Emily Lawson

Motivation to go to law school  

I wanted to go to law school to acquire new skills that would be broadly applicable and would allow me to approach problems from a new perspective. I was motivated to unlock a new position and different understanding so that I could hopefully make a larger impact on my community and social issues I am passionate about. I also wanted to shift my career trajectory and honestly, love a good challenge.  

Experiential learning 

I participated in the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, the Volunteer Income Taxpayer Assistance class, and the Federal Judicial Clerkship program throughout my time at Temple. Both tax programs were extremely formative in my passion for low-income taxpayer advocacy and gave me a chance to work with clients directly to understand how complicated tax statutes have real-life implications for every person in our country. The Federal Judicial Clerkship program was a fabulous experience to see how the judicial system works from a new perspective. Having the opportunity to clerk for a Third Circuit judge during my 3L year is not something that many other law schools offer, and I am grateful for the connections I was able to make with the Judge as well as the co-clerks. 

Faculty impact  

All of the incredible tax faculty at Temple were so important in my legal journey, but in particular, Professor Alice Abreu has been a steadfast mentor to me since my 1L year. Professor Abreu first piqued my interest in tax and showed me the expansiveness of this field that goes beyond people’s perception of number crunching or tax breaks for wealthy people. Professor Abreu’s support and guidance was crucial to my law school journey as I began my legal career. 

Can’t Miss Opportunities 

I tried to go into law school with a “say yes” attitude to opportunities which I greatly suggest current or prospective students adopt. You never know what opportunity might change your career path or connect you to a new person. I think doing a clinic as early as your 2L year is a tremendous opportunity to see what kind of work you might want to do and gain early client-interaction skills. Also keep an eye out for competitions or other one-off opportunities that come up. For example, the Law School Tax Challenge where you can gain valuable skills even if you don’t end up winning! 

Balancing law school with personal life 

Having worked for 6 years prior to law school, I was set to treat law school like a regular job. Obviously, there were times when I went outside the normal 9-5 Monday-Friday schedule, but I tried to make sure I stuck to this as much as possible. I also continued to focus on my running and athletic pursuits outside of law school. This allowed me to decompress with a separate group of friends outside of school and have something else to focus on. While I don’t necessarily recommend doing 6 marathons in the course of your three years of law school, having a race or an outside goal to focus on can be helpful to keep you motivated and not give up on your hobbies. Law school shouldn’t become your whole life!