59. The BLS Episode

What‘s Law Got To Do With It?

Our guest this episode is Emily Kot, a 2L student at Osgoode. Although she recommends Legally Blonde as a law-related film, she mentions she's seen Legally Blonde the musical. Richard and Felicity are completely blown away as they had no idea such a thing existed.

Turns out, she saw it at Hart House at the University of Toronto, as friends took her there to help ease the stress of grades release. That's exactly what the episode is about: 1L life and in particular, dealing with 1L life during a pandemic. Emily has a unique perspective because she lived in Hong Kong during the SARS epidemic in 2003. She remembers being pulled out of school, having to wear masks, and when she went back to school, having her music teacher pointing out those masked students who were not singing because he could see that their foreheads were not moving. It isn't clear how that relates to law school, but when Richard asks Emily for advice or pointers on how to cope, she says the biggest thing is knowing that the pandemic will end, that there is hope. Excellent advice.

Emily also says that keeping perspective is important while the pandemic Is on. Although anxieties about grades will always exist, Emily tries to turn the focus away from law students being turned into commodities for firms, since in the world at large, people are suffering in ways that put the privileges of law students in stark relief. Also excellent advice.

Emily and Felicity compare law school to high school. That was one thing Emily found she wasn't prepared for. 1L is clearly the most like high school, as students lack agency (Emily's word) but both agree things improve in upper years. Richard wonders if the "high school" label is unfairly pejorative -- there are good aspects to the collegiality and friendships that occur because of everyone's close proximity and shared experiences. Reluctantly, the other two agree. Richard coins a new term, BLS, meaning before law school, to reflect the two halves of one's life that law school manufactures. Felicity disses it as a term that will never catch on, but Emily and Felicity both then say it's important not to abandon your BLS friends, and Emily imparts some final wisdom, which is to find out and protect something you used to do in your BLS life. Richard names the episode BLS as vindication.

Music Attribution:

What's Love Got to Do With It

by Tina Turner

Soundcloud: What's Love Got to Do with It