JULY 2020 LAW SCHOOL STUDENT FEATURE: Meet James!
James Payne, Rising 2L, Harvard Law School
Our second featured law school student is James Payne, a rising 2L at Harvard Law School! During his interview, James discusses his day to day during 1L year, how an undergraduate student can prepare for the rigor of law school, and the pros and cons of taking the GRE as an admissions test vs the LSAT. James is not only a dynamic student, but also a wonderful person. We are ecstatic to have him as our July feature on the site!
Why did you decide to pursue your JD?
In short, I chose to pursue a JD for my community. In today’s sociopolitical climate, I truly believe that now more than ever there needs to be more black lawyers. Everything in this country touches “the law” in some way. By pursuing a JD, it is my hope that I will not only learn about the systems governing the country, but also how to advocate within the systems for my communities. On a more individual level, I knew the knowledge and skills I obtained in law school would be applicable to all areas of my career and life.
What was your undergraduate major? How did this major prepare you for law school?
I majored in Economics at Morehouse College. I think the critical thinking skills and wider world view I developed in my undergraduate major have been the most useful skills in my law school experience. A lot of law school, in my experience, is learning what the law is in a vacuum based on legal fictions. Being able to take the rules embedded in the holdings of court cases and applying them to the real world has helped me understand why certain concepts are being taught and make the material more interesting.
Are there any programs, clubs, or internships you would recommend to undergraduate students who aspire to attend law school?
I think for anyone in undergrad looking to attend law school, the most important thing is to find what you are passionate about and align your activities to that passion. Your activities do not have to all be related to your desire to be a lawyer. All of the internships, programs, and clubs I was part of were geared towards the financial sector, specifically Wall Street, because that is what I found interesting. Since I was truly passionate about what I was doing, I was able to genuinely convey that in my application and more thoroughly show why law school made sense for me. For people looking to take time off, I would recommend doing something directly involving the law or law adjacent. For example, a lot of my classmates were paralegals and that allowed them to make connections to lawyers and start understanding parts of the legal system before they stepped on campus.
What was the most difficult part of the law school admissions process and how did you overcome this difficulty?
The most difficult part of the process for me was the anxiety about getting accepted. That fear definitely made me wait a few extra days to hit submit on all of my applications. In order to overcome this, I had to contextualize the issue. The worst thing that could happen was that schools would say no. Though at the moment that seemed like the world could end, when compared to the whole of my life the issue was trivial and regardless of the outcome, I would still be okay.
Did you take the GRE or the LSAT? What do you believe are the pros/cons of each?
I took the GRE. I spent so much time taking standardized tests that resemble the GRE, such as the SAT, that learning a new test format felt like it would be more difficult. An additional pro for the GRE is that it is taken more widely across graduate schools. So if you are looking into dual programs or deciding between graduate degrees, a GRE score is more versatile. The biggest con is that the GRE is not universally accepted by law schools. If you are looking to take the GRE and apply to law school, double and triple-check that the school you are applying to accepts the GRE. I never even took an LSAT practice test and haven’t ever felt like I was less prepared for law school, so don’t worry about that.
How did you find the inspiration for your personal statement?
I found the inspiration for my personal statement by reflecting on my life and finding major themes and points of inflection. I specifically honed in on points in my life that produced an emotional reaction and began to write from those feelings. Unlike a lot of people, I did not write about a single event that convinced me to go to law school. Instead, I wrote about observations I made throughout my entire life and how each experience was another step towards my decision to apply to law school.
What could a current student do to prepare for the rigor that law school will bring?
There are two things that current students can do to prepare for the 1L ride – read and write a lot. I mean A LOT. Each day in law school will involve some form of reading and comprehension. Professors don’t assign trivial amounts of reading. On one of the worst (best?) days of 1L my section had over 250 pages to read for one day of classes. The better you are at reading and understanding what you are reading, the less time you will spend on repetitive work. At the end of the semester will be the dreaded final exam. These exams are like nothing you will have experienced. Though they are meant to test your knowledge of the subject, the grade you receive will often also turn on the clarity of your writing and, to some extent, how fast you type.
Looking back on your journey to law school, what’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself?
I would advise myself to look more into the different clubs and organizations that the school has and how current students talk about them. I think that I could have saved time and money on applications by focusing more on the experience I would have if I was to get accepted. There is no need to wait until admitted students day to find this information out, most of the organizations on campus have public emails and will be eager to tell you about their org or the experiences of their members. Many current students would even be willing to help you with the application process to some extent.
What is it like studying at Harvard? What advice would you give to an individual who’d like to attend Harvard Law?
Studying at Harvard is an amazing experience. Every day you are surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the world that are all there to learn. Your ideas are challenged both inside and outside the classroom which is a great thing. Harvard, like all schools, is not without its faults. I wish there was more diversity among the students and faculty. Though there have been great strides in this area, there is still much work to be done. A piece of advice I’d give to someone who wants to attend Harvard is to know what you stand for and why you are applying. If you are able to articulate that message succinctly through your personal statement and resume, you increase your chances of getting in and staying true to yourself once you get here.