On Friday April 26, 2013 I completed my first year of law school! I would have written about it sooner, but it's taken me this long to recover. I have been sleeping in catching up on TV, and basking in this wonderful 80* weather Portland has been enjoying. Anyways, I start summer school next Monday so I figured I'd better get some blogging done before I am busy with school work again. I'm not the most consistent blogger if you haven't noticed, but the point of this blog was for me to document my law school journey so I figure better sporadic than never.
This last term some classmates and I carpooled in from Portland and one day on the way home from school we were discussing the upcoming class of 1Ls who were getting their acceptance letters and how just like us the previous year, they have no idea what they are getting themselves into. We talked about what advice we would give to the incoming class and this is what we came up with:
1. Focus on you.
Everyone has different study habits and ways of coping with the stress. What works for one person may not work for you. Find a system that does work for you and stick to it.
2. You're not alone.
Everyone in the 1L class is new at this. No one knows what they are doing. Take what they say with a grain of salt when classmates proclaim that they have it all figured out already. Your professors, faculty, alumni, classmates, upperclassmen, and mentors really do want you to succeed and 99% of them are more than happy to help or simply talk. Take them up on that!
3. You don't have to know everything right now.
It’s okay not to know what kind of law you want to practice going into law school, now, and even graduating from law school. In fact its better that you don’t stick too rigidly to being a medical malpractice attorney for instance because when you graduate and there isn’t a need for a medical malpractice attorney it’s good to be flexible.
4. If they've never been to law school they just don't understand.
No one in your life that is not currently in law school or been through law school will understand the immense load of pressure you are under or how much your life has changed. They don’t mean to be insensitive, even when they say things like “it can’t be that bad or “I went to grad school and I was never this busy.” Be patient with them. You do still want to maintain these relationships even though you don’t have time now.
5. You will get asked the same questions over and over again.
Everyone in your life and everyone you meet will ask you two things: (1) What kind of law you want to practice? (See # 03) and (2) If you have any legal advice for how to deal with the neighbor’s barking dog, how to get out of a contract, etc. even though you have only been in law school for five minutes. Once again, be patient. They do mean well.
6. Take some time for you.
Your classes will end by noon on Friday (for most schools). Take the rest of the day off! Seriously do it! You need to and don't feel guilty about it at all.
7. Outline...
Develop an outlining system that works for you. Some professors will tell you to outline every weekend. Some will tell you to outline at the end of a topic. Others will tell you to outline during the last four weeks before finals, one outline a week, in reverse order of your finals so that the last outline that you do will be for your first exam and the material will be fresh in your mind. Everyone will swear their system is the best. Find the one that works best for you, but WRITE YOUR OWN OUTLINES! Notes that are not written by you may not make sense to you and if they don’t make sense what is the point?
8. Live a little.
Continue one completely non-law related activity that you enjoyed before law school to keep you sane. For me it was pub trivia and traveling, but I know others who exercise, sing, volunteer, etc.
9. Take advantage of breaks.
Breaks are few and far between and should be cherished. Sleep in, watch trashy TV, travel, and spend quality time with the people in your life who have been neglected. Those relationships are important and those people love you.
10. Be above the negativity.
Avoid the negativity of other students, especially around test time. It will psych you out and it is of no benefit to you. Also, remember that the legal community is small and that first impressions count for a lot. Do not get in the habit of badmouthing your professors, classmates, or other attorneys. And by the way your school monitors the Facebook page they created for you so if you do badmouth your professors that is not the place to do it.
11. Remember why you are there.
When you come back for your second semester you will be bombarded with everyone telling you you must find a summer clerkship, externship, internship, volunteer opportunity, etc. While these are valuable, they will mean nothing if your grades are bad. Don’t spend so much time applying for these jobs that you neglect your graded classes. Don’t rob Peter to pay Paul.
12. Be kind.
If you don’t get a position over the summer it is not the end of the world. It does not mean that you are not smart or capable. It’s just super competitive. There’s nothing wrong with taking the summer off to travel, or go to summer school, or to work in a non-legal capacity. Once again, take it with a grain of salt when fellow students brag about their summer positions. Be happy for them and realize that your turn is coming. If you do get a summer position be sensitive with your bragging.
13. Show up and use common sense.
Go to every class, every day, and be prepared. Its a lot of work and can be mentally exhausting, but your professors were hired for a reason. Take what they have to say about the topic they are teaching as the very last word on that topic. As much as you may not agree with a professor's views on the topic, or life for that matter they are the ones who write and grade the exams so as unfortunate as it may be you might have to pander your exam responses to them. In other words if your Con Law professor is a flaming liberal and you are conservative, you may not agree with his beliefs but you may have to pretend that you do on the exam. Professors are humans as well and although it sucks is it more important to make sure he knows you disagree with his point of view, or to get a good grade on the test? It's called paying your dues. Your professors had to do it and now you do too.
14. Don't wish it away.
I made this mistake during my first year and I really regret it. Don't spend so much time focusing on the stress that you forget to enjoy yourself. You wanted to be there and now you are there. Enjoy it. Even amidst all the stress the first year can still be fun.
15. Make friends.
On that note don't be so busy studying that you forget to interact with classmates and make friends. I also made this mistake during my first year.
16. Take what professors say with a grain of salt.
Your professors are all lawyers and lawyers love to talk about themselves. Sometimes too much! Once again what worked for them may not work for you. One of our professors told us to skip Thanksgiving dinner to study. OMG do not do that! Take Thanksgiving day completely off! Spend time with family. Seriously.
17. Don't give up!
I came home from my first day of law school and cried my eyes out! Cry if you have to. Do whatever you have to do (within reason) to cope, but don't give up. It's damn hard, but you were smart enough to get into law school and you can make it. It will get better. It won't get easier, but you will adjust. When you think about giving up, think about why you started.
All in all I'd say that my first year of law school was a labor of love. There were times when I absolutely hated it, but for the most part even when I was stressed I really loved my first year. I don't know about other law schools, but I love Willamette! The class sizes are small, everyone knows everyone else by name including faculty and staff, the professors are amazing, and I really feel like they want me to succeed. For my 2L year I'd like to take some of my own advice and work on making more friends, and really appreciating my time there. After all I only have two more years left. For now I am going to enjoy the sun! Thanks for stopping by.
