The Parallels Between Law and Teaching

“Attending and graduating from law school in 2017 was one of the most life-changing experiences for me. Receiving a legal education allowed me to continue to learn the art of critical and logical thinking, and to be open to all points of view,” Alessandra Cain reflected.

She has always been interested in the legal profession. This began when she worked in her mother’s law office in middle school, “I learned the value of hard work and of taking care of others during periods of great stress. I had always thought about becoming a teacher, but I wanted to also accomplish my goal of graduating from law school.  I knew that I would decide after graduation which path I wanted to pursue,” she remembered.

She learned that there were many similarities between the legal and teaching professions. Both use very similar skill sets, and both are care-taking professions. Teachers take care to make sure that students are learning and that they have the right environment and resources to be able to live up to their potential. Lawyers guide clients through difficult life stressors and make sure that clients have enough information and resources to make informed decisions.

She is pleased she chose a profession that allowed her to combine her love of teaching and the law. “It has been an honor to have the opportunity to share my own knowledge, experience, and to pay it forward with our students,” she recalled.

She is able to use what she learned in law to expose students to many different educational and career paths and make a valuable contribution to the East Side Union High School District mission of making students “college and career ready.”

The Law Pathways program at Yerba Buena High School exposes students to the law profession through academic classes and field trips. A primary goal and focus of Career and Technical Education is experiential learning. In addition to field study and learning, students regularly engage in experiential and kinesthetic learning through debates, simulations, mock trials, and moot courts.

“I often tell my students to be open to opportunities even if it is not what you expected. I did not expect to be able to teach and continue to be involved in law. I thought it was one or the other. This opportunity came along very unexpectedly and I embraced it. I am trying to use that experience to teach students to keep an open mind with respect to the opportunities which come along in life,” she shared.

Alessandra believes that debate-centered instruction is directly aligned with the values, goals, and purpose of Career and Technical Education. When students are leading and actively engaging with their education, it not only increases student and class engagement, but it can provide an invaluable opportunity for students to experience and see themselves in that career.

A primary goal is to provide experiential learning opportunities for students with the ultimate goal of contributing to the diversification of the legal profession. Even if a student ultimately decides on a different career path, the skills and knowledge gained from the Law Pathway are wide-ranging and transferable to any educational and career path. 

“My educational and personal upbringing gave me a great sense of the importance of giving back to others. I was extremely blessed and fortunate to be raised in a family of strong, highly educated, and intelligent women. One of my role models and one of the most impactful and influential figures in my life, my paternal grandmother, was a teacher. She earned physics and math degrees during a time when it was uncommon for women to even think about receiving a higher education, let alone earn a degree and ultimately teach. My other role model and personal hero, my mother, consistently told me that an education is the one thing in life that cannot be taken away from you. Importantly, my mother also raised me with the belief that an education would give me the knowledge, awareness, and ability to look for ways to do good in the world,” she stated.

“Deciding to enter the teaching profession has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life, and I have found my passion and calling. Having the opportunity to contribute to the start of the Yerba Buena High School Law Pathway and make a meaningful contribution to a young person’s life is a true honor,” she said.