Not That They'll Listen

Advice for the newbie law kids. And good advice, too. I can't say that I really disagree with anything that he says, not even the part about not dating your section mates. At least wait until 2L, when you won't necessarily have to share classroom air and space with someone who you regret letting you see in any sort of...deshabille. I would only add this: do a clinic, preferably one in an area that sounds interesting, but one in an area that you may or may not want to specialize in later will do. Despite having interned in a small firm-- getting lots and lots of hands on experience-- I feel completely unprepared to practice law, not because I don't understand the law (I think I do, or at least I know where to go to find help and answers), but because I have no practical skills to speak of.

But then, I wouldn't have believed any of this before I started law school. Funny how people tend to insist on making their own mistakes, even when they're the same mistakes countless others have made before.

Oh, wait! I would also add this: law school goes by in the blink of an eye. Don't waste the three years, but don't feel like you have to excel at everything. You've got long careers ahead of you, and plenty of time to continue learning. Take your opportunities wherever and whenever they come along-- and they will come along in the most unexpected places.