Building a Bridge
By One of my favorite legal legends is the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and one of his famous quotes is, “None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody—a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns—bent down and helped us pick up our boots.”
This quote exemplifies the purpose behind Legal LINK and the vision for our group. We desire to help people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps by building a bridge between students and attorneys and legal professionals, and helping someone learn more about the behind-the-scenes of the profession, while also exposing students to all of the opportunities available. Students may have questions about how to prepare for law school, the process to apply to law school, what law school entails and what opportunities are available within the legal profession. In response to this need and curiosity, we want to build a bridge to expose students to litigators, trial attorneys, transactional attorneys, compliance leaders, HR leaders, law professors, government attorneys, and more because many have the misconception that attorneys are only what is portrayed on a courtroom-based TV show or movie.
When I was a young girl in high school, I had a desire to know what it was like to be an attorney. Though I was an active participant in Teen Court, I wanted to know what the day-to-day tasks were and how it looked to navigate a case load. I was introduced to an attorney who owned her own family law practice, and she hired me as an intern. During my experience, I learned so much more than any TV show or movie about lawyers could show me. I was exposed to her successfully organizing her files, juggling calls and emails with opposing counsel, drafting motions and briefs, meeting with clients, and doing all of the managerial tasks that came with running an office. She was a superwoman in my eyes!
After graduating from high school, I attended and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which happened to be the attorney’s alma mater, and years after that, I graduated from NCCU School of Law, which also happened to be where the attorney attended and graduated from law school. She had such an impact on my life and is my forever mentor. That incredible attorney also gave me the honor of sponsoring me for my swearing-in ceremony to officially become an attorney. That incredible attorney is attorney and Dean Nakia Davis, and she had an impact on my life by sowing seeds in my life, giving me an opportunity, and giving me exposure to the profession as a high schooler. That high school girl is now a licensed attorney living her dream, all because Attorney Davis took the time to build a bridge. I share that story to emphasize that exposure matters. Providing opportunities matters. Mentorship matters.
In this new bar year, Legal LINK desires to continue our current partnerships, as well as to expand beyond the Triangle area into the Triad and Charlotte. We want to partner with schools in various cities to continue to increase the bridges we can build, and the opportunities and exposure we can provide to a student who desires to learn, grow, and potentially pursue the legal profession. If you’re not a part of Legal LINK, we encourage you to join us as we continue building bridges all around North Carolina.