Marco A. Ramirez Torres

What experiential learning experiences (clinics, externships, etc.) did you participate in, and how did they contribute to your legal education?    

During law school, I worked with a non-profit’s in-house counsel reviewing contracts, was a staff editor for the Temple Law Review, a research assistant for Professor Rangel-Medina, was in the Integrated Transactional Program, and was a teaching assistant for the same program in my last year. Doctrinal classes are great, and they give you a foundation in many areas of law, but experiential experiences give you a look into practice and how those skills are used. Seeing how the doctrinal material connects to what attorneys face on a day-to-day basis gives a greater appreciation of those law school lectures. Personally, the experiential experience makes me feel more confident and comfortable in the transition from law student to a practicing attorney. 

What advice would you give to current or prospective students as a recent law school graduate? 

Enjoy the moment. Law school in general takes a lot of time and effort. Every semester is unique in that balance, but it is a guarantee that at some point it will feel as if there isn’t enough time in the day or even week. But in return, even in times of absolute stress, law school will provide great memories and experiences. Appreciate those moments because getting to graduation wasn’t designed to be a race.  

Do you have networking advice to offer to current or prospective students? 

Networking is an active skill that anyone can master and is incredibly useful in the law community. As with many skills, but especially with networking, it requires active steps and putting yourself out there. You will not get better at it if you do nothing and expect it to just happen naturally. Law school will provide opportunities with events and lectures with practitioners and scholars across a variety of fields, and a simple hello and introduction will go a long way to building that skill. More likely than not, at one point in your law school career you will hear that the legal community is smaller than you might think, and understanding the importance of networking and taking those active steps now will only benefit you in the future. 

How did you go about balancing law school and your personal life? 

Balancing law school and your personal life can be difficult, and it is important to acknowledge this. It can and will get easier the closer you get towards graduation. The hardest time to balance will most likely be the first year as you transition into law school life, but it helps to be actively aware of your time and hold yourself accountable. Law school will require hours of reading, reviewing, and outlining. You need to be realistic with your time and have some type of system in place. Whether that is a day-to-day schedule or week to week, something needs to be present. Personally, I would plan out every week and dedicate certain days to certain classes. Everyone is different, but you should know your own habits and how long a particular assignment or reading might take.  That doesn’t mean you completely avoid your personal life, although it may feel that way at times. It just means that law school requires more awareness of its demanding nature when planning your personal life. If there is something that you plan in your personal life, just take into account what adjustment needs to be made in your law school life.  

What do you wish you knew before starting law school? 

Keep an open mind and ask plenty of questions. Each class just adds to the information pile. If something doesn’t make sense, get clarification as soon as possible. Tomorrow’s class will build off of today’s class, so if today’s class seems off, most likely tomorrow’s will too.