Are you about to enter law school?

The months before law school are filled with anticipation – and more than a little anxiety. After all, how long have you waited for this process (the process of becoming a lawyer) to begin? Many of us have experienced that rich mix of excitement and apprehension. You have undoubtedly heard that your life is about to change drastically. It is. You are approaching what will most likely be several years of the most intensive, exhausting, challenging and stimulating experience you will ever encounter in your life. Did you excel in college? Were you in the top third, quarter, or even ten percent of your graduating class? Your law school classmates will be those who can answer “yes” to those questions, too.

You are entering an academic/professional community of people who are used to excelling, who pride themselves on performing at their highest levels, and who are goal-oriented. Does this sound intimidating? It shouldn’t. You belong in this group. You and those around you are intent on learning, doing, becoming, achieving … serious about entering a respected, noble profession.

What to expect in law school

Law school is unlike any other “school” experience you have had. Believe me. I went through a pretty rigorous program in college (we studied from the Great Books series), and was very surprised to discover that – although my college studying helped pave the way for me to do well in law school – the first few months of law school came as quite a shock. As a Dean of Students and Academic Support Director, for many years I would hear the same story from dozens of students each year – they were quite right. Law school is sooooooo different from college, from graduate school, from any school, that – well, frankly, someone ought to use a chainsaw on that sign out front and cut off the six letters “s-c-h-o-o-l,” because they are misleading.

This just isn’t “school” as we all use that word. Students don’t know what to expect, because they have never practiced law; and ideally, law school is a place where students “ practice law.” That is, they practice day after day what they will be doing as lawyers for the rest of their careers. Those who realize this have the opportunity to do their personal best in law school. Those who don’t realize this often can’t figure out why it is soooooooo hard, why they feel “overwhelmed,” a sense of “drowning,” and why they are not performing at their highest levels.

You need to recognize that if you put in no less than three hours of study for every class hour – and during those many hours attend to specific tasks (components of study) – then you can do very well in law school. Assuming you have the intellect and the aptitude (your Admissions Director believes you do, or you wouldn’t have been admitted), you will succeed if you study effectively, efficiently, and sufficiently – and balance your study with the rest of your life.

Expect to devote no less than 60 hours each week to law – about 15 in class and 45 outside of class. That’s less than most lawyers work each week. Begin practicing now. What do you do during those 60 hours? Most of us who counsel students on how to excel in law school agree on the basics – I happen to call them the Components of Assessment-Targeted Study (the assessment tools employed by your professors are exams – hence, you are studying with high performance on examinations as your target).

Read the materials you find on (and linked to) this web site to find all the Components. They are set out succinctly, with step-by-step instructions, in 1000 Days to the Bar – But the Practice of Law Begins Now, and covered very well by a host of contributors to these pages.

What should you expect in law school? The most challenging academic experience of your life, in the company of some of the most interesting, directed, achievement-oriented classmates you will ever meet – directed and challenged daily by an incredible cadre of extraordinary men and women we call law professors. You are in store for quite a treat. Enjoy it.

How to prepare for law school

“What should I read before law school?” students often ask during the months leading up to their first semester. Here’s what I tell them. Don’t try to learn “the law.” In other words, don’t buy casebooks, commercial study aids, or summaries of the law to read during your final summer before your career begins. Why? Several reasons.

• One: This is the last summer of your life before you jump in to a consuming career. Enjoy it with “pleasure reading.” No, not romance novels, but with fiction and non-fiction books that are stimulating and (relatively) easy reads. Books that will pique your interest in the law, and books that will lay some groundwork for studying the law.
• Two: Your professors will not cover everything in the casebooks, nor will they cover everything in the commercial study aids. If you start reading those books, you will undoubtedly be reading material that is not going to be part of your courses.
• Three: You will find that without the stimulation of hours of class every week, the reading of casebooks and study aids will seem dry, lifeless, boring, way too dense, and often incomprehensible. You don’t need this negative input. Wait. Dig into it with everyone else. Nevertheless, long before you show up for Orientation, you can do quite a bit to prepare for that first day of school. Read. Read books which will whet your appetite for law, and will keep the fire of anticipation burning.  You will find a few books that I have recommended in the past on the "BOOKS" page of this web site.  (Books specially recommended for those who have been accepted to law school are specially marked.) There are many others, of course. As I read more, and when I have time to add books I will do so. Please feel free – pre-law students, law students, academic support folks, professors and others – to send me suggestions via e-mail. The "BOOKS" section will be updated often – so check back.