A Working Law Student

I am a law student. Contrary to what other people thinks about law students—intelligent and rich, I am an average learner and belonged in a middle class family. My books except on Commercial Laws are borrowed from a close friend, photocopied and bounded. I am also at the same time, working. I work for a law maker and is in-charge of whatever may be delegated to me but my main job concerns youth affair programs consultation and implementation.

That is the consequence of being above the poverty line yet short of belonging to an elite society. I need to work to support my studies aside from the fact that I need to support, as well, my 2^nd year Civil Engineering student brother by sharing with him 25% of what I earn and give at least 10% also to my mother for household daily expenses.

Class usually starts at 5:30 in the afternoon. Before the clock ticks 4, an hour before that, I have to make sure that I have at least completed 75% of the task I should finish that day because I have to give myself time to review the lessons to be discussed later. But most of the time, when I am in the office, I dig myself to work and ends up finding myself reading inside the bus on my way to school.

Studying law is no joke. You have to read bundle of cases which also follows that you are required to digest. Sometimes, more than 10-20 cases are assigned by the judge or lawyer-instructors as reading materials which you are required to recite in class the following meeting and if you are “luckily called”, you will be standing citing the facts, the issues and the ruling of the cases for an hour or two.

To study law entails having sleepless nights, big eyebags, and noticeable pimples. To study law is to understand the provisions and not just to memorize them. It entails laborious study evidenced by practitioners themselves who still study their law even they already surpass the Four Sundays of September (I am referring to the Bar Examinations held annually in the Philippines). They say that it is really important to study and stay updated because every lawyer’s task is to master the law for them to be able to competently assist their clients in the hall of justice.

After sitting of standing in class for more than an hour, I go home and usually arrives 9:30 in the evening. I will eat, take a rest, watch my primetime favorites then study afterwards before going to bed.

That is the reason why I love to describe myself in a web profile in this sentence: Sometimes, I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to.

With those aforementioned facts, most people will think of me having a boring life. All is routineary. But I will contest! My life is in fact, exciting!

I have been working since I was 19. At such an early age, I have worked with officers in the highest rank. I got to shake hands with the President, the Vice-President, the former Speaker of the House and local officials in the Province of Pangasinan. I get to interact with those people from different walks of life almost everyday. After more than 2 years or after being an employee of the province, new work experience was offered. Almost the same nature yet I have in my shoulders responsibilities. Responsibilities are challenges. And it is what keeps me going.

To add to these, one may wonder if I’m still having fun. I mean, fun shared with friend and/or with a special someone. Of course I do! I have a boyfriend and I have lots and lots of friends. After all, love is what weaves these roles together and makes the real me--a plain and simple working law student.