13 Things I Learned in My First Year of Law School
13. This list is not exclusive. 12. Everyone talks about the "real world," but no one can quite articulate what that means. 11. Everyone agrees that one exam at the end of a semester is pedagogically unsound, and bears little resemblance to the above-mentioned "real world," but no one does anything about it. 10. If stress is good preparation for the "real world," I must be really prepared now. 9. The Rule Against Perpetuities: it seems straightforward until you try to apply it. But it's fun, in a twisted and evil sort of way! 8. Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur. 7. Lawyers are the biggest fans of lawyer jokes. 6. Debt is inevitable. Accept it, deal with it, plan for it. 5. Perhaps surprisingly to many, the professors really want you to succeed. 4. Law students are smart and talented. 3. Most barriers to success are artificial: the curve, the single exam, the pace. Without these to sift us out, most students would succeed. 2. Many, perhaps most, law students are interested in the public good. (But see "debt is inevitable," above.) 1. There is one true answer to any legal question: "it depends."
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3 comments (click to comment):
I like all of your entries, but I would also add that law school is more gossip oriented and cliquish than grade school at times.
You're missing the most important thing you SHOULD have learned during your first year: Law school won't matter in the long run. What matters is that you pass the Bar the first time, secure a good job and then start kicking butt. Within a couple of years, no one will care what school you went to, your class rank or the rest. But they WILL care about what kind of trial success you have had and whether your clients are satisfied. They will ALWAYS care about your writing ability and how adept you are at oral argument so the other thing you neglected to list is that you must participate and excel in moot court. I was in the Final Four at McGeo. and argued before real Supreme Court justices in my 2nd year. The experience served me well when I got to the Supreme Court with a headline-grabbing case with a man's life at stake. Trust me.
And you are wrong about achieving balance. After 7 years in private practice and 7 in the public sector, I guarantee that the real balance will be found with the latter, not the former.
I would add that law school is absolutely awful, and I don't konw where all of these people came from
haha, no seriously though, summer break is going to be a nice escape
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