Tuesday, May 22, 2012

To Take a Year Off or Not? That is the Question.

Taking a year off before law school is always a question many undergrads have. Some would rather get it over with, where others are just too burnt out to continue. I fought with my dad for months about taking a year off before law school. He wanted me to go straight through, but I wanted to take a break. His argument was that I would get lazy and get comfortable making money in a full time job that I wouldn’t want to go back to school. Also the job market was/is lousy for people with only a bachelors’ degree so he worried that I would end up with a job that was a waste of time. I totally understand where my dad is coming from, but sometimes he underestimates me. After months of arguing I knew what my plan was and he could not talk me out of it. I was completely burnt out. I needed a break and I needed to pay off some debts. Just like many college students I got myself into credit card debt, so before I put myself in more debt I wanted to pay off my existing debt, and start law school with a clean slate.

Taking a year off was honestly the best decision I made. Around May 2011 I started looking for a job. I had friends who had already graduated and were having a hard time finding a job so I wanted to give myself a time cushion. I began sending resumes and within a week I heard back from a law firm in Los Angeles. The interview was in the Paul Hastings building in downtown. When I walked up for my interview I was in awe! I had worked for a solo practitioner but never a FIRM. I went from a little law office to a FIRM in one of the tallest buildings in downtown. I remember walking into the office and it being so quiet and everything was white. It almost looked like I was walking into heaven. My interview was in the conference room that overlooked downtown. I sat there waiting for the partner/owner of the firm. As she walked into the conference room all that flashed in my head was Miranda Preistly from Devil Wears Prada. Not the vindictive part but the successful, educated, poised, presentation of herself. She was everything I could ever hope to be someday. I tried to remain confident and calm but deep down my nerves were taking over me. Finally after about 20 minutes or so the interview was over and I was on my way home. I felt pretty confident about the interview, but I had never worked in litigation before so I wasn’t sure if my lack of experience would hurt me. When I got home I sent an e-mail to the legal secretary who also interviewed me, thanking her for taking the time out of her day to meet with me. **NOTE** Employers love this. Personal recommendation: Always send an e-mail if you can thanking those who interviewed you.

The next morning on my way to work I received an e-mail with my employment offer! OMGG!!! I could not believe it! Within a week of applying for jobs I got the ULTIMATE JOB!! I called my dad right away and told him that we needed to meet for dinner because I needed to tell him something important. His first reaction was “you better not be pregnant”. WOW really dad haha! It was a week later that I officially started my job!

Fast forward to today. It is May 2012 and it has officially been a year since I started working. Today I began to think of how much knowledge I have acquired in the past year. A year ago when I got hired my firm was preparing for trial and a year later my firm is once again preparing for trial. Being thrown into trial my first week at the firm was intense. Making binders, taking things to the court, on top of other assignments given to me on other cases, and trying to understand the complexities of trial was INSANE. I felt so unbelievably stressed and wondered if I could even make it at this firm. Everyday I had 101 questions! Today was not like that at all! Even on a busy day like today, the firm once again preparing for trial, all the assignments I had didn’t faze me at all! And people were asking me the questions. It really hit me today that I have come a LONG WAY! I now know the ins and outs of my firm, and the process of trial is no longer foreign to me. The experience and knowledge I gained this year is priceless and well worth the year off! I was able to really evaluate the pros and cons of law and whether this profession was right for me.

If you can take a year off I HIGHLY recommend it. Find out if law is for you. Law school is way too expensive to be unsure, so don’t gamble with debt.

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