I came into law school already knowing exactly what I want to do with my career. Law school is a strange place, not everyone walks in the door knowing what they want to do. Most people have an idea whether they would like to do litigation or transactional work, public sector vs. private sector work, or a general area of law they are interested in exploring. As time goes on, everyone starts to find a practice area they are passionate about pursuing. 

In this chapter, a lot happens, but one of my favorite story lines truly starts to emerge. Sure, there’s the typical beginning of the school-year feast, the sorting, and an announcement that two other wizarding schools will be coming to Hogwarts to participate in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. However, most importantly Hermione’s interest in house elf rights starts to really develop. After learning that house elves make all of the food in the school she refuses to eat.

I love this interaction between Hermione and her friends. Hermione’s friends all try to talk her out of being so “dramatic.” When Hermione starts to really stand-up for something she believes is a problem, but to most people is just a normality of wizard life, she pushes back.

Law school has some parallels. A lot of times people get comfortable with the traditional approaches to the law. We attend doctrinal classes, learn the law the way it is and has always been, we focus on the way we’ve always done things, and we stop questioning how to make things more efficient and more approachable. There’s a time and a place for tradition, but it’s pioneers like Hermione who shake things up. Hermione is challenging the status quo to make a group of individuals lives better.

My goal upon leaving law school is to also shake things up. I’ve never been someone to follow the traditional paths of the world. My path may never have a lot of people on it, but it works to connect people. Being original is hard in an institute that wants to make another lawyer to take their place in the cog of the legal world. But you have to be a Hermione when you have a good cause that you are passionate about.

So if you are not doing what you are passionate about, or if you are like me and sometimes start to feel the encroaching despair of not being like everyone else… DO. NOT. GIVE. IN. TO. WHAT. YOUR. FRIENDS. SAY. YOU. SHOULD. DO.

 

Stand up for what you believe in. Be weird. Be different. Be unique. Be passionate. Be Hermione.

Until Next Time,

Mischief Managed