Not fLAWless but Fearless: Finding the Good in Goodbye
By Jessica Chinnadurai • December 21, 2016 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Law School
Let’s face it: goodbyes are rarely good in the moment. They’re hard. They force us to change, to grow, to move on – and none of that is ever easy, no matter how necessary it might be. You’re supposed to get better at saying goodbye over time, it’s supposed to become easier the more that you do it, but I’ve found the exact opposite to be true for me. Perhaps I’ve just become a “softy” over the years, but I used to be pretty tough about goodbyes, using a very minimalist approach. I remember my swift decision in 6th grade…
Not fLAWless but Fearless: Celebrating Milestones
By Jessica Chinnadurai • November 01, 2016 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School
October is one of those months that always seems to be full of exciting events. As a baseball lover, albeit a diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan, even I can appreciate the recent ordeal of the Cubs making it to the World Series (though I’m sure that’s only because of the soft spot I have in my heart for Chicago). Reflecting on last month, some of the top highlights included: my best friend since 8th grade getting married, one of my best friends from law school celebrating being cancer free during Breast Cancer Awareness month, and another one of my best…
Not fLAWless but Fearless: Accepting Your Past
By Jessica Chinnadurai • October 05, 2016 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Pre-Law, Other Law School Issues
There comes a time in everyone’s life where the inevitable question comes up: how much does my past matter as related to my future? Call it my mid mid-life crisis, but I’ve been pondering this question a lot lately, related to both professional and personal endeavors. How much does what I’ve done, where I’ve been, and the experiences I’ve had lend itself to the places I’m trying to go, and the person I’m trying to become? On the professional side, I’ve always asked my supervisors and been fortunate enough to receive feedback on how much my prior work experience will…
Not fLAWless but Fearless: The Five People You Should Befriend in Law School
By Jessica Chinnadurai • September 05, 2016 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
Just a few short weeks ago, I started off the beginning of the school year by fulfilling my duties as a Student Ambassador for the law school, which meant that I was involved in 1L orientation. This meant a lot of new introductions to nervous, starry-eyed peers whose shoes I was in just one year ago. I consider it a privilege to offer advice and insights about my personal experiences in a way that I hope prospective and new students can utilize. I’ve always valued that sort of information from others as I begin a new chapter myself, so I consider it a…
Not fLAWless but Fearless: The End of a (Another) Chapter
By Jessica Chinnadurai • August 05, 2016 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Law School, Internships and Clerkships
Today is the last day of my internship at Civis! Tomorrow I catch the train back to Missouri to spend a few days with my family and then I’ll be moving into my new apartment before starting the semester. All of this means one thing: it’s back to school time. Earlier this week, I gave a presentation to Civis about my main takeaways from this summer. I felt fortunate enough to gain the experience I wanted, which was exposure to a variety of legal issues. I red-lined contracts for negotiation meetings and was engaged in meetings related to HR, compliance,…
Not fLAWless but Fearless: Shaping Your Law School Experience
By Jessica Chinnadurai • July 05, 2016 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Other Law School Issues
Have you ever wondered how people who went through the same experience can often view it with a stark difference of opinion? Most of the time, that's simply due to the fact that each of us is different - some of us might be screaming for joy as we skydive out of a plane while others might be crying in fear with their eyes closed the entire way down. But sometimes, even if you share a lot of things in common with someone, similar life experiences can still be viewed so differently. Here’s an example: My brother and I might…
Not fLAWless but Fearless: Pensive About People
By Jessica Chinnadurai • June 04, 2016 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
I recently visited one of my friends in Salt Lake City, just for a quick vacation before starting my summer internship. For my entire life, flying has always caused me to become deeply lost in thought. I suppose it’s the countless hours of sitting on a plane, somewhere high above the clouds. The fact that it can take so much time to cross a certain distance we find minimal on a map always amazes me too. I see the little towns down below us and the bigger cities sprawled out across the land, and I begin to think about how many…
Not fLAWless but Fearless: Here Comes the Sun
By Jessica Chinnadurai • May 06, 2016 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Internships and Clerkships
Where did the time go? Four months ago, I was on a short winter break after having just finished my first round of law school exams. Now here I am, in the midst of tackling the second round. But I’ll be completely honest – I’m also preoccupied with thoughts of what this summer and next year hold. Last week I registered for classes for the next academic term, and I was excited to get a seat in all of the ones that I needed. Required subject matter for next year includes Constitutional Law as well as Evidence. Other classes that it…
Not fLAWless but Fearless: The V Word
By Jessica Chinnadurai • April 04, 2016 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics
Vice? Victory? No, I’m talking about validation. That 10 letter word that pretty much all of us are guilty of seeking almost every day. One of the hard parts of law school is that we don’t really get any validation, or measurement of success, until the very end of a semester. It can be compared to actors in a play, who have to wait until the very end of their performance for a standing ovation, or a review. However, even in this situation, the audience might clap for an actor during the performance, if appropriate, or laugh at a funny line…