Black Law Student Discussion Board

[Why are the Newbies scared to speak up?]

Why are the Newbies scared to speak up?

They prefer to Lurk.

 16 (34.8%)

They're not, they're just on another website.

 4 (8.7%)

The Board is too cliquish.

 10 (21.7%)

There's nothing interesting to talk about.

 2 (4.3%)

There's nobody interesting to talk to.

 2 (4.3%)

Not enough Board moderation.

 4 (8.7%)

Newbies?  What Newbies?

 8 (17.4%)

Total Members Voted: 46

[Burning Sands, Esq.]

Hi everybody-I'm curious how everyone deals with the race issue/racism in law school? I am a resident of Iowa and have been my entire life so I'm no stranger to racism or being the only minority at school or work. However the ignorance and racism on this site and some other sites is off the charts.Today, I let my emotions get the best of me. I did apologize for my behavior but I was wondering if the attitudes in school are similar to the attitudes displayed on this board?If so, how do you deal?

You're absolutely right that this is an issue. 

I went to a fairly diverse school (diverse by law school standards anyway) on the east coast and we STILL had racial issues/resentments between students so I've come to the conclusion that its just life no matter what school you go to in America.  But there's something about the dog-eat-dog environment of law school that brings out the worst in people.  It takes somebody who may ordinarily have no issues with minorities or affirmative action and then convinces them that in order to get ahead they must take issue with minorities and affirmative action, which unfortunately many students succumb to.

My advice first and foremost is to apply to schools with at least SOME minority population.  It doesn't have to be an HBCU but it certainly helped to have at least 4 or 5 other Black students in my Criminal Procedure class, for example, when the question was posed to the room whether minorities are naturally prone to crime, or in Constitutional law when the subject of affirmative action in state schools came up.

Beyond that, deal with racism the same way in law school that you would deal with it in any other setting - pull the perpetrator aside if you can, voice your concerns, try to make it a building moment if possible.  If not, so be it but state your piece and make it known that overt racism in the classroom will not be tolerated.  If they wanna talk junk on their own private time in a corner somewhere among like-minded classmates then they're more than welcome to do so but there's no place for that in the classroom, and 9 times out of 10 any decent law professor is not going to allow it in the first place.

But I've found the most effective way to "get back" at the Archie Bunkers of law school is to be the best possible law student you can be.  See how quickly their jaw hits the floor when you make law review, moot court or order of the coif.

[Burning Sands, Esq.]

Just joined this website, thought I'd take a look at this blog.

First and foremost is great to see brothers and sisters using the internet to network. Second, it's even better to see theirs fellow NUPES on here. YO YO!!! 

Just a general question for all and anyone willing to answer: I am a recent graduate and examinee of the California Bar. California is absolutely saturated with attorneys. Given this fact in conjunction with the fact that CA has been hit really hard by the recession, their is a strikingly small window of opportunity for "baby attorneys" such as myself. I'm considering relocating (which means I'll unfortunately have to take another bar), does anyone have any suggestions as to which states would be a good place to relocate to?

Thanks.

YO YO, Nupe!  Good to see another Henry T. Asher in the making.

As far as the bar exam/relocation question, man that's tough.  I don't think there is any state in the U.S. that hasnt' been affected by the recession.  I'm in New York and we got hit crazy hard.   Same for DC. 

I would say 3 things:

#1 - things are (slowly) beginning to uptick in the legal profession, so if there's anything you can do in the meanwhile (doc review, temp associate, whatever) to keep the lights on then it may allow you to stick around until a job opens up in CA.

#2 - assuming that no jobs will open up in CA ever, then search other market listings on ladders, NBA, ABA, etc.  I'm starting to see more and more listings, even out here in NY.  So hopefully you can find something in another market if CA is just not producing.

#3 - if possible, look in states that give reciprocity for your CA bar license.  Each state is different and has its own rules about how many years you have to have under your belt, which states can wave in, which states can't, etc.

Good luck.

[EliHBCU]

Hey everyone! A friend of mine just started an online law journal that publishes student work. If anyone in here is interesting in publishing a note or legal article, you should check out the website!!

TheStudentAppeal.com