Most Lawyers Aren’t Monsters

Kayla, a woman with dark brown hair, wears a pale pink blouse, bright pink jacket, and gold fairy pin on the lapel.By Kayla Britt

(A possible October production.)

A recent conversation with a law student went something like this:

Student: I don’t know how to network. I’m an introvert.

Me: We can work on that together. You must learn to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Student: But I’m afraid to speak to lawyers. I mean, they’re LAWYERS.

In my experience, most lawyers aren’t monsters.

Merriam-Webster defines a “lawyer” as “one whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients or to advise as to legal rights and obligations in other matters.” I identify “lawyers” to law students as “people who happened to get their law license before you.”

It is not a surprise that the legal profession is often thought to be adversarial, confrontational, abrasive, and arrogant. While those things may have a place somewhere in the law (not in my practice), they should never apply to the future lawyers who we are training to stand beside us and one day in place of us. It is our duty to support, encourage, and teach. It is not our duty to intimidate, humiliate, or discourage law students. Some people consider our generation of law students “soft” or “sensitive,” but they are students who want to be respected and valued, students who want to impress you, students who are just trying to get to where you are, and most importantly students who are just like you were one day.

One of the things I am most proud of as a lawyer is to be a member of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA). I can confidently say that the members of the NCBA advocate for and support law students. Our volunteers are willing to go above and beyond to network, provide support and services, and provide guidance for our law student members. Law students, if you are afraid to network with lawyers, seek out one who is actively involved in the NCBA. I guarantee you that you will have nothing to be afraid of.

Thank you to every lawyer who has demonstrated to a law student that most lawyers aren’t monsters.

Please join us as we continue to make a difference in the lives of law students as we host our annual Law Student Networking Reception from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on January 23, 2025. The event will be held at the N.C. Bar Center, and registration will open in November.

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