ADVERTISEMENT

3 Tips for Law School Success

If you are a law student, it's important to understand that your future success is directly related to your performance in law school. Each of the skills you are acquiring at your university will be used day after day in the real world, so it is crucial to devote time and attention to studies.

School and Your Career
The students with the highest grades are the ones who will be selected for the jobs that every student wants. Do you dream of clerking for a highly placed judge or prominent professor? You'd better buckle down in class. Your grades are also the key to eligibility for law journals, law review, and moot court. How you perform in law school will either open doors or slam them shut.

Tips for Success
Law schools are well-known for their rigor. You must be more organized and diligent than you were in earlier schooling. Before you attend the first day of law school, you must have gained the skills and habits necessary to properly prepare for class, know how to outline effectively, and schedule every minute of your day. Below are three tips that will help you develop the skills required for success.

  • Devote Your Attention to Tests
    Your success in law school depends upon your success on your exams. Usually, your grades are based entirely on the grades you receive on final exams that may last three or four hours. There is no way to absorb adequate amounts of material in just a few days before an exam. You simply must read and study for each class every day. If you prepare for classes in this way, you will gain a solid base that will allow you to perform well on crucial tests and, one day, in the workplace.

  • Learn to Outline to Organize Material
    In your studies, you will need to read centuries-worth of influential cases and their exceptions. When you need to learn material that is this extensive, you must organize and synthesize. Outlining properly will allow you to effectively remember and apply these cases.

  • Attend and Prepare for Every Class
    You must attend every class, pay close attention, and take notes. There is no room for laziness in law school. If you miss classes, you will miss your professors' insights. Their perspectives will undoubtedly resurface on their exams. Don't take notes on what students say; only a professor's teachings, opinions, and musings should matter to you.

Find a Balance
In the midst of law school, don't forget to live the rest of your life. You must remain healthy to do well in law school. Eat three healthy meals a day, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. Make friends and have a little bit of fun. You will need to find and maintain a good balance throughout law school and in your life after graduation as well.

Last Updated: June 16, 2017