Careers, Study and Well-being
Dear Katie column – The virtue of taking a break during your law degree
And so, you feel you should probably just keep going. Just get through it and then see what happens after that. After all, what if you took a break and never came back? What if you fell behind everyone else? What if future lawyers saw a big gap from June 2019 to July 2020 and refused even to let you in their doors? It’s all too much. Better to just keep grinding on as best you can, right?
Careers, Study and Well-being with Katie Cowan
Dear Katie column – Making friends at law school
I am struggling with the social side of law school. How do I make friends with my law school peers? – Struggling, 19 I’m sorry to hear you are struggling, Struggling. University, for all its social clubs and events, can be an isolating place and social stuff can definitely Read more…
Careers, Study and Well-being
Dear Katie column – On macro joy
Around 90% of the guests on the podcast chose to study law because they were good at English. Rare is the guest who studied law because they wanted the skills to do particular justice-related work, or the guest who thought being a lawyer looked like fun. (I say that with Read more…
Careers, Study and Well-being with Katie Cowan
Dear Katie column – Adjusting to Junior Work Hours
“Did the time you dedicated to study at law school prepare you well for the hours you had to work as a junior lawyer?” – Jack, 19 In a word, no. In more words, no but it didn’t matter too much. In my first job I was contracted to Read more…
Careers, Study and Well-being with Katie Cowan
Dear Katie column – How important are grades?
Dear Katie – How important are grades? “I’m currently studying at VUW and there has recently been a data release that seems to indicate we are graded much more harshly than other law schools. Even before this, I feel there is a real atmosphere that you must have the best Read more…
Careers, Study and Well-being
A Theory of M&Ms and Bowls
by Katie Cowan Let’s say everyone starts their day with a hundred M&Ms and several bowls with neatly-printed labels. I know I am jumping in at the deep end here, but just go with it. M&Ms represent units of personal capacity, or mental bandwidth. I say M&Ms rather than “units” Read more…
Careers, Study and Well-being with Katie Cowan
Dear Katie column – How can I stay optimistic about a career in the law?
“How can I stay positive and optimistic about a career in the law, in the face of all the bad news stories that are popping up at the moment? There have now been a number of articles written by women who used to work in senior positions within the law, Read more…
Careers, Study and Well-being
In Praise of Play
When I was in law school I amused myself in lectures by writing dumb jokes and asides throughout my notes, and referring to all male litigants as “Dude” and all male judges as “Judge Dude”. I was going to find a cool example and share it in this column, but Read more…
Careers, Study and Well-being with Katie Cowan
Dear Katie column – Exam Stress
What are some tips for managing stress around exams and assignments? – Exam stressed, 23 I have 1000 words here and I could give 1000 tips, but instead I will give one. Well, one with bits attached. Let me start by saying that there are a bunch of obvious Read more…