Post Finals and Graduation Celebration GIVEAWAY

Happy Monday!

This weekend I graduated from Law School... it is absolutely surreal.


Today I begin studying for the Bar Exam with Themis Bar Review. As unexciting as that is, I know that this time is only temporary and it will be worth it.

In more exciting news, I have a super exciting announcement:

To celebrate the end of another round of final exams and the fact that I graduated from law school this past weekend, I am launching a giveaway on Instagram!

In order to win, you must follow all instructions below. The randomly drawn winner will receive:



  • A pair of blue light blocking glasses
  • A ceramic mug that says "Trust me I'm almost a lawyer"
  • A double insulated tumbler that keeps hot drinks warm for 8 hours and cold drinks cold for 18 hours 
  • A cute journal 
  • A glass water bottle
Instructions for entering: 
  1. Follow @thelegalduchess on Instagram
  2. Like the giveaway photo on Instagram
  3. Comment on the giveaway photo on Instagram and tag 1 friend who needs to celebrate the end of law school finals!
  4. Optional extra entries: for every extra friend you tag, you get an extra entry & if you share the giveaway on your Instagram or Instagram story, you get an extra entry
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A Quick Guide to the Kentucky Derby

If you did not know already, this weekend is the Kentucky Derby. As a lifelong equestrian and horse racing aficionado, this is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Today I am providing a little guide for those who may not understand the Derby and everything that goes along with it... it is so much more than just a horse race.



What is the Kentucky Derby? 
Held every year on the first Saturday in May since 1875, the Kentucky Derby is America's most famous horse race. It is held at Churchill Downs, a storied race track in Louisville, Kentucky. Called "The Run for the Roses" due to the rose blanket that is draped across the shoulders of the winning horse, the race is 1 1/4 mile long and is open only to the top 3-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses in the world. 

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What You Have to Know About Law School Final Exams

"Your value as a person is not determined by your performance on this exam or any other exam, your performance in law school nor the bar exam. Your value is inherent and inviolate and nothing can take it away from you."
                                                    - quoting Professor Shelley Cavalieri.

Print this out and hang it above your desk. I promise you will thank me

There is so much pressure to excel on law school exams and that is okay. What is not okay is letting the need to excel, the need to beat the curve and the need to get that A becomes your benchmark on how you determine your value as a law student, as a lawyer or as a human being. A grade is just a grade. It is just one piece of the puzzle. It is not the end all be all.

A bad grade is not the end of the world. A few bad grades are not the end of the world. Let it push you and drive you to do better but do NOT let it defeat you.

Speaking from personal experience, there is nothing more defeating and heartbreaking than failing a class in law school or getting a grade lower than you wanted. I remember sitting in my bed at 2am when my Property I grade was released bawling my eyes out because I got a C- and that meant I had failed and would have to retake the class. It was one of the most crushing moments of my life. But, I picked myself up and decided I was never failing a class again and pushed myself harder until my law school GPA and grades were something I could be proud of. Now, I am getting ready to graduate. I have cords and medals to wear on graduation day. I have gotten A's, I have gotten the highest grade in a class, I have excelled in Moot Court and I have a resume full of honors and awards from my time in law school. I am not longer that girl who failed Property I... I am 2 weeks away from being a Juris Doctor and the highest educated person in my family.

My law schools grades, both the good and the bad, do not define me. Your grades do not define you. Please do not let anyone ever let you think otherwise and please don't let yourself start to believe that it is true.

You got into law school for a reason- you are good enough, you are smart enough and you can do this. If you remember nothing else from everything I have typed into this little blog, please remember this.

Good luck to all this exam season!
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Friday Five 4/26

Happy Friday!

Today I am taking my last substantive final exam! ( I have one more next week but it is good faith effort/participate to pass so I do not have to study for it). My week was basically full of nothing but study study study and take exams. However, there were some bright spots: on Easter, I was blessed to welcome a new nephew, Lincoln Lee.

Here are a few fun snaps from my week:








Gracie goes to law school



And here are my Friday Five!


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Book Review: The Boys in the Boat

Taking a break from exams to bring you a book review!


The April book pick for our Novel Idea Book Club was The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. This is the story of the 1936 USA Olympic Rowing Team that took Gold at the Berlin Olympics. It was a team of 8 college boys from the University of Washington who grew up in logging towns and fishing villages before making their way onto the worlds stage and rowed their way into the history books.

It is no secret that I am a giant history nerd so this book was right up my alley. 1936 was a historical time... the Great Depression was still holding America in its grasp, Germany was rising again into a monster no one could foresee and the world had not even yet recovered from the war to end all wars. It was into this backdrop that 8 tall, Northwestern boys stepped into a rowing shell and into the history books. I love a good underdog story and these boys, who had no money, no pedigree and no reason to believe that they could be Olympians were the ultimate underdogs. Rowing is an elitist sport and yet, it was the working class boys that took the day. You can't write stories better than that and yet, this one was real.

If you have not read it, all I can say is that you should.
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