It is a curious and amazing feeling to wake up and be excited to go to
work every day. So far, each day has held something different and I have
been able to experience and learn something new, whether it be printing
or drafting documents, meeting new people, or simply observing brilliant
attorneys in action. Though some of the tasks may seem mundane, there
is an opportunity to learn with each task that I am given. For example,
it is one thing to read and learn about discovery in Civil Procedure,
but it is quite another thing to actually look at everything that goes
into it and the amount of detail (and paper) that is required.
Doctrina Lux Mentis: “Learning is the light of the mind.”
That was my college’s motto. (Shout out to Centre College!) Now,
I have finished my first year of law school and have begun clerking for
Larry Rice. Though it is a wonderful summer job and a great resume builder,
it has already become so much more than that. The skills that I am learning
and the techniques that I am observing are preparing me for my future
as a family law attorney.
Law school builds the foundation for all attorneys, but sometimes all
the class time can dim the light and the passion, because we become too
focused on grades and the classes as a unit, instead of a part of a whole.
This hands on experience is what has re-kindled the “light”
of my mind and re-focused my attention on the end goals and my reasons
for going back to school. I now get to see all of the small things I have
learned in class work as moving parts in the legal system.
It is natural (particularly for lawyers and law students) to want to speak
up and show off everything that we know. But every once in a while, we
should take an opportunity to just sit back and learn something new.
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