Avoid fixating on Big Law. There are fantastic career opportunities outside law firms that, I strongly believe, will lead to fulfilling and lasting careers. A lot of students or career counselors will suggest that going into Big Law is the only way to have the career you want later in life. I disagree. There are lawyers (even those not in public interest) who have never set foot in a law firm. I did! It takes more work to find those non-firm positions, but they are more plentiful than law schools would have you believe. As Nancy Reagan would say, just say no.
1. Read Orin Kerr's "How to Read a Legal Opinion."
2. Stay up to date on current events. Often real world events can provide some clarity in thinking about some of the more abstract legal concepts.
3. Build relationships with your professors. They are there to help you, so take advantage of them!
4. Make friends. These are the people who will be able to relate to your successes and failures in your law school career.
5. Be prepared for trial and error in studying. Some of the strategies you used in undergrad may or may not be successful in law school.
6. Be flexible! There is a learning curve. The most successful students are the ones who are willing to adapt and roll with the punches.
7. Enjoy it! I found law school incredibly fun. To some people, it is just one more barrier to entry. While this is true, it is a necessary barrier, and so you ought to enjoy the process as much as you can.
Here’s an excellent piece by Judge Dillard, in which he shares what he wishes he had known as a law student (and there’s a lot of thematic overlap between his piece and mine):
Once a week as a 1L, reach out to successful people in your network -- friends, neighbors, family, whomever. Let them know you are starting law school and ask for a cup of coffee or a call because you want to hear from them about their experiences with lawyers. At minimum, some will give you insight into the types of lawyer behavior that turns off clients -- resolve not to do those things when you get your license. Others may help open doors in even more substantive ways. Remember that some people are more likely to help a student out than someone already working or looking for work, so utilize that while you are still in school, especially when starting out.
And no - I did not do this as a law student. But I should have, since I know how far I am willing to go even for complete strangers with the admirable gumption to reach out for a conversation with me today seeking advice. In short, learn to speak to people even as a law student. Good things happen when you do.
Almost as important as making friends is simply not being a jerk to your classmates. People will remember your basic professionalism for years to come, which will come in handy when you find yourself opposing them on a matter.
My main advice to 1Ls would be to not follow the herd mentality. When I was in law school, I felt that the environment encouraged one track: get really good grades, join law review, get a clerkship, apply to a big firm, stress yourself out to the end of the earth, and so on.
That works for many, but not for all. Ten years after graduating law school, I am very happily self-employed, running a profitable, solo personal injury practice here in Los Angeles. Did I think I would be doing this when I was in law school? No. But has anyone ever asked me what my grade was in Torts (top of the class)? No. Did any of my clients ever ask me where I went to law school or which judge I clerked for? Nope. Pave your own way!
You don't have to work a lawyer if you don't want to. Law school isn't a trap, it's a path to opportunity. Don't sweat the future, don't think about the money, just lean in to the learning. You'll never work harder, but you'll come out stronger. I've given birth without anesthesia and I've taken the Texas bar, and for me, the Texas bar was worse. (OK, maybe I wouldn't tell myself that last bit! :)
Getting good grades is the short game. There is also a long game. In the long game, relationships are everything. Some of your classmates will become judges, politicians, or in-house lawyers at big companies and knowing them can make your whole career. So keep up your friendships, make some positive effort to form new ones, and be kind to everyone.
Take a look at the Bar exam prep materials that cover most of the first year courses in the summer going into 1L year. When I was preparing for the bar exam, I realized how much easier my life would have been if I had had access to the prep materials BEFORE starting law school. Good luck!
Expose yourself to a wide range of subjects within the law. There is a decent chance you will end up working in a field you didn't know about or had no idea existed before you went to law school. (If we all wound up doing what we said we'd do when we applied to law school, we'd all be environmental or international human-rights lawyers.)
Don't get distracted/diverted off your chosen path by lavish summer associate opportunities...they dry up once you become an employee, and THEN what do you have?
It is always a mistake to discuss an exam with your peers after you take it. Always. Avoid it like the plague.
Thanks for this piece, David! I start at HLS this fall. Any other books you suggest reading?
Avoid fixating on Big Law. There are fantastic career opportunities outside law firms that, I strongly believe, will lead to fulfilling and lasting careers. A lot of students or career counselors will suggest that going into Big Law is the only way to have the career you want later in life. I disagree. There are lawyers (even those not in public interest) who have never set foot in a law firm. I did! It takes more work to find those non-firm positions, but they are more plentiful than law schools would have you believe. As Nancy Reagan would say, just say no.
1. Read Orin Kerr's "How to Read a Legal Opinion."
2. Stay up to date on current events. Often real world events can provide some clarity in thinking about some of the more abstract legal concepts.
3. Build relationships with your professors. They are there to help you, so take advantage of them!
4. Make friends. These are the people who will be able to relate to your successes and failures in your law school career.
5. Be prepared for trial and error in studying. Some of the strategies you used in undergrad may or may not be successful in law school.
6. Be flexible! There is a learning curve. The most successful students are the ones who are willing to adapt and roll with the punches.
7. Enjoy it! I found law school incredibly fun. To some people, it is just one more barrier to entry. While this is true, it is a necessary barrier, and so you ought to enjoy the process as much as you can.
Here's a thoughtful and reassuring essay by Professor Andrew Ferguson, "Letter to a 1L on the First Day of Law School":
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3592612
Here’s an excellent piece by Judge Dillard, in which he shares what he wishes he had known as a law student (and there’s a lot of thematic overlap between his piece and mine):
https://abaforlawstudents.com/2019/11/01/i-wish-id-known-judge-stephen-dillard/
Once a week as a 1L, reach out to successful people in your network -- friends, neighbors, family, whomever. Let them know you are starting law school and ask for a cup of coffee or a call because you want to hear from them about their experiences with lawyers. At minimum, some will give you insight into the types of lawyer behavior that turns off clients -- resolve not to do those things when you get your license. Others may help open doors in even more substantive ways. Remember that some people are more likely to help a student out than someone already working or looking for work, so utilize that while you are still in school, especially when starting out.
And no - I did not do this as a law student. But I should have, since I know how far I am willing to go even for complete strangers with the admirable gumption to reach out for a conversation with me today seeking advice. In short, learn to speak to people even as a law student. Good things happen when you do.
Almost as important as making friends is simply not being a jerk to your classmates. People will remember your basic professionalism for years to come, which will come in handy when you find yourself opposing them on a matter.
My main advice to 1Ls would be to not follow the herd mentality. When I was in law school, I felt that the environment encouraged one track: get really good grades, join law review, get a clerkship, apply to a big firm, stress yourself out to the end of the earth, and so on.
That works for many, but not for all. Ten years after graduating law school, I am very happily self-employed, running a profitable, solo personal injury practice here in Los Angeles. Did I think I would be doing this when I was in law school? No. But has anyone ever asked me what my grade was in Torts (top of the class)? No. Did any of my clients ever ask me where I went to law school or which judge I clerked for? Nope. Pave your own way!
You don't have to work a lawyer if you don't want to. Law school isn't a trap, it's a path to opportunity. Don't sweat the future, don't think about the money, just lean in to the learning. You'll never work harder, but you'll come out stronger. I've given birth without anesthesia and I've taken the Texas bar, and for me, the Texas bar was worse. (OK, maybe I wouldn't tell myself that last bit! :)
If you want to be a gunner, buy a copy of Glannon and start teaching yourself CivPro right now!
My tips are supported by research: never miss class, brief every case, utilize your profs' websites, and rejoice when called on. https://info.cooley.edu/blog/law-school-success-tips-have-proven-validity
Getting good grades is the short game. There is also a long game. In the long game, relationships are everything. Some of your classmates will become judges, politicians, or in-house lawyers at big companies and knowing them can make your whole career. So keep up your friendships, make some positive effort to form new ones, and be kind to everyone.
Take a look at the Bar exam prep materials that cover most of the first year courses in the summer going into 1L year. When I was preparing for the bar exam, I realized how much easier my life would have been if I had had access to the prep materials BEFORE starting law school. Good luck!
Expose yourself to a wide range of subjects within the law. There is a decent chance you will end up working in a field you didn't know about or had no idea existed before you went to law school. (If we all wound up doing what we said we'd do when we applied to law school, we'd all be environmental or international human-rights lawyers.)
Don't get distracted/diverted off your chosen path by lavish summer associate opportunities...they dry up once you become an employee, and THEN what do you have?