There are many positive reasons to join law student organizations like meeting new people, learning about new areas of the law, and developing connections, to name a few. However, law student organizations can also take your valuable time away from your studies. If you’re wondering whether you should join law student organizations, you might have considered some of these factors but still aren’t sure what to do. To help you navigate this decision, we’ve put together these tips for getting the most out of student organizations without getting overwhelmed.
1. Be realistic
If you’re the type of person who has wide-ranging interests, it’s easy to go overboard when signing up for law student organizations. Instead, be realistic with the demands on your time. If you are a first-year law student, you will be busy enough, and you may regret stacking tons of student organizations on top of everything else. We still recommend joining an organization or two during your 1L year, but seek out organizations that are closest to your interest and look to take on lower-commitment roles. This way, you’ll meet new people and gain experience without overcommitting.
If you are a second- or third-year law student, you may have a better idea of the time that is needed for studying and other obligations. So you will likely better know the time you can commit to student organizations.
2. Be picky
Not all law student organizations are created equally. Some engage in service work, others connect affinity groups, and others may involve competing in moot courts and other competitions. If you’re trying to decide which organizations you want to join, be picky! Most law schools will have a student organization “fair” at the beginning of the semester where you can learn all about the different organizations. We recommend attending the fair and asking the organizations you’re interested in questions about what they do, how often they meet, and what you can expect to get out of participation. Shop around by attending different organization meetings to get a feel for how they run. Once you have more information to go on, then you can select organizations to join.
3. Be involved, but don’t over-commit
Most organizations will have a variety of roles for members. Keep in mind that you don’t need to be the president of the organization to have a great experience! Especially during your 1L year, consider signing up for lower-commitment roles. On a moot court, you might decide to be a researcher rather than an oralist. In an organization dedicated to community service, you might help table to raise awareness instead of organizing a big volunteer event. Save those bigger roles for your second and third year when you will have a better understanding of law school and more time to commit to student organizations.
4. Be forward-looking
Like many things in law school, you should be forward-looking when deciding if you should join law student organizations. Not only does this mean thinking about how your role can develop in the organization throughout law school, but also about how you might leverage the connections you build when it comes time to find a job. Think about how you can apply the skills you’ve learned through the organization. Seek out alumni from the organization who have your dream job and ask them to coffee. When you’re employed, consider returning to your law school student organization as a guest speaker.
Law student organizations can provide numerous benefits during law school and beyond. If you follow these tips, you’re well on your way to success.
