3L Fall in Review
Well, we did it! That’s a wrap on 3L fall 💪💪💪💪
I’ve only got one semester left (plus a 3-week January term) until I’m a full blown Juris Doctor. Absolutely WIIIIIIIIILD.
All in all, this term was one for the books. Like many others, it was my first time in a classroom since March of 2020; unlike others, I was pretty indifferent to the return. I loved seeing my friends again, and doing clinical work in person was great, but I really didn’t mind Zoom School of Law. Honestly, my favorite part of returning to campus might have been wearing real clothes.
I’m super lucky that COVID was more of a vague concern than a true worry for both me and my family. After getting vaccinated and boosted (Moderna crew!), wearing masks indoors, and taking weekly tests, I felt pretty comfortable with “the new normal” at school. But like many institutions, Harvard is returning to virtual academics in January - hopefully ONLY for January, but we’ll see.
The biggest “thing” about 3L fall was my immersion in the Massachusetts criminal legal system. This semester held a lot of ‘firsts’ for me: first time in a correctional facility, appearing in court, representing someone, drafting a motion, filing and arguing said motion before a judge, forming a full-on trial strategy…the list goes on. I became pretty comfortable living in a state of constant discomfort and anticipate spring semester will be more of the same!
Overall, criminal defense has turned out to be a complicated love-hate relationship. First, the things I loved: getting to know my clients, hearing their stories, and having the privilege of going to bat for them with DAs and judges was easily #1. Small victories in court - things as simple as conducting a hearing without looking like a complete novice - fed my confidence, and there is NOTHING better than formulating and communicating a new thought/strategy that makes someone else go “yea, I get it - I think that’ll work.”
But there were also things I totally hated (to be honest, I’d worry about my humanity if I didn’t have any dislikes regarding this work!). My inexperience in the courtroom is one; I’m not sure why I expected to just magically know the intricacies of court proceedings but I did, and failing to operate like a seasoned pro was very frustrating. Do I understand how silly that sounds? Absolutely. But here we are! Each court appearance, phone call, and email relieves the imposter syndrome a bit - in fact, I hope to give off “seasoned pro” vibes by graduation. Naturally.
The other thing I hate is the absolute soul-crushing nature of our criminal legal system. That might sound dramatic but I can’t count the number of times I was disappointed by someone reducing my client to the offense charged on paper; failing to appreciate personal growth and progress; doing careless work when ‘preparing’ for court; treating me or my client with disrespect; or just not caring how they negatively impacted the person across the aisle. I saw firsthand what little space our criminal legal system leaves for humanity or grace, for a variety of reasons, and trying to force the system to care remains an endlessly exhausting task.
Anyway.
Of my five law school semesters, this is easily the one where I experienced the most personal growth. I think it even tops that first hellish semester of 1L, where my legal knowledge went from literal 0 to 100 in about three weeks. I feel more “myself” than ever before, secure in the work I’ve chosen to pursue and my own abilities to do that work successfully. For the first time, I feel like I MIGHT be ready to exist in the real world come May 26…but we’ll see if spring semester has anything to say about that!
