By Malindi Robinson ’20
On my first day at the UNC School of Law, I surveyed fellow classmates and quickly discovered that I was the only Black woman in my 1L college. Reflecting on my law school journey, I credit this circumstance with forcing me to develop what I have come to call “creative resilience,” – an innovative approach to problem solving rooted in carefully crafted networks and authentic connection.
In my first year of law school, I created my own support group through the law school’s stellar extracurricular opportunities. I immediately became active in UNC School of Law’s Black Law Student Association (BLSA) and then its 1L Mock Trial team, which went on to win the BLSA Southern Regional Mock Trial Competition – a first for Carolina Law – and advance to quarterfinals nationally. Notably, all my teammates were Black female 1Ls.
Tragically, just before my second year of law school, I lost my sister to homicide. Losing her forced me to plan. I had to be creative as I was on track to becoming the first lawyer in my family. I certainly thought about dropping out, but quickly realized that was not an option for me. The cost of being the first can be high.
While grieving, I had to figure out how to cope in a healthy way that kept me on track with my studies and professional development. I had to create a village for myself through my vulnerability and by asking for help when I needed it. Law school is an extremely competitive environment, and it is difficult to let your guard down even a little, but it is the best decision I could have made. My Carolina community was and continues to be there for me.
As part of my therapy, I wrote a paper on violence against Black women and girls for my 2L Civil Rights Law course. After a lot of positive feedback, I went on to produce an animated PSA on the same topic during my third year of law school. Based on a plan I developed to create a non-profit centered on this issue, I received an investment from Laurie Mesibov ’84 – a close friend and mentor, Carolina Law alumna, and former university ombudsmen – and I used it to pay young diverse animators to help me with the storytelling.
I believe the media are important tools that can make law and policy more accessible. This became abundantly clear to me during my time at SAS Institute, as a 3L licensing extern. I was introduced to legal design thinking which helped me connect my journalism background, entrepreneurial spirit, and formal legal training. In our digital world, the way information is designed and presented is very important, and the concept of design thinking helped me expand my vision for the project.
I accomplished all of this while also participating in Carolina Law’s Intellectual Property Clinic. It was a very cathartic creative process that helped me stay engaged with school and my practical experiences. I had, and still have, many ideas for the project but at that time I was taking 17 credit hours, preparing to graduate, preparing for bar study, and then the pandemic hit during my final semester. I realized that part of being a good lawyer, especially a creative and resilient one, is knowing when to take a break. It was an inspiring insight in theory, but I needed a job. So, I “rested” for two weeks after turning in my final assignment on what would have been my graduation date pre-COVID. I continued to pursue my side endeavors and apply for work.
I sat to take the July 2020 North Carolina Bar Exam in a stuffy room full of my masked peers and the air was thick with anxiety. The pandemic was in full swing and collective resilience was now a global conversation. I did not pass that test, but after taking ownership of my learning style, I succeeded the following February. I have had to accept that failure means I just needed more time, it is not a bad thing, but it requires a humbling conversation with self, and I had to remind myself of this every day as I prepared to retake the exam.
During my second season of preparation, I fully embraced quarantine study and remote proctoring. It gave me the space to build my confidence and engage with the materials in the way I learn best. I think that is something we all have to have the courage to do if we want to be great at something, to do it authentically and keep moving forward. The failure was just the push I needed to take better care of myself to optimize my performance. I still had to study, so that meant to do it restfully, I would have to take some things off my plate.
As I entered my season of February bar preparation, I sharpened my focus. I made the difficult decision to step back from my video project and non-profit aspirations. I struggled to let go of my employment expectations as I had no offers going into the weeks leading up to my second test. But, if the past couple of years had taught me anything, it was that I was much stronger and smarter than I had thought of myself on that first day of law school, and I could do anything I set my mind to when I committed to making lemonade out of the lemons life had given me.
Malindi Robinson is a 2020 graduate of UNC School of Law. Prior to law school, Robinson studied Strategic Communication at the E.W. Scripps School for Journalism at Ohio University. Robinson now serves as an Associate Counsel to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. She dedicates this article to her little sister and to her late mentor and friend, Laurie Mesibov ’84.
