Meeting with a Law Expert

Sharon Crane shared a non-linear path to law that began with strong writing, public speaking, and quick thinking developed through mock trial and oral-argument style competitions in high school, where she learned how to recover when unexpectedly challenged. Despite early exposure to law-related activities, she entered Georgetown University as a pre-med student with plans to become a psychiatrist, drawn by an interest in brain chemistry and criminal psychology. College shifted that plan: difficult freshman-year physics, deeper exposure to psychology professors’ daily work, and reflection on long-term career fit led her to reconsider medicine. She did not decide on law school until junior year and went straight to Columbia Law School, a choice she now advises against. She described the intensity of law school, early big-law recruiting, and the structure of legal training, then detailed her career in corporate transactional law.

The quote I loved:

“AI can do a lot of work of very junior associates - so then how do you become an experienced lawyer if you never have to do the grunt work?”

Actionable insights:

• Try “law skills” before you commit to “law school.”

  • Do mock trial, debate, Model UN, or oral-argument style activities where you must answer tough questions on the spot.

  • Practice being interrupted mid-argument and learning to recover fast - that’s a real skill Sharon highlighted from competitions.

• Give yourself permission to change your mind (and build a broad base).

  • Sharon moved from pre-med to law after exploring psychology, religion, history, and social sciences.

  • Treat your course choices as experiments: notice what energizes you in real day-to-day work, not just what sounds impressive.

• If law school is a possibility, don’t rush it.

  • Her strongest advice: work 1-2 years between college and law school to gain perspective and strengthen applications.

  • Use that time to test possible directions (public interest, corporate, environmental, real estate, policy, academia).

• Understand how early big-law recruiting starts, and why that matters.

  • Recruiting can begin right after the first semester of law school, which can sweep people into a path before they’ve explored.

  • If you think you might be drawn to big law, proactively learn the tradeoffs: money and resources vs. pressure and hours.

• Know the difference between “lawyer on TV” and real legal work.

  • Many lawyers are not in court - corporate transactional lawyers build deals, draft and negotiate contracts, and advise clients.

  • Litigation is only one lane, and even litigators often settle rather than go to trial because court is costly.

• What a corporate associate actually does (use this as a checklist for fit).

  • Due diligence: review company documents (often in virtual data rooms), identify risks (debt, lawsuits, environmental problems).

  • Write clear summaries for senior lawyers and clients: what’s fine, what’s risky, what should change (price, terms, structure).

  • Draft and negotiate long agreements (often 100+ pages), take calls/meetings, juggle multiple matters in different stages.

  • Expect timelines: deals can take 6 months to a year (or longer for huge transactions).

• Be strategic about experiences - “prestigious” is not the only signal.

  • From her recruiting perspective, service jobs (server/waiter) demonstrated customer service and performance under pressure.

  • Any job showing responsibility, time management, and real accountability can be a major strength.

• AI is changing entry-level legal work - plan for that now.

  • Learn how AI can accelerate document review and risk-flagging.

  • Also learn the ethical side: privacy, accuracy, bias, confidentiality, and safe use - Sharon said that’s central to her work now in legal education/training.

  • If you’re interested in law, consider positioning yourself at the intersection of law and tech policy, compliance, or legal operations.

Final thoughts

Sharon’s biggest message was that career paths are built through exposure, not certainty. She became a lawyer not because she had a childhood “law dream,” but because she kept testing what she liked (writing, history, fast thinking), listened to what daily work actually felt like, and adjusted course when her initial plan no longer fit. She also made the practical realities clear: law school is expensive, big-law salaries can be a powerful reason people choose that route, and the work can be intense - but the degree is flexible and the skill set (writing, logic, advocacy, structured thinking) travels well into many careers.