Young’s Book on Law School among ‘Distinguished Dozen’ of 2018

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“How to Be Sort of Happy in Law School” by Kathryne Young, assistant professor of sociology, has been named one of the Distinguished Dozen Legal Books of 2018 by Above the Law, a news website about law, law schools and the legal profession.

A sociologist and a legal scholar, Young surveyed more than 1,100 current students and 250 alumni of more than 100 schools, conducting in-depth interviews of current students, faculty, law grads and people who chose to drop out of law school, and visited 17 schools from different tiers, size and geographical locations. The data Young collected formed the backbone of “How to Be Sort of Happy in Law School,” in which she gives practical tips for keeping a mental balance, choosing the courses and activities to pursue, managing the practical aspects of your household and budget, forming relationships with mentors and peers and deciding when it may be time to leave law school altogether.

Young received a 2018 Distinguished Teaching Award, the campus’s highest honor for classroom excellence.

She uses mixed methods, particularly ethnography and interviews, to examine the hidden social mechanisms that produce and maintain inequality within the criminal justice system. Her interests include law and society, criminal procedure, surveillance, rights, gender and masculinity, and legal education. Her work has been cited by the United States Supreme Court and the Washington State Supreme Court.

Young holds a doctorate in sociology from Stanford University and a JD from Stanford Law School.