Today in the Law School Insider we explore the process of getting past your fear to find success in law school.
To do this, I had the pleasure of speaking with Super Lawyer, Ms. Sharon Hanlon of Hanlon and Associates of Naples, Florida. Sharon is a graduate of Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and focusses her practice in areas of personal injury.
In speaking with Ms. Hanlon you first notice the passion that she has for the profession and for what she does.
The path to law school for Ms. Hanlon was a bit different than some. She had been working professionally for some years prior to law school and in the work that she was doing she found that the law kept intersecting with what she hoped for her future. When her husband was thus working on his terminal degree she took the chance also to further her own education.
When looking at law schools she remembered that she was looking for a school where professors had practical experience in the legal profession. She stated that "you want to have someone that can talk from the trenches and are not teaching just because they are an academic."
Sharon also mentioned that it was also important for her to have small class sizes, hands on learning and professors that knew her by name and she found all of this by attending Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.
One of the things that she found to be extremely helpful when she was in law school was to get a job with a law-related entity as this provided her the ability to get a "leg up" on her eventual career.
Throughout her legal education and even into her law career there have been numerous times where fear has invaded her life. Fear of not passing classes, fear of not performing in a courtroom. Through this, Ms, Hanlon came to find that "you cannot let fear drive you in law school or your career. Sometimes you even have to go with your gut and go with it when you are putting your knowledge to the test."
To battle this fear Ms. Hanlon shared three ways to take the fear out of law school. These included:
- Always be prepared and practice the 5 P's - Proper Preparation Produces Peak Performance
- Get a mentor
- Get involved in the community (both the legal and local community)
When I asked Ms. Hanlon about tips on finding a mentor, she mentioned that you have to be proactive and not wait for people to come to you. Go and talk to them and ask them for their guidance!
Did you like this interview? Leave a comment below to let me know!
Are you a practicing lawyer? A law student? Would you like to be a guest on an upcoming episode of the Law School Insider? Send me an email at lawschoolinsider@cooley.edu