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Lauren North is one of the Brandeis School of Law students who works at the circulation desk and around the Law Library. Lauren is focused on social justice and women's rights, and this month she took the time to share some of her inspiration and ideas.
Name: Lauren North
Year: 2L
Hometown: My dad was in the military, so I moved a lot, but I graduated from high school in Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Organizations: member of the ACLU, Women’s Law Caucus, and Vice President of the Labor and Employment Law Society
You were involved in a summer placement through the law school this year, weren’t you?
I was one of three UofL law students who have been placed in the Rural Summer Legal Core. They’re pretty competitive placements, and I was housed at Kentucky Legal Aid, which serves Western Kentucky and has its main office in Bowling Green. I worked on their expungement project, helping to connect people with the resources to restore their voting rights, housing and employment opportunities following felony convictions.
Where did you complete your undergraduate and master’s degrees, and what did you study?
My undergraduate degree was in Peace and Global Studies at Earlham College, which is a small liberal arts college in Indiana. I wrote my senior thesis on gender-based violence in post-conflict societies, which established my interests in gender early on. I then spent two years in the Peace Corps, and the following years in campaign politics and the Obama Administration, before going to the London School of Economics to study Gender Development and Globalization.
Have you found this work experience and graduate study helpful in law school?
Oh, hugely so! I feel very lucky to have taken time off between my undergraduate and graduate study, and then again before law school. Both of my degrees informed my trajectory to law school, and the things that I care about have always been reflected in my academic pursuits. It became clear to me that being a lawyer was the next (and hopefully last!) step in being the best advocate for the people and issues that I care about. My work experience solidified my understanding that a legal education was necessary. I didn’t intend for my master’s degree to lead to law school, but I’m glad it did.
As someone with a unique range of experience beyond the classroom, do you have any advice for new law students?
Be open to the experiences and opportunities presented to you. Be strong in who you are and what you want, but be flexible in how you get there. There’s a benefit to disparate and unique experiences, and this is a great chance to pursue diverse interests. Volunteer, join clubs, take classes or clerkships in fields you don’t expect to focus on long-term. We can get tunnel vision on the ultimate goal, but the best people I’ve worked with are those who have well-rounded backgrounds. I think that’s equally true for lawyers as it is for any other field.
What made you want to work at the Law Library?
Libraries are a happy place to me, ever since youth. I love being surrounded by books and I like the people who are drawn to libraries. I worked at both my high school and university libraries, so when I saw the job here I definitely wanted to apply!
What is it that you like about working here?
I like the people at the Law Library, especially the faculty and staff, and the opportunity to have interesting conversations. I also like being this close to the resources that matter most in Law School. I actually did better in my second semester of first year because working here gave me access to all the plentiful resources the library offers. Not only did I spend hours literally sitting right next to the study aids and other materials, but I also know where to find things and who to ask.
Now that I’ve been here awhile I like being a resource to others, especially 1Ls who aren’t as familiar with the materials available. I like being able to pass on that knowledge.
You’ve worked with a number of different organizations in the past, but what would you say is the most interesting job you’ve ever had?
Probably working for the 2008 Obama campaign. I was so young and I actually hadn’t even graduated college yet, but I took a semester off to work for the campaign. It was a very real introduction to the world of national politics and what it means to have power. I talked to thousands of people about their viewpoints, hardships, hopes, and what they wanted to see in the future. It was incredibly meaningful, but it was also really hard. Ultimately, the sacrifices it required though were so worthwhile not only because we did something historic but because it changed the whole course of my life.
Do you have any personal heroes?
My mother. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s also true. She gave me wings, and that’s especially powerful for me because she grew up in a time when her wings were clipped. I grew up with a female role model determined to make sure that I didn’t have those kind of limits.
It’s less personal, but Ruth Bader Ginsburg is another hero for many of the same reasons. She saw that women were not being treated equitably and she broke every barrier, so that the women following behind her wouldn’t face the same struggle.
Finally, someone who I don’t think is nearly well-known enough is Shirley Chisholm. She was a US politician in the 70s. She was the first African-American woman in Congress, and the first black woman to run for President. Before Hillary Clinton, there was Shirley Chisholm. She’s awesome, and severely under-recognized.
I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t even know who Shirley Chisholm is.
Most people don’t! She was elected to Congress, and then she ran for President in 1972. There was a great documentary about her that I really recommend www.pbs.org/pov/chisholm.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Just that I feel very lucky to have landed at UofL Law School. I’d been away from home for almost a decade and wanted to move back closer to my family and to find a place to establish some roots - with an eye towards running for office someday. Louisville was convenient for me, but I’ve felt so fortunate to have also found a program dedicated to social justice and community service. I couldn’t imagine being in a better place, and I’m thankful I ended up here. It’s a very collegial atmosphere, and it’s clear that faculty and staff want what’s best for their students.
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