Law School is a unique experience that you cannot truly understand until you attend. However, this list is the top 10 things we wish we knew before going to law school. There are many misconceptions out there about law school. The internet is rife with horror stories and warnings not to attend law school. Interestingly, the people posting on the internet about how bad law school is are not quitting their legal job to go back to doing whatever it was they were before law school. So, their advice is somewhat confusing because if law school was so bad, they sure are enjoying the fruits of their education.
Maybe these people don’t want new lawyers entering the professions. Maybe they are simply bitter. Perhaps they have a case of the negative nellies. Whatever their problem, they spend their time scouring Reddit forums, quora questions, and more telling young people to avoid law school at all costs. We believe that is terrible advice. With that in mind, there are a few things we wish we knew before beginning 1L semester of law school.
Ten Things We Wish We Knew Before going To Law School
1. None of your law school classmates know what is going on either.
When you arrive at law school you will have no clue what is going on. It may seem like some of your law school classmates know the drill. However, they don’t. Nobody knows. Unless they failed their first year and are back for a second round of 1L year, they are new to this as well. And, nothing outside of law school is like law school. No amount of undergraduate courses in any subject can prepare you for law school. Even if your law school classmates took one of those pre-law Kaplan courses, they still won’t have a clue. Law school is something you learn by experience. So, on your first day try to relax. Realize that you are in a big group of people who are all having the same thought – “what in the world is going on?”
2. Professors are your friends.
Law school professors are not mean like you’ve heard on the internet. They are kind and the want to help you succeed. Additionally, law school professors will treat you much more like a colleague than a student as you may have experienced with your undergraduate professors. Law school professors are human and they typically have interesting hobbies. They also are well-connected in the legal field and can help you find your first legal job or a summer internship. Thus, it is important to get to know your law school professors. Reach out and ask them to grab coffee at the law school cafe so you can ask them about their legal journey. They will most likely be happy to oblige.
3. Brief every single case your first semester.
Law school experience comes from doing. You learn through repetition. One of the most important things to do is brief every single case during your first semester. Why? Because by the time the semester is over you will have read hundreds of cases and developed a sense of how legal writing is done by judges. You will become familiar with the structure of an opinion. You’ll know how to find the key facts, the majority holding, the dissent, and the procedural history. All of these things are important to know because as you progress through your legal career you need to understand the road map of a legal text. And, there is no way to fake it. If you only use case briefs and never do the briefing yourself, you will miss out on the actual writing and structure of an opinion. After your first semester is over, you’ll have legal cases down and you can easily jump to important parts of the case text. This will benefit you in all your classes going forward and throughout your career.
4. Find and complete as many law school practice exams as possible.
Law school practice exams are the true “cheat code” for law school. This is because law school practice exams are the best way to practice for your real law school exams. “We talking about practice?” as Allen Iverson famously said. Yes, we are talking about practice. If your first time taking a law school practice exam is during midterms or finals, you might as well accept your fate of getting a low grade in the class. The top performing students will have done dozens of practice tests leading up to the final exams. Law school practice tests help you hone how to present your arguments for a legal fact pattern. It is not enough to know the law. You must apply it. Trust us on this one. You won’t have a rhythm until you’ve done a few practice exams. By the time you’ve done a few, you’ll start to understand what we mean. Like most things in law school, repetition is the key to learning. Law school exams are no different. Practice tests will allow you to hone your skills at identifying the issue in fact patterns, applying the law to the facts, and presenting in a clear organized way that will tell your professor you deserve an A.
5. Update your laptop or tablet for law school.
Updating your law school laptop seems like a no-brainer. But, you will be surprised how many of your law students show up with an old laptop that can’t support the testing software. Even worse, some of your law school classmates will experience the laptop nightmare of a computer failure during a law school exam. This is a devastating thing to happen to a law student and can legitimately be the reason they score poorly on an exam. This is because if the laptop fails, they have to hand write their law school exam. Can you say slow? So, this is why it is so important to make sure your law school tablet or laptop is up to date and can support the technical specifications listed on your law school’s IT website.
6. Don’t date your classmates.
Half of the future law students that read this will ignore this and probably be mad at this advice. That is fine because they will learn from experience why we recommend this. The Law School Supplies Team has seen so many relationships go wrong in law school. Typically, they are between two law students. Think about the difficulties of a normal relationship. Now, pretend every single person in your classroom knows about your intimate difficulties. And, to make matters worse, while you are trying to focus on learning law school contracts, the person that you just had a lovers quarrel with is sitting three rows back from you and snickering. This is not an ideal environment to try and learn in. You want every advantage you can in law school and the possibility of a distraction from a disgruntled lover will not help your chances. There are thousands of people near your law school that want to date you and they won’t be in your classes. Of course, two law students dating does work out sometimes. But, these are the exception to the general rule.
7. Schedule fun events throughout the semester.
Law school students have plenty of free time. It is not realistically possible to study outside the classroom more than about 4-6 hours per day the entire semester. Exam time is different. Your brain will need some rest to do its thing and consolidate all the information you are giving it. So, law students need extracurriculars. The best way to enjoy your time away from studying is to schedule it in advance. This way you can look forward to it, invite friends, and plan your studying accordingly. Don’t just wait until you’re ready to take a break and say to yourself “I would like to go on a hike.” Well, you could do that if you live near the mountains, but the point is scheduled fun is the best way to go. If you schedule with your fellow classmates, you can chit chat about law school while you’re out. It is a great way to bond with your law school classmates and give your brain some rest. There are endless opportunities for extracurriculars. Try to schedule a larger event for the weekends (like hiking, a movie, a sporting event) and maybe one or two smaller ones during the week. We loved a “weekly ritual” of pizza night every Tuesdays. It is a simple thing, but a couple law students getting together every week for some pizza can be a real stress reliever during the semester.
8. Make friends with your law school classmates, not enemies.
There is a perception online that law school is cut-throat and you can’t help out your law school classmates. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure there are some law students that act this way, but for the most part it is much better to be friends with your law school classmates. You will be less stressed and have more collaborate study sessions throughout your time in law school. You are becoming a legal professional, not a member of the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Leave the childish stuff behind and be nice and helpful to your law school classmates. You can even let them borrow a pen if they forgot one for class.
9. Sleep as much as you want in law school.
If you don’t get enough sleep in law school, you are doing something wrong. The obvious exception is for people with additional life commitments like a new baby, children, or a full-time job. However, if your only task is to attend law school, then you should be getting more than enough sleep. Think of sleep as a shower for your brain. If you don’t give your brain enough shower time, it is going to get stinky. So, sleep a lot. Take naps. Ditch that alarm clock. Whatever you need to do to get sleep because you will get weary in law school. Many law students experience mental health problems. Sleep can only help you stay healthy and primed for success.
10. Becomes friends with the career counselor as early as possible.
The law school career counselor needs to be one of your best friends. As early as you can in law school, schedule a meeting with the career counselor and tell that person your hopes and dreams. They will help you map out a plan to achieve them over your three years. The law school career counselor can set you up with internships and volunteering opportunities that get you on the path to your dream job. Additionally, the better they knew you, the more likely they will think to recommend you when a job opportunity comes up. Ultimately, law school is about landing a new job and the law school career counselor may be the most important person to help you achieve that.
Conclusion
These are the top 10 things we wish we knew before going to law school. We hope you remember some of them as you begin your law school journey. Law school is an amazing experience that you will only truly appreciate once you go through it. We wish you the best of luck!