I got into law school!

[Fashionvictim]

Anyone here an attorney and have any advice?

 

[~*Alexis*~]

I am not a lawyer but CONGRATS!!!!!

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Me either, but congratulations!

 

[CrookedRock]

Always thought about it, but never did it... Interior Design and Architecture instead...LOL!

CONGRATS!

 

[Kaleigh]

CONGRATS!!!!!

 

[MaryAlaina]

Congrats! I'm in my last year of law school right now. The first year is the worst- especially the first 2 months. I think I wanted to drop out every other day! Anyway, now I'm so glad I'm doing this. I got an internship at the U.S. Attorney's office this year and am functioning as a prosecutor for the misdemeanor unit. I absolutely LOVE it!

My advice: do all the reading, brief all the cases, make your own outlines, get old exams (if possible) from the professors and practice on those. Realize there will be a lot of ups and downs. Take each failure as a learning experience and just keep working!

 

[MoonWater]

I'm not a lawyer but I'm studying to be a paralegal and currently work for a top firm. I also studied up on the law school experience (when I was thinking of going it would be around the same time I would hopefully be pregnant and I was wondering how many women were able to handle both). Everyone says the first year is the hardest. So be prepared (and don't become an alcoholic, hehe).

I personally find law to be fun and interesting. It's definitely not a piece of cake and you need to learn a new way of writing. Don't bother with any creative English you've learned. Focus on honing your analytical and legal writing skills. Be prepared to read cases over and over in order to absorb all the info you need. It's intimidating at first but you soon learn to understand legalese and it becomes easier with time. Toward the end of your first year you will have the opportunity to join a journal, moot court, or be a student teacher. Many employers look for you to have at least one of those activities on your resume. Work your butt off and apply for summer associate positions too. They pay very well and it's pretty much a guarantee to a great position in a great firm.

Congratulations and Good luck!

 

[Ellen]

You should be very proud of yourself!

 

[pennquaker09]

Congrats! I''m not a lawyer, but my mother is. You''ll do great!

 

[Maisie]

Congratulations

 

[halolover]

Congrats! I am a 2nd year law student (2L) as you will soon come to know us as Enjoy the summer before you start school because first year you have to work really hard. Grades are really important. They become more important if you are not going to a Tier 1 school. Also, if you are taking out loans I suggest you be frugal from day 1. I know alot of people who have huge loans and are finding it difficult to pay them off inspite of high paying jobs. Other than that just enjoy the experience. I find law school quite enjoyable.

 

[Octavia]

Congratulations! I''m a 1L this year, so I don''t have very much advice yet, but some advice I can give as of now:

1) Be nice to everyone, even the people who annoy you. Law school is a small world (especially 1L, when you''re with the people in your section for the whole year), and the legal community wherever you''ll be practicing isn''t much bigger. If you get a bad reputation early on, it''ll be difficult to shake it.

2) You''ll have times when you don''t know what you''re supposed to be learning in each class, you''re not sure you want to be a lawyer anymore, and you feel like a fish out of water. It''s normal. I feel this way a lot, as do most of my friends. People who have been through it say that sometimes, it takes the whole first year to feel comfortable. I feel like I''ve settled in okay, but not having anything graded until the final exam and having to explain a hundred times over to all the people asking "how are you doing in school?" that you don''t actually know and won''t know for months is annoying. Overall, though, I don''t think it''s nearly as miserable as people like to make it seem, except for those people who just don''t enjoy being in school.

3) The editors of some casebooks are terrible, but even when the professor hates the editor, they''ll still use the book. And then tell you every other class how bad the editor is. Go figure.

4) People start stressing about finals around the end of September -- there have already been freak-outs and floods of tears in my section. If you''re able to study at home, it''ll save you a lot of useless stress because you won''t be around stressed-out people. If you''re not able to study at home, find the most secluded and unused part of the library, go directly there, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. I''m serious about this, it raises my blood pressure just to see/hear some of my classmates lately.

5) The Reasonable Person never had a day of fun in his whole life, and he''d prefer it if you didn''t, either.

I''m sure I''ll have more to add eventually, but for now...study break is over and I really have to work on my Legal Writing memo

 

[goldenstar]

I have one semester left.

My advice is to hang in there... The first year is horrific but if you survive things will get better. A lot of people drop out after the first semester or first year. If you give it a chance it will be worth it (assuming you are committed to law, some people just weren''t).

Grades are important, but it depends on what your goals are. Not to say that you shouldn''t be the best you can be. Its just important (for your mental health) to bear in mind that 90% of students are not in the top 10% of their class. People can do quite well for themselves even if they don''t have stellar grades.

The practice of law is really different from the study of law. You might hate law school, but love the legal profession-- and vice versa. Its good to figure out how this applies to you.

There''s lots more but I have to get back to studying.

Good Luck!

<----This is what you will look like.

 

[Steel]

style="WIDTH: 99%; HEIGHT: 73px">Date: 11/18/2007 5:34:45 PM
Author: Octavia

5) The Reasonable Person never had a day of fun in his whole life, and he''d prefer it if you didn''t, either.

 

[Skippy123]

Congrats!!!

 

[sumbride]

Congrats!!! and hang in there, I hear the first year can be killer!!

 

[Fashionvictim]

Thank you everyone for your well wishes!

Thanks also for the advice, I''m aware it will be killer, but I''m ready! I am so lucky to have my parents supporting me, so I''m not going to work, not for my last year at least.

In January, I will be a 1L!!

 

[littlelysser]

Hey there FV.

I hesitated posting something here because I know you are excited about beginning law school. And that is great. I'm feeling a bit down on the practice of law these days...so please take my words with a grain of salt.

By way of background, I'm a lawyer - graduated from a top tier law school magna cum laude in 2001. I was on law review and published an article...I absolutely loved law school and was quite sure I found my true calling. I worked for a large, international law firm out of law school. Now I'm clerking.

Anyway, here is some advice...

First off - Grades are very important. It stinks, but making law review means that you will have a much easier time finding a post-graduate job. That being said, do not worry about the crazy students that start making their outlines after the first day of class. I took great notes my first semester, didn't make a single outline and had my highest GPA ever. What works for everyone else may not work for you. And even if you are not on law review, you will find a job. Everyone does. But being in the top 10% makes it a whole lot easier.

Second - Take only one night a week and go out. I promise there will be people going out every night...blowing off steam or whatever. Law school requires a tremendous amount of work if you want to succeed. Those that do not work hard will not succeed. Simple as that.

Third - Get to know your professors and take advantage of office hours.

Fourth - Take every practice exam your professor has available. It will help you prepare for your first set of finals.

Fifth - Do not skip class, particularly your first year.

Sixth - Stay true to yourself and your ideals. There is a lot of appeal to making six figures out of law school, and I understand that, but chances are, you'll pay with your happiness. There is a reason that lawyers have an extremely high rate of drug and alcohol addiction. Big firms treat young associates like fungible goods...because that is what they are.

Like goldenstar said, some people love law school and hate the practice of law and vice versa. I'm sure you can guess where I come out on this equation. I loved the theoretical, abstract questions of law, and commenting on the law. I do NOT like anything about the practice of law.

So there you have it.