Law journey at Qatar University

Al-Jazi Rashid Al-Naimi The most untruthful idea For many people, law means memory. They assume that those who specialise in law are masters of memorisati...

Al-Jazi Rashid Al-NaimiThe most untruthful idea For many people, law means memory. They assume that those who specialise in law are masters of memorisation. While memorisation is required, what is more important is understanding. Within the field of law, this is a popular topic of discussion. Those who study law contemplate, “Is memorization or understanding more important?” My answer comes from my own experience. Understanding is much more important. Yes, I must memorize but if I do not understand what I have memorized, then it is of no use to me. A student may memorize material for an exam, but a practitioner of law must understand and exercise that material.Special power and responsibility in lawThose who practice law possess a great power in their hands. The power of this knowledge is not pointless. On the contrary, it allows those who practice law to fulfil an important mission. The weight of the law, carried on their shoulders, allows them to defend minorities, help the needy, and speak up for those who do not know their rights. Without the help of a lawyer, some would not even know how to prove their innocence. Law does not allow one to cover the guilt of a criminal or to turn a blind eye to the accused. Instead, lawyers are responsible for defending the rights of the weak. In the same way, laws do not justify crimes but provide ways for the criminals to be prosecuted.The most beautiful thing about law is that the nature of the specialization requires the lawyer to remain up-to-date, constantly learning new law and new interpretations of the law. Renewal of the law and of the lawyer must take place. Small actions, big resultsDoing some little things before studying or working really can make one’s day, especially when one needs to wake up early for lectures. My version of this included putting my WhatsApp groups on silent, while I listened to my favourite music and drank black coffee at 7am, before my 8am classes. Although I was always early to class, one day I was ten minutes late. My teacher remarked on my ability to have time for coffee but not to be on time to class. I was disappointed that my previous perfect record didn’t count for anything. The teacher informed me that he relied on me to say where the class had left off on the day before. I found evidence that law is renewed, inside and outside of the university, through interactions with my Greek professor. He taught me some of his native vocabulary, such as the word “kalimare” which means “good morning”, and he exposed me to the world of the International Court of Justice, by sending me links to it that we discussed. Sometimes, the professors took a cinematic approach, such as instructing us to watch a very old three-hour movie called Judgment at Nuremberg. The film is about the genocide and crimes committed during World War Two. After watching the film, we discussed it later.Some professors know how difficult it is to attend class in the morning, especially if the subject is very difficult. To help us cope, they suggested morning relaxing habits for us to implement into our day.A system of encouragement One of my distinguished professors devised a system of encouragement. She had us each write our names in bold pilot pen on a sheet of paper as a nametag. When we participated in class, including arriving early, she put a star next to our name on the paper. Although some felt like we were treated as if we were in a children’s nursery school, I found the activity to be a positive incentive to always be present in class.I also found professors who were willing to encourage us through sharing their own cases and talking us through them, reassuring us that they are in fact “easy-peasy”, despite looking complicated, to be helpful. This is how I have encouraged my own daughter in her mathematics homework. The most beautiful sentence I heard was when I was in the class of commercial papers and bank operations law. I had a background because of my father, may God have mercy on him. My father educated us in this regard because of his extensive experience in banking, and I asked the doctor deep questions until she got up and said, “For the first time in my career as an academic doctor, I feel that I am a student, and you are a doctor. Thank you Al-Jazi for asking this most wonderful question.” I loved my experience in college, especially interacting with the professors, from the first day. While some students might be intimidated by this, for me, it was enjoyable because of my personality. I am highly verbal, and a good disagreement can be enjoyable to me. All of these are positive traits for someone studying law. Things like class ranking, GPA, and test scores no longer seemed important. My sole focus was learning law. Because of this, although I did not achieve the top scores, I was happy. Why perfection does not equal successI did not follow the perfect and official plan for the subjects because I made my own plan. I never did visit the academic advisor. When I received a phone call from her asking to meet, I learned that I was the only student who had not met with her. However, she told me that I was on the right path and to keep it up. Creating my own path was serving me well. Do not go with the flow, be the flowI ignored a lot of anxiety about studying updates, WhatsApp groups, and intimidation about the materials and their difficulty. Instead, I chose to focus on understanding the subjects myself, and if I needed to clarify any points, I approached a doctor of the subject directly, so that I knew what his or her way of thinking was. Expect professors to be individualsIt is important to remember that every professor will have his or her own style of teaching. Teaching law is individual, with different professors having an emphasis on different styles or areas of importance. Likewise, learning law is also individual. When the professors determine what is included in the mid-term or final exam and the amount of material is huge, most students get angry and use hashtags on Twitter to complain and collect as many sympathizers as possible about how difficult the lessons and papers are. I was silent and did not support that nonsense, because I knew that it would not influence the professors. Despite the protests, the professors did not change their plans. Ignoring naysayersUnfortunately, there are always some negative people who belittle, marginalize, and detract from studies. They try to convince others that studies were more difficult in the past and that now everything is easy. This is the opposite of reality because, from my point of view, every generation has its own difficulties and advantages. While some think that fast internet means that law is now too easy, I had the opposite experience. Studying by distance for the past year has been very difficult for me. At the same time, it has its advantages because it saves a lot of time. In my point of view, success is not linked to any one thing. There are no rules, no steps, no chain, no perfect beginning of the path to success and specific end of the road. You do not have to start from a perfect first step and arrive at the climax of success. Instead, you must follow your own path. This is what has worked for me. What is success? Success is achievement, winning, satisfaction, and reaching the top. Success is a secret that no one knows and only God gives. Why?Here is an example:I had a genius friend at the university, and she was one of the best and highest achieving students. She is now employed, having graduated with the highest ranking. Her job is at a regular company.Another friend was absent from university and used to prioritize fun and sleep. Now she is the most successful person I have known from university, and she works as a Middle East agent for an international company.What should we conclude from all of this?Success is not linked to academic excellence. Following the path of someone else, who was successful, does not guarantee you success. Everyone’s path to success is individual. Success is a blessing from God. I ask God to bless us with success, both myself, and anyone else who reads this. With that blessing, we can walk our own path and arrive at success. Whether you are a lawyer or not, living that way is an important law of life. The author is a 2021 law graduate with legal experience gained through internships.