There’s no doubt that law students must learn a lot, which is why you spend so much time in education, but of course, you don’t need to remember every little thing. There are times when you’ll need information when you can simply look it up, but there are some facts out there that you’ve got to know off-by-heart.
And I’m not talking about facts, laws, or case numbers. I’m talking about the mindset of a law student. The processes you’ll need to go through. The secrets that define the line between being a ‘law student’ and a success story. So you can be the latter, here are the five things you need to know.
1. You Need to Meet with Other Lawyers
It’s all well and good studying, reading books, watching talks, and so on, but no experience will give you more benefits than actually conversing and learning from a lawyer who works within the law industry as their full-time job. I’m talking about someone who has been through the process themselves and knows what they are doing.
You could meet new lawyers through workplace programs, take someone for lunch, or see if your family members or friends are in touch with a lawyer you can spend time with. This is an excellent opportunity to make connections and learn from invaluable real-life experiences.
Sometimes, real-world experience is far better than anything you’ll learn in a classroom.
2. Get Involved in the Bar Associations
It’s important for law students to seek out Bar Associations within their schools because the Bar is going to be your life at some point in your learning career. There are usually free and paid memberships available, so take your pick, but the important thing you’ll need to remember is getting involved and becoming an active member.
This is the only way you’re going to get benefits out of such a great opportunity.
3. There isn’t Just One Defining Moment, But There are Eureka Moments
This is a tough one. There are going to be certain areas of law you study that you just don’t understand or can’t wrap your head around. They’ll be concepts and ideas that sound foreign, and you’ll be wishing you could grasp what is being said.
However, while there’s not going to be one moment where you suddenly think, ‘oh my god, now everything makes sense, there are going to be plenty of little moments when you realize that everything comes together and you’re progressing in your education.
In short, don’t worry if you’re learning about something and you’re not quite getting the hang of it. Every law student goes through this same journey, but the more you keep going and keep learning, the more other concepts will start to make sense. Being a law student is all about piecing everything together over the long term.
4. Spend Time in Legal Settings
You’d be amazed at how many students don’t actually surround themselves in legal settings, for example, visiting a courthouse. It’s crazy to think that many students will just stick to classrooms and libraries, but ask yourself, how are you going to feel confident in the process and being in these places if you’re not spending time there?
If you want to get good at swimming, you need to spend time in the pool.
You don’t just need to visit courthouses either. You can spend time at city hall, in the zoning boards, or basically anywhere where lawyers work. Of course, it makes sense that you should spend time around lawyers who specialize in the same area of law as you do, but it’s always a good idea to see what everyone else is up to as well.
5. Everyone Wants Legal Advice
It’s just one of those things. Even if you’re learning about and specializing in estate and trust and covering topics like trusts and inheritance ownership and so on, there are going to be friends and people who will ask you about criminal law and basically question anything legal-related that comes up in their lives.
This is just what happens, and it’s unavoidable, so try and embrace it. It might feel annoying, but when you consider that you’ll probably question every ache and pain with your medical student friend, it evens out eventually.
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Emily Henry is an aspiring entrepreneur and student blogger at Academized and Oxessays. She loves nothing more than helping students make the most of their educational experiences and succeeding in the best ways possible. Also, she is a writer at Assignment help. Emily has worked as an assistant in a law firm for 3 years.