September 2009
33 posts
1 tag
A 1L is Suing Twix →
Jeremy Schachter, a 1L at Cardozo and highly successful stand-up comedian, is suing Twix for allegedly ripping off one of his most successful jokes. To all the 1Ls out there who want to sue everyone for everything now that you know a little bit of law, take note of this. This is the good kind of self-help. (via My Legal Fiction)
August 2009
39 posts
“Love the process and the results won’t matter”
– Gary Vaynerchuk (via gary) with advice that applies to law school as much or more than it applies to anything else.
“I just love my law school. Love. I realize I’ve only been there a week, and all...”
– Law School Ninja. What the Ninja says might sound weird, but it’s so true. And it’s something to keep in mind when you’re picking a law school. At some point, you will hate law school. But if you went somewhere you fell in love with, those little details will push you through the...
If you got through the first week or so of law school and feel like a freak because you enjoyed it, stop it. That attitude just makes it easier to hate law school later because you’re “supposed” to hate law school.
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“I still get to class later than planned. The prime seats were taken. I don’t...”
– i don’t wear skinny jeans on law school seating.
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“You know, when the career services dean is directly warning students not to rely...”
– Elle at Above the Law with wise words about the changing rules of legal hiring.
Note Taking - 10 Dos and Don'ts of Note Taking in... →
4. DO take note of recurring themes in your professor’s lectures. Does he bring public policy into every discussion? Does he painstakingly parse words of statutes? When you find these themes, pay special attention and take particularly copious notes as to how the professor’s reasoning is flowing; this way you know what questions to prepare for both for lectures and exams.
The other...
1 tag
“The purpose of outlining is the process, not the product. When you make your own...”
– Jansen, writing over at The Shark now (congrats!), with important words of law school advice. One of the first things law students need to rethink is the definition of “outlining.” We should just call it “reviewing by making something else” to avoid confusion.
The Shark: 1L...
“I also imagined that I would somehow be found to be unsuitable for the rigors of...”
– I think Julie Anne’s point captures a lot of the anxiety of law school. Between yourself, your friends, your family, and people like me, everyone is quick to offer praise and congratulations but afraid to tell a law student they might be off track. Don’t be afraid to tell someone...
RIP, Stanley H. Kaplan, Test Prep. Pioneer - NPR →
Yeah, Michael Jackson got the pub. But for law students who struggled with the LSAT, Stanley Kaplan provided a lifeline that hadn’t been there before. The LSAT was the great leveling force in law school admissions. Without the LSAT, you would need an elite (and expensive) undergrad education to get into law school. Kaplan and LSAT test prep courses were the next leveling force, allowing...
Tales from the 1L Underbelly →
On Legal Geekery, Christopher Wright, a 1L somewhere in America, relays two excellent pieces of advice:
“Spend at least one day a week doing something just for yourself.”
“[Don’t] lost what makes you unique and interesting.”
Both are, in a word, brilliant.
“Only 25 percent of Americans have a positive view of the legal field, according...”
– Think about that for a second. Americans have just as poor a view of lawyers as two groups of people who conspired (in a way) to ruin the economy, a group of people who accepted billions of taxpayer dollars to fix their own mess, and a group of people who are largely believed to be picking exactly...
♦ 10 Essentials for Your Student Bag | The... →
Law students: you’ll likely need every single on of these things as well. Especially the mints and deodorant or perfume. You’re packed in a lot of your classmates for an hour to an hour and a half. The least you can do is smell nice.
From the You’re Playing With Fire Category →
If you’re a law school, isn’t discrimination in your hiring practices about the worst idea possible? You’re by definition screwing the people most equipped to screw you back.
The Bait and Switch of Law Firm Deferrals →
Legal hiring right now resembles a cross between a game of chicken and the Prisoner’s Dilemma. Law firms are stuck between two minds as they attempt to reduce costs and staff appropriately…
The First Year They Take Your Heart →
A fairly good explanation of how they scare you to death in the first year.
Best and Worst of 1L →
New Kid on the Hallway, instead of giving advice, had the excellent idea to have law students offer up the best and worst memory of 1L. And while I might throw out a 1L advice post, learning…
The People You Meet in Law School – The Robot →
Good magic is about misdirection. The right hand pulls off the trick because the left hand has grabbed your attention. This concept is no less effective in law school than anywhere else. Certain…
Summer of Zero Tip #14 – Do A Little Recon →
If you haven’t already started law school, you will soon. Most people have already moved to their new home and are getting their books and supplies together. Maybe you’ve met new friends and…
GTD for Law Students: Putting It All Together →
After about three weeks, it’s time to wrap up this series. I’ve argued why I think Getting Things Done is a useful system for law students. We’ve walked through the five phases of the GTD…
GTD for Law Students: Getting Up and Running →
Now that we’ve covered the basics of GTD, it’s time to get into implementation. I saved this toward the end of the series because too many people get hung up on implementing the system, just like…
Law Schools Don’t Have a Principle to Stand On →
There’s no doubt that the traditional rules of the legal industry are changing. One area of the most intense change will be legal recruitment. Some firms may expand their recruiting, while others…
The Ten Commandments of Law School →
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…
GTD for Law Students – Just Do It →
One consistent theme over this series has been to keep your eye on the prize. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and that saying definitely applies to personal productivity. So much…
Summer of Zero Tip #13 – Write As Much As Possible →
This tip should have been earlier, but I want to get it out there anyway. It’s still good information and it will be especially helpful for the new 1Ls in 2010. Law school requires that you…
Lawful Living on 1L Advice →
Lawful Lady on why she isn’t giving out 1L advice:
Bottom line – everyone has to stumble through this experience and figure out things fo they damn selves. For realz.
Preach it.
GTD for Law Students – Review to Relax →
A system is pointless unless you use it. One of things that many people miss about Getting Things Done is that organizing is not building the system. It’s the first three full parts of…
FAQs for 1Ls →
Jansen answers questions on rolly backpacks, supplements, blogging, fashion, and the petty snarkiness of law students. Must read, and if you’d like me to get in on the fun, leave a question here.
Which One of Us is Harry? →
Mariel is dead on: law school is like going to Hogworts, in more ways that just sorting. If I had ever read a Harry Potter book, I would dive into this.
GTD for Law Students – Organizing Is a Means, Not... →
Once you’ve processed what was in your inbox, the time comes to put things where they can live forever, or at least until you do them. Organizing is the probably the most fun part of Getting…
GTD for Law Students – Processing Means Deciding →
Once you’ve collected everything, you’re now probably left with piles of notes, bills, reading assignments, case citations, articles, and commitments. At this point, you haven’t managed to…
GTD for Law Students – Building a Collection Habit →
The Getting Things Done 1 productivity system overwhelms quite a few people. One look at the workflow diagram is enough to make most people’s head spin. Then throw in the…
Why GTD Is Best For Law Students →
There are no shortage of productivity systems in the world and no shortage of productivity gurus who are willing to explain why their system is the best. There’s the Franklin-Covey system,…
Summer of Zero Tip #12: Pick Your Notetaking Tool →
Note-taking! Taking notes! School doesn’t start for another two weeks! I don’t even have my schedule yet and you want me to start thinking about notes? I can hear the befuddled screaming from…
GTD for Law Students: Intro →
As I said yesterday, one of the keys to law school success is managing what seems like an overwhelming flood of tasks. I estimated, using some quick and dirty math, that the average law…
Numbers: The Big Challenge of Law School →
You probably got into law school because there weren’t numbers. People with the intellectual tools for law school that are good with numbers end up in MBA programs. If you like biology and…
