5 Surprising Lessons Law Students Can Learn From Elle Woods

Legally Blonde is one of the most well-known movies of the ‘00s and you’ll be hard pressed to find a law student today who hasn’t heard of, and often been inspired by, the pretty protagonist Elle Woods. Our blonde leading lady learned a lot about herself and a lot about the law, defeating many negative stereotypes that women in the profession face. Elle Woods proved that you can have both brains and beauty and her hard work, determination and tenacity are traits that are invaluable for any law student. Here are 5 tips to show you how to channel your inner Elle Woods while at law school:

1. If you put your mind to something, you can achieve it.

All you need is a little hard work. Once Elle decided that she wanted to attend Harvard Law School she sought advice on how she could achieve her goal and then worked tirelessly to achieve it. She studied night and day and skipped out on some fun activities but her dedication paid off and before she knew it, she has aced her LSATs and was walking into Harvard – pink pumps and all.

2. Sisters before misters.

Elle was a good girlfriend, the type of girl you would want to have on your side. She was head of her sorority house and loyal to all of her sisters there. She was kind to everyone she came across, even girls who were mean to her. She even went out of her way to be kind to her ex-boyfriend’s new fiancée and eventually they developed a solid friendship. Elle taught us that even in a competitive environment, kindness always pays off.

3. Dress to impress.

Elle loved fashion and her outfits were always on point. She was always well groomed and her hair and makeup were always on point. It is important to be well groomed in professional environments, so take a leaf out of Elle’s book and get a regular mani-pedi, don’t let your roots grow out (unless you’re going for a chic ombre look, of course!) and always dress for the occasion.

4. Sexual harassment is never OK.

Elle was crushed when her professor made a move on her, proving to her that he was more interested in her looks than her brain. However, she immediately knew that the situation was wrong and that Callahan was to blame, not herself. She told her friend and got support and advice on how to deal with the situation. Sexual harassment is a very hard thing to cope with, particularly in a professional environment where you are lacking in experience and perhaps relying on your current job to further your future career. However, when faced with a situation like this, you should take Elle’s advice and remove yourself from the situation immediately and seek support. Elle knew that she was worth more than her looks and did not let her sleazy professor invalidate her professional achievements.

5. Always be yourself.

I know it’s a cliché, but it is the overarching theme of the movie so I had to include it. Elle loved blonde hair, beauty, shopping and all things pink. She was also an intelligent, hard-working and loyal young woman who used her newfound legal knowledge as well her own beauty know-how to catch out a liar and win her first case, proving that she didn’t need to sacrifice her own interests in order to become a successful lawyer. Going to law school doesn’t mean giving up on your passions, it often means combining them and using them to your advantage. Elle’s graduation speech highlights this point entirely. The message that she passed on to her peers, and to us, was to always have faith in yourself. Don’t try to change yourself to be successful, just try to be the most successful version of yourself as possible.