This past school year the word unprecedented was newfound in my vocabulary. By the end of the school year, it became the most overused term, from emails I didn’t know I was subscribed to, through announcements on television this word was everywhere. The sudden switch to remote classes, university campus becoming a ghost town seemed like I was part of an apocalyptic movie, without the pay grade of being casted of course. I was accustomed to studying from home, and lectures were recorded prior to COVID, so I was fortunate in that I didn’t find the shift to be too taxing. However a few pieces of advice for those who are beginning online school, whether it be law school or another program: Make a schedule. The added flexibility can make or break the habits you had instilled in prior years. A quote that speaks volumes to me today is “character is what you do when no one is watching.” I understand that the pandemic has impacted people in different ways. It’s a privilege if the only hindrance in your daily life is that the commute is cut out from your daily routine of going to class but in all other aspects there’s little to no change. I was a person in this category, so that’s why this advice may not fit all people who read this post. Don’t be afraid of emailing your profs. If you’re confused about a topic, reach out to them and plan a time. Our profs were flexible in terms of holding virtual office hours, replying to emails or sending out FAQs from previous years about concepts. Just because you can’t see your profs’ enthusiasm about the topic, doesn’t mean it’s not there. They want you to understand their course. Your future's in your hands. When you’re on campus, you’re surrounded by your peers to an extent that may impact how you behave: from attending classes, to participating in class discussions. When school is online, your peers may not know if you’re even awake! Sleep schedules have changed, 5 am became the new midnight. You can succumb to newfound “freedom” or get distracted by all other things that you wanted to do but school got into the way, or you can manage your time. The latter sounds mundane, but reinforce why you’re in the program that you’re in. COVID is temporary but GPA is forever. If you have trouble focusing on your work, talk to your friends to ask them how they’re coping with the change. Technology has us more connected than ever before. Group calls that turn into review or rants, your choice but I find a support system is key in order to succeed or stay sane to say the least. By: Karen Randhawa As many of you begin your law school journey online, you may wonder how your classes and semester will pan out. I can’t claim that I know everything about online schooling because it truly is uncharted territory for all us. Having completed half of my Winter semester online, here is my take on succeeding your first semester of law school online:
By Lucinda Chitapain I don’t mean to incite Karen’s hatred for the word “unprecedented” but for those of you starting law school in the fall, this is truly an *unprecedented* time for you to start this new journey. While law school is more conducive to the online format than other programs, it is still difficult to get the full law school experience online. While it’s easy to fall into a pool of despair about online law school, here are some tips that might help you make the most out of it.
By Veena Ganesarasa Hi! I’m Sharan, and I’ve just completed my 1L year at Queen’s University! Before coming to Queen’s, I finished my undergraduate degree in Environmental Biology at York University. Full disclosure: I did not come into law school knowing which area of law I wanted to pursue. I definitely came in with an open mind to see what would stick and which areas I definitely wanted to stay away from (which I now know is property- you will not catch me in any class on wills and estates next year). Because I wasn’t set on any specific area, the (almost) dizzying number of opportunities offered to get involved at Queen’s Law both in terms of clubs and practical experience was really attractive to me and was one of the reasons I chose to come to Queen’s. Apart from the extraordinary number of clubs that existed, I was quite impressed with how involved 1L students could get, like volunteering with Queen’s Legal Aid and working with the various legal journals such as the Queen’s Law Journal and the Canadian Labour and Employment Law Journal. Looking at upper-year involvement, I appreciated that Queen’s had a variety of offerings for clinic placements (Elder Law, Prison, and Business, to name a few) in different areas of law. So, I naturally pushed myself to become involved in as many extracurriculars as I could. During my first year, I was involved as a volunteer editor at the Queen’s Law Journal, a committee member on the Style Guide Committee (which publishes a style guide for legal writing), a competitor at the Hicks Morley Moot at Queen’s, a volunteer research assistant at the Conflict Analytics Lab, a Student Ambassador, and an intramural indoor soccer player! I also chose to go to Queen’s because of the different ways that a strong sense of collegiality and community were emphasized. One of these ways was how the incoming first year students have the chance to have a peer “tutor” that is an upper-year law student that has performed well in their first year. Having a tutor really helped ease that transition from undergrad to law school and was honestly a first point of contact for any random questions I had (school-related or not). I also really liked that there were frequent opportunities to get to know people outside of class at weekly events usually organized by one or two clubs in downtown Kingston. It gave everyone a chance to forget (a bit) about school and studying and focus instead on just having a stress-free night out with their friends and meet new people! As a city alone, Kingston really is a beautiful area. Lake Ontario is extremely close to campus, and the pier is a popular place for students to go to in the warmer months. Downtown Kingston also boasts the highest restaurant per capita in all of Canada- there is no shortage of restaurants and shops to go to downtown! In Kingston, the span from downtown and its stores and restaurants to campus is within 2km; everything you likely need at any point during the year is within that span, so it’s all close together (and super convenient). There are also a number of bus routes that come frequently, so everything you need is pretty accessible outside of the campus. Since most 1L classes are held inside the law school building, you won’t find yourself having to venture off into different buildings on campus too often. It’s a different environment when most, if not all, students are living away from home in Kingston; a much different atmosphere from going to a commuter school. I enjoyed the fact that my commute went from an hour and a half bus ride one way down to a 2-minute ride! Because of that, you tend to feel “homier” on campus (as I did). However, it’s still quite common for people to commute back to Toronto for the weekend either through VIA Rail, Megabus or rideshares! I didn’t find it too much of a hassle to go back home on some weekends, so if you’re worried you can’t make law school and commuting back and forth to Kingston from Toronto/GTA work, it definitely is possible and quite common. My favourite law school related activity would have to be working as a research assistant in the Conflict Analytics Lab (CAL) at Queen’s. Overall, the lab is dedicated to increasing access to justice for those that may not be able to afford lawyers or are self-represented litigants. To do this, the lab develops AI-powered online tools that regular people can use to determine whether or not they have a legal claim. As of now, the tools we’ve launched are dedicated to helping people figure out whether they are employees or independent contractors, and how much termination compensation pay they may be eligible to receive. Through this experience, I’ve been able to develop skills outside of class such as case review with data extraction and annotation, interdisciplinary collaboration (with MBA students and data scientists) and even writing blog posts! If you’re interested in looking at these tools, you can go to myopencourt.org. Hands down, my favourite class in 1L was definitely criminal law (despite not having an initial interest in pursuing a career in criminal law, and still not having that interest). My professor for 1L was an animated speaker and easily made each case study sound more like a story than a case and that kind of energy really helped drill down some concepts that could be really confusing in criminal law. There was a lot of effort put in on his part to make sure that our learning process was engaging, and it definitely paid off! So, after completing a year, I still am not set on an area to pursue but I am interested in exploring IP (intellectual property) and IP litigation, or technology law (the science part of me is not ready to be fully left behind). I’m also not ruling out labour and employment, personal injury and medical malpractice, or general litigation. I still don’t know 100% which area I will go into, but I know that kind of thing will become clearer to me as time goes on and by talking to lawyers in each field! So, if you don’t have the slightest clue about which area you want to go into, please be reassured by the fact that I’ve finished a year of law school and still aren’t set on an area (and most people I know actually aren’t either). If you have more questions about anything related to Queen’s Law, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Feel free to contact me through LinkedIn or alternatively email me at [email protected]. The Bora Laskin Faculty of Law may not be the oldest law school in Canada. However, it had a unique program; incorporating smaller, more focused class sizes that ensured that no student would fall through the cracks. For the most part, law school is a huge step up from undergrad, in regard to work, expectations and course load. That’s why the lower student to professor ratio gave me the confidence that I would have the access, and assistance within the school, whenever I may need it. I had my eye on Lakehead when I was deciding on what law school I should choose, despite never living on my own before, or even being that far north. But within the first few hours of orientation I knew I had made a great choice. The school staff and current students were extremely gracious, welcoming my fellow classmates and I with open arms. Originally, I am from Southern Ontario, so many of the students and the locals were all warning me of the wakeup call that loomed overhead once winter rolled in. With this in mind, I did my best to prepare myself and I have to say that the experience was not that bad. Living close by the school and many of my new found friends, I was able to not only survive during my first year living alone, but it allowed me to thrive in my new surroundings. My favorite law school related activity was definitely the mock crime scene assignment during our Torts class. The upper-year students were brought in to play characters in a made-up scenario and it allowed me the chance to practice questioning various individuals and then prepare a memorandum for a senior associate at my fictitious firm. My favorite class has to be Criminal law. Professor Chapman was delightful, filling each class with interesting information and the cases we learned were always intriguing. Currently I am still deciding on where my legal career will take me. But I do know that I want to keep learning new things every day and I am excited to see where I end up. If you have any questions about what the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, and our unique IPC program has to offer please feel free to reach out to me. My email address is [email protected]. I chose U of T simple because of the plethora of opportunities available to its students. Not only does the school offer, possibly, the broadest course selection in the country, but it also offers a range of experiential learning opportunities that are second to none. While I appreciated the ability to learn from great professors, I really valued the ability to gain practical experience from everyday practitioners during clinics and externships. These were just the opportunities available internally. U of T also created many opportunities professionally given that it is one of the oldest law schools in Canada. It was for these reasons that I chose to attend and what I ended up liking most about my experience there. Living in Toronto is amazing. It’s a vibrant city with neighborhoods that each have their own unique personalities. As the most diverse city in Canada, the array of cultures you come across helps you appreciate and experience what life in Canada is meant to be. The sheer size of Toronto means there is always something to do, no matter your interests. There are some downsides to living in the biggest city in Canada as well. It is not exactly the cheapest place to be a student, and at times it can feel crowded, wherever you are. The hustle and bustle of the TTC Subway system is usually a daily part of everyone’s lives, but the inconsistent service can sometimes be frustrating. But overall, Toronto is a great city to live in. My favourite law school activity was actually not law related, it was our athletic association. U of T’s intramural sports program was administered by the Faculty of Law Athletic Association. Taking part in intramural sports was one of my favourite activities because it was a way to get to know your peers outside of the classroom. Law school is no picnic, but being able to enjoy non-law interests with your colleagues is one of the better ways to de-stress. Sports was one of my ways to do that. I’d definitely recommend finding shared interests that you can enjoy together among your law school friends that are not law-related; board games and sports were common ones that I experienced. Aside from some of the traditional goals that many litigators have, such as successfully appearing at the Supreme Court of Canada, broadly, my legal goals right now are fairly modest. I simply just want to be a good lawyer. What that means I have yet to figure out. If anyone has any ideas, I’m listening. On a more personal level, I have always appreciated the place of privilege that I come from: having the opportunity to receive a post-secondary education with minimal restrictions. It is a true testament to my friends and family, specifically my parents, and their hard work in making sure that I followed a good path and that I had supports along the way to ensure I did not stray. In that regard, one of my life-long legal goals will always be to support those attempting to follow a similar path, regardless of what supports they’ve had or not had along the way. In that vein, I’ve chosen to be a part of a number of organizations with similar objectives. For anyone that wants to know more about U of T, please email [email protected]. Expand your network, broaden your horizons. We decided to reach out to individuals at different law schools to put a face to the name of the school. Interested in a school or program that wasn’t mentioned? Contact us and we’ll feature it!
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Legally BrownThree Osgoode Hall Law students sharing their lived experiences and providing *unsolicited* advice. Archives
December 2021
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