April 30, 2019

Three Things I Wish I Knew Before Law School: A Letter to Myself

Meet Michelle Morovati, a graduating 3L day student. Michelle is the Co-President of Southwestern’s Persian Law Students Association. She is a former extern for the Special Education Law Clinic at Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center and a former law clerk for the District Attorney’s Office Compton Branch Victim Impact Unit. In her spare time, Michelle teaches art to public school third-graders for the National Council of Jewish Women’s Art Bridges Culture Program. Currently, she is a board member of ETTA’s Young Professional branch, a non-profit organization that advocates for special need adults in their community.

This letter is her message to her 1L self, everything that she wished she knew before entering her first year of law school. 

Dear Michelle, 

Invest in Yourself

The three years you spend in law school are an investment in yourself. You are putting in the time, sweat, tears, and blood now, to have a brighter future. It is time you invest in learning the law, and it is sweat you invest in developing your skills. There will be tears when you come up against walls and face mental break downs—which trust me, will happen—and you will live, breathe, eat, and bleed the law while studying to pass the bar. 

Know what study methods work for you, not what works for others. Know when you need to take a break to spend time with your loved ones. Know it’s ok to make mistakes – as long as you learn from them. Remember how far you have come and how much you have grown from your first day as a 1L. All of this is an investment in you. 

Thank everyone and anyone who has helped you and always feel grateful for this opportunity.

You’re still that same smart, funny, sassy, sometimes shy, sometimes quiet, sometimes too caring person you’ve always been.

Get Involved!

Being a work study and taking advantage of externship opportunities will be the highlights of your law school experience! It will be a great way to polish your communication and people skills.

You will meet and network with faculty, staff, and attorneys in fields you may be interested in pursuing. Externing at the DA’s office will expose you to trial life and help you decide whether litigation is for you.   

The more people you network and meet with, the more opportunities you will have. Don’t close any doors!

Get involved with school clubs and go to as many events as you can! Support and connect with your classmates. You will be surprised to find out how great they are! They’ve worked just as hard as you, if not harder, to get to where they are. They will be your strongest allies and closest teammates when building your Southwestern community. 

Self-Care

Listen to your body and don’t ignore the signs!

Law school stress is real. When your eye starts to twitch for more than a week straight—it’s time for a personal care day. Go to the gym, sleep an extra hour or two, have an easy morning, meditate, and treat yourself to a massage. Most importantly, tell your anxiety it needs to take a day off too.

Now go forth and CONQUER law school!

 

Signing off,

Malka Michelle Morovati, Class of 2019