Real Stories
“Law always felt natural to who I am.”
Anne
Law Professional
Justice
My Progress
My Story
Law always felt natural and authentic to who I am. Even when I was young, I was interested in traveling, exploring different places, and working cross-culturally. In high school, I went on a trip to Central America, where I became attuned to social justice issues surrounding immigration and international human rights. When I returned home, I volunteered locally at an organization that served and worked with recent immigrants from many of the same communities.
Those experiences led to where I am today. First, after graduating from college, I stayed in my college town to work as a policy advisor for a new progressive mayor. Today, I work as a strategist for an international humanitarian aid NGO that serves displaced people all over the world. These efforts have served as my North Star.
What was the most important factor or experience that made you decide to pursue a legal education?
It crystallized when I did an internship in college with an organization that provides free legal services to LGBTQ+ asylum seekers. There, I shadowed attorneys and saw how they navigated very complex legal systems and built strong personal connections with clients to advocate for them. It was very inspiring. At the same time, I saw how broken the policy landscape was. People who'd fled violence were now subjected to detention facilities and had to prove their sexuality and persecution in a complex process. They were faced with a different kind of traumatic experience. It felt like the law could be very constrictive. I wanted to learn how to use the law and also expand it to make it work better for people.
In your opinion, what skills are most important to being successful in the legal profession?
Empathy and strong analytical skills are important, which is one of the reasons why I’m excited about this path. I like getting in the weeds and thinking outside the box for solutions to complex problems. The analytical rigor is exciting. But it’s also about how well you can communicate, build networks, and use evidence in a way that's compelling and persuasive.
Why do you believe law is important in our society?
Law, to me, is a very powerful tool for ensuring everybody gets the rights they are entitled to, as they are written. Beyond that, it’s about expanding how they are written to ensure justice for those who are most marginalized.
What would be your advice to someone getting ready for the LSAT?
I used Khan Academy, which is a nonprofit educational organization that offers, through its collaboration with LSAC, practice exercises and tests featuring authentic LSAT questions. It was extremely beneficial to have an intuitive, user-friendly online platform tool like that readily available to help me study and prepare. I also took advantage of LSAC’s online practice exams. I advise taking as many full-length practice exams as possible so you can get used to how the test looks, its style of questions, and how long it takes to complete, ensuring you’re not surprised when the real test is administered. I also think it’s important to master a methodology or strategy for mapping out the test’s logic games.