Being a first-generation law student is reading your first case and having to Google the term “stare decisis” — and then Googling it again every time it comes up for the next month.
Being a first-generation law student is walking into your first classes with no idea of what the next hour-and-a-half is going to look like.
Being a first-generation law student is hearing everyone tell you to “outline” and having no idea what that means or the value that it holds.
That is why we started the First-Generation Lawyers Coalition.
First-generation students — those who are the first in their families to go to college and whose families have no legal background — are walking into law school at a disadvantage. We have the power of Google, but that is nothing in comparison to the knowledge of friends and family members who have gone through these experiences.
Peers who come from law backgrounds often already know the law school vernacular that first-generation students must learn. They have a support system of people who understand what they are experiencing.
We started the First-Generation Lawyers Coalition to bridge the gap and to show that first-generation students are just as capable as our peers. Despite the fact that we largely face a steeper learning curve, we must juggle learning the importance of joining a journal, when to start our job search, how to create our legal network, and how to handle the typical law school workload.
In March of our first year, we had the pleasure of hosting Pathways to Success, a networking event, with Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu as our keynote speaker. Her experiences as a first-generation student and the wisdom she brings held immense value. She showed attendees that being first-generation is one aspect of who you are that defines you, but it does not have to stop you.
Being a first-generation law student, for many, means identifying with another underrepresented group, broadening the perspectives that we bring.
Being a first-generation law student is learning as much as possible prior to your first classes in the hopes of being prepared.
Being a first-generation law student is facing the unknown and embracing it.
Rising 3L Sydney Smythe is the incoming president of the First-Gen Lawyers Coalition.