Dear 1L Self,
Hold on! You are in for a wild ride. You will survive this journey, but you will not be the same person you are today. You will change for the better. You will have a different perspective on various situations. Where before you may probably have a one-sided view, after law school you will be able to see various angles of the same problem. This will make you a better problem solver, a better listener, and a better communicator. You will be a better employee, partner, and person because of it.
Get involved! From the day you walk in the door start to network. You don’t need to enroll in every club that hands you a flier. You should however pick one whose subject matter interests you and stick with it. Become a board member, or at the very least, attend a few meetings during the semester. This will help you network with your current peers who may, in the future, become your colleagues or even your boss! Don’t burn your bridges and be nice to everyone. Also, your local bar association may have a student membership that is free (or at least has a reduced rate). Take advantage of it! This will give you the opportunity to attend mixers or even get involved with a committee. It couldn’t be more true that landing a job is all about who you know. While I myself have not started applying for jobs because I am waiting for my test results, I have already had numerous people whom I met at networking events to call them once I get my bar results in order for reference, job opportunities, or to put me in contact with other lawyers in the area of law I want to practice in.
Be vocal! Don’t be that annoying gunner in class whose name everyone knows as “the obnoxious one,” but make sure to speak up when you have something to say that is relevant. People will remember your name more easily if you say something intelligent as opposed to saying something for the sake of speaking. Even if you say something that may totally miss the mark, your professor will be more willing to walk you towards the right outcome if you put enough thought into your answer.
Steer clear of those who want to sabotage you! It’s sad that this is advice that needs to be given, but it is true. Be confident in what you know. You will become confident in your knowledge by putting in the work and learning the material on your own terms. Do not let anyone make you second guess what you know to be true unless you seek out assistance from another person whom you trust. There will be those students who seek to sabotage you right before an exam and talk “nonsense” to make you think you don’t know the material. Learn who these people are and ignore them.
Take all bar tested subjects while in school! I wish someone would have told me this. In school you will be all too willing to take classes that excite you rather than ones that are substantive. Think long and hard about this. While you should take classes that 1) excite you and 2) fit with your schedule, you should also keep the end game in mind. Here, that end game is passing the bar (well, for most people anyway). In order to do that, you need to know a little about a lot of different topics. When it comes time to study for the bar you want to stress the least amount possible. This can be achieved by having a baseline knowledge of all the topics as opposed to having to teach them to yourself via a lecture and handout in 9 weeks. Wills and Trusts may seem like a lame subject in the beginning, but you will be glad you did come bar prep.
Lastly, don’t be so hard on yourself. Give yourself a break every now and then. You will have an overwhelming desire to study into the wee hours of the night and then wake up extra early to get in that additional hour of studying. Don’t do it. Rest well. Eat well. Visit with family and friends. You can’t be in law school mode 100% of the time. Take a Saturday and close all the books and lock the office door. Go see a movie, have dinner with your partner, or have a guys/girl’s night out. You deserve it and you will enjoy the whole law school experience a little bit more.
Sincerely,
Yourself after graduation
mom's law blog 