Student Curates Law School Experience In support of Increasing Black Representation in the Legal Field
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3L student Julian Little has taken the insight gained from his own personal experience with law school as a means to support the increase of Black representation in the legal field.
Describing his experience at UIC Law as a time of “growth and maturity,” Little recalls struggling to adjust to the transition into law school at the beginning and dealt with feelings of imposter syndrome.
“I felt imposter syndrome not just from other races, but from other Black students who were more accustomed to being in these types of spaces,” Little said.
However, Little did not let his temporary feelings of doubt deter him from succeeding. He stopped questioning whether he was smart enough and instead began to orchestrate experiences that would help him focus more on putting his best effort forward.
Little became president of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) where he could use his influence to mentor and guide younger Black law students who may be experiencing some of the same difficulties he did at the start of his journey.
“Helping other students was one of the main reasons I wanted to be BLSA President,” Little said. “I was not always this well-spoken. It took me a minute to build my confidence so I wanted to show them that if I could do it, they could do it too. Our engagement is up, and we’ve done a great job at establishing community and providing students with the tools they need to succeed.”
Little’s participation in an externship for the Public Defender’s Office and an internship with the Chicago Lawyers Committee further opened his eyes to the need to increase Black representation in the legal field. With a 7-11 license Little was able to manage all of the duties of a public defender and worked in such sectors as the Multiple Defendants Unit and handled student expulsion hearings with the Chicago Lawyers Committee.
“It was very eye opening to see how the system effects people, especially Black people,” Little said.
These experiences fueled Little’s ambition to create change within his community.
“It is a lucrative field, and we want more accessible Black people-more Black defenders, and prosecutors especially. It is a lot more reassuring if you are in jail awaiting trial that you are going to get a fair shot when you see somebody that looks like you and can put themselves in your shoes,” Little said.
Little credits UIC Law for providing him with the skills necessary to be successful in his leadership roles both inside and outside of the law school. He recalls classes like Lawyering Skills, oral argument courses and Moot Court participation, torts, and a law at the intersection class as being “huge confidence boosters” to his ability.
“I never thought I would be the one to get up in front of large groups of people to talk and answer questions. I got those experiences through BLSA and Moot Court and now those things come second nature to me,” Little said.
Little will complete his 3L2 year in May 2025.