Assistant Professor Tiffany D. Atkins L'11 penned "Thriving while Gen Z in law school" for the Student Lawyer blog hosted by the American Bar Association.
What are some strategies for current and future Gen Z law students – those born 1995 and 2010 – to not just survive, but excel, in law school?
Assistant Professor Tiffany D. Atkins L’11 has a few thoughts.
In “Thriving while Gen Z in law school”, a May 24 guest post on the Student Lawyer blog hosted by the American Bar Association, Atkins outlines six tips for achieving success throughout law school:
- Remember your “why”
- Map out advocacy opportunities
- Connect with faculty who share similar interests
- Find friends and allies who share similar passions
- Don’t be afraid to speak up
- Remember to practice self-care
“Law school may not be what you expected, but remember it is just three years of what can be a lifetime career of advocacy as a lawyer,” Atkins writes. “Thriving in law school while Gen Z means keeping your eyes on the ‘prize’ by learning all the legal skills you can, in order to reach your ultimate goal of changing the world by making a profound difference for others.”
The Student Lawyer post is a continuation of work that Atkins published this winter in the Michigan Journal of Race & Law. “#ForTheCulture: Generation Z and the Future of Legal Education” called on the legal academy to begin “getting serious” about diversity by creating a stronger culture of inclusion and activism.
Atkins graduated from Elon Law in 2011 as the recipient of the David Gergen Award for Leadership and Professionalism. She taught in the Legal Method & Communication Program from 2016-2018, then spent a year at Wake Law’s Legal Analysis, Writing and Research program before rejoining the Elon Law faculty.
Prior to her entry into legal education, Atkins worked for several years in Greensboro at Legal Aid of North Carolina. She is a graduate of UNC Greensboro’s Political Science and African-American Studies programs.