Recently I did a series of tweets where I mentioned commandments for law school. I got some great feedback and a lot of positive responses, so I decided to expand each commandment. I also tweaked the order a bit to get some groups together and set some rough order of importance (starting with the first commandment). If1 I ever write a manifesto for this site, expect it to borrow heavily from this. Enough throat clearing, here they are:
Commandment I: Thou shall realize this is school.
Too often the law part of law school overwhelms the school part. People forget that law school is, at it’s heart, school. That means that making mistakes and learning from them should not be frowned upon. What made you successful in school before still has some validity.2 Don’t throw it all out just because someone tells you that law school is so different.
Commandment II: Thou shall work hard. Thou shall not work too hard.
Law school is a lot of hard work. You will work long hours. You’ll probably pull an all-nighter. You’ll slog through stuff that seems pointless and you won’t be able to put down some work that really grabs your interest. But you cannot run yourself into the ground. That contributes to law students and lawyers being unhappy with the profession, and for most people it isn’t the magic bullet for law school success.3
Commandment III: Thou shall take pride in a job well done and an exam well taken.
External rewards are uncommon and unpredictable in law school. You might work your ass off on a paper and get a B. You might feel like you didn’t prepare well and ace an exam. So the only thing you can do is take pride when you accomplish what you set off to do, regardless of what grade you eventually get. If you work hard and perform well, that deserves a pat on the back and celebratory beverage even if it doesn’t show up on the transcript.
Commandment IV: Thou shall have some pursuit above law school.
Law school will try to drag you in completely. If you let it, law school will take over your life and become all-consuming. It helps to have some good reason you’re in law school, or some larger goal than just getting a JD and high grades. Think about why you’re really in law school and what really matters to you. Maintaining perspective is key to enjoying law school and your legal career.
Commandment V: Thou shall see law school as more than just a means to an end.
On the flip side, you’ll get more out of law school if it’s more to you than a three-year long hurdle before you get to be a lawyer. Law school is full of interesting questions, stimulating debates, and amazing people. If all you’re doing is paying your dues until your “real” career starts, you’ll miss out on a good chunk of your legal education.
Commandment VI: Thou shall not kill the rest of one’s life.
Having a purpose in life and a higher calling than being a law student is important. So are the little things in life. A common law student blawg post around this time each year is an announcement to everyone you know that you’ll be out of touch for the next four months. That might be OK during finals, but there’s no reason law school should keep you from hobbies, exercise, recreation, fun, and basic human contact with friends and family that effectively.
Commandment VII: Thou shall be as professional as one needs to be, no more, no less.
There is a lot of fake professionalism in law school. You might be in a professional school, but just because you wear business casual clothing and act unfriendly and cold to everyone does not make you a professional. Value your reputation and build a professional network, but don’t think being a jerk with “contacts” instead of friends makes you any more of a lawyer.
Commandment VIII: Thou shall respect and use one’s professors, but have no idols.
Your professors are the smartest people in the school. Remembering that will save you from a lot of embarrassment.4 They can be an amazing resource of knowledge and opportunities. But if you treat them like either some sort of Incan god that must be appeased or the insecure popular kid in school that needs a constant ego-stoking, you’ll miss out. Not to mention they can see right through your act.
Commandment IX: Thou shall not steal (books, ideas, opportunities, etc.)
Law school is competitive, no question about it. The cold, unforgiving math of the curve means someone’s success could be your disappointment. But that doesn’t give you the right to change competitive into cutthroat. And if you think your GPA and class rank is that important, go ahead and try those guerilla tactics. You’d better hope you’re right.
Commandment X: Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s outline.
Law school is a somewhat confusing paradox. While it is a communal rite of passage,5 it’s also intensely personal. It’s fine to actually use tips and help from other law students, including your classmates’ outlines. What you shouldn’t do is gauge your progress or your success by what everyone else is doing. Set your own goals, make your own plan, and follow it through.
- Or when… ↩
- If you got into law school through sheer determination and grit, that still applies too. ↩
- I’ll bet the relationship between insane work and success in law school is probably correlation rather than causation. ↩
- You’d be amazed how many law students forget this. ↩
- AKA hazing if you’re cynical. ↩
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