5 Tips for Incoming 1Ls

How you do in your first year of law school is very important for your legal career. When you are applying to summer jobs and jobs post-graduation, employers use your performance from your first year as the measuring stick for your ability. All law students from all law schools generally take the same coursework in the first year, so employers see it as easily comparable unlike your second and third years where you take mostly electives. With that said, prioritizing your studies and time devoted to your coursework is crucial.

Even though your fist year is important, you are still a human. Make sure you have time to do things that you enjoy like working out or volunteering to maintain balance. There comes a point in studying when the information bounces off of your brain, and that is when you should take a break. Make sure you remain connected to your family and firends, they are a necessary support system when your semester gets tough. 

It’s not about who you know, but who knows you. The best way to tap into the legal community in your area is by making the Career Services Office your best friend. Their job is to make sure you get a job, and they can’t do that if they don’t know who you are. Of course, you will attend networking events and other social gatherings where alumni are present, and you should definitely take those opportunities to talk to people and hopefully have them get to know you too. Keep in mind that how you behave in your classes and at other law student social events matters as well. While they are your classmates now, down the line they will be your colleagues or even opposing counsel on cases.

You get a ton of information thrown at you in law school. Like, way more than you can ever remember on your own. There is no way around it, you have to stay organized if you want to succeed. You know what is effective for you, so don’t feel like you have to conform to how other people are studying/organizing their information. DO YOU, but make sure you stay on top of things. Otherwise, it is really hard to catch up.

Yes, law school is challenging, but it is also fun. If you didn’t like reading cases and learning how to write a legal memo, I don’t think you would be in law school. The classes are interesting (for the most part) and you get to spend three years preparing to be a lawyer. You also will build lifelong friendships and create cherished memories with your classmates.