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law families scheme
perspective: law child
As a first year, LSE, the law course, and London, can seem pretty daunting. The Law Families Scheme gave me somewhere to go to from the very start if I had any questions. You first meet your Law Parents and Grandparents at the Law Families event which always makes for a good night (courtesy of the free drinks and food).
For me though, the scheme was most useful in learning how to settle in. At first, I had no clue how much of the reading I was really supposed to do. So I went to my Law Parents and found out how much they would normally do, ensuring I wasn’t consumed by all the work.
When it came round to applying for insight days and filling in the daunting application forms my Law Parents offered to proofread my CV and just generally give guidance on what I needed to do. Without that help I probably wouldn’t have even known what to do.
So if I was to summarise briefly what a Law Parent is there for, I would have to say that they are your guidance: they’ve been through pretty much everything you’ve been through before and can definitely sympathise with your worries. If anything, it’s just comforting to know you’ve got someone to go to if you’re not comfortable with the way things are going.
perspective: law parent
As a second year, I decided to participate in the Law Families Scheme because I can remember how daunting it was when I started reading Law at LSE only a year ago. Having (somehow) managed to make it through first year in one piece I now feel that I am in a position where I can pass on my pearls of wisdom to this year’s freshers.
One of the first things I did upon finding out who my ‘kids’ were was to create a Facebook chat where we could discuss all things Law and LSE related in a relaxed and informal manner. The next thing I did was to arrange a meeting in Tuns which was a perfect way for our ‘family’ to get to know each other better.
I think that the most important part of my role is to reassure the students that everything will all work out in the end, despite what it seems like at the time. I try to offer advice on a range of things from which readings to focus on and how to structure essays to (most importantly) how to enjoy a healthy work/life balance.
Being a Law Parent is incredibly rewarding but not at all demanding – there’s only a year difference between parents and kids so ultimately it feels like I’m just offering advice to a friend who needs some support. I highly recommend that all current first years consider becoming a Law Parent in their second year to encourage the creation of a supportive environment amongst Law students.