Sponsored by the Pre-Law Society on campus, Winter Semester 2020 Law Week included an information session, a mock law class and an opportunity for one-on-one interviews with Stacie Stewart, the BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School dean of admission, explained Pre-Law Society President Terrence Dela Peña.
“[Stewart] normally comes twice a year and she conducts one-on-one interviews with students who are interested in going to law school,” said Peña. Part of the law school admissions process can be interview-type testing, and this will be an excellent opportunity to practice those skills with Stewart, he explained.
“At the same time, the interview is a good resource because if you have personal questions about applying to law school—things that you’re not sure about, or if you want to know what the admissions officers are looking for in an application or in a candidate—you can ask them and they can provide insights about that.” From the Philippines, Dela Peña is a senior studying political science and public management, as well as pursuing several certificates including legal studies.
Cameron Spendlove, a senior from Utah majoring in business management, said, “I think it's great that the school is helping prepare students for alternate paths after graduation.” Spendlove will graduate this semester and is still deciding which, of the schools that have accepted him, he will attend.
Spendlove said he had to self-navigate his path to law school and prepare for the LSAT on his own. “It would have been a lot easier had I received more advice and direction beforehand.”
BYUH alumnus and law school graduate Sedge Downing explained the path to a law career can start just as easily at BYUH as any other school. This is to help students get a feel for what starting a career in law would be like.
“I think most law schools get applications from students who are taking the traditional courses, like philosophy, political science,” Dela Peña said. “But, actually, they love having students from different majors, because they add more value to their classes. I think you don’t have to be a political science major if you’re thinking about going to law school.”
Downing graduated from BYUH in 2012 with a degree in music and said he took a “pretty unusual path” to law school. “It was really fascinating to study [music],” he said. “It doesn’t get much better than playing guitar on the beach. But as I went through school, I got a better sense of what making a living as a musician would be like.
“I had hoped I’d be a rock-star and make it big, but I realized the likelihood of that was so small, and I decided I should finish my major, power through, and apply to grad school.”
Downing, who is originally from Austin, Texas, graduated ffrom BYUH at the age of 18 and served his mission in Kobe, Japan. He applied to law school during his missionary service, which he remembers as being “difficult,” but was accepted to the University of Texas﹣Austin Law School.
Downing and Dela Peña both talked about how attending law school and developing legal skills opens doors for a variety of careers, not just in law. Dela Peña hopes to go into diplomacy.
“I’m after the [legal] skills that I can get from law school,” he said. “And having a law degree from the United States will give me an edge.” Dela Peña said his desire to be a diplomat started during his mission in Alaska, where he was one of only four Filipino missionaries called to serve there every four years.
“That led me to think about [how] I love representing who I am, my country, so that’s kind of given me a spark of interest—what if I can represent my home country to different countries? And then I came to BYUH, which is very diverse, and met a lot of different cultures, and I feel like with that experience, I’ll have an insight on how to work with different cultures.”
Downing also is not formally practicing law, but he spoke at length about how much he loves his job in an HR department at a construction company in Austin, Texas.
“I’m happier in my current role than I would be at any law firm,” he said. “It really fits my personality. I love what I do—working so closely with people. It’s a really positive thing.”
His biggest piece of advice for potential law students is to consider the finances. “Some people go into law school thinking they'll make a lot of money as a lawyer, which isn’t a guarantee,” he said. “There’s a wide range that you can get paid. A lawyers’ pay is very dependent on the kind of law they're practicing.”
Downing said for some kinds of law, a starting yearly salary for a recent graduate is not realistic for paying off the debt one would accrue to get the degree required. He advised looking to support from other sources, like family finances, or scholarships.
Dela Peña gave some practical advice to current BYUH students on their way to law school. His first piece of advice was to join the Pre-Law Society.
“It will give you things you can put in your resume.” He said the Pre-Law Society was started to give students opportunities for leadership positions. “Another thing is just to read more and try to think deeply about things. Be engaged in your classes.
“Try to think deeply about the topics you cover. It doesn’t matter what topics are being discussed in your classes.”