Understand Your Rights. Solve Your Legal Problems
Every student who wants to be a future lawyer must be carefully and exquisitely refined in mind, body, and spirit if they want to emerge as the best in their professions.
According to Aristotle, law is reason, and it should be free from passion. It is a more formal way of saying that rules are rules, no matter how much it brings you joy or extreme sadness. We must follow the rule of law if we are to maintain order.
The legal profession has numerous branches similar to an old oak tree ranging from Family to Trade and Commerce. Now that you have successfully attended law school and it seems that the road is laid out and the destination is brighter, here are three tips on choosing your legal specialty.
Most people already have an idea what kind of attorney they want to be even before going to law school. They probably live in an area where there are a lot of divorce attorneys, thus the career of being one seems to be the right move.
However, if there are already too many divorce attorneys and not enough divorces, then you might end up moving elsewhere.
Therefore it is important to know the needs of your area or the area that you’re planning to move to. Seek out a common legal issue with a few attorneys and you might just find something that would suit you practically. Are they dealing with personal injuries such as those acquired from accidents or medical malpractice such as perforated bowel negligence? Or do they deal more with workplace issues?
Any law student would come across three broad areas during law school, and it is important to know with which their skill set seems to fit more naturally. The three kinds of lawyers according to those areas are as follows:
Just by reading the descriptions, you would immediately know that each has very specific demands. You or any lawyer for that matter should really be aware of what you are capable of and passionate about before you take on any path. Make an honest self-assessment before making your decision.
Long-term goals are important for every lawyer. For better or for worse, the area that you begin will greatly define the path that you are about to take for the most part of your life so you better choose wisely. As you become more invested in the pursuit of that goal, your world changes; so do your environment, experiences, and relationships. Hence, you must really be sure if that kind of picture is the one that you envision for yourself.
Dura lex, sed lex. Being a lawyer involves dealing with a lot of facts, no matter how harsh, disturbing, or absurd they are. Each legal area has their own ways of appreciating facts and assigning a value to them. Corporate lawyers, for example, glorify hard money matters and enforce contracts to the letter. Family lawyers, for their part, might have more leeway for emotions. And they can’t just cross over. Specialization necessitates that you just stay in one specific place for a long time. Choosing that place, therefore, must not be done in haste.
For those that are often left wondering what it will be like to become a paralegal, lawyer or firm director, Francine Ryan, Senior Lecturer in Law and member of the Open Justice Centre at The Open University, takes a look at the ins and outs of law firm life, what it’s like to really work at a law firm and what exactly we can look forward to and be prepared for.
Also, be sure to click the sub-headers for a more fun reading experience.
The legal profession offers a wide range of job opportunities in private practice, in-house, and government institutions providing a variety of different places to work. One size doesn’t fit all: it is hard to generalise about what it is really like working for a law firm because it depends on the size of firm and the type of law practised, but here a few things to think about when considering where you would like to work.
According to Chambers Students trainees at large city law firms earn in excess of £40,000 and can look forward to a qualification salary of around £100,000, but the reality is very different if you are working in a high street practice outside of London. The area of law you qualify in and the type of clients you advise will determine your salary prospects, for example, a family lawyer working for high value clients will earn considerably more than a legal aid family practitioner. Considerable variation exists in how much you can expect to earn working as a lawyer, it depends on the type of law firm, the area of law and whereabouts in the country you practice. It is important to do your research, so you know what your future salary prospects are.
The area of law you qualify in and the type of clients you advise will determine your salary prospects, for example, a family lawyer working for high value clients will earn considerably more than a legal aid family practitioner.
Defining culture is not straightforward but it comprises of the values, ideas, behaviours and assumptions shared by a group of people, it influences everything inside a law firm. A positive workplace culture can determine how much you enjoy your job. It is important not to underestimate the impact the environment you work in has on your happiness and wellbeing. In 2018, TARGETjobs asked trainee solicitors to rate their firm’s culture on a variety of different measures, including working hours, culture, training and diversity. It is hard to generalise, but law is a competitive profession, target driven and that can negatively impact on culture. A good working environment depends a lot on the people you work with and the management philosophy of the firm. A good indication of a happy place to work is high staff retention, if people are happy where they are, they tend to stay. If work life balance and flexible working arrangements are important to you, think carefully about the type of firm and area of law most likely to offer that.
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A typical working day depends very much on the type of law firm you work for. Large law firms expect their lawyers to work long and often unsociable hours in return for paying high salaries, but even in smaller firms, evening and weekend work isn’t uncommon. If you are a criminal lawyer, you will be expected to advise a client at a police station at anytime of the day or night. Growing competition for legal work and changing client expectations means that law firms have to be available to clients outside of normal working hours. Firms expect their lawyers to meet financial and chargeable hours targets, those targets mean the traditional ‘nine to five’ working day does not apply to most lawyers.
Law firms are often high- pressure environments, you are working to tight deadlines, and there is an expectation to get it right. An important skill to learn is how to keep a level head and handle pressure. To successfully work in a law firm, you need to practice staying calm and staying focused on what needs to be done. If you have the opportunity to work in a law clinic at university or volunteer at Citizens Advice or Support Through Court this will really help you to learn how to respond to difficult situations and handle pressure in the workplace.
The reality of working at a law firm depends on where you work and the law you practice, legal work is complex and offers the opportunity to work in an intellectually challenging environment that often is well paid and rewarding. Make sure you do your research, think carefully about the area of law that is most suited to your personality and the type of firm where you will flourish, speak to other people to get an insight into what it is really like working for a law firm.
As a result, the term ‘digital lawyering’, commonly used to mean the incorporation of these new technologies into legal practice, is becoming used far more frequently.
Below Emma Jones, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Sheffield, explains the importance for law students to have an insight into what this means both for the profession and for themselves.
For students who want to enter into legal practice, it is important that they are aware of the changes these technologies are bringing to the roles that are available. For example, if thinking of specialising in wills and probate it is important to be aware that automated document assembly using decision-trees or similar systems is taking the place of much of the physical will drafting that used to be required.
Such changes also mean that the types of legal services clients are looking for will continue to evolve. It may be clients will seek to unbundle the legal services they use, for example a company may buy-in assistance with certain elements of a matter whilst handling other matters in-house. Law firms are likely to put increasing pressure on their employees to provide clients with high quality, personalised client care, to ensure they can attract and retain sufficient clients to remain profitable.
Of course, the growth of technology also opens up new opportunities and areas of law, with clients requiring advice and assistance on regulations governing the use of technology and associated issues such as privacy and intellectual property protection. The shape of the legal profession itself is also changing, with roles such as that of a legal knowledge engineer, facilitating the development of legal tech tools, becoming more frequently advertised. This provides lawyers with opportunities to learn new skills, collaborate with people from different backgrounds and potentially innovate in their provision of legal services.
The growth of technology also opens up new opportunities and areas of law, with clients requiring advice and assistance on regulations governing the use of technology and associated issues such as privacy and intellectual property protection.
Even for those in more traditional legal roles, the shift to digital lawyering is likely to make a difference in day-to-day practice. Clients are likely to expect speedy responses to email, rather than waiting for a letter in the post, legal research will be conducted online, support staff roles are likely to change as voice recognition software supplants the use of Dictaphones, online systems for case management, time recording and billing are becoming common. New ways of communication mean that flexible and home working becomes easier and more efficient, but also potentially places more demands on lawyers to offer 24/7 availability to their firm and/or clients.
For those students who aren’t seeking a legal career, it is still important to be aware of the impact of technology on society. Whatever profession or industry you enter, it is likely that technology will significantly influence its development over the next few decades. Understanding the ways in which work and technology interact and influence each other will help you to evaluate what the implications are likely to be within your own chosen career.
In addition, studying digital lawyering is a great way to develop your critical thinking skills. It offers a great case study for considering ethical, cultural and professional issues and expanding your understanding of the relationship between law and society. Examples such as potential breaches of client confidentiality on social media and issues caused by the storage of legal files on the Cloud raise interesting and contemporary issues to explore and debate.
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Although the predictions of commentators such as Richard Susskind, which seem to herald the end of the legal profession as we know it, have not yet come to pass, digital lawyering is now a reality for many within the legal profession. The extent of this ranges from firms using online case management systems, such as Clio, to the creation of a new departments and centres for law tech innovation, such as Fuse by Allen & Overy.
As a law student, and a prospective legal professional, you are unlikely to need to know how to code or have an in-depth understanding of the workings of a computer. However, you will need an awareness and understanding of the role and impact of technology within the legal sector. Developing such an insight will assist you with your critical thinking and provide you with a valuable talking point with potential employees. It will also allow you to reflect on your own existing skillset, what new skills you may need to develop, and how you can best equip yourself for work in the digital age.
According to data collated from the academic year 2017/18, an estimated 26,655 students applied to study law at undergraduate level in England and Wales. From this number, a total of 18,850 were accepted onto courses, with this number expected to have increased during 2018/19.
However, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) announced significant changes to the qualification routes available to aspiring lawyers in April 2017. We’ve outlined these below, whilst asking when they’ll come into practice.
Currently, in order to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales, students must complete either a qualifying law degree or a non-law degree and a conversion course.
They must then complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC), which is a vocational component that usually precedes a two-year training contract with a reputable firm.
Under the new SRA proposals, however, aspiring solicitors can qualify so long as they’ve completed a degree course (which may or may not pertain to law) and at least two stages of centralised assessments known collaboratively as the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
SQE Stage 1 tests will probe a student’s legal knowledge across three multiple-choice examinations, whilst the Stage 2 examination will test practical legal skills such as advocacy, drafting and interviewing.
The need for two years of qualifying work experience will also remain in place, although this will be more flexible than the current structure of the training contract.
Instead of requiring applicants to work this two-year period with a single employer, they’ll now be able combine roles with up to four different firms with any experience gained in provider-run legal advice centres such as the establishment at Nottingham Law School (NLS).
According to the most recent updates, the SQE reforms will be officially introduced in September 2021, although it’s important to note that some transitional arrangements may enable some students to continue to qualify through the existing regime until 2032.
So, for an indefinite period following the implementation date in 2021, students will have the option to either take the existing LPC route or qualify through the new SQE upon the completion of their degree subject.
This choice can be made according to various factors, but it’s believed that the SQE will provide a quicker and more cost-effective route to qualifying as a solicitor. In this respect, it may make the notion of becoming a solicitor more accessible to students, and this can only be considered as a positive for youngsters and employers alike.
However, it remains unclear whether employers will give preference to the tried and tested LPC qualification route during the transitional period, particularly when recruiting for relatively complex legal roles such as risk consultants.
This could well impact the decision taken by students when they map out their future careers, particularly during the early stages of the new SQE qualification route.
She has been a contributor on ABC, BBC, AlJazeera, and has spoken extensively on issues that impact Muslims in America. Jana Al-Akhras is a Palestinian American from Columbus, Ohio. She attended The Ohio State University and received her undergraduate degree in International Studies with a specialization in Middle East studies. She went on to attend law school at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law where received her Juris Doctorate. Jana has been a contributor on ABC, BBC, AlJazeera, and has spoken extensively on issues that impact Muslims in America. She is also a member of the Columbus Fashion Council.
While it can be tempting to panic with such a realization, there is no need to worry.
This is because there are so many different avenues available for you. It doesn’t matter what you want to do with your life, you can put your law degree to good use. If you would like a little more clarification on what lies beyond law school, here are some of the options that you can consider.
As you are well aware, there are plenty of steps that you need to take before you can legally start the process to practice law. One of these, of course, is to take the bar exam. Now, if you do want to be a legal representative, then it is imperative that you pass this examination.
Thus, if this is the path for you, you need to take the time and effort to study for the bar. In most cases, you will find that you need 8 to 10 weeks of solid prep. During this time, your focus must solely be on your studies and it is important to avoid other distractions as much as possible.
It is also a good idea to enroll in a course such as https://testmaxprep.com/ to increase your chances of passing the first time around. While it can be a stressful period of time leading up to the bar, keep in mind that all your efforts will be well worth it in the end.
Sometimes, all you may know is that you want to be a lawyer. Nonetheless, beyond this, you may be stuck for ideas. There are quite a number of law students who aren’t entirely sure of the direction they want to go in. Now, this is largely due to the fact that you still have limited experience in the legal workforce.
If you are looking to change this, consider getting an internship at a law firm. This gives you a closer look at your future world, while also ensuring that you can still keep your options open. One of the main benefits of internships is that they give you a real world view of what each job entails.
As such, you will often find it easier to decide which type of law you would like to practice later on. It will also give you a better understanding of what is expected of lawyers on a daily basis. Thus, when you do join the workforce, you will be equipped to handle all of the tasks that are thrown your way.
If you have an idea of how you want to be involved in the legal system, you should get a judicial clerkship. As with a regular internship, you will be shown the ropes. The difference here, though, is that you will get a much closer look at how judges and lawyers on the legal circuit function.
Now, it should be noted that such positions shouldn’t be taken lightly. This is something that most law students are after and the competition can get pretty fierce. You will find that this is especially true when it comes to federal judicial clerkships. So, if you want to get chosen, then you need to stand out.
Therefore, you will need to showcase that you have exceptional research and writing skills. At the same time, judges will need to know that you are capable of making good judgment calls and are able to work with others in the same legal field. Thus, you need to prepare for this position quite well.
For some students, practicing law is what excites them most. For others, though, sharing their knowledge and teaching law is their true passion. If the latter description sounds like you, then academia may be your calling.
Of course, being a law professor is no easy task. As such, you need to start preparing right away if you feel like this is the career path for you. It is often a good idea to find a field that you are interested in and to write excellent articles. This can greatly improve your chances of finding a job later on.
Now, if you wish to become a law professor, the research and writing don’t end at school. Oh no, you have to continue to investigate, postulate, and write articles throughout your career. The main goal of many a professor is to have their articles published in a journal.
It can also help to get a fellowship. In modern academia, this will often put you on the right track to being a professor. Once you have nabbed your final role, then your efforts will be in trying to get tenure at your university of choice.
If you love dissecting cases, laws, or legal proceedings, then legal journalism could be a wonderful option for you. As the name suggests, being a journalist in this field allows you to write about all things law related. In many instances, you would be attached to a legal magazine of some kind.
However, there are many different avenues here as well. If this is an area that you are interested in, you should certainly start writing as many articles as you can. If you can get them published in reputable journals, magazines, or blogs, all the better! This will give you an opportunity to put together a portfolio so that you have something to show prospective employers.
As you can see, there are many different paths for you to take once you have graduated from law school. So, it is important to take a moment and decide what you would like to do with your future. You should always choose the most interesting option as it will ensure that you love what you do.
Here Emma Jones, Senior Lecturer in Law and member of the Open Justice team at The Open University, discusses in brief five skills you will likely develop whilst undertaking a law degree, even if you don’t always realise it!
Law is all about evidence and finding the right evidence to answer a question or assessment becomes second nature as you work through your degree. It is likely you’ll be using lots of different types of information too, from textbooks and monographs to online databases and articles. This means that you will develop the capability to handle lots of different materials effectively. You’ll also become an expert at checking that whatever sources you use are up-to-date and focus on the right jurisdiction.
As the size of most legal textbooks demonstrates, law degrees require you to do a lot of reading. However, it isn’t enough to simply skim through masses of material. The skills you learn on your law degree will enable you to select the right information for your task or assignment, pull out the most relevant details, make links with other sources you’ve read or points you’ve come across and draw them all together to develop a clear, well-evidenced response.
Your law degree helps you to develop problem-solving skills through the use of problem questions and the setting of other tasks which require you to think through the issues and find solutions. You will probably be introduced to useful tools such as IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application and Conclusion) to help you approach these. These tools help you develop a methodical and analytical approach which enables you to reason through issues logically.
If you go into legal practice, you can expect clients to come to you with a wide range of problems, not all of them just legal ones! There are lots of other careers you can use a law degree for where problem-solving is essential too. Not to mention the role it has in helping you navigate everyday life successfully!
You may also be fortunate enough to take part in a clinical legal education programme, giving you the opportunity to tackle real-life legal issues and problems. If your university doesn’t offer this, it is worth looking into volunteer opportunities to gain some further experience.
A large part of your legal studies will be spent communicating with others. You will gain experience in lots of forms of written communications. Some of them more formal, for example, when writing assignments and examinations. Some of them may be less formal, for example, when emailing your tutor or fellow students. This helps you to develop skills in writing for different audiences and structuring what you say appropriately.
You will also get plenty of opportunity to practice your oral communication skills, from answering questions in lectures and seminars to mooting and/or giving formal presentations. Once again, this will give you the skills to ensure you are pitching what you say correctly, formulating a persuasive point or argument and speaking clearly and coherently.
From making a complaint in a shop and telephoning a utility provider to writing business reports and completing application forms to standing up in court and presenting your client’s case, these are invaluable skills to have.
Thinking critically is about being able to look behind what you’re being told and starting to ask questions. If you’re carrying out research, this could be about looking at the author of a source, asking yourself how reliable it is and weighing up how strong the arguments it makes are. More generally, you will begin to apply these skills to all aspects of your studies, from querying a point you don’t understand in a lecture to digging a bit deeper into a case judgment. Refusing to accept things at face value and starting to really unpack what lies behind them will help you in daily life too, from working out whether that “buy one get one free” offer in the shop is really as good as it seems to the way you read newspapers and social media.
This article has picked out five key skills a law degree can develop, but you can probably think of many others too. Don’t forget to emphasise these when you are writing your CV and/or applying for jobs or further study. Studying law gives you a great foundation for whatever you plan to do next.
If you then go into the legal profession, you will find yourself writing attendance notes, memos, research notes and letters and emails to colleagues and clients.
Here Emma Jones, Senior Lecturer in Law and member of the Open Justice team at The Open University, provides some do’s and don’ts to help you develop your legal writing skills.
Unless you are asked to write in note form (for example, for a list or essay plan), it is important to structure your work using full sentences and paragraphs.
In terms of sentences, bear in mind that long sentences using lots of commas and semi-colons can become difficult for your reader to follow. Try reading your sentence out-loud and see how it sounds. If you need to take a breath while you are reading it, then the chances are it’s too long!
Using one or two sentences as a paragraph can make your work seem disjointed so it’s better to aim for at least three sentences per paragraph. In fact, four to six sentences tends to be a useful general guide.
The key to legal writing is to be clear and precise. Cramming in lots of latin words and phrases, complex terminology and fillers such as “notwithstanding” and “nevertheless” can make your work difficult to read and understand. Of course in law there are times when you do need to ensure you use key terminology and phrases, but it is important not to put them in simply because you think that’s how lawyers write.
If you are answering a problem question or essay, a good tip is to imagine you are writing for an intelligent layperson with no previous idea of that topic. This will help you to ensure your explanations are clear and easy to understand.
Often in problem questions and essays you will find you need to use legislation and cases to explain the relevant law on a topic and/or as an example to illustrate or support an argument. It is important not just to give the name and then move on. You need to include at least a sentence linking the legislation or case directly to the question, to show your reader its relevance.
On the other hand, don’t fall into the trap of repeating all the facts for each case you use. Often it is the legal principle rather than the facts of the case that are important, so make sure you only tell your reader what they need to know.
Putting in a lot of quotations can disrupt the flow of your work and make it harder for your reader to be able to follow the thread of what you are saying. It also doesn’t show your own understanding of a topic, just that you’ve read the (hopefully!) right sources. On the whole, it is better to write in your own words. If you do use an occasional quotation (for example, from a court judgment) it is important not to just leave it to “speak for itself” but to explain it to your reader.
If you are typing up work, running a spell check is a great idea, but it isn’t enough on its own. I have seen plenty of legal writing where terms such as “statute” have been changed to “statue”, simply because the spell check didn’t recognise the word. This means it is really important to proof read your work as well.
If possible, set aside your finished writing for a couple of days (or at least a couple of hours) before you proof read it. This will help you to step back a little and view it with “fresh eyes”. You could also ask a friend, family member or colleague to proof read it for you – you aren’t asking for help with the content, just a check on the writing.
As with most skills, the more you practice your legal writing, the easier it will become. Make sure you build in plenty of time to draft your assignments to ensure you can really focus on the style and content of your work.
As you are reading journal articles and textbooks look at the writing style used and see if there are any hints you can pick up. It may also be that your Law School (or wider University) offer specific resources or seminars on writing. Taking these opportunities will help you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding as clearly as possible and prepare you well for success in your degree and elsewhere.
We can draw on insight from every field, so why not venture outside the box to take a look at some successful businessmen and women? You might just gain some fresh motivation or a new perspective on the corporate world.
Bill Gates is primarily known as the founder of Microsoft, currently the 71st largest company on Fortune Global 500 list. From March 2014 to July 2017, he was Forbes’ richest man in the world, which was actually after he had stepped down as Chairman and CEO of Microsoft completely. This well-known entrepreneur and billionaire can be admired for a lot of his clever career moves, but the most commendable is what he did post-Microsoft.
With the profits gained from building this innovative and successful corporation, he launched the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. Since resigning from Microsoft in 2014, Bill Gates has worked at the charity full time. The foundation has made a difference in so many areas of global development, that it’s difficult to choose one to focus on. Overall, the foundation aims to enhance healthcare, reduce extreme global poverty, and increase education opportunities. They donate money to other charities, work with government agencies, oversee funding, and invest in new methods of eradicating problems.
(Image Source: "Thousands Displaced by Floods and Conflict near Jowhar, Somalia" (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by United Nations Photo)
Zoning in on one example, of HIV in sub-saharan Africa, the foundation has “committed more than US$3 billion in HIV grants to organisations around the world”. They fund medical research and are committed to working towards an HIV vaccination. Increasing the accessibility of antiretroviral drugs in affected countries has led to a decrease in mortality rates, though there is still much work to be done. All aspects of humanitarism require legal work, which in turn has a significant impact on the developing world. So whatever the reason for deciding to venture down the path of becoming a lawyer, always bear in mind the broader work that can be done.
Denise Coates is a billioniare businesswoman, a role model for female lawyers as she made her wealth on the back of her own entrepreneurial spirit. Born into business as the daughter of Peter Coates (Chairman of Stoke City FC), Denise strove to become a successful business owner in her own right. She had experience working with bookmakers from a fairly young age, working her way up from the cashiers department (keeping record of payouts and marking up bets), to training as an accountant within the family business, to owning a small chain of shops, called Provincial Racing. Through smart investments and hard work, she took a big step towards her own dynasty by acquiring a small betting chain, which led to her becoming the managing director of a betting shop estate.
(Image Source: "Sports - Book @ Mandalay Bay" by Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
While these betting shops were turning a profit, Coates was working behind the scenes on an online betting site, for which she bought the domain bet365. For a year she worked on perfecting the site so when it eventually launched in 2001, it was already set for success. She ended up selling the betting estate to Coral for a hefty sum which helped fund the move to the online site. Coates bought and sold at the right times and created something innovative and new, predicting market trends.
(Image Source: "The Nuts" by Tiago Daniel via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Denise persuaded her brother, a lawyer himself, to get involved as co-CEO. In an interview, Denise remarked on the capital needed to finance the new site, saying “We knew the industry required big startup costs but... we gambled everything on it. We were the ultimate gamblers, if you like.”
As defined by Oddschecker, bet365 has become a "betting behemoth", generating millions in monthly revenues. As of 2017, Denise Coates is the UK’s highest paid boss, which is massively empowering for women in business, a good aspirational figure for young female lawyers. In recent decades, female representation has significantly improved in the legal sector, however the number of female barristers still falls behind that of their male counterparts.
For decades, Oprah has been a household name. Writer, Jane Mulkerrins, praises her work: “Not only did she pioneer the tabloid talk show, spawning a thousand imitations, but through it, she also popularised the emotional, empathetic, intimate communication that we now demand from figures in public life and even politics.”
Unlike Gates and Coates, Oprah was not born on a path destined for success. Her parents had little to do with her early upbringing, so she spent the first 6 years of her life in poverty, living with her grandmother. Her grandmother was strict and made sure Oprah could read and write at a very young age. She began ‘play acting’ to the animals on the farm, and this began a life passion for talk-performance.
When Oprah was 6 years old, she moved to live with her mother in a poor and dangerous Milwaukee ghetto, which left her vulnerable and subject to sexual abuse from the age of 9. She had an extremely tough childhood and truly made it through hard work, studying and motivation. At 12, she was earning her own money by making speeches at social gatherings and churches. Oprah knew from a young age she wanted to be ‘paid to talk’, and went above and beyond achieving this goal.
(Image Source: "Oprah *" by tasj via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Through being a dedicated and committed student, Oprah was awarded a scholarship to Tennessee State University. It was there that she was given the opportunity to turn her talent into her career. She joined different societies and clubs, read afternoon news on a local radio station, became Miss Tennessee and Miss Black Nashville, and was invited to a White House conference on youth, before ultimately being offered a job at CBS. People recognised the work that Oprah had put into her art and success followed. At 19 years old, Oprah had become Nashville's first African American female co-anchor of the evening news.
Oprah's background is tragic, motivational and inspiring. The hard work she put in from such a young age resulted in her pioneering more than just the tabloid talk show. She has always given minorities a voice, proving that you can still make it without a silver spoon. Hard work can take you to places far beyond where money can take you. Being the best talk show host, business woman or lawyer depends more on your commitment, your hard work and character, not how much money you have to begin with. That is an important lesson to drive you towards any success, and one that Oprah herself tells others in her motivational speeches. It is not about ‘what roles you take on’ but a deeper question of ‘who you are’.
Whether you're training to be a lawyer, or you're newly qualified, it can be completely overwhelming and your goals can feel out of reach. It is important sometimes to look outside the law bubble, to the many people out there, who you can take inspiration from. Of course, researching talented lawyers and important cases is valuable, but there is a lesson to be learned from every success story. After all, looking above and beyond what is right in front of you is what being a lawyer is all about.
If you're aiming to be charitable, entrepreneurial, or motivational on your own success story, never forget the important lessons to be learned from others.
