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Law in Contemporary Society
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Challenging Conformity-- By AmithavReddy - 19 Feb 2025 Ever since I was a child, I have experienced a tug of war between assimilating to the society around me and remaining connected to my family abroad. Attending weddings, touring schools, and visiting restaurants during my frequent trips to Hyderabad, I found stark differences between myself and nearly everything around me. However, at home, I was ashamed by my obvious connections to Indian culture, furiously wiping off the kumkuma my mom had applied on my forehead before my first day of school. Over time I had learned to camouflage myself within my environment––masking my accent and altering my clothes at a moment’s notice. It was difficult to conform to the identity I expected myself to, feeling like it was forced on me. From being the only 4th grader of color in a small town in Indiana, to being one of many in Atlanta, I felt an innate pressure to assimilate to those around me. Attending six different elementary schools around the country made it futile to draw upon my previous experiences. The constant pressure to perform well in school regardless of social difficulties was compounded by my older brother who made everything look easy--- racking up academic achievements with every passing year, despite also experiencing similar changes. This forced reinvention with every move began to manifest itself as a version of me that did not know how to be authentically myself. It became an obsession. I could only be content with myself once I knew that I had impressed, pleased, or shown those around me that I was in the know, and that I too, was like them. I hid under the guise of curiosity by exposing myself to various languages and cultures, voluntarily pushing myself towards the unknown in order to showcase my triumph over my past. In other words, delving into newer realms of thought allowed me eschew the discomfort of straying away from who I really was, and exploring who I wanted to be. Fortunately, this guise eventually led me to discovering a segment of the law that intrigues me. From my constant movement as a child, I developed an appreciation for the influences of people’s cultures in their varying relationships with the American legal system. I have served immigrant communities with this understanding in mind. The personal significance of immigration within my life is reflected in my parents’ own American citizenship journey and the many roles I have filled across the spectrum of immigration over the years, from being a volunteer Spanish translator to my role as a legal assistant at an immigration law firm. Additionally, my own battle of adjusting my identity in order to assimilate while simultaneously attempting to maintain a strong relationship to my culture has allowed me to empathize with the difficulties that those who are not American nationals face. More importantly, I have a deep awareness of how one’s upbringing affects their conception of the law and its role in defining their life, and this has allowed me to bring this into my legal career to make an impact. For example, while assisting artists, teachers, and community leaders with their visa applications as a legal intern, I meticulously translated their culturally-specific contributions into a legal language that would make clients desirable candidates for work sponsored visas. In today’s business atmosphere, diversity of thought and background are integral to success. I hoped to leveraged my childhood experiences and understanding of many of the world’s cultures to help generate inventive ideas in my legal career. However, my time at law school has unveiled to me how the structure of law school and legal thought is not conducive to one expressing their true thoughts or personality. I hope that the flexibility offered in upper-year curriculum will provide a ground for me to faithfully connect with the work. Whether it is through seminars or clinics, I look forward to interacting with students and teachers in environments that encourage collaborative dialogue and an infusion of authenticity. Additionally, I can leverage cross-listed classes in the business school to interact with different schools of thought and explore the intersection of business, policy, and the law. Through immersion in such programs, I will quickly find my style of lawyering and properly answer the question constantly probed by Professor Moglen “what kind of lawyer are you today.” It is of the utmost importance to me that regardless of the type of law I practice, my work reflecting all aspects of my personality from my technical skills to my internal values. I will strive to use my upbringing and experiences to my benefit and not shy away from bringing my authentic self to any professional setting during my legal career. I understand this may prove to be difficult in the current legal landscape, however I have seen how the most successful legal professionals I have interacted with are those who are able to connect with people from all walks of life. The most innovative ideas stem from diverse communities where varied experiences inspires creative and effective solutions. Moreover, I believe that there is no path to long-term success if I am not genuine in my interactions with those around me. My goal is to not fall prey to overworking myself and being dissatisfied with my experience in BigLaw as so many others do. The first-year law school curriculum is not indicative of the roles that many Columbia law school graduates adopt after graduating and they are shocked by the stresses of their BigLaw jobs once hired. With these aspirations in mind, I am optimistic that working in a truly one-on-one client-serving role will satiate the urge to be liked. My childhood navigating various identities is not unique in itself; the ability to cultivate my professional career where all of my identities can coalesce will be. In this moment, I am grateful for all the experiences that have shaped me into the person that I am today and wish to ensure they shape the lawyer I become.You are entitled to restrict access to your paper if you want to. But we all derive immense benefit from reading one another's work, and I hope you won't feel the need unless the subject matter is personal and its disclosure would be harmful or undesirable. To restrict access to your paper simply delete the "#" character on the next two lines:
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