这个故事最初出现在 Res国际公共部门会计标准局, 密苏里大学堪萨斯分校法学院校友杂志. 要了解更多信息， 阅读全文 或浏览 法学院网站.
当我们现在的31名学生毕业时, they will have spent half of their law school careers online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We caught up with 3L students Alyson Englander, 蒂莫西·伦道夫 and Trevor Cunningham to hear how they’re navigating their final year — virtually.
Why did you choose UMKC for your legal studies?
特雷弗·坎宁安: It was an incredible value proposition with a great proximity to the Kansas City legal market.
艾莉森英国人: I chose UMKC for its reputation for being a collaborative, welcoming environment that supports non-traditional students like myself.
蒂莫西·伦道夫: I chose UMKC because it offered a part-time program. I was also working in Johnson County and wanted to be local.
Are you currently a clerk or intern in a law office?
坎宁安: I’m currently clerking at Parman and Easterday in Overland Park, Kansas. I spend most of my time drafting documents, corresponding with legal advisors and circuit clerks and researching legal issues.
英国人: 虽然我现在不是职员, I have worked for the Missouri Attorney General’s office, as well as several firms during law school.
伦道夫: I worked in the Johnson County Prosecutor’s office for about five to six years before I decided to stop working and focus on finishing school.
Has the pandemic impacted the job market for new lawyers?
坎宁安: Most of us are fairly realistic about the ways in which the pandemic has made firms take an honest look at their ability to hire new associates. 然而, I truly believe that this 3L class is an incredibly bright and resilient group of individuals. I have little doubt that they’re going to find work even in this difficult job market.
How did you manage the shift to online classes?
英国人: 最大的挑战, 对我来说, were balancing classes while my husband was also suddenly working from home and our 18-month-old daughter’s daycare was closed. I found myself having to switch my camera off often and text friends in my classes to see if I had missed anything important while tending to my family. 几个星期, my peers and I were also very anxious about the format of our final exams and grading that semester. We were relieved when the law school ultimately decided to make all classes pass/fail.
I found myself having to switch my camera off often and text friends in my classes to see if I had missed anything important while tending to my family.
伦道夫: 我的心态, 最初, was “it’s not much different because we’re sitting in class like we normally do,但最难的部分是同伴之间的互动. Now, when you log off you have to chase down classmates to debrief after class. You get energy from your peers and being able to set up study sessions on the spot. There’s nothing personable about your laptop.
Has this experience created any additional opportunities or challenges in your personal life?
坎宁安: I suppose I’m like everyone else in that I have good days and not as good days. The pandemic has reminded me that it’s OK to take time for myself. By the same token, the pandemic has also caused some of my relationships to fracture. I attribute it mostly to the fact that so many things related to COVID have been so intensely politicized. I feel really sad that public health has been made into a political issue.
The pandemic has reminded me that it’s OK to take time for myself.
伦道夫: One thing I miss about being on campus is overhearing peers talking about opportunities or communication you may have missed. 你一天收到这么多邮件, 很容易漏掉一些东西, 但是当你听到同伴说“哦, 这是你做的吗?,或者“你要去吗?,“这有点像一个提醒.
从法学院毕业后，你的下一步是什么?
坎宁安: 在毕业, I hope to pursue an opportunity to practice in the areas of Business and Estate planning in the KC Metropolitan area.
英国人: I hope to pursue a public service-oriented practice, but specifically I hope to work in immigration law.
伦道夫: I haven’t quite ironed out exactly what I want to do after graduation. My initial plan was to work as a prosecutor and become a JAG (Judge Advocate General) officer with the Kansas Army National Guard, however I’ve recently found an interest in business law and business development. I love the idea of being in-house counsel for a few small businesses in the area and also be able help a startup business who might want to seek private equity funding. I’ve grown to love tax law and I’ve slightly considered possibly pursuing a LL.M. 在税收方面.