertaining speaker. With her permission, I am sharing her “tips” from her talk. It strikes me that many orientation speakers give similar advice to incoming first year students. I hope that as students settle in to their schedules and routines they will not forget the advice that Professor Sanders shares and that is likely similar to advice given at many other law schools at their orientations.
Tip #1: Remember that how you act here over the next three years will be remembered by your classmates, your professors and the law school community staff.
Tip #2: Keep your life. Remain human. Remember how to talk about something other than the law so your “people” will still like you and so you won’t forget how to talk to “real” people because one of the most important skills you need as a lawyer is the ability to listen, really listen to people from all walks of life…no matter what kind of law you end up doing.
Tip #3 Spend some time while you are in law school figuring out what you can do to contribute to your communities…what do you care about?….animals, education, wilderness, mental illness, homeless, open government, less government, more government, –be a part of the community dialogue and action as a law student and later as a lawyer.
Tip #4: Don’t become a lawyer whose reputation is that your opposing counsel must put everything in writing because you can’t be trusted. So back to my point….which if I haven’t been clear is—–be a professional law student.
Tip #5 Don’t think, ”I don’t really need to know this, because I’m going to do this other kind of law”….well you just never know. And even if you stay the course you anticipate, in order to do one kind of law, you need to know the other areas to do the job for your clients.
Finally, as a colleague of Professor Sanders advised her when she asked them what she should say at orientation, “Tell them that law is an incredible profession—endlessly interesting and you can do some real good for people and impact how we, as a society, structure our communities. Also, that law school, with all its pressures, offers an opportunity to be working on how to work hard and give your best attention to the work while at the same time learning how to make sure all the other aspects of yourself as a person don’t get lost.” (Bonnie Stepleton)
