Any advice for a first year law student?

[beksy]

I guess this is mainly for law students and lawyers, but does anybody have any advice for a 1L? As the start of school gets closer, I am getting more nervous and could use any advice I can get! Thanks!

[Sneaky Pete]

remember that law school is more about learning to identify the legal issues and to be able to argue the merits of different legal perspectives or theories.

I came to Law School as a finance major so I was accustomed to giving a precise answer. It wasn't until my 2nd year that I really understood that my teachers didn't want to know whether the plaintiff or defense would prevail in a given test question, they only wanted to know if I could see the key issues and was able to come up with the best legal argument for each side.

Best of the luck to you in your journey! :thumbsup:

[murphy1]

Three good friends of mine went to law school after a liberal arts education. I think getting through the LSATs must be hard enough, you'll do fine. All of my friends are good at debating, so do that a lot! I do love that movie Legally Blonde!

[JessicaRabbit]

especially the first year. My advice is to just keep on telling yourself you can do it, even if you are as confused as you can be, you can do it. Also, don't let competition or 2L & 3L "horror" stories distract you because a lot of that is venting or coping mechanisms; remember everyone has their own way of getting through stuff. I recommend taking a break every so often and do something totally unrelated to the study of law to keep your sanity.

It truly does all "come together" in the end. I can't tell you how many times I thought, OMG I'll never make it through first year, second year, last year, the BAR - but I did and you will too. Just take it one day at a time and keep true to yourself and you'll do fine. Good luck!:mickey:

[J9]

I'm an 08 law grad and my brother just got finished his first year, so I'm pretty close to the 1L action.

Some things I wish I knew my first year:

-Buy the Gilberts Law Summaries and Emmanuel Crunch Time Books. (check out half.com for some deals) They will help you more than you ever could imagine!

-Also, see if you can get the "High Court Case Summaries" books keyed to your textbooks. There are no substitutes for briefing your own cases, at least in the very beginning, but it's nice to have a crutch to see if you are on the right track, or to help you sift through those really confusing old-time Supreme Court judges who don't seem to be speaking English.

-Never buy your textbooks at the bookstore if you can help it. Go write down your ISBN numbers, and then order them off half or the amazon marketplace for like 70% off. Just make sure you give yourself a good two weeks to get the order in before school starts.

-The Socratic method stinks. No one like it. And there's nothing you can do about it. Just make sure you read the assignment the night before. No matter how scared you are that you will sound stupid or that the teacher is going to ream you for not knowing an answer, don't sweat it. The next kid he calls on is going to be doing the same exact thing...even if he comes off cool as a cucumber to you.

-No matter how awesome people in your class try to make you think they are, ignore it. Law Students have an incredible tendency to think that if they fake everyone else out and make it seem like they are law geniuses that they will somehow become god's gift to law. They don't have a clue what they're talking about any more than you do. Just ignore it.

-You may be the type of person who graduated summa cum laude in college without doing any work. Not true for law school. Grading law school exams is extremely arbitrary ESPECIALLY in the first year. My school have a curve of 2.5. Imagine how freaked out I was when I got the first semester's GPA and it was a 2.54. This straight A student kinda freaked out a little bit. That is BETTER THAN AVERAGE. Grades are just numbers. They don't mean a thing.

-In your 2nd and 3rd years, take as many Bar subjects as you can if you state tests more than just the first year subjects. Trust me, it'll be a lot more helpful when you're studying the bar to have at least heard of some of this stuff before. Yeah, you'll have to relearn most of it, but at least it'll be locked in your brain somewhere and you won't be learning it all from scratch.

-Remember to have a life!!! I locked myself in my room studying for 3 years and had no better grades than the slacker who sat next to me. (Actually, his grades were better...much better). So don't go crazy - have some fun once in awhile!

-If you're not getting something, ASK FOR HELP. Most law professors love to see people in their office hours. It's also a great way to form some relationships and get some people willing to write you recommendations later on!

-Study groups DO NOT work for everyone. No matter what they tell you in school, if you are not a study group person, don't force it! Literally the first month of school everyone will be scrambling to form groups. Don't feel pressured to do the same if you don't want to. Actually, for me, the second semester I fell to the ploy and it was my worst semester ever. Did much better from then on out.

-IT GETS BETTER. First year is not your whole law school experience. Second year is a gazillion times easier and third year is even better. Not because the subjects are any better, but suddenly you'll find that you get what they're looking for without even realizing that you do!

-MAKE FRIENDS. Don't do what I did and bolt for the parking garage as soon as class is over. It's nice to have someone to talk to during those long breaks in between classes.

I hope that helps!!

-----------------------------------

Now, sort of along the same vein....

ONE WEEK TO THE BAR EXAM LEFT. I am freaking out. I don't remember anything. My essays stink. My MBE isn't too hot....nothing is sticking and I'm going stir crazy...

This is all going to be a crapshoot on if I do well or not, I think. There is no rhyme or reason to my scores!!!! ARGH!!!!!

Any suggestions for that?? Do they make crazy pills?

[tinkerbell04]

Not being a law student now or formerly...I just want to say good luck and send a little :pixie:

[beksy]

Thank you all so much for your advice and pixie dust! I'm still very nervous but I think that's normal and I have calmed down some (at least for this hour!) Thanks again...you all are the best! :thumbsup:

[joonyer]

I've been out of law school for 23 years now, and am now a full-time judge, no longer practicing, but I remember my first year well.
I was summa-cum-laude undergrad and made straight A's just by reading the assignments and going to class. Didn't really cram ever except for finals. Well, I was in for a rude awakening my first year in law school. Practically everyone there was a honor student undergrad, and most of them are NOT going to be honor students in law school or make law review.

So, #1, don't have unrealistic expectations. Do your best and let the chips fall where they may. Don't let the gunners get to you. In my third year, one of my professors told me a joke that is mostly true. After law school, the "A" students make law professors; the "B" students make judges, and the "C" students make MONEY. So don't sweat it if you are not in the top 10% of your class. If you are anyway, then great. If not, you'll still be just fine (unless you spend all your time drinking and missing class).

#2 STUDY! I spent a LOT of time in my first year in the law library reading and studying. Almost ALL of my free time (And I still though I was going to flunk out until after midterms). But that's OK, because if you do it, you will always be prepared for class, and there is no better advice for the actual practice of law than to be PREPARED (There's nothing I hate worse as a Judge than having to preside over a case with an unprepared lawyer. They pretty much lose everytime, even when the facts are in their favor, & really sad for their clients). If you do the preparation, the trials and hearings (and the 1L classes) will be much easier.
And don't get discouraged by the thought of having to read & study a lot. If you bust your butt that first year, the 2nd and 3rd years will get much easier. Remember, law school is not party time, it's preparation time. Preparation for a great lifetime career. But you can take a little time off on Saturdays for Football games. Just don't drink so much that you're hungover on Sunday, You'll need that time for studying.


My final advice is based on hindsight. Looking back, if I knew then what I know now, I'd have gone to Med School instead! You'll make a lot more money!

[beksy]

Thanks for the reply! I think I'd enjoy being a judge someday so it was nice to hear one's views.

[drummerboy]

Tear your hair out now, while you still have some!!!

Just kidding. :D I've been out for about twenty-four years, but the memories are still vivid. You've already had some very good advice. I was 31 when I started; married with two small kids. All-in-all, that probably helped, because I knew I wasn't just doing it for me.

Another saying I've heard is that "first year they scare you to death; second year they work you to death; and third year they bore you to death. Not sure that was true in my case (except the scared part).

First year I ended up somewhere in the middle of the class but kept working up until I was in top 15% by graduation. That took lots and lots of work. I had to make myself a study routine and stick with it. The routine included down time as well as family time (probably why I'm still an insomniac)

Remember that most of the people who enter your class were probably at least in the top 20% or better in undergrad, but somebody has to be below the halfway mark in your law school class, so no matter where you come out, you're still doing well if you're hanging in there. Somebody once commented to me that the top grad and the bottom grad still wind up with the same law degree.

I went from being a park ranger who'd been out of school for several years to being a 1L, so talk about being confused. :confused: Eventually the fog will lift, as others have said.

Do take a bar review course after graduation. We had law review classmates who didn't think they needed the review and flunked the bar exam first time out. There's just too much material to try and remember without a refresher.

Did I mention that lawyers can be long-winded? :D

Edited to add: Congratulations for getting in and enjoy it.