Some Northwestern students interested in practicing law came a step closer to making a decision about their futures this week.
University Career Services worked with pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta and pre-law advisors to coordinate Law School Week, during which students considering applying to law school had the opportunities to attend workshops and panels.
“We see a lot of students individually who have questions about the application process or are in the initial stages of deciding if it’s the next step for them,” UCS Career Counselor Christina Siders said. “We decided to hold Law School Week to address their concerns.”
Similarly, Senior Career Counselor Mary Lou Taylor said with law school application deadlines approaching, it’s important for students to have a week during which all necessary information is covered.
The week’s events included workshops to help students decide whether or not to go to law school and write personal statements and webinars providing guidance on Law School Admission Tests and letters of recommendation.
“I’m still trying to figure out what to do with my life,” Weinberg sophomore Linda Yang said. “With the different events this week, it’s given me a better feel for my own purpose in pursuing law school.”
During a panel Thursday, five law professionals discussed their career experiences. They told students about their paths to law school and tried to inspire them to stay dedicated.
“Law is nothing like what it is on TV,” said Joseph Bonaccorsi, a general counselor for Akorn Inc. and panel speaker. “The profession gets knocked around a lot but good lawyers are really good and there are a lot of them.”
All of the law panelists agreed while the profession is not as fast-paced as it appears on television and most students don’t become trial lawyers quickly, they all found their versions of success.
“You have to have a lot of patience,” said Anshuman Vaidya from the attorney general’s office. “There is no 25-year-old prodigy in the courtroom. Only the one with the gray hair is good and knows what he’s doing.”
Sonja Marrett, president of Phi Alpha Delta, said she was happy to see diverse opinions on the panel.
“I like that there were people of different ages in different parts of their careers,” the Weinberg senior said. “They each had their own unique perspective and it was really helpful for me as a senior applying to law school to hear about the different stages and what they liked.”
Siders said UCS has received generally positive feedback from students about the event since it first began in 2009. She said throughout the years, changes have been made to the workshops based on specific needs of the application process, students’ timelines and the requirements for the LSATs.
“Timing is always a difficult one because ideally we would offer this in the spring or summer because a lot of the deadlines fall around Thanksgiving,” Siders said. “We’ve been targeting freshmen, sophomores and juniors who may have started their application process already. But seniors do still find it helpful.”
Law School Week will hold two more events next week where admissions representatives will come to the Norris University Center to discuss the application process and law school programs. Representatives from University of Michigan, University of Chicago and University of Pennsylvania will hold a panel on Tuesday, and there will be representatives from Boston University, Notre Dame College and University of Southern California on Oct. 27.
