A Few Thoughts on the Law School Mindset

Perhaps the title of this blog is a bit misleading. There certainly is no singular mindset when it comes to preparing for law school, but you can certainly engage in some preparation for what is to come. First, the work is difficult. I’m sure you have already heard that about law school, but for the vast majority of incoming law students, it is a different world. Below are a few tips to keep in mind.

Imposter syndrome is real

Unsurprisingly, law school attracts high achievers. The student who are great communicators, leaders, competitive, good at taking standardized tests, earned high-grade point averages, and many were at the top of their respective classes prior to beginning law school. They have always been the big fish in their pond and sometimes feel anxiety at the prospect that they may be average for the first time in their lives. Please know that the admissions folks in law schools know what they are doing. You belong there. This leads me to…

Chart your own path

There will certainly be some adjustments you need to make when you come to law school, but completely changing who you are should not be one of them. Don’t look to who you think are top students and completely try to emulate their notetaking, outlines, study habits, or lifestyle. For example, if you learn better by taking hand notes, don’t feel the need to type notes because others are doing it. If you study better in larger or shorter time blocks, then do that. Study hard, but adopt a style that suits you best. And last, but not least (for this blog post)…

Also, check for => Welcome to NLP

Don’t short shrift your legal writing class.

I teach two first-year classes – a legal writing class and Contracts. As someone who has the perspective of a professor who for many years has taught both writing classes and doctrinal ones, I have some insight into the process.

Take your legal writing class seriously. Even though institutionally legal writing does not receive the respect or recognition it deserves, most law students and practitioners will tell you that it is one of the most important classes you will take in law school.

Why? First, your value as a lawyer is largely based on your effectiveness as a communicator, and most lawyers must write as part of their profession. Consequently, the skills you acquire in your writing class are skills that you will inevitably implement in law school and beyond. Second, even though your legal writing class will be far more work than the credit you receive for it, it is one of the classes for which you get feedback throughout the semester.

In most law school courses, your grade is wholly dependent on a single final exam. If your writing class is graded and not pass-fail, you should get significant feedback from your professor – increasingly your ability to improve your trajectory before getting a final grade. Finally, and not as widely known, your performance in your legal writing class is often diagnostic.

I find that by the beginning of November I can, with about 80% accuracy, predict how my students will perform on their exams. The ability to analyze is critical to success. The moral of the story is that if you find that you are behind your peers with respect to your legal writing class, get help. You are training to become an advocate, begin by advocating for yourself.