Jasper graduated from SMU in 2018 and from Nottingham Law School in 2021, after deciding to pursue part-time graduate studies. Bucking the trend, Jasper joined a statutory board as a prosecutor right after being called to the Bar in 2019 where he went after ‘bad eggs’, and is currently with the Law Society. Jasper only applied to study Law as his Math grades did not inspire confidence, unwittingly contributing to the stereotype that “lawyers can’t math”.
This Letter is addressed to his 21-year-old self after surviving a month in law school.
Hello slimmer and fitter Me,
I see that you are wallowing in stress and despair after yet another lecture left you thoroughly confused and scared. Prof was scary, wasn’t she? You tried your best to keep your head down but Prof called on you all the same, and unfortunately on a case that you made neither head nor tail of. Prof called you a “muppet” and you had to google what a muppet was.
I don’t know whether it helps, but you are going to be told far more unpleasant things as you progress through law school. There will be a time where Prof, before giving out the results to a test, warns the class that anyone receiving a C grade will likely be a danger to society. You will score a B-. Not a danger, just close to being one.
You will question yourself over and over again whether you belong here in law school – in the company of classmates who are abundantly smarter than you, with your imposter syndrome in full force. You even toy with the idea of dropping out of law school altogether and changing majors. You downloaded the withdrawal form but eventually deleted it.
It’s okay to be scared, confused, and stressed. Someone told you a long time ago that when life gets tough, all you need to get through those hard times is a reason to continue.
You will find it.
In the many internships that you will embark on, you will experience loss, meaning, and hope. You will come face to face with a group of migrant workers crying on their knees, pleading with your boss for help in seeking compensation on their dead compatriot’s behalf. They hope for enough to give the dead man a proper burial and to tide his family over. You will meet a distraught single mother at her wits’ end when her ex-husband abducts their child, goes overseas and becomes uncontactable. You will also meet pitiful senior citizens who have lost their life savings to swindlers, pleading for the firm’s help to recover some of their money back.
You will realise that at the end of the day, the tiny flicker of hope that people hold on to in their hour of distress, is their advocate and solicitor.
That keeps you going – you can be a conduit through which much good can be done and much hope can be offered. Remember how when you were much younger, the story of the stranded starfish on the beach left quite an impression on you? The little boy in the story was throwing stranded starfish back into the ocean so that they did not die in the sun. An old man, who saw what the boy was doing, questioned whether it really made a difference as there were thousands of starfish. The boy replied that his act will at least make a difference to one.
You will also remember the cheesy quote from Mother Teresa: “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”
You will carry these lessons deep within you as you become a full-fledged lawyer. You will carve out a legal career on your own terms by taking an unconventional path: becoming a statutory board’s prosecutor right after your training. You will go after the ‘bad eggs’ in the hope that consumers can be better protected. You will balance your daily work with the ability to make a tiny difference by volunteering regularly at pro bono clinics. Eventually, you will join the Law Society to better the legal profession’s standards and to try and make a difference.
What I am saying is – do not worry. School’s tough but you will find meaning in what you do and you will make it your career. Enjoy the ride and learn as much as possible. You probably won’t listen, but pay more attention to your Criminal Law and Administrative Law classes – the knowledge will be useful in some of your cases!
Oh and my dear Mini Me, this letter is not just for you. You will have a couple of Mini Mes to take care of and to set an example for. I hope they find this letter too, to inspire them and remind them that they too can make a difference through their little actions!
With lots of love,
Older, but none the wiser, Me.