“Your reputation is everything in this profession. You don’t build that overnight. It is the cumulative product of every interaction you have, every day, with everyone in the community, starting in law school!”

“Fewer and fewer cases go to trial at all and even fewer are appealed after trial, which means appellate work is quite sparse in private practice. Government appeals, however, are steady and more positions are available to focus exclusively on appellate practice.”

“I dreamed of going to law school to learn how to best help solve the tangle of problems in my community that had been generations in the making, resulting in cultures from both within and without that required us to forfeit dignity, safety, and respect.”

“Virtually no effort is spent, in my view, educating law students about what it takes to become an appellate judge.”

“Representation heightens the public perception of fairness and improves decisionmaking by ensuring that diverse experiences are taken into account.”

“Go into law school without overly committing to your conception of the kind of lawyer you want to be. Having an open mind has been extremely helpful to me finding my passion.”

“Increasing exposure to the diversity of appellate careers in law school and beyond would ensure that our highest courts are representative of all our communities.”

“Appellate law in particular has tremendous potential to impact legal precedent.”

“Prioritize excelling academically and strengthening your writing skills.  That will always serve you well, no matter what field of law you choose to go into.”

“While you’re in law school, work on strengthening your research and writing skills—especially writing.“

“We must all be more purposeful about building communities that include people who have different experiences from us so that we better appreciate our shared humanity.”

TAP Board Chair Justin Lam currently serves as counsel in the Voting Rights and Elections Program at the Brennan Center for Justice.

“Indigenous appellate attorneys know a lot about the law and a lot about life. Both are needed for effective advocacy.”

“Earn the experience you need to do the job well. Take chances in yourself. Be open to mentorship.”

“Follow a path that makes sense for you from a personal and professional perspective understanding circumstances will change both personally and professionally over the course of your career. “

We applaud the news of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic nomination, which shows our future appellate leaders that they too can serve on this country’s highest court.

“Know where you come from and don’t accept the world or the law as it is.  We all have power to change things.”