Becoming a lawyer is one of the most difficult careers to pursue, but for Alayna Roberts, this was exactly what she wanted to do.
Alayna graduated from Bellwood in 2015 and would pursue a further education at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Initially, Alayna graduated in 2019 from WCU with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and a minor in psychology.
While at WCU, Alayna was planning on becoming an occupational therapist, but quickly felt the job wasn’t for her. In a impulse decision, she decided to apply to the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Studying law is one of the most stressful and difficult careers to pursue. Students have to be able to understand and apply laws to the legal process. Not to mention that in your first year one exam determines your entire semester’s grade.
“I think my biggest obstacle in law school was having imposter syndrome. The first year is tough. For some classes you don’t really know how you’re doing until you get your final exam grades back,” said Alayna.
It wouldn’t be until Alayna began doing internships and clinics that she would find her way into family law. Family law involves helping families through tough times like divorce, child custody, and domestic abuse.
While studying to become a lawyer, the final stretch is passing the bar exam, a two day long exam that contains multiple choice questions, essay questions, and a performance test where you are tested on your legal writing ability.
The bar was a major obstacle and a lot of pressure for Alayna. However, she had a good support system and friends to study with.
Alayna graduated from Pitt in 2023 and began her career at New Day Family Law LLC. New Day Family Law was exactly what Alayna had been looking for: the ability to work with other Pitt attorneys who share similar values.
Becoming a lawyer can seem like a daunting task with long difficult exams and a heavy workload. However, Alayna has several tips for those looking to pursue a career in law
“”It is so important to have work/school/life balance,” she said. “Networking is important, and everyone seems really smart, but so are you. For more general advice, you are not on any timeline, and it is okay if you’re not sure what career path you want to go down right now. You have time to figure it out, and it’s okay to change your mind a few times.”
