My entire academic career, I earned top grades without having to put in much effort. But, when I began studying in law school, that all changed. I suddenly found myself having to work extremely hard for a ‘B’ instead of breezing through an assignment to an easy ‘A.’
There were a variety of reasons why this was the case. I don’t learn well in an environment using the Socratic method. I am not an auditory learner and therefore had difficulty keeping up with the subjects. I also found I really wasn’t terribly interested in the subjects. I wanted to learn about how to fight social injustices, how to advocate for animals, children, and the poor. I was not the least bit interested in learning the Rule Against Perpetuities.
Before heading home for Thanksgiving break, I considered dropping out of law school altogether. I wrestled with the decision secretly for weeks wondering if I really was meant to become a lawyer. After much thought, I realized I did want to practice law, and I decided to stay in law school.
If you, too, are considering leaving law school, here are some things to consider first:
[Read more…] about What To Do When You Are Thinking About Dropping Out
In law school, you have or will spend a considerable amount of time with your classmates. Between hours in classes and study groups and the occasional happy hour, law students inevitably are constantly around each other. But, what happens when you finish law school? It may be easy to go your separate ways, but even if you weren’t best friends with a lot of students, it’s important to maintain your classmate connections. Your classmates will go on to perform jobs or field client requests that could be extraordinarily valuable to you and your own practice.
When I went to law school, I knew that I would benefit from having a law degree. But, I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to use my J.D. I knew I wanted to be an advocate for a cause I could be passionate about. I wasn’t entirely sure what that might look like, and I was open to opportunities that might not be the traditional practice of law.
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We’ve all heard how important good writing skills are, and yet it can be difficult as a law student to understand exactly what that means for your career in the law. How much writing will you really do? The fact is, as a lawyer, you’ll most likely do