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Sydney Jakes
Class of 2011
LSU Law Student
Background: Received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in management information systems from Alabama A&M; worked as a research aide with University of Alabama in Huntsville as a contractor for the U.S. Army’s Apache Project Office, Logistics Engineering Department; member of the Black Law Student Association, Public Interest Law Society
Why Law School: As a little girl, I knew that I wanted to be a lawyer. My dad is a lawyer and I think subconsciously he influenced me. I saw that he was a hard working, honest person and that is something I aspire to be as well. When I finally realized what his job entailed as a corporate lawyer, I thought that this is something I can see myself doing.
Why LSU Law: I was attracted to both the civilian and common law experience offered at LSU Law, as well as the affordability of it and the opportunity to experience a different culture.
The Faculty: Professor Bockrath is a man who means what he says and says what he means. If you respond to one of his questions with a dumb or wrong answer he will let you know. You will hear some of the craziest quotes in his class that become ingrained in your memory when people ask about your law school experience.
Professor Trahan is a man who knows how to put the humor in a humorless history/legal traditions class. Don’t tell him that the traditions class is a useless or you will see a side of him rarely seen by students.
The faculty are great and they are willing to help those who ask. So don’t be afraid to ask for help!
The Curriculum: I think the curriculum at LSU Law is intense when compared to other schools. A lot of the courses we take are jammed into a semester, while other schools take a year for torts or a year for contracts. We don’t have that luxury. So you will be studying and learning a lot more material than the average law student.
Future Goals: Corporate in-house lawyer or government lawyer or entertainment lawyer.
Just for Fun: I like to visit the Mall of Louisiana on occasion just to relieve stress.
