In the next few weeks, law students from all over the country will begin final exams. For first year students, this will mark the end of the first part of the journey to becoming a lawyer. They will embark on internships which explore all facets of legal matters, to help hone their skills and aid in making the decision of what area of practice to pursue. For second year students, this is the critical phase of their law school career. Having discovered what practice area to study, the heat is on to gain as much experience as possible before school resumes in September. Lastly, graduating students now focus on studying for the state bar exam. For law students, there really is no “summer vacation.”
This is also the end of the New York State Bar Association’s Pathway to the Profession’s first year. Over the past year, NYSBA members and staff have worked hard to help students throughout New York State. We have traveled from Syracuse to Central Islip. We have visited many schools and sponsored programs which we hope have enhanced the student experience. From “Dinner with a Lawyer” at Syracuse to “Meet the Sections” at Touro; we have attempted to create, for the law students of New York, an atmosphere which will incubate their passion for law and set them on the correct path for the future of the profession.
Over the next few months, as students study and intern, NYSBA members, staff and campus reps will also be doing our own homework: What worked this year? What needs improvement? What programs did students respond to and which programs fell short of expectations? Answering these questions will enable us to offer better programming for the next school year. It will allow us to be better engage and assist you with your law school career, and it will help us to help you when you graduate.
The study and practice of law is one which affects the lives of every citizen of this country. Whether you are an intellectual property lawyer, family lawyer or an entertainment lawyer, how you practice has a reverberating effect throughout your profession. One never knows the outcome of cases and where that trail will lead. The New York State Bar Association and the Pathway to the Profession program want to help prepare you for that unexpected road which may arise during your career.
To quote Aristotle: “The law is reason, free from passion.” Yet, to pursue a legal career, one must be passionate. Law school is more than a full-time commitment and to succeed one must be passionate about the law and how it affects the citizens of this country. The New York State Bar Association is passionate about the law and with our Pathway to the Profession initiative; we are passionate about law students. Your success is our success!
We are sure, over the past school year, every student has encountered more than their share of victories and naturally failures. The most important thing is to learn from both and move forward. Here at the NYSBA we are doing the same thing. To help us better understand our own triumphs and short-comings, we are looking for your input. We want to hear from you, our NYSBA law student members! Let us know what you want to see on campus in the fall. What is going to motivate you to participate? Any and all comments will be given consideration. There are a few ways you can leave your feedback: First, you can comment on this blog. Second, you can email Alex Englander at [email protected]. Third – call me at 518-487-5578.
Finally, as we move closer to full implementation of NYSBA’s Pathway to the Profession program, we are excited to announce that Pathway has a few more opportunities available for students. We are looking for Campus Fellows to help with organizing events at your school. We would like a fellow from each class, 1L, 2L and 3L at each New York State law school. Second, we are looking for blog writers to contribute to the NYSBA Law Student Community Blog. Finally, Pathway to the Profession will be launching its student newsletter late in the summer and we want your stories and articles to publish.
If you have questions or are interested in contributing to the blog and newsletter, please contact Alex Englander [email protected]. We wish you a fantastic summer and good luck on your finals.