Recent law grad with a job taking questions Forum

[Jessep]

With law school starting up, I thought I'd give back however I could after being a longtime lurker.

I graduated in May in the top 10% from a school outside of tier 1 (I'd rather not get more specific), am deferred from a vault firm in a major market, and enjoying my time in between.

Happy to answer any questions while protecting my anonymity.

[concurrent fork]

How lucky do you feel to be c/o 2010 rather than 2011?

[Jessep]

Pretty damn lucky. There's a good shot that I would not have gotten a summer associate gig had I been apart of the class of 2011. For anyone who is considering law school, I'd recommend holding off an extra year. The market is getting better, but there is much uncertainty and hiring will probably be better each year for the next several years. Of course, there's a chance of a double-dip recession, but I certainly wouldn't rush off to law school to try to beat it.

[chicagolaw2013]

Hey man, what market are you in? I know you don't want to divulge what school you're at, but knowing where you're going to be practicing would be helpful. Thanks.

[dakatz]

What is your best advice for doing well in law school? Or what do you know now that you wish you had known before you started law school?

[Jessep]

Hey man, what market are you in? I know you don't want to divulge what school you're at, but knowing where you're going to be practicing would be helpful. Thanks.

Boston

What is your best advice for doing well in law school? Or what do you know now that you wish you had known before you started law school?

My best advice is to try out a few different methods and see what works best for you. Read up on how others have succeeded in law school, think carefully about your learning style and try some of the methods out. Don't be afraid to do things differently if it works for you. Most of my advice is nothing new.

I'd highly recommend treating 1L like a job. Get in there around 8-10am everyday (depending on the day and your personality) and work until 6-7pm. I found that a 10-6 schedule with an hour lunch with friends was usually sufficient for me, but everyone varies. Whenever I was out of class I was studying in the library with no one around to distract me. As a result, I didn't get to know as many of my classmates as some of my friends did. I never did work at home - it was my sanctuary.

I also avoided socializing with people who were super-stressed, especially around exams. Do practice exams and don't study with people who are not on the same level as you (be it higher or lower). Get outlines from upperclassmen who had your prof or get them online. Exercise regularly. Last, do not overly prepare for class unless participation is included in your grade. I know people who prepared for class rather than the exam and it hurt their grade.

I wish I had used commercial case briefs keyed to my text book. I would still recommend reading all of the cases, but the case briefs were extremely helpful during 2L & 3L as a time-saver. Commercial material that provides sample exam questions and sample answers would be very useful for a 1L to understand how to write. I think "Getting to Maybe" touches upon this.

As a final piece of advice, learn to accept what you cannot influence or change. My failure to do so caused some stress 1L. You can only do so much preparation before it is detrimental, and the rest is partially luck and partially innate ability. You cannot influence the latter - accept this. You need to just work hard and smart and accept that whatever grades result are the best you could do. The sooner that you accept that there are things outside of your control, the less stressed you will be.

[Texasboundanddown]

Wow, most of the people who have given me advice have actually loved their case books and not their supplements. Sounds like the way to go.

If you don't mind, how did you network? Did you email Alumni and see if they could help/give advice? If a person wanted a similar job, other than oci, whats a good way to go about it? (noob question).

[Jessep]

Text books were good, but canned case briefs were a nice reference guide to make sure you understood the main point of the case. They were not a substitute for reading, except maybe during 2L & 3L.

I networked in a number of ways. I'd recommend contacting alumni from your law school and undergraduate school. Additionally, pull from family, friends, etc. who practice law, especially in your target market. Contact these people and just talk to them about their careers. Ask them about their experience as a rising law student and whether they have any advice for you given your career aspirations. Do not ask them for a job. If they like you and the fit is right, they'll offer but really the goal of networking is getting to know people and forging mutually beneficial relationships. It is not about using people for your own benefit, contrary to what many people think.