Finding Yourself in Law School

Congratulations on your acceptance and your decision to enter law school. Some might say after reading this commentary that it was more appropriate for a commencement address. But stop to think. Commencement means beginning.

This is your commencement, the beginning of your legal career. And if the values to which I refer are not somewhere in your thoughts during your law school education, when you can begin to see how your technical skills can be put to use in service of whatever justice goals you personally find most meaningful, it may be more difficult to make the connections later on. So without embarrassment or apology I will refer to you, the novice lawyer, as moral agent, as social activist, and as pursuer of justice in the larger senses, as well as in the routine of daily practice. Before discussing the journey on which you are embarking, and the more noble and inspiring aspects of the profession you've chosen to join and the career you will be pursuing, I offer a few remarks about adjusting/coping with law school.