You might not be able to fully control where you get admitted to law school. Admissions cycles like the one we are in, which is very competitive, can be frustrating.
But you can do your best to control how you do in law school, and how happy you are, once you get there. There are steps you can take now to help you succeed, both academically, and in your career.
Take a professional development year
Consider taking at least a year to work before applying to law school. If you do, you will be joining the majority of applicants who have not applied to law school straight out of undergrad.
This can help you be successful in law school in many ways.
You will have time to take a breather academically in between college and law school. You will have time to work in a legal setting to determine for certain that you do actually want to be a lawyer, and to think about what area of law might suit you best. You will also have time to prepare for the LSAT if you did not have sufficient time to prep for it in college, or if you were not happy with your score.
Prepare academically
Most law schools offer a very similar 1L curriculum.
Law school assignments involve a lot of reading. Legal Writing and Research, which is usually a required 1L course, can also be very different from other types of writing. Even if you were an English major or political science major used to writing long papers, you may find legal writing to be different from what you’ve ever experienced. While in undergrad, you can write a thesis, or other major paper, and take some classes with heavy reading to get used to it before starting law school. Also take classes that will help you with your analytical skills, and if there is a prelaw course or course that utilizes case law, you can take that.
Talk to students who are currently in law school and find out how they prepared, and how they now structure their study time. They will probably tell you that it’s hard to procrastinate and do well in law school, and that they have a very structured daily study schedule.
Some law students I know treat it almost like a 9-5 job and stay in the library to get their work done. This enables them to take time off at night and on weekends and get ahead with assignments.
Work with career services ASAP
Summer job and internship interviews come up very quickly. You may find yourself applying to summer jobs for both your 1L and 2L summers fairly early in your 1L year.
Hiring has changed in recent years, especially in large law firms (see the National Association of Law Placement, www.nalp.org, for information on how legal hiring works and for statistics about legal hiring).
Realize that this may happen very early, so you will need an updated resume right away in law school.
Hiring may also potentially be based on grades you receive very early during your first year of law school.
Take advantage of the law school career services office right away when you arrive at law school. Attend workshops they offer, find out when interviews will happen, and get help with your resume. If you are still in college, you can have your undergraduate career services office help you update your resume.
Law careers encompass many, many areas. You can explore them now and define your interests more in law school. There are no “majors” per se in law school so it’s up to you to explore your choices. The good news is that there are so many different career paths — and most likely several that will interest you.
The more you prepare now for what law school may be like, the more in control, and less stressed you will hopefully feel once you get there.
Hillary Mantis works with applicants to law school, prelaw students and lawyers. She is the author of several law career and admissions books. Law school admissions questions? You can reach her at Hillary.mantis@yahoo.com.
