1. Good news at last for law students grappling with all the things that law school brings! How to Show Up and Shine in Law School reminds us that our strength lies in our origin stories, and that we can use the skills we are developing as lawyers, to be creative problem solvers, to solve the multiple “tests” we face as students and eventual practitioners. Bravo to Cherelle for sharing common sense tools for success in plain English. I wish I had this guide when I was a IL long ago… it sends a clear message to all, especially women and underrepresented folks, that from the moment of acceptance to law school, you belong. -Tomasita Sherer, Partner Dentons
2. This compassionate, informative, and highly practical book will give students the necessary skills to excel in law school. This should be required reading. - Gary Linnen, CEO PeerForward
3. How to Show Up and Shine in Law School is a compilation of very useful practical tips for keeping one’s eye on the goal of doing well in law school while enjoying life and being grateful for one’s place in this new world of legal education. It explains how to set up good support systems, avoid negative thinking, learn legal education techniques, have meaningful conversations and speak truth to power, and achieve one’s goals using the best techniques from positive psychology and mindfulness practices. It is a book I would recommend to my students. – Nathalie Martin, Frederick M. Hart Chair in Consumer and Clinical Law, University of New Mexico School of Law, author of Lawyering from the Inside
4. Cherelle provides actionable tools for law students to implement. If they do so, I’m confident they’ll succeed, just as she hopes they will. What is most compelling about this book is that the tips aren’t just for law students. The tools Cherelle provides would help the most senior attorneys refresh and reset their practices. Cherelle’s vulnerability to share her own story, which, like most of us, includes some hiccups, creates credibility. She sets out intentional practices that will help law students find contentment and fulfillment during a typically trying time. Cherelle offers a playbook for law students to differentiate themselves and thrive. Law students that find, read, and implement these techniques will have a leg up as they enter the profession. -Emily Logan Stedman, Senior Associate, Husch Blackwell, State Bar of Wisconsin, Young Lawyers Division, Past President; Wisconsin Taskforce on Lawyer Well-Being, Inaugural Member and Committee Chair, 2020-2022
5. This book is a valuable resource for underrepresented, current and prospective law students. The book provides insightful strategies and guidance on how to navigate law school using a self-awareness and intentional approach. The book provides insight into the law school experience while embracing mindfulness techniques. The book's emphasis on self-awareness, identity, and resilience offers a fresh perspective. The inclusion of real-life examples enhances uniqueness and authenticity. Overall, it is a highly recommended read for those seeking to excel in their law school journey. In sum, "How to Show up and Shine in Law School with Gratitude, Grit, And Grace" is a must-read for anyone embarking on the path to legal education. -De’Jonique Carter, Esq., Pre-Law Advisor Dillard University School of Law
6. I wish I had "How to Show Up and Shine in Law School" as a resource for me, a child of immigrants, when I decided to go to law school and had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. With excellent, new-age advice on how to succeed in law school and deal with imposter syndrome, this book is a must read for every incoming law student, but especially for those who do not have mentors or resources to help them navigate through law school. Cherelle is exactly the advocate, guidance counselor, mentor, and author the legal community needs. -Tina Lapsia, Associate Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
2024-08-09
A practical primer for students entering the intimidating first year of law school.
With intimacy and vulnerability, Glimp, an accomplished graduate of Columbia Law School, shares not only her own experiences—from receiving her acceptance letter and her first failed test to taking the bar with a cracked tooth in hand—but also her practices of gratitude, mindfulness, and meditation to help “1Ls” succeed. These tools go beyond simple insights into the Socratic method or exam strategies, though those are here, too. The author provides tips for developing a Super PAC (or “Personal Affirmation Committee”) of family members, friends, upperclassmen, and mentors to help maximize support and make important connections that will serve future lawyers well past their first year in school. Glimp identifies common pitfalls like negatively comparing oneself to peers, the mediocrity of complacency, and the myth of multitasking. She details specific language and tactics that POCs and other marginalized individuals can use to combat implicit bias, microaggressions, and systemic discrimination, and she suggests pragmatic ways to confront inequality and to self-advocate. Each chapter includes a “Solo Sidebar” with questions that encourage self-examination (“What excites you the most about starting law school?”) along with mindfulness exercises that focus on stretching, breathing, and other self-soothing techniques. A resource on law school that emphasizes gratitude and touts the importance of self-care as much as academic fastidiousness might seem a little New Age-y at first, but its straightforward practicality and easy-to-implement advice keep things grounded. Glimp never sugarcoats how difficult law school can be and shares accessible strategies to deal with fear and anxiety. The advice on how to “show up and shine” often focuses on basic (and easy to neglect) areas like diet, exercise, and good sleep hygiene. The text is well supported by citations and provides recommendations for further reading. Though this guide is a resource aimed at first-year law students, there is much here that would be a boon for anyone entering an intensive academic program.
Constructive counsel for future counselors that should be part of every law student’s brief.
