Planning your 2L year can feel overwhelming, especially after 1L year where all your classes were arranged for you. You may have been told that you should do a journal, clinics, student orgs — and maybe you want to try all these things, but at the same time you also want to enjoy 2L year and not overload yourself! Coming out of 1L year, you may be feeling burnt out or feeling like you need to continue the nonstop grind into 2L year. But while 2L year can be busy, remember that it is a totally different ballgame from 1L year — you will be adding extracurriculars to the mix but also have full control over your schedule. It’s important to plan your law school commitments so that you don’t burn yourself out but also get involved in the activities that are most meaningful to you! Here are three questions to ask yourself when planning your 2L year: [Read more…] about Planning 2L Year To Maximize Your Law School Experience And Avoid Burnout
About Justine Huang
Ten Tips to Prepare for Success in Your Oral Argument Assignment
If you’re someone like me who cringes at the thought of public speaking and debating, doing an oral argument for your legal writing class or moot court trials can be intimidating. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be a strong oral advocate! It helps to be skilled at debating and thinking on your feet, but I have found that it’s primarily about thorough preparation and knowing the best arguments for both your side and the opposing side. With good preparation and practice, you can do well in your oral arguments too!
Here are 10 tips I found helpful when preparing for my oral argument: [Read more…] about Ten Tips to Prepare for Success in Your Oral Argument Assignment
3 Steps to Prepare for the MPRE
I started law school thinking that the bar exam was a post-law school problem, only to find that one exam can be taken as soon as post 1L year — the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, or MPRE! The MPRE is a two-hour, 60-question multiple choice exam that tests your ability to apply legal ethics or professional conduct standards to hypothetical legal practice scenarios. (Here is a great overview of the exam.)
While I didn’t want to think about the bar exam so soon, I quickly found that it would be advantageous to take the MPRE sooner rather than later. In fact, I would recommend taking it soon after you take Legal Ethics at your law school — I took it during my 1L summer, but also have several classmates who took it during their 2L year. It’ll be one less thing on your plate when the bar exam rolls around. The MPRE is offered three times a year: for 2023, it will be offered in March, August and November.
Here are 3 steps you can take to prepare for success on the MPRE!
How to Actually Network
There are many ways to network, and no one way to do it correctly. At the end of the day, networking is about connecting with people – it’s something we do naturally, not an entirely new skill that needs to be learned. But if you need a quick cheat sheet or place to start, I have found these specific action steps to be fruitful: [Read more…] about How to Actually Network
How to Take Advantage of the In-Person Law School Experience
If you’re a law student and were lucky, you started law school after the worst of the pandemic had passed and were able for the most part to avoid Zoom school. But of course the pandemic still impacts how we do things in law school – all classes must be recorded; some professors still teach their classes live on Zoom or hold virtual office hours. Depending on how strictly in-person attendance is enforced, some students may still prefer to attend class on Zoom rather than come to class. It can be tempting to attend class sitting at home in your PJs! It can also be tempting to just attend class, then go home and lock yourself up in your room. But a big part of law school (and your tuition dollars) is about community and making connections — you are going to class and learning with other future attorneys who you will probably see again in the workplace. Now that we have the opportunity to be in class together again, here are four ways to make the most of your in-person law school experience. [Read more…] about How to Take Advantage of the In-Person Law School Experience
What Mediation is and Why It’s Relevant, No Matter What Type of Law You Pursue
Before law school, I didn’t know that most cases settle before they go to trial – today, less than two percent of all civil cases filed in federal court are resolved by trial. I also didn’t know that mediation plays a key role in resolving many of these disputes before trial. As part of the Mediation Clinic at my law school, I became interested in this fast-growing area of law and the important role mediation plays in conflict resolution.
[Read more…] about What Mediation is and Why It’s Relevant, No Matter What Type of Law You Pursue