January 23, 2007

Brooke Longon graduated magna cum laude from Newcomb College in 2005 with majors in Political Science and Philosophy. While at Tulane, Brooke spent her junior year abroad studying International Relations at the London School of Economics. During her senior year, she wrote her honors thesis on the executive decision-making process leading to the current war in Iraq and interned at the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. After graduation, she worked full-time as a paralegal and part-time as a research assistant for Professor Thomas Langston of Tulane’s Political Science Department. In Fall 2007, she entered law school at The University of Texas at Austin. She is currently in her second semester of law school and serving as a staff member on the Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rights. Professor Langston recently interviewed Brooke via e-mail:

"So, what'd you do after graduating from Tulane?"

When I was a college senior, I didn’t want to jump into a graduate or professional school program until I had a more solid understanding of what “the real world” was like. During the second semester of my senior year, at one of Tulane’s career fairs, I found a job as a corporate & securities paralegal at Jones, Walker, L.L.P., a large New Orleans-based law firm. My responsibilities included researching and summarizing information for attorneys, drafting and filing documents and securities filings for companies, and helping attorneys and clients with mergers and acquisitions and other complex financial transactions. While I was working at JW, I also spent much of my free time assisting Professor Langston, who was my senior thesis advisor, with his book, The Cold War Presidency: A Documentary History. That was really cool because I got to spend a lot of time in the library looking at newspaper archives from the Cold War.

"How did you end up deciding on law school?"

I considered going to law school while I was in college, because I was interested in morality, society, and the lawmaking process, but I really wasn’t motivated to apply until I worked for a firm. Some people may think that corporate law is one of the more uninspired practice areas, but my job was very exciting. Working in a law firm is a bit like juggling several different objects that keep changing on you. I never knew what to expect- some days I’d come into the office with an idea of what I wanted to accomplish that day but instead would find myself spending the whole day handling a completely unexpected emergency. Substantively, the work was very interesting and taught me a lot about business, finance and corporate regulation. I liked the challenging working environment of a firm and wanted to handle more complex, intellectual projects and learn about other areas of the law.

"What has law school been like? Did anything surprise you about your first year?”

Even after working in the legal field for two years, I didn’t know what to expect when I entered law school. It is unlike any other education I’ve ever had. Some of the stereotypes are true. There are students that wear ties and blazers to class. To some extent, you become a different, more easily-amused person because you spend most of your waking hours reading opinions, and cheeky dissents end up being one of the most entertaining things in your life.

Much of your 1L year is spent learning how to think like a lawyer. Controlling, ‘on-point’ cases or unambiguous statutes are rare, so you need to be able to think about material critically and creatively, argue all possible sides of an issue and predict a legal outcome in a well-articulated, precise and focused manner. Most of the readings are dense, and professors, particularly those who use a strict Socratic Method of teaching, expect that you have thoroughly read and understood the material before class. Most professors, however, are pretty lenient with the Socratic Method and won’t unnecessarily embarrass a student if it seems like he read the material thoughtfully.

Your entire grade is weighted on one blind-graded exam, usually in essay format. Your job on a traditional law school exam is to identify any legal issues arising from a completely new (and, usually, bizarre) set of facts and analyze these issues using applicable law. Everyone is graded on a curve that ensures that a limited number of students receive top grades. Exams are a major source of law school stress because the fact patterns are generally unpredictable, and because most law students are used to being at the top of their class.

I’ve had a very rewarding first year thus far. It is remarkable how much I’ve already learned, and I am never bored because the readings are challenging and fascinating (who would've thought that fox-hunting could have anything to do with oil & gas rights?!). And, your social life doesn’t have to end just because you are a 1L. I have all of my classes with the same group of people, and I’ve gotten to know my classmates very well both inside and outside the classroom.

"How did your political science degree prepare you for law school?"

Having a solid background in trends in American political history and famous debates in American political theory will help you to understand the context of and philosophy underlying many judicial decisions. Right now I am taking a class on foreign affairs and the constitution, and many of the topics we are covering – like the allocation of foreign affairs powers between different branches of government- were first introduced to me in my political science classes. Also, Professor Nancy Maveety’s Judicial Process course taught me to keep in mind policy implications of judicial decisions, which is an important consideration when analyzing cases and making arguments. A political science degree also prepares you to think critically about problems from various perspectives, write persuasively and manage your time- all important skills to have as a law student.

"Any advice for current political science students thinking about pursuing a law degree?"

If you’d like a taste of what law school will be like, ask the Tulane Law librarian to pull up Pennoyer v. Neff for you on Lexis or Westlaw. If you can identify the facts, issue, holding and reasoning in that case, and can make at least one counterargument to the decision, you should be on your way to Law Review! If it leaves you hopelessly confused, don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Provided that Pennoyer didn’t scare you away, I highly recommend working for a firm, legal aid organization or legal department of a business or government agency before beginning law school. Since the law school curriculum is mostly geared towards teaching you how to how to think and analyze problems, much of the technical knowledge and professional skills you will need as a lawyer are learned on the job. Most importantly, pursuing a law degree is an expensive, stressful endeavor, and being an attorney is not for everyone, so it is good to get a solid of understanding what practicing law will actually be like before pursuing a JD. If you want to begin law school right away, try to secure meaningful, challenging internships over the summer or for credit during the school year.

No matter what you end up doing with your degree, get to know your professors in college and get to know your community. Working for a professor is a great way to deepen your appreciation of your field of study while developing your research and writing skills, which will be important in any profession. Also, learn as much as you can about New Orleans outside of Tulane. Participate in off-campus activities and internships and go to parts of the city you’ve never been before. It is more important than ever that Tulane students remain active and engaged in the New Orleans community.