- I first went to law school in Mexico, where people were more open to friendships.
- I moved to the US and enrolled in Columbia’s law school, which was more expensive.
- The students were more focused on the work at Columbia, and the classes were harder.
Ever since I decided to become a lawyer, a question has lingered in my mind: Should I go to law school in my native Mexico, or should I do it in the neighboring US?
Hard work and a bit of student loan debt allowed me to experience both worlds — first in Mexico and then in the US.
I picked top-of-the-class law schools at private universities in both countries: Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico and Columbia University in the US.
When I finished my law degree in Mexico and worked for a few years, I wanted to expand my career. The natural path to doing so as a corporate lawyer was to work in the US, which is why I decided to enroll in a US law school, fulfilling a longtime dream.
When I enrolled in the US, I was interested to see how different and how similar the experience would be to my law school in Mexico.
My law school in Mexico was cheaper
It’s no secret that private education in both countries is expensive. However, in proportion, my law school in Mexico was cheaper as the cost of four years was equivalent to the cost of one year in the US.
The structural differences didn’t end there. The admissions process and obtaining the degree were more challenging in the US than in Mexico. There was more paperwork, requirements, and university bureaucracy.
But these things are compensated by the higher salaries offered in the US to lawyers compared to Mexico.
Law students I met in the US generally weren’t interested in making friends
Most of the best universities in Mexico are private, drastically limiting opportunities for many because of costs. But those who did get into the law school were practically guaranteed a job upon graduation, due to the elite nature of the schools.
Since we all knew we had jobs after school, my classmates had a flourishing sense of camaraderie and cooperation — rather than cutthroat competition. People were generally friendly and open because they knew their jobs after college were mostly secure.
Meanwhile, pedigree is important in the US. The type of law school you went to and how well you performed affected the type of job you scored after graduation, making my classmates in the US more competitive.
This competitive environment had a downside: It was harder to forge meaningful connections. The relentless pursuit of academic and professional success overshadowed social interactions among students. Sure, I made a lot of acquaintances and met interesting professionals, but I struggled to grab a casual lunch or have a personal conversation with someone.
People were there to be the best students and become better lawyers — not to make friends.
My classes were more engaging in the US, making them more stressful for me
Civil law is the world’s most common legal system — used in most of Europe, Asia, South America, and much of Africa. However, the top three global financial hubs (New York, London, and Singapore) belong to common law countries. I won’t bore you with legal explanations, but this difference is key to understanding how distinct the law school experiences were.
Mexico has a civil law system, meaning that laws are codified and structured. It’s all written down. All laws and regulations were physically handed out to us to be read and memorized.
Professors gave long lectures. I had classes in which the students wouldn’t even engage at all. We were there to listen, take notes, and sometimes ask questions. Most of the time, studying came only after classes and for the purpose of passing exams. There was no room for critical thinking and practical application.
The US has a common law system, meaning that laws come from uncodified case law resulting from court decisions. Due to this case-based approach, we were required to delve into a vast body of legal precedents to understand the underlying concepts and principles.
Professors used the “Socratic method,” where students were called upon to discuss and analyze cases in class. We were expected to know the entire content of the class before attending it. It was quite scary and challenging, as we had to study daily, but it fostered our critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Both law schools taught me the power of being a lawyer
If the experiences had something in common, it was the profound sense of the lawyer’s role in society.
Law schools in Mexico take a more theoretical approach, while law schools in the US focus on the practical side. However, both aim to produce responsible and dedicated professionals capable of contributing positively to their respective communities. In my case, both law schools made sure we acknowledged this in order to understand how useful we can be.
Attending law school in Mexico and the US was a unique and enriching experience. If you’re wondering if it’s worth studying law in various countries with different legal systems, be prepared to spend time, money, and energy. But I assure you that you will be better prepared for the rat race.
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