Also known as:  Why law school is a great way to help you figure this out, why as 3Ls most of us still don’t know, and why that can be a good thing!

I was originally asked to join this team of bloggers to share the experiences I will be having next semester as I join 7 other UBC law students (16 total for the year) who take part in the for-credit Judicial Externship Program at various Provincial Courts around the province. Until then, I hope to provide some perspective on the life of a third year law student who has been through through (most) of the ups and downs by now, and is nearing the terrifying and exciting finish line of this thing called law school.

This post will address the question I have most frequently been asked along this journey: “what area of law do you want to practice”?  From the moment I mentioned an interest in law, through the recruiting process and now as I face my articling year ahead, this question has lingered and remains unanswered. In reflecting on how my answer as changed and why I am where I am today, I came to the following conclusions:

1. While on the ground training undoubtedly important, law school can serve as a key step in helping you figure out where your legal interests lie
2. Most 3Ls still don’t know (past a vague idea) what exactly they want to do
3. Not knowing can be a good thing!

Point one – how law school can help.

A critical step in determining what type of law you want to practice is learning from the practical training received during your articling year. That said, law school remains an excellent tool for soon-to-be lawyers in navigating their future career path. While not all courses teach the ins and outs of practice, law school does provide an excellent opportunity to get exposure to a variety of subject matters and get involved in practical extra curricular activities such as pro bono work or the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program (LSLAP). These opportunities definitely add value in the quest for vocational direction.

From my personal experiences, I found that some courses “clicked” and others didn’t, and those that clicked I naturally enjoyed more. I took part in first and second year moots to see a bit more what the whole courtroom thing would be like. I attended lunch time seminars on various practice areas (law school is FULL of these – anything from medical malpractice to animal law – if you are interested in any area you can guarantee there will be an info session on it, usually with practitioners form that area, at some point during the year!) and I joined groups like the Environmental Law Group which connects you with like-minded students.

Long story short, if you expose yourself to these sorts of opportunities you will learn SOMETHING. You may not leave saying, “Yes, I’ve found my calling, labour law is for me!” but at the very least you will have narrowed the field, learning some things you like, and often importantly, areas you definitely don’t like.

Point two – most of us still don’t know anyway!

Having talked with many of my fellow 3L colleagues after their various summering experiences, a common thread was that most people had a slightly better idea of what they wanted to do with their degree, but were still far from certain. There are some students who truly do know exactly want they want to do by third year (or maybe well before that), and kudos to them for getting there, but it is totally normal not to know.

Even after summering at a full service firm and trying out a bunch of different areas of practice, I am not entirely certain. One goal I did have from the summer was to reach some conclusions on the litigator/solicitor choice. I’m leaning towards solicitor, but that’s about all I can tell you for now.

Point three – don’t stress about it, not knowing can be beneficial!

So why am I not freaking out trying to find out the answer to this question that has now been lingering over me for the past 3 plus years? Because I truly believe that not knowing is a good thing! Flexibility and remaining open to new opportunities allows you to learn more without pigeonholing yourself too early on in the process. Also, most lawyers I have met actually practice in multiple, often overlapping, practice areas. With the multidisciplinary nature of most legal problems, few lawyers actual specialize as exhaustively as I once thought.

I also think that many of our career decisions might end up coming down to the people we work with. I heard this a lot from lawyers as I went through recruitment. They often said, “I always thought I wanted to do X, but in the end I really enjoyed a group of people rather than a specific practice area”. Law can be an intense profession, so it makes sense that if you have a good team to work with, and enjoy going to work everyday, a practice area might just find you, rather than the other way around.

So for all of you thinking that a selling point of law school is how many different things you can do with your degree and the wide array of practice areas open to you – I can assure you, that is true! Law school does an awesome job of exposing you to these opportunities and the rest is up to you… but not to worry, there’s no rush 🙂

A couple of weeks ago I helped a UBC Law Ambassador lead a tour of a delegation of judges visiting from China. While preparing for the tour, I was able to learn much more about the architectural design of our building and how it is influenced by Aboriginal culture, paying tribute to the fact we are situated on Musqueam Territory. Here are just a few interesting things I learned:

The north-facing totem pole was crafted by Musqueam artist Brent Sparrow and is a replica depicting the Musqueam warrior, Capilano.

 The Musqueam word for “remember” is etched on the bench by the totem pole.

The pool on the north side of the building is known as the Reflection Pool. The area is surrounded by river grass, since the Musqueam are known as the People of the River Grass.

Needless to say, I was just as impressed as our overseas guests were with the cultural symbolism incorporated into the structural design here at our law school!

The first month or so of law school has been characterized by the unavoidable presence of two unwinnable social situations. The first is the difficulty of trying to convey an accurate sense of yourself via a couple of introductory exchanges with almost two hundred new classmates; the second is the impossible-to-answer, yet inevitable, question from non-law school friends: “so how is it so far?”

1L is very difficult to wrap up and concisely describe to someone who hasn’t been there firsthand. This isn’t a particularly elitist thing to say; it’s probably applicable to a lot of life situations. After all, which part of it most deserves to be shared? The material? The professors? The atmosphere, your classmates, the beautiful building, the social events, the extra-curricular activities, the firm networking events, the number of hours per week you’re spending reading?

Maybe I’m describing something through my inability to decide what merits description. The life of a law student is incredibly busy, and classroom hours and readings are only a part of it, though a substantial one. One of the most frequently given pieces of advice during orientation and the first weeks is that you can’t just study case law all the time; you can and will go crazy. The law faculty encourages involvement. Nearly everyone in my small group has signed up for LSLAP (Law Students’ Legal Advice Program) or Pro Bono work, as well as any number of sports teams and interest clubs, including the law faculty’s outdoors club, dodgeball team, and Wine Appreciation Club (it’s a thing). It’s been nice to realize that, yes, law students do have other interests. In fact, early on I made the rather pleasant discovery that rather than being ruthless and hypercompetitive semi-robots, law students are just regular people, like me, who decided to go to law school. I know this seems tautological, but to anyone who has ever made the mistake of checking out an online LSAT forum, the idea of several hundred of us all in one place can be terrifying. In fact, it’s just a gathering of interesting, well-educated and diverse people. I had conversations during O-Week about noteworthy court cases, but I also had a rather fascinating discussion concerning what on earth is going on with Miley these days. People are people, notwithstanding the fact that they decided to get a legal education.

My undergraduate program (a BA in philosophy) ran in trimesters; I took three classes at a time. Coming here, rather worryingly, I discovered that I was automatically enrolled in seven. So how is it so far? I like to think an unanswerable question will inevitably receive an incredibly unsatisfying answer, so I tend to reply “it’s a lot” or “it’s different.” And actually, both of these answers are really quite accurate. School here doesn’t come at you in small incremental doses; you’re expected to get used to the pace right away, and I think it’s a pleasant surprise to many to find it actually possible to do so. It’s a lot of hours and a lot of effort and bears little resemblance to any of my previous schooling, but after a bit of settling in these things are exciting rather than alarming, and hopefully will continue to be.

Thanks for reading!

In the summer before starting 2L, I was lucky enough to do quite a bit of traveling. One thing I was looking forward to in my travels was getting to use my law lens. I try to travel as much as I can and this was the first time I was doing so after 1L. I was curious as to whether the effects of studying law on how I perceive things would persist even when my mind was ‘on vacation’ during traveling. Of course, I couldn’t be sure beforehand because after all the law is jurisdictional, right? (My sense of humour may still be on vacation). In the spirit of legal reasoning, I will state the conclusion now so you don’t have to read the rest of the decision if you so choose: the effects of legal training do in fact cross borders.

I was struck by how I still saw legal issues everywhere, regardless of what country or continent I was in, and by how frequently I was reminded of something specific I had learned in law school. One instance occurred in a bout of jetlag that left me unable to sleep at what was 2 am in England and who knows what time/space continuum point for my circadian rhythm. I was listening to a radio show on my phone when one character happened to use the phrase ‘the most astute of you or the least un-astute’. Instead of laughing at the punch-line which followed, I immediately thought of how Chief Justice McLachlin had an issue with rephrasing the Smithers test from ‘not insignificant’ to ‘significant’. I recalled her discussion of how there is an important distinction between the phrase ‘I like him’, and ‘I don’t dislike him’, which I’m sure has been the subject of many an awkward Valentine’s day card. It’s safe to say the average listener probably didn’t have this reflexive response to what was a perfectly normal joke.

In the streets of Dublin I would see signs which had both Irish and English on them and automatically think, ‘Are they both constitutionally required to be there? I wonder if there is a leading case on this…Did someone litigate over how small the font of one language was? Is it up to the national government or the municipal government? Is the municipal government a creature of statute or does it have separate constitutional standing? Is that Guinness mug for sale?’ All these substantive legal questions trailed in my mind in one way or another during my trip.

I think the effects of legal training on the mind are similar regardless of the jurisdiction in which you study. At a friend’s house in Tehran, we were chatting about our respective fields, my friend’s being design and marketing, and he said something that really intrigued me. He told me about a good friend of his who had just started her legal career in litigation. He said he was so impressed with the way she saw real world problems and came up with a strategy for solving them and carried through in a very efficient manner. He had noticed her tendency for the organized anticipation of issues which helped her navigate the world around her. ‘She goes from court to court and case to case all over Tehran, and she is so confident.’ It was reassuring to think the mental discipline, focus and confidence that we strive to build while students of the law will shape our characters in lasting ways. So, while it may be strange for BBC radio shows and street signs to trigger thoughts of SCC decisions, it is but a by-product of a far greater training our minds are undergoing. And for those who did read beyond the ratio at the top, I will quell your undoubtedly fervent anticipation by making the following finding of fact: the mug was sadly not on sale.

Last Friday evening I received a telephone call from a friend, let’s call him John Smith (very original). John explained to me hurriedly that his friend needed some legal advice on what appeared to be a contracts issue. John described the situation briefly, and asked, “What do you think?”

My mind quickly raced through what I learned in first year contracts, files I’ve dealt with as part of the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program (LSLAP), and then, I reeled a little.

Hold on. Why on earth would anyone be asking me for legal advice? Do people really think I know the law on any given issue because I’ve completed one year of law school? I’m definitely not in any position to give legal advice yet. And anyway, law students are not allowed to provide legal advice.

There are a lot of reasons why I think law students should not give legal advice (unless there is supervision by a lawyer, which is why programs like the LSLAP and Pro Bono Students Canada exist). Here are a few off the top of my head: students may not know how much they do not know. While an issue might seem straightforward, there may be a lot of additional considerations. Laws can change everyday. Also, remember that law students still have to article after they have graduated from law school, and write a bar exam, before they would even be considered a junior lawyer. The legal profession is a practice and a continual learning process. There is a steep learning curve for a reason, because the law can be deceptively complex.

You will find that sometimes, as a law student, friends/family/acquaintances will come to you with legal questions. This isn’t strange. Having studied economics and commerce in undergrad, I remember receiving questions about investment strategies. Which I was in no position to provide (although I’d happily draw out supply and demand curves).

When approached with legal issues, which may even seem startlingly similar to what you’ve read in textbook examples or fact patterns, you might be tempted to explain what you know. Mindful that there may be a desire to be helpful, I still encourage you to refrain from doing so. Instead, I refer people to the Lawyer Referral Service run by the Canadian Bar Association (where individuals can get half-an-hour of time with an actual lawyer for just $25.00), and tell them that in all honesty, I will probably do more harm than good by trying to help them.

This is what I told John.

Thanks for reading 🙂

My fellow blogger, Beverly Ma, and myself wanted to do something a bit different for our next posts. We decided to ask each other some fun, and hopefully informative, questions about law school and the life of a law student. As evidenced by her previous posts, Bev is a not only smart and very helpful but also involved in the UBC Law and broader community, so don’t miss her take on first year law and beyond.

Q: What is the best or worse piece of advice you received while in law school?

A: As a law student, you will find that you will be gifted with advice from lawyers, upper year students, professors, all the time. Heck, my blog posts are kind of like advice. It’s a little obvious, but do think twice before you apply or discard advice!

Worst Advice: December exams don’t count so you don’t have to try.

This is wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. December exams CAN count. In the 2012-2013 academic year, they could have been worth a quarter of one’s final mark, if the final exam mark was below the December exam mark. I found that studying for December exams helped to reduce the amount of reviewing I had to do when it came to cumulative final exams. Work can snowball really easily in law school, so take every opportunity you can to learn the material and you will thank yourself later on.

Best Advice: The legal profession is a people business. Get to know people.

The things I’ve learned simply by having walked up to a lawyer or an upper year student and talking to them always surprise me. I love having the opportunity to talk to lawyers about their practice, upper year students about their courses of choice, and professors about their opinions. There are kinds of nuanced information you really can’t get from a website or pamphlet – I don’t think there’s a substitute for getting to know people, especially in person.

Q: How did you narrow your interests when in law school?

A: I’m not sure if I have completely narrowed my interests. The problem is my interest in different areas of law is a function of what I find interesting. To a certain extent, I find everything interesting. I think that a good way to go about narrowing your interests would be to talk to people! Talk to professors, talk to lawyers (practicing in different fields), and other students. This can really help you shape your interests. Another great way is to get involved in legal work in any capacity in a field of law you are curious about in a paid or volunteer capacity.

Q: What did you do besides school during the school year?

A: Law classes really did make up a huge part of my life during the school-year because I really tried to keep up with my readings and assignments. Outside of classes, I volunteered, mostly around the law school community. For example, I was a Clinician with the Law Students Legal Advice Program in Chinatown. I also tried to volunteer outside of law school with the Centre for African Affairs and Global Peace. I worked part-time as a Peer Tutor with Access and Diversity. I’m not going to lie: my social life was almost nonexistent. I found volunteering and working really helped to distance myself from the stresses of law school though.

Q: Where do you like to study?

A: I really liked getting away from Allard Hall for most of my studying, even though it is a beautiful building. I prefer a quiet space, and I did most of my studying in my room, with lots of snacks. I also loved going to the Riddington Room inside the Irving K. Barber Library, an undergraduate favorite and fondly referred to as the Harry Potter Room. Coffee shops don’t work out that well for me because I can get too distracted with people-watching.

Q: How do you de-stress?

A: I bake or cook to de-stress (and if you need to eat anyways, it kills two birds with one stone). There’s nothing like kneading dough when you’re frustrated with readings.

Q: What are 3 things you need to survive at law school or in Vancouver?

A: Oh boy.

1.    An umbrella: I almost always have an umbrella. I almost always have a spare in my locker too, which I am happy to lend out.

2.    Rain boots: Wearing damp socks is possibly one of the worst things in the world.

3.    A laptop: Seriously. Professors talk fast and Condensed Annotated Notes need to be formatted. I type much faster than I write, so I found a laptop helpful for law school exams. As a commuter, I also recommend a lightweight laptop.

Q: Favorite food/restaurant in Vancouver?

A: I eat too much. I think my favorite cuisine is Mediterranean followed by Chinese. One of my favorite Greek restaurants is Kisamos in Stevenson – it’s a little out of the way relative to UBC though. One of my favorite Chinese restaurants is Long’s Noodle House. It’s a hole-in-the-wall without the best customer service, but they make delicious food! I love sweets of course, and I highly recommend a cup of classic hot chocolate from Thomas Haas or a Marbelous cookie from Blue Chip Cookies (right on campus!).

You may recognize Negar from her fantastic blog posts here! Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Negar to get her two cents on law school and life as a law student in general. This was so much fun – Negar has such a great sense of humour, and great perspective. You should definitely read on!

Q: What is the best or worse piece of advice you received while in law school?

A: Lawyers give advice because it’s their job. Law students give advice because they can. And because they frankly love it. (Some of them even write blogs full of it). So I’ve been given a literally immeasurable amount of advice.

Best Advice: Learn how to manage your time.

Law school is a demanding endeavour: lots of academic work plus a ton of extracurricular opportunities and events. And your life and its obligations don’t magically stop when you start law school. So, managing your time and prioritizing your goals is key.

Worst Advice: You don’t need to do readings until second term.

Worst. Advice. Ever. Do your readings and prepare well for December exams. You will most definitely be glad you did when April rolls around.

Q: What did you think was the most challenging aspect of law school?

A: Training my mind to think in a legal way. Regardless of your background– sciences, humanities, arts, business—your mind has probably been trained to see problems and think about them in a particular way. Like any other field, the law has its own set of tools and ways of thinking which a law student must learn, and it takes time and effort. I should mention while this was challenging, it was by far the most interesting and enjoyable aspect of law school for me.

Q: What surprised you most about law school or the legal profession?

A: The variety of work that lawyers do surprised me. I have no lawyers in my family, and previous to my decision to attend law school, I didn’t know many personally. When I started to meet lawyers as part of my decision making process to attend law school and then throughout first year, I was always surprised by the variety of work they do.

Q: Where do you like to study?

A: I love studying at home because I have easy access to tea and blankets, and of course Allard Hall is an immaculate study space. But UBC is a treasure trove of study spaces. I like Keorner Library stacks for focused, uber-quiet studying, Buchanan Cafe, the Rose Garden for reading on sunny days, the Scarfe building, and the Starbucks on the Engineering side of campus.

Q: What’s your favorite food/restaurant in Vancouver?

I love food! Persian food has to take the number one spot on the favourite list. But the list is very long. Some old and new favourite restaurants are East is East, Hy’s Steakhouse, Hakhamanesh, Abattoir, Sandbar, Sushi Town and True Confections.

Q: What are 3 things you need to survive at law school or in Vancouver?

Law school: my laptop,  my calendar (both planner and smartphone versions), caffeine.

Vancouver: my umbrella, sushi, my car.

Q: Words of wisdom?

Take every piece of advice with at least a grain but preferably a half-pound of salt.

After one full day of firm tours, I thought it might be helpful to blog about my tips for those students who are going to be heading off on firm tours over the next couple of weeks. Some of these tips may seem obvious, but I hope they are helpful nonetheless.

1. Do your research for the firms that will be a part of your tour. Get a sense of the firm and bring questions with you. There will be partners, associates, articling/summer students from firms, and you will get the most out of the tour if you have questions to ask them. In general, I think that any question that can be answered from reading a website is not one I want to be asking someone at the firm.
2. Bring paper and a pen so you can take notes as you go along. This is a great idea because you can jot down names and any important information mentioned. You will be going on a whirlwind tour, so it’s safer not to rely on memory. I hadn’t thought of this beforehand, and I ended up taking quick notes on my phone in the elevator after each tour. I would have preferred to write the information down as I was going on the tour.
3. Wear comfortable shoes. You will be on your feet a lot as you go around the firms, travel to each firm, and network. Let me tell you, nothing is worse than trying to focus on holding a conversation while your feet are aching.
4. Bring a roomy bag to store swag. Firms are generous and will be providing you with lots of informational handouts, folders, water bottles, mugs, pens … you name it! It’s nice to have a place to store your swag, just so that you aren’t holding onto a mountain of things as you travel between firms.
5. Bring an umbrella. It’s Vancouver after all. If it begins to rain, you will get drenched as you are walking to firms. It’s very uncomfortable to be in a soaked suit when you are trying to look and feel presentable.
6. Take a business card if one is offered. Business cards will help you keep track of the people you have met.
7. Send a Thank You email. Remember that the firms are taking time to host you, provide you with refreshments, and arrange for their lawyers and students to speak with you. The least you can do is remember to thank them.

Note: If you were just wondering about whether or not to go on firm tours, I would definitely recommend them! UBC CSO organizes Vancouver Large Firm Tours for 2L/3L/LLM.CL students early in the summer. Spots are limited, so if presented with the opportunity I encourage you to register early to secure a spot.

Thanks for reading!

 It’s an interesting time to be a law student in New Zealand. This   year,  between February and July, there is an ongoing ‘conversation’ occurring regarding New Zealand’s constitution. I had the pleasure of attending a panel that featured speakers from the Constitutional Advisory Panel, practicing lawyers, and some of my own professors from right here at the  University of Canterbury. Many audience members took park in expressing their views about New Zealand’s Future.

New Zealand is one of just a few countries that doesn’t have a written constitution, and right now, that’s under review. The review process, sparked by an agreement between New Zealand’s National and Maori parties, is hugely collaborative. Submissions are being sought from everyone across New Zealand on whether they’d like to see constitutional reform, and what shape a written constitution could take. The ‘conversation’ has been made accessible to New Zealanders through a variety of panels, public meetings, and online.

Among the main issues for review are:

1. The pros and cons of having the constitution written down in a single document.
2. The role of the Bill of Rights Act 1990 in the constitution.
3. The role of the Treaty of Waitangi in the constitution.
4. Māori representation in local and national government.
5. Electoral issues such as the size of Parliament and the length of term.

For a country that, in my opinion, is quite similarly thinking to Canada, the constitution is starkly different from ours. Not only is there no one written document (which mirrors the British model), but there is a lack of constitutional clarity on indigenous issues, human rights, and the role of the judiciary in declaring laws to be inconsistent with the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights Act 1990 closely mirrors the Bill of Rights that was Canada’s primary human rights document prior to the Charter. It is quite a weak rights document comparatively; the New Zealand judiciary has little power to strike down laws that are inconsistent with the Bill of Rights. A major question for New Zealand will be whether to address this, or to leave the status quo.

Currently New Zealand has an immensely powerful parliament, with little check to their power. I believe it was Prime Minister Robert Muldoon once said that if he thought of a piece of legislation he wanted to pass at breakfast, it could be law by lunchtime. New Zealand has no upper house, and no formal constitutional supremacy, meaning that Parliament can by and large do what it wants.

An interesting difference between New Zealand and Canada is the term of Parliament. In New Zealand, this is 3 years, which is interesting given that the electoral system is mixed-member proportional representation. The result of an ‘MMP’ system is that there are more parties represented in the house, and thus there is more collaboration between parties. Some have pointed out that this collaborative system is somewhat slow moving, and that a longer term is warranted.

The Treaty of Waitangi is perhaps the most controversial issue amongst all of these constitutional questions. It was signed between Māori and Pākehā (the term given to New Zealanders of European origin) in 1840. It is considered to be New Zealand’s founding document, and thus is likely part of New Zealand’s constitutional framework. However, the English and Māori texts of the treaty were quite different. There has been much litigation and legislation surrounding the Treaty, but with little resolution as to its true force and power.

This ‘conversation’ will offer New Zealanders the chance to express themselves, offer their views, and to educate themselves on their constitution. While the conversation may not lead to any true reforms, it seems like it is a fantastic exercise for a country to come together, to discuss their identity, and to forge a path to a common future. 

The website is worth checking out. It’s amazing how accessible this review is to ordinary New Zealanders, and the efforts that have been made to get input from everyone.

The cover of a brochure about ‘The Constitution Conversation’.

Graduating student Andrew Guaglio is a recipient of the 2012/2013 Premier Undergraduate Scholarship and Wesbrook Scholarship. Thirteen students across the university were selected this year for what is UBC’s most prestigious student award. The award is given to a senior student with outstanding records in the areas of academics, participation in sports, leadership, and involvement in student and community activities. We asked Andrew a few questions about his achievements and experience at UBC Law.

What were some of your extra-curricular activities during law school?

While in law school, I tried to get involved in as many activities as possible, especially those with either a public interest or criminal law focus. My primary involvement was with Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, a non-profit organization that promotes human rights and the rule of law by providing support internationally to human rights defenders in danger. I began with LRWC as a volunteer researcher and later took a position as Assistant to the Executive Director from the end of 1L until graduation.

In addition to working with LRWC, I volunteered with the UBC Law Students’ Legal Advice Program as a clinician and then clinic head of the Immigration and Refugee clinic, worked as a research assistant for Mary T. Ainslie, Q.C., senior Crown counsel with Vancouver’s Criminal Appeals and Special Prosecutions office, participated as a student caseworker with the UBC Law Innocence Project, worked as a summer articling student with the firm Peck and Company, and was a member of the 2012-2013 Gale Cup Moot team. After finishing as a student caseworker with the Innocence Project, I continued working on the research and writing that I began with the Project and have been preparing two papers to submit for publication.

Why did you choose to go to law school?

I came to law school in order to pursue a career in criminal law. My general fascination with the subject has been fueled by my long-standing interest in the issue of wrongful convictions and my desire to develop the expertise required to both prevent and correct these injustices. I also came to UBC Law with a view to eventually working as a litigator in the International Criminal Court. I hope to actively participate in the continuing development of the international criminal justice system.

How did you juggle school and other activities?

I juggled school and other activities by being organized and over-caffeinated, the latter likely being the critical factor.

What are your plans for after graduation?

After graduation, I will article with the firm Peck and Company. I am also serving on the Board of Directors for Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada from 2013 to 2014. From 2014 to 2015, I will clerk with the British Columbia Court of Appeal.

Can you describe your law school experience?

My law school experience has been many things, but mostly it has been thought-provoking, empowering, and rewarding (the phrase “stressful at times” might appropriately follow shortly thereafter). I have learned so much in my three years of law school, largely due to the tremendous number of opportunities that were placed before me and the phenomenal instructors in the law faculty. I considered myself truly fortunate to have had the chance to attend UBC Law.