Law school professors are not exactly known for handholding. Law school comes with a steep learning curve, and in many traditional law school classes, students receive little feedback on their exam performance until the very end of the semester.
This means that to succeed, you have to learn how to check in with yourself throughout the semester to make sure you are on track. In other words, you must become your own best coach. Here are some ways to do that.
Learn to focus on what matters most.
There is a lot to do in law school. Reading. Preparing to be called on in class. Outlining. Taking practice exams. Writing legal papers. Participating in study groups or extracurricular activities.
One of the best ways to become your own coach is to identify what matters most. If your goal is to excel academically, you need to focus on preparing effectively for class, creating useful outlines and taking practice exams as finals approach.
If you spend too much time briefing cases or participating in extracurricular activities at the expense of your coursework, you may be busy without being effective. You have to learn to use your time wisely.
Give yourself feedback on practice exams.
Some professors provide practice exams ahead of the final exam, but do not grade students’ answers. Others may not provide practice exams at all. You must therefore learn to evaluate your own performance to determine whether you are on track.
The best place to start is your professor’s exam bank, if one is available. The most helpful practice exams are often those your professor administered in the past, particularly if they include a model or sample answer.
If your professor does not offer practice exams, you can often find samples online. Just make sure they include model or sample answers and remember that other professors may cover different material.
After you take a practice exam, use the model or sample answer to evaluate your work. Ask yourself:
- Did I spot the major legal issues?
- Did I state the rules accurately?
- Was my analysis detailed enough?
- Did I consider arguments on both sides?
- Was my conclusion reasonable and supported?
- Was my writing clear and organized?
Review your work critically, as though you were grading your own exam. Undoubtedly, you will find areas for improvement.
Maybe you missed several issues. This may be a sign that you need to review your outline, practice issue-spotting or read the fact pattern more carefully. Maybe you had trouble stating the black-letter law. You may need to spend more time actively reviewing and recalling the rules. Or perhaps you struggled with your analysis. You may need to practice thinking like the plaintiff and the defendant, considering the arguments each side would make.
Most importantly, use what you learn to make adjustments in your study habits. Identify your weaknesses, develop a plan to address them and see whether you improve on your next practice exam.
This skill also translates to legal practice, where attorneys must learn to review their own work critically and identify potential problems before submitting an assignment.
Pay attention to assignment deadlines.
For many students, assignments such as legal writing memos, briefs and oral arguments seem to sneak up on them. When this happens, students do not submit their best work and sometimes sacrifice sleep to meet the deadline.
To take control of these assignments, put their due dates in your calendar as soon as you receive them and work backward. For example, if you have a legal brief due, come up with a plan for when you will do your research, write your first draft, edit it and complete a final review.
Many students find it helpful to set a personal deadline a few days before the actual due date, giving themselves a buffer in case something goes wrong.
This habit will also serve you well as an attorney, when you will need to manage important deadlines on a regular basis.
To be your sharpest at school, be your sharpest at home.
Any good coach would tell you that taking care of your physical and mental health is important. This is especially true in law school, where students often face significant pressure and anxiety.
Make time for adequate sleep, exercise, nutritious meals and your mental health. These habits affect your ability to concentrate, learn new material and study effectively.
Building good habits now will also help prepare you for a legal career, where stress and competing responsibilities are common.
Remember that independence does not mean doing everything alone.
While you want to become your own best coach, sometimes that means recognizing when you need help from others.
For example:
- You may find it helpful to visit your professors’ office hours. We highly encourage this! Bring specific questions about concepts or practice problems you are struggling with.
- You may discover that working with a tutor or study group helps you understand difficult material.
- You may recognize that you would benefit from therapy, counseling or other mental health resources when you are feeling overwhelmed.
Knowing when and how to ask for help is itself an important professional skill. Attorneys regularly encounter unfamiliar issues, and recognizing when to seek guidance is part of exercising good judgment.
The goal is not to become completely self-sufficient. It is to become more thoughtful and intentional about how you learn, work and improve. The ability to evaluate your own performance, manage your responsibilities and recognize when you need to make a change will serve you well in law school and throughout your legal career.
