- I am a law professor. I gave copies of your
column to the students in our Collaborative Legal
Studies Program. These 18 first-year students are
trying a collaborative approach to their first
year. So far, we've talked about stress and
efficient study and outlining techniques. Next
week we'll be discussing how temperament types (a
la Myers-Briggs) impact law study and
practice. We'll also specifically address
competition & collaboration in law studies.
- I am also fighting my way through the first-year
law school maze. The workload is overwhelming
because, in addition to school, I work fulltime
as a Registered Nurse. I am also the mother of a
college student, so I am definitely not in the
25-30 age range. Evening students carry one less
class than full-time law school students, but the
pressures are even worse because of time and work
pressures. In addition, at my law school it is
the age of computers. Students must walk with
their personal laptop computers at all times
because assignments are being posted, changed,or
being clarified and class discussions are
on-going on the professor's newsgroups or private
internet connections. Then there is the barrage
of e-mails from other students and student groups
all day to wade through to find the essential
ones which need to be addressed. Believe me, the
class which carries the least credits (3) demands
the most time. That course is Legal Writing and
Skills. It requires the greatest precision and
attention to minute details. I feel like a
clock-repair intern, struggling by poor
candlelight putting together the very small,
intricate pieces of a small watch. I hope the
road will have fewer bumps, but I am not sure
that it gets better. Every lawyer I have spoken
to says s/he only remember how difficult it was.
- First year you don't understand so it's hard to
question. Second year you do understand but, God,
do they pile on the work so you don't have time
to question. Third year you do understand, and
you can manage the work pretty well, but you're
so fed-up that you don't care to question.
Bail out before it's too late. Get a small
sailboat and hit the ocean. Law sucks. Clients
lie, cheat and are a pain. Judges are arrogant
unfeeling bastards, and the law is slanted to
those with the greatest resources. Life is
unfair, the law only more so. Write a book; paint
a picture; go out in the woods and sing. But stay
away, run, from the law. It's the last refuge for
the insecure and fearful. I speak from
unfortunate experience.
During my four-years as a part-time evening law
student, a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt hung over
my desk. It said, "You must do the thing you
think you cannot do." I thought it an
appropriate admonition since law students are
expected, on a daily basis, to do six impossible
things before breakfast. We cope with
professors who were in short pants when Cardozo
ruled in Palzgraf; we read and memorize the names
of cases involving such timely issues as hairy
hands, broken mill wheels and spring gun traps;
we learn to write in a style which renders us
forever incapable of using contractions (which
matters not since our work product inspires all
the hilarity of an obituary) - all of this for
the privilege of plunking down yet another huge
chunk of change for a bar review course which
will teach us the thousand factoids we never
learned in law school, but which are absolutely
necessary for passing the bar exam.
I don't know if there is a perfect method by
which to train lawyers. But, I do know after my
initial foray into the practice of law, that the
method employed by law schools is one that
actually works.
I finished law school in 1976 and think about it
less and less as time goes by. [I am reminded] of
my dismay when I thought I heard my Brooklyn
born, first semester torts professor say
something about the "tortology." I
couldn't even begin to grasp what this meant as
he was simply saying "tautology," but I
had to be on guard for any new usage -- no matter
how improbable.
As a first-year law student (some 8 years ago) I
remember vowing never to look back and say,
"That wasn't so bad" because it really
was. I once heard an analogy that first-year law
school was like walking across a board 6 inches
wide. The reality is that the board is sitting on
the ground, and you could easily run across it,
but the institution of first-year law creates the
illusion that it is suspended 50 feet in the air.
I was an untraditional student with two young
children, ages 3 and 6 when I started law school
in the 70s. It was time when women were just
getting admitted to law schools in any numbers,
and not only did we have families and school to
deal with, we also had to deal with the question
of whether women could be "good"
lawyers! Would we cry when a judge yelled at us?
Would we get pregnant and quit our job at the big
firm? Thankfully, these questions have all been
answered in the negative, and women now occupy
their rightful place in the profession.
I am a 1983 [law school] graduate. I firmly
believe that it is a cash cow for the University.
I was 50 when I graduated, and I managed to find
employment in public interest law. I worked as an
RN at the time, so I avoided the student loans.
I'm not sure it was worth missing my daughter's
field hockey games, or the band concerts and much
else. However, it has been an interesting career.
Although I'm 16 years out of law school, I
vividly recall the emotions and the overwork of
first year. What my 16 years of law practice have
taught me is that (1) law school actually did
give me some background in the law that I needed
to be a lawyer, but (2) the law school experience
has absolutely nothing to do with the law
practice experience. All of the things I most
despised about law school (and I hated almost
everything about law school) have nothing to do
with the practice.
There is no light at the end of the first-year
tunnel; the second year is equally stressful and
equally demanding.
In the law firm where I'm working, [this was] the
key question in the interview: They asked me how
many hours of study I put in during law school. I
said 24 hours minus 5 hours of sleep and 1 hour
for each of the three meals. I got hired and
found out that's exactly how they work in the
firm. But remember the story of Mary and
Martha. There is always a tendency to become so
work-oriented like Martha in law school. If you
carry on this tendency once you become a lawyer,
you will miss the point of it all.
How many [law students] see their future as
personal injury attorneys forced to advertise for
clients on TV? How many feel they will add to
society rather than just "get RICH" at
the expense of others?
There's an adage about lawyering that seems to
spell doom: If you love law school, you'll hate
practicing law, and if you hate law school,
you'll love practicing law. Different muscles are
used for each, that is true, but I found that
fact kept me in better intellectual shape
overall. Being an older student was a particular
advantage and even the terror of the first
semester was informed by perspective. Having a
baby is a good bit harder than those first year
exams.
As I recover from a particularly harsh midterm
(foisted on us by well-meaning Civ Pro
professors), I can't even imagine how finals will
be. As I handed in my midterm, I wondered what
this was all for. No epiphany was forthcoming. No
warm fuzzy excuses came to mind. Instead, just
fear of the step that I had taken. I find solace
in this:
a. I came here for a reason. I haven't forgotten
it.
b. People have survived law school. Thousands of
them, in fact.
c. ...and some of them are happy with what they
are doing. Extremely happy, and fulfilled. Ok, so
I've met just two of them :), but they assure me
that there are more "out there." [I
forgot to ask where "out there" was,
darnit.]
Like kids eagerly awaiting Christimas and getting
caught up in the spirit of the season, so it is
for first-year law students getting into the exam
season. Unfortunately the law students are not
filled with glee; they are filled with fear and
self-doubts. We fear the inevitable separation of
the men from the boys. This will be the period of
atonement and we are wondering if we have the
mettle to make it through to the next stage. For
part-time/evening law students, this is a very
stressful time. As Christmas time and the Year
approache, we are not permitted the time off
required to study before the exams. We are still
holding down full-time jobs, staying up until all
ungodly hours, leaving the library at the
midnight closing hour, just trying to get those
legal research papers done and trying to stay
alive.
I made it through the first year and I'm now
wondering how. My father died and the sorrow I
felt was only confused by guilt because I had to
leave my mother and return to school. Trying to
get make-up notes was like pulling teeth because,
now, the others in my section had the proverbial
" competitive advantage." Fear is
the motivator and debt the end result. This major
life change, however, has its purpose. As an
older student coming back to school, I see how
many of these young students were raised, and I
know I did a very good job raising my children.
For some, being so self-serving may have monetary
relief, but they'll miss out on the real essence
of life. Others may not gain that great monetary
goal, but they'll be helping those who cannot
help themselves. This will be their reward.
In my second year, I see a greater division
among groups. If they talked to you the first
year, it was because they had too. Now, if they
made law journal and you did not take the time to
try, something must be wrong with you, so you may
only get that whisper of hello as they hurry by.
I am currently in my third year of law school. It
is so important to keep up your law school
friendships, as they will keep you sane. As well,
part of you feels that no one quite understands
what exactly you are going through and as such,
words of support made by non-law persons feel
meaningless
What [law students describe as]
"faking" is, in fact, the antechambre
of understanding: The words and the notions are
there, but they are not yet linked. The learning
method you propose is to read the questions
first, then the corresponding paragraph. In my
practice as a lecturer in law, this is the basic
skill I teach my first-year students. To
understand the working of the law, quite a lot of
material needs to be reviewed. Yet, not every bit
is relevant at every moment during a course. As a
student, you have to be as selective as the
practicing lawyer, dealing with extravagant
workloads.
I am a 1L. I feel like I have given up my normal
life. When I go out to have a drink, I feel
guilty. I have no real social life, and I just
recently picked up an admission form for the MBA
program, just in case. I call my parents every
night to complain about this experience and how
it has already changed me.
[After surviving exams,] for 2 straight weeks
(maybe more) I woke up in the wee hours of the
morning in a panic because of (1) something I
forgot to say on an exam, (2) an issue I just
spotted that I didn't spot during the exam, or
(3) being convinced that I have failed miserably
and have nothing else that I really want to do
with my life. Finally, the nightmares have pretty
much stopped, but I still have that pit in my
stomach about forthcoming grades.
I've just completed my 2nd Year fall semester
exams, so now I'm officially halfway done, and I
think I may actually be seeing a smidgen of light
at the end of the tunnel. If I can offer [a
first-year law student] one bit of advice, it is
this: Find yourself a good clerking opportunity
after you finish your first year. Good does NOT
necessarily mean high pay in a big firm. My
saving grace after my first year was a summer
spent clerking with a very small law firm (only
three lawyers) who gave me real work to do. In
addition to the standard research and memo
writing, I also got the opportunity to write
petitions and opinion letters to clients. Seeing
the "real world" side of law helped
remind me why I was in law school in the first
place. I may be one of the weird ones. Yes, first
year of law school was very difficult (and I was
coming back to school after being a professional
and running my own business), but I honestly can
say that I loved it. For all the hell and stress,
I loved the experience. I may have been blessed
with the best classmates on the planet. We are
certainly a collaborative group, and people are
willing to share ideas (and study aids) freely.
That atmosphere makes all the difference in the
world. There's plenty of time to be cutthroat. As
we repeat often around [my school],
"Remember, you will be working with these
people for the rest of your career. Someday one
of your classmates may be a judge, and judges
have long memories. Why be a jerk now?"
[At the law school I attend], we do not have
advisors either. And when asked about help, they
look at you like you are from outer space. I am a
mom of 2 wonderful children who encourage me and
are very proud of their mom. It's scary because
they keep asking if I have my "report
card" yet. I think I might be in trouble. I
came from the field of education. The Socratic
method offended me about the first 6 weeks of law
school; then it was only irritating. In the real
world we call that socially unacceptable.
However, in law school they call it necessary. I
have been scared, frustrated, angry, tired,
etc... this semester.
I am a "non-traditional" mommy-forever
first-year law student, 45, single parent of 3,
two grown and a 10-year-old still at home. My
lawyer friends said I was nuts to try but have
been my biggest supporters. My friends have been
ignored but understanding and encouraging and,
yet, my mother still thinks I will find a good
husband in the deal and not have to put myself
through this anymore! My children have been my
biggest supporters, and I have the only child in
the 5th grade who asks for a legal case as a
bedtime story! "Torts Mom, tell me about
cherry Torts," he giggles! It was an old
dream tucked high upon the shelf behind the
wedding veil and the baby's first shoes.
After 20 years as a successful computer
programmer, I breezed through law school with top
10% grades. I then found no market for
middle-aged entry-level attorneys. The business
model of most law firms demands young people to
work 60 hours per week, neglect their families,
and eventually quit in frustration because they
won't make partner. Starting a solo practice is
just as tough unless you have experience running
a small business. Luckily, I could go back to
my old trade. I have found happiness putting
legal services on the web.
I just finished a Contracts exam. ... I have
taken 3 exams and have 1 more to go. If I never
see anything else about U.C.C. Sec. 2-207, I will
be happy! I came out of the test wondering what
the devil I am doing here. I made the high
[grade] in the class on the practice exam and
probably the low [grade] on this monster. We have
been told not to talk to each other about our
answers because it will distress us the whole
holiday if we didn't see the same issues, but
what about if you feel it in your bones that you
bombed it? Oh well, last but not least is Civil
Procedure. Our grades won't come out until we pay
our money for the next semester. I wonder if I
can get a full refund?!
No matter what your age or family status, the law
school experience is remarkably the same. I was
25 and married when I started law school but
suffered the same as younger single students and
older students with children. If anything, I
think maturity helps since you've seen and
experienced enough to know that law school is not
the be all and end all of the universe. ... Don't
get too hung up on the injustice of the cases:
You should already have known that there is
injustice everywhere.
I'm not a law student or a lawyer, nor am I
mother. I'm a woman about [50] who got a
doctorate in English in her late 20s and has been
teaching, first in universities and now, for the
last 15 years, in independent high schools. I've
got a job I love, can't afford to leave, but
wonder about. It's good, but it doesn't change
all that much. Were any of us "made" to
do the same thing for 40 or 45 years? Don't even
good jobs begin to feel like Thoreau's vision of
"quiet desperation" when you do them
again and again? ("Habit is a great
deadener," wrote Proust. Beckett echoed).
Shouldn't mid-life be a time when, rather than
settling in, we take on new challenges, try
something new?
- I am just turned 41, never married and no
children. Two years ago I realized that, if I
were on my death bed, I would be sorry that I had
not at least tried law [school]. So I took the
review course for the [LSAT] (an absolute waste
of money for me), filled in my dots, and sent out
my money. I ended up at [a state university]
living in the school dorms. Why? Because it is
the best law degree that my money could buy from
the schools that I applied to. I, too, questioned
why I took this route when I received my first
grades. I rarely had to study as an
undergraduate, and I did study here--and my
grades were worse. Since my loans are $18,500 for
the first year, I wondered if I should leave, but
I recalled why I was here: Not because it offers
a chance at a good paycheck, but because every
job I have had I have ended up working on the
legal side. Mortgage lending at a bank, reading
construction contracts, insurance, explaining the
lastest gov't edicts. I have been lucky enough to
find a small firm that is willing to let me
"hang out" and see what they really do.
Our
classes have 85-90 people per section (2) except
for LRW [legal research & writing], which is
22. As an older student with the 23, 24, 25 year
olds, I do find it difficult. Because I am slow
to open up, it is even more difficult. I chose to
live in the [student housing] so that I would be
forced to know at least 3 other people. I have
not been able to get together with a study group
although that doesn't seem to be the
"thing" here. However, alcohol does
seem to be the thing.
I am constantly amazed at the naivte of the
students (and sometimes at the professors.) At
the same time I am amazed at the intelligence and
wonder how I got in. Law school is a rarefied
atmosphere, to be sure.
Our appellate briefs are done, just handed
that in, now only for the oral arguments! Someone
tell me, is there any law firm that uses CRAC or
IRAC? No law firm that I have talked to admits
that they use that, or even have time to read all
the repetition required when writing using that
layout.
- I am a 1L. At this point in the semester, I can
honestly say that law school sucks. I am glad
that we are a little more than half of the
semester through. At one point, I didn't think I
could make it. This is the part that kills me,
because I am very far from being a quitter.
However, after the "grades depression"
swept through, as my civ pro prof. calls it, I
was drained. I had no energy to read all the
cases, brief every case, etc. I started finding
shortcuts. Along the way I've discovered that
grades in law school are just numbers. Being a
great lawyer has nothing to do with your grades.
(Our civ pro prof reminds us quite often). The
funniest part is how some students say the most
intellectually lacking comments and yet made
Dean's List. I sit there and just stare in
amazement. How can someone say something so
intellectually unchallening and be in the top 10%
of the class? I've discovered some of these
people have found short cuts too. No one ever
said it would be easy, but no one told me it
would be this hard, either.
- A few people have talked about not focusing on
marks; however, unfortunately, they are the most
important factor in getting you a job. I did well
all through my course, even early on when a lot
of people don't do so well. This meant that I had
a lot of offers from big firms which is what I
hoped to achieve.
Regardless of how you go,
appreciate the experience. Knowledge of the law
and how to approach legal problems is incredibly
empowering.
- After twenty years as an Air Force C-130 pilot, I
retired. I entered law school, and I passed the
Bar. I [was] offered and accepted a job in the
aerospace industry, in a position very similar to
the one I held as a military officer.
The
first year is a cull exercise. The courses are
set up to show you what to expect in your chosen
profession. (D+ in torts; recovered nicely in
that one; good thing my goal was not to be a
personal injury attorney.)
- I just finished my first semester at law school.
I did not perform as well on my exams as I had
wished. My highest grade was a B, and my lowest
grade was a C-. I thought about leaving because
you hear about how important grades are. But I
tried to think about the past and about what
really is important to me. I had performed well
in college with a GPA close to a 4.00. Not only
that, but I remember what it was like to receive
those grades and how they were so unfullfilling
in the long-run. The grades were like a quick
high, and I found a quick fixation to them. In
college I finally realized that they don't
provide happiness to you for the entire semester.
- One thing to remember in writing law school exam
responses -- especially important for those who
have a background in writing, and treasure
well-constructed essays -- is this: Don't spend
time in the exam thinking about composition,
sentence structure, etc. You are not graded on
how well you write. Law school exams typically
are graded on the basis of
"issue-spotting." The more issues you
spot, the more points you get. Caring about
writing is a detriment in law school exams. The
key is to scribble down as many issues as
possible, and don't worry about composition.
- My first semester in law school I got a C- in
Contracts and an A in Torts (the only A in the
class). Go figure! My last semester in law school
I had a 3.5 average. Again, go figure.
I never
recommend study aids. However, I make one
exception. It is a book on how to write bar exam
essays. It is by Mary Campbell Gallagher.
- I just completed my first semester as a
45-year-old evening division student at a top
tier law school. It was a shock to get the first
C+ of my life in Torts. The only course I ever
got a C+ in was Phys. Ed. I had to do a reality
check. Here I am, 20 years since my last
university experience, holding down a full time
job.... So what's a C+ mean to me? I put a lot of
hard work into my C+. In fact, I cherish my C+.
The
next Sunday, as I was spending a pleasant day in
the library researching post-verdict jury
interview rules for my Lawyering Process course,
I was approached by a friend. He is a young
foreign lawyer, quite brilliant, who has argued
before the highest Court in his country. An
advocate of democracy in a country that is
struggling with the rule of law, he is taking a
Masters in Law at our fine institution. Turns out
he got a C+ too. He felt better that I had gotten
a lousy grade, and I felt better that he was
graded as poorly as I. Misery loves company.
- [In law school] you are on a strict curve. As we
were told by the Profs in 1L, "If all 90 of
you produced a perfect exam blue book, there will
still be only 7-9 A's, 7-9 F's, etc."
While
I never joined a study group, those I talked to
who did saw a great improvement in their grades.
Law school is to train you in a different and
very circumspect way of thinking about a subject
most have only a cursory understanding of. The
quicker you immerse yourself in the language and
thinking patterns of the profession, the sooner
your grades will improve.
The law school is the cash cow for the rest of
the institution. Only solution is to transfer to
a state funded institution.
ALL PROSPECTIVE LAW STUDENTS SHOULD KNOW THIS:
The law school you graduate from cannot prevent
you from being a great lawyer. Unless you are
somewhat certain an expensive education will
guarantee you opportunities in the profession,
find the least expensive school available and
grab a seat, graduate, pass the bar, and do your
thing!
- I am a "mature" 1L (wife, mother of
five, grandmother of 4). I am a student at
Oklahoma City University School of Law.
Throughout my acceptance to the school,
orientation, and first year, I have felt accepted
and very much a part of life here. We have a
number of older students sprinkled among the
younger ones. It's a good mix.
- My section had its share of ill-mannered people
last year. Wanting to make law review, combined
with the lack of sleep, and a dose of immaturity
tends to bring out the worst in a lot of the
twenty-something crowd.
- Some thoughts from a 42-year-old 3L
evening-division student working full time:
1. Don't get too hung up memorizing all the
intricate details of the cases. I began book
briefing about halfway into the first semester.
Case details almost never count for much on the
exams. What does matter most is black letter law.
2. Outline with #1 in mind. It is much better to
have a shorter outline focused on black letter
law, that only briefly mentions cases, than a
lengthy one where the cases are written out in
exhaustive detail. Also, the shorter the outline,
the more review repetitions you can do while
studying.
3. Buy all the study aids and casebriefs you
want. Use them to amplify and clarify your
outline and in preparation for class.
4. Try to get into a study group. Mine has varied
in composition over the last three years, but I
usually do better in those classes where I can do
at least some group study to help clarify points.
The age and IQs of the participants matter less
than the willingness to spend the time doing it,
coming prepared to work, and not wanting to spend
the whole time talking and gossiping.
- [from an undergraduate professor] I have
recommended that my pre-law undergraduates read
your essays in order to get an idea of what
"it's really like."
- I am an older 1L (just turned 47) with two
children. They love the opportunity to ask,
"Hey Mom, is your homework done?"
Unfortunately, the answer is always
"no", because I am a 1L.
I think
there are nine "over 40" in our class
of 162. We are divided into 3 sections, and I am
quite sure I'm the oldest in mine. We had four
exams first semester (torts, criminal, contracts,
and civil procedure) and will have 4 more this
semester. The fall exams were a horrible
experience. After each exam, I felt lost. (And I
must admit I was quite discourged to hear others
sounding not only positive, but quite exuberant
about how they thought they did.) I knew I had
put something on the paper, but I had no real
feeling for how I did. It was very disconcerting.
Before we know it, spring semester exams will be
upon us. I am meeting a classmate at the library
tomorrow to begin our look at previous exams
given by our professors. The rest of this week
will be spent in catching up on the reading I
skipped last week when my trial brief was due.
In spite of the difficulties, I am enjoying
the challenge. Most of my classmates seem to
accept me as a peer, and the group of "older
students" has become friends in spite of our
different sections. We grab a quick cup of coffee
and share a few minutes of commisserating between
classes.
- It was my experience that the first year of law
school is the toughest.
The experience of law
school is very valuable whether or not you choose
to practice after graduation. Having decided that
the practice of law was not for me, I went back
to school and am pursuing a degree in
criminalistics, which is a chemistry degree first
and foremost. The legal background is a real
asset.
- The most abiding lesson I have taken from my law
school experience is never to assume that your
law professors will treat you fairly &
decently. In my own case, I sweated and worked my
proverbial socks off for 3 long, stressful years,
passed all my exams, some with pretty good
grades, some with so-so grades but passes
nevertheless. Yet 6 weeks before graduation, my
law school saw fit to disqualify me for grade
point average drop of a mere 0.15 of 1 point.
This was done without warning and having waited
till my graduation ceremony ticket had been
purchased. Needless to say, the devastation this
brought to my life, including everyone in my
family, can never be put right. I eventually
recovered sufficiently to earn a much better law
degree elsewhere, with distinction. But the very
deep trauma resulting from my first law school
experience will be carried with me to my grave.
There was no justification, moral or otherwise,
for my treatment.
I'm 33, and getting ready to start my first year
of law school. This is the culmination of a
lifelong dream and one I've been looking forward
to for months. While I have no wife or children,
I fear the enormous school debt that will come
from attending a private school for three years.
I also dislike the fact that I have to make
salary a strong consideration point for my first
job as a result. But what's most important to me
is that I become a lawyer, and I feel as prepared
as I can be for day one of class. This probably
translates into: "I'm in for the shock of my
life!"
I just finished my second year of law school. It
will take me four years to finish because I work
full-time and go to law school in the evenings. I
am 35 years old, married, and have a 7-month- old
baby girl. It had been 9 years since graduate
school. I also had to deal with younger
"kids" and being accepted. I remember
finishing my first-year law exams. It was
terrible. However, as I was on the plane back to
visit my family, it dawned on me that I was doing
something I had wanted to do since I was 20 years
old -- become a lawyer. My grades after my first
year were better than I had feared, and they were
slightly better this year. I'm still struggling
with the fact that we have to spend 15 weeks
reading, briefing, and attending class, and it
all boils down to just one 3-4 hour exam.
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