Livia Luan

Motivation for Law School 

Before law school, I worked in immigration and technology policy advocacy in Washington, D.C. Many of my colleagues and coalition partners were lawyers by training. Through working with them, I saw how many of the skills that they had picked up during law school and earlier in their careers were an asset in their current work. I realized that I wanted to add more tools to my metaphorical toolbox in order to become a more well-rounded advocate. Temple Law has prepared me on this front, and as I get ready to begin my legal career, I’m excited to be able to use my legal and policy skills to serve the needs of my clients and their communities. 

Experiential Learning 

I participated in Professor Jennifer Lee’s Social Justice Lawyering Clinic during my 2L year, and it was one of the most formative experiences that I had as a student at Temple Law. In addition to supporting local and statewide immigrants’ rights advocacy projects, I provided legal representation to an immigrant worker in an unpaid overtime lawsuit. I learned how to engage in client-centered lawyering, collaborate with partners and stakeholders, use different strategies to address complex issues affecting immigrant communities, and so much more. I can’t recommend this clinic highly enough! 

Participation and Leadership 

I joined several organizations at Temple Law that made my law school experience especially meaningful. As co-president of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association during my 2L year, I found it incredibly rewarding to help create space and a sense of community for Asian American students. I also contributed to the Temple International and Comparative Law Journal as a staff editor during my 2L year and as the managing editor and diversity editor during my 3L year. Working with my peers to edit interesting journal articles – and ultimately contributing to international and comparative legal scholarship – was a gratifying experience.  

Advice From a New Law Grad 

I recommend trying to stay curious and open-minded when it comes to exploring different career paths and opportunities. Even if you begin law school with a vision of what your legal career could look like, you’ll likely encounter new ideas, perspectives, and experiences that spark an interest in areas of the law or practice environments that you haven’t considered before. Also, be protective of your time! There are so many interesting academic and extracurricular opportunities at the law school, but try to avoid burning yourself out by taking on too much. Be willing to prioritize certain opportunities for the sake of caring for your mental health and overall wellbeing.  

Balancing Law School and Life 

I think law school tends to attract passionate and driven individuals, but it’s still so important for law students to try to find a sustainable balance between school-related obligations and their personal lives. While different things work for different people, some strategies that worked well for me included investing in achievable self-care practices early on and regularly scheduling time on my calendar to do activities that rejuvenated me, such as going for walks and catching up with friends.