Finding Your People
One of the most important aspects of 1L year is building your community on and off campus. While studying, outlining, and networking are all critical to law school success, it is just as important that law students take care of their mental wellbeing. Part of that means finding a support system amongst fellow students. Law school friends can be profoundly helpful when it comes to forming study groups, getting involved on campus, and maintaining a health work-life balance while in school. Here are some tips and links to resources that may be helpful if you are struggling to build your social circle.
- “Participating in student groups, attending law school extra-curricular activities, and forming relationships with classmates are some of the best ways to make friends in law school. There is no special formula for building friendships in law school; it is essentially the same as in any other circumstance. The main advantage is that you are surrounded by a homogeneous group of people walking the same path as you. Trust your instincts, be open to making new friends, do not judge or criticize, and communicate. Friendship leads to great networking opportunities that will almost certainly impact your law practice career.” – Southwestern Law School’s Dean’s Fellow Digest Issue #45: The Importance of Finding Friendship in Law School
- “Take the initiative. So many of us are waiting for someone else to initiate contact/conversation with us, but according to one study, when people viewed friendship as happening without effort, they were lonelier years later. When they viewed friendship as taking effort, they were less lonely. Whether you use any of the tactics above, I recommend going into the situation believing that everybody there wants to be your friend and wants to get to know you but they’re just waiting for you to initiate it. Don’t wait for friendships or new connections to happen organically. Make it happen for yourself. Both you and the other party will thank you.” – How to Make Friends as an Adult, The Lawyer Life Collective
For many LGBTQ+ law students, it is especially important to build community with other LGBTQ+ students at your school or in your area. Good ways to meet other LGBTQ+ students are through LGBTQ+ students groups, classes focused on LGBTQ+ issues within the law, and by engaging with the local LGBTQ+ community. You can find a list of LGBTQ+ community centers around the country here.
LGBTQ+ Bar Law School Affiliate Groups
Did you know that the National LGBTQ+ Bar has student affiliate groups at law schools in almost every state in the country? One of the best ways to build community on campus is through your campus’s LGBTQ+ student group(s). In areas with smaller LGBTQ+ populations or where it is less safe to be ‘out’ on campus, the LGBTQ+ Bar’s network of law student group affiliates can be a great resource for connecting LGBTQ+ students in the same state or region.
The LGBTQ+ Bar provides LGBTQ+ law student groups within law schools numerous benefits for both the groups themselves and their student members, including:
- Access to the LGBTQ+ Bar’s “Law Student Resource Guide,” which provides a template for campus, local, and national student group action throughout the course of each school year as well as evergreen resources to assist affiliate groups’ internal and external advocacy work.
- Networking through the LGBTQ+ Bar’s Law Student Congress with affiliate student groups across the country – enabling the formation of professional relationships that will be valuable throughout group members’ legal careers.
Click here to view our affiliate directory.
If you have any questions about the affiliate program or would like to discuss more ways to build community, please contact the LGBTQ+ Bar at info@lgbtqbar.org.
LGBTQ+ Bar’s Law School Congress
Another way to connect with other LGBTQ+ law students is through the LGBTQ+ Bar’s Law Student Congress. The Law Student Congress, one of the only national LGBTQ+ law student organizations in the nation, promotes regional and national interaction between LGBTQ+ law students and lawyers and helps LGBTQ+ students build contacts within the profession. It also engages in activism of concern to law students and holds biannual meetings open to all LGBTQ+ and ally law students. If you are struggling to build community with other LGBTQ+ people on campus, you’re always welcome to reach out to the Law Student Congress at lsc@lgbtqbar.org.
Click here to learn more.