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A THREAD: If you’re a law school prof/administrator, I’ve been thinking about something to consider as you mentor/teach first-gen or BIPOC students interested in clerkships, but also applicable to law school generally....(s/o to @WalterGarcia231 for letting me rant on FT) —
I just went through the clerkship process. I had very little support from my parents during this process, and it wasn’t because they didn’t support me. To be clear, no one is a bigger supporter of my usual antics than my parents. NO ONE TOPS TINA AND DEREK. PERIOD.
They just had NO idea what I was doing, & why I would want to do something other than take a job already offered. The same thing applies across law school - what journal is/why it takes up so much time, what OCI is, why the first year of grades as so determinative, etc.
So, not only am I trying to figure all this stuff out myself, constantly admist imposter syndrome, but I’m also having to explain it all back to my parents while doing it all. and this is where professors and mentors can be useful.
We hear a lot that we are unlikely to achieve something for xyz reason (grades, prestige etc), and we don’t have our family there to tell us we will be okay and push through. But it’s useful when we have someone in the “system” that not only believes in us but supports us.
This is a long way to say: if you hear a student unsure about whether or not they should pursue something:
1.PROACTIVELY reach out to them and
2. Believe in them & TELL them you believe in them
3. Ask if they would like to talk about it
4. Check on them over time
5. REPEAT.
1.PROACTIVELY reach out to them and
2. Believe in them & TELL them you believe in them
3. Ask if they would like to talk about it
4. Check on them over time
5. REPEAT.
If it is something that’s “prestigious” you don’t need to tell them it’ll be an uphill battle - believe me, we know. Just tell them you’ll be there to support them however you can through the process.
This is the minimum, tbh. You could even *gasp* reach out to students before you know they’re interested just to get it on their radar. B/c now that usually BIPOC 2Ls and 3Ls are doing this work for their younger classmates because it’s not coming from faculty enough. 
So that’s one (free, b/c $ is important to y’all) way to reduce the burden of students of color that do unpaid labor for y’all and students of color generally. 
Happy Wednesday.
Happy Wednesday.
And s/o to the few faculty that supported me through the clerkship process/school generally cause I swear I try to quit 8 times a year. But every student should have that support.
and a special tweet for @mckaylarstokes who is literally responsible for getting me through the clerkship application finish line at multiple points throughout that process and law school generally. She has heard “i quit” come out my mouth too many times. 
Ending this thread with a picture of my parents who are LITERALLY my biggest law school cheerleaders....but also almost certainly love their granddog more than me.
