For as long as I can remember, I have always had an interest in the ways of the law. As a young elementary student, my interest was mainly in law enforcement- specifically policing. I wanted to put the "bad guys" away and protect society. However, the more I learned about the law, the more I became interested in the law itself. Laws, it seemed, were just a manifestation of our social norms. With this realization came a new aspiration to become a lawyer. Lawyers and Judges, I felt, were critical thinkers- men and women who pondered deeply about how our society and our communities created these social rules that later become laws. The process in which this happened was fascinating to me.
To further understand this process I decided to take Law 12 in my final year at high school and I instantly fell in love with studying the law. I remember that we watched "To Kill a Mockingbird" in class. I was really inspired by Atticus Finch's character. He was a "man of the law" in every sense of the phrase. He stood by what was right and challenged the thinking of his society. Finch became my ideal lawyer- a brave, and fearless thinker. Although I know Atticus Finch is a naive representation of a lawyer, it is still an ideal I hold very dear. Atticus Finch is the lawyer I hope to become. In university, I am currently completing a bachelors in Criminology- a multi-faceted discipline that has allowed me to understand not only crime, but also the ways that we can use to help those that may be stuck in the ever-revolving door of a criminal lifestyle. Help, I have learned, is the essence to each legal profession. Professions such as policing, corrections, and the law are at their core "helping professions." Unfortunately, at times it seems that legal professions often stray away from this philosophy and it was discouraging to see that as a Law 12 student. However, studying in Criminology has given me permission to restore my faith in legal professions. Criminology has also presented me with an opportunity to put my theoretical knowledge to use. For the next four months I will completing a practicum placement with Mr. Garih. My hope is that I can learn the many ways in which the law can be used to better the greater society. I hope to gain the confidence of those that I work with so that they can trust me to remedy the issues that plague our communities- issues that, to some extent, we have created ourselves. My goal is to become a person of service and the law, the way Atticus Finch was for his community. |
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AuthorArsh Mazoo Archives
August 2018
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