The Law School Toolbox podcast is an entertaining, useful weekly show which can help you make the most of your law school experience. You can always access current podcast episodes on the website or on Apple Podcasts and many other streaming services. And you’ll find a full archive in the Law School Toolbox podcast archive.
Enjoy!
Developing a Good Law School Mindset
- Podcast Episode 1: Mindset - The Key to Success in Law School? Everyone is going to encounter challenges in law school, and in life – what matters is how you react to the road bumps. Do you have a fixed mindset or do you see challenges as an opportunity to learn and grow? Hear our thoughts on mindset in this episode.
- Podcast Episode 5: Maintaining Authenticity in the Legal Profession Today, we’re talking about a very important topic – how to stay true to yourself and live with integrity as a law student and as a lawyer.
- Podcast Episode 64: Developing Grit in Law School This podcast will discuss grit - that quality that lets you get back up and carry on after you've been knocked down. And, every law student is probably going to get knocked down a time or two!
- Podcast Episode 81: Building Emotional Intelligence Today we’re talking about something that’s not discussed all that often in law school, which is emotional intelligence. This is an important piece of the puzzle for happiness and success in your law career and in life.
- Podcast Episode 100: 100th Anniversary Countdown! Our Most Popular (And Underrated) Episode Want to listen to our podcast but wondering where to start? Or already a fan and want to know what our favorites are? Here is a discussion of our most popular episodes, plus Lee and Alison's favorite, but underappreciated episodes.
- Podcast Episode 110: Revisiting Mindset Our very first podcast was on mindset, specifically discussing fixed mindset vs. growth mindset. New information seems to suggest that focusing too much on grit and mindset might actually be harmful for learning. So, what’s the deal??
- Podcast Episode 112: Managing Distractions in Law School From technology, to analysis paralysis, to life’s ongoing drama, there are a million things you can turn your attention to at any given moment. Learn to master distractions in law school and you’ll have greater success, not only academically, but in your law career and in life as well.
- Podcast Episode 228: Boosting Your Confidence (w/Guest Kate McGuiness) We welcomed guest Kate McGuinness — author of the book Confidence Lost / Confidence Found: How to Reclaim the Unstoppable You — to talk about the importance of feeling confident in yourself and your abilities.
- Podcast Episode 230: Learning Through Mistakes in Law School We dive into some intriguing research on how we learn from failures and making mistakes.
- Podcast Episode 235: Maintaining Motivation in the Second Semester We’re talking about the reasons why it’s a struggle to stay motivated in the second semester, and things you can do to get your focus back.
Effective Time and Life Management
- Podcast Episode 7: Time and Life Management Basics In this episode we’re doing a deep dive into a critically important topic — time and life management! If you’re an over-stressed law student or young lawyer, this is a can’t miss episode.
- Podcast Episode 35: What Extracurricular Activities Matter in Law School Today we are discussing extracurricular activities in law school. You may be tempted to focus exclusively on studying and maintaining your grades, but extracurricular activities can help break up the monotony of law school and bolster your resume for the future.
- Podcast Episode 76: Making the Most of Your Law School Winter Break Today, as finals wind down, we’re talking about what you can do over winter break to improve your law school (and legal career) experience. Don’t worry, a lot of it is fun! Not just more work – you’ve done enough for now. Winter break is a time to recuperate, but we do have a few suggestions!
- Podcast Episode 88: Self-Care Tips for Keeping Your Mojo in Law School Law school is stressful enough on a good day, and, with everything going on in the world, global anxiety is at an all-time high. This combo is leading to a lot of stressed out, anxious law students! If this is you, we’ve got some strategies and advice to keep things from spinning out of control.
- Podcast Episode 95: Top 1L Questions: Time and Life Management Law school requires a lot of time, but so do other important areas of your life. Find out how to fit everything in without having a breakdown!
- Podcast Episode 130: How to Make Difficult Decisions in Law School We’re talking about how to go about making difficult decisions in law school. We’ll talk about some of these dilemmas specifically, and offer suggestions for how to approach your decision-making process.
- Podcast Episode 134: Strategies For Maximum Personal Productivity Today, we’re sharing personal productivity tips you can use to organize your life and get everything done. Working effectively is important in every aspect of your life, not just in law school. In this podcast, we talk about different systems, strategies, and considerations you can explore to create a productivity plan that works for you.
- Podcast Episode 169: Setting Your Priorities in Law School We’re talking about setting your priorities in law school when you’re overwhelmed by your to-do list.
- Podcast Episode 178: Resolutions For a New Year (And a New Semester) We’re talking about resolutions we suggest for the new year and new semester.
- Podcast Episode 208: Using Technology Effectively in Law School We’re talking about choosing the right hardware and software tools to streamline your life, and keep you organized in law school.
- Podcast Episode 367: Tech Tools You Can Use to Streamline Your Life We’re excited to talk about some tech tools that will help you streamline your life, both in law school and beyond.
Dealing with Problems and Getting Help
- Podcast Episode 14: Avoiding Disasters In Law School We will be honest with you, disasters in law school are inevitable. It's not a question of "if" disasters will happen, but "when." In today's episode, Alison and Lee share some of their own personal disasters in law school and discuss other situations that you might encounter and how to prepare for them.
- Podcast Episode 15: The October Freakout October is the time in law school where reality begins to set in. Don't flip out! Take our advice to get through the October Freakout so you can have a productive rest of the semester.
- Podcast Episode 29: Handling Pressure in Law School (Guest Dr. Hank Weisinger) One of the biggest challenges law students face is how to handle pressure in law school. In this podcast, the New York Times bestselling author of "Performing Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When it Matters Most" and renowned pressure expert, Dr. Hank Weisinger, is here to talk about handling the pressure of law school.
- Podcast Episode 72: Seeking Accommodations in Law School and on the Bar Exam (with Dr. Jared Maloff) Today we’re talking with Dr. Jared Maloff, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Beverly Hills, California, about helping students get testing accommodations for tests such as the LSAT, law school exams, and the California Bar Exam (to name a few). If you’re struggling in law school or with the bar exam or know that you have a learning disorder, listen in to find out what accommodations are available, and how to request them.
- Podcast Episode 115: Tips for Settling into Law School Settling back into law school after your first month can be difficult, even if you're a 2L or a 3L. In this podcast we talk about making sure that you're making proper adjustments and taking good care of yourself through this stressful time.
- Podcast Episode 123: Mental Health in Law School and the Legal Profession (With Sarah Weinstein) Today, we are talking about a very serious and important topic: mental health in the legal profession. The staggering statistics and heartbreaking stories of depression, substance abuse, and even suicide in law schools and in our legal profession have raised our concerns and the concerns of others. Because of this, we have reached out to attorney-turned-executive consultant and licensed psychotherapist, Sarah Weinstein, to talk about this topic.
How to Be a Happy Lawyer
- Podcast Episode 10: Why are Lawyers so Unhappy? Today we are trying to answer an important question: Are lawyers actually more unhappy than other professionals, or do they just like to complain a lot?
- Podcast Episode 82: The Happy Lawyer Project (with Okeoma Moronu) Today we’re talking with Okeoma Moronu, a BigLaw mid-level associate and creator of The Happy Lawyer Project. Are you a law student wondering if you can be happy as a lawyer? Are you a lawyer looking for happiness? It’s really not impossible. Tune in for fresh ideas!
- Podcast Episode 227: Thriving as a First-Generation Law Student We’re talking with Hafsa Mansoor — one of the creators of FirstGenJD — about thriving in law school as a first-generation law student.
Law School Characters and Relationships
- Podcast Episode 51: The Characters You'll Meet in Law School Today we’ve got an entertaining topic – the eccentric characters you'll meet in law school, along with some tips on law school etiquette (if you don’t want to find yourself on this list in the future).
- Podcast Episode 59: Conquering Loneliness in Law School This podcast focuses on something that comes up for a lot of new and seasoned law students - being lonely or feeling isolated in law school.
- Podcast Episode 107: How to Build Positive Relationships in Law School Today we’re talking about building relationships in law school with everyone from professors to classmates and potential employers. Of course grades are important, but building relationships can not only make your law school experience more pleasant, it can open doors of opportunity in the future.
- Podcast Episode 113: Life as a First-Generation College and Law Student (With Shirlene Armstrong) If you're considering law school, but would be the first in your family to do so, this podcast is for you! Shirlene Armstrong is talking about her experience, including some of the particular challenges she encountered as a first-generation law student.
- Podcast Episode 148: Handling Toxic Behavior in Law School Today we’re talking about handling toxicity in law school – whether it’s bad behavior from your classmates or overbearing expectations from other people, including your parents, professors, friends, or even yourself.
- Podcast Episode 150: A Conversation with Visla Rudiger, A Transgender Attorney Today, we’re talking with Visla Rudiger, a transgender attorney, about her experiences in the legal profession — at work, in court, and more.
- Podcast Episode 366: How Can Parents Help Their Kids in Law School? We’re sharing our suggestions for ways parents can help their kids in law school, keeping the balance of being supportive without being overbearing.
Life Beyond Law School
- Podcast Episode 32: Four Years of Business Lessons - Happy Birthday! Listen to what we have learned after 4 years of Law School Toolbox!
- Podcast Episode 83: Lawyers in Action - The Airport Immigration Crisis We talk with several volunteer lawyers who sprung into action at airports around the country, helping people caught up in the chaos that ensued after President Trump issued his executive order on immigration. Tune in to hear what the situation was like on the ground, and how lawyers and law students can get involved to help.
- Podcast Episode 96: How to Rapidly Pay Off Law School Debt (With Guest Financial Panther) Are your law school debts (or the thought of incurring them) weighing on your mind? The founder of Financial Panther discusses how law students and young lawyers can make smart financial decisions.
- Podcast Episode 109: Life as a Woman Entrepreneur With Meg Keene of A Practical Wedding In this podcast we talk about the path to entrepreneurship, challenges of running a business as a woman and mother, not to mention the challenges faced by the partner of a law student/lawyer! Tune in to hear more from Meg Keene.
- Podcast Episode 191: Wisdom 2.0 - What We Learned About Relationships We are talking about what we earned about relationships at the Wisdom 2.0 conference we attended in March.
- Podcast Episode 199: Balancing Parenthood and a Demanding Job (w/Molly Bowen) We’re chatting with special guest Molly Bowen — lawyer and author of the children’s book, Mommy Lawyer — about the challenges involved in balancing parenthood and a career (and how to explain a demanding job to your kids).
- Podcast Episode 202: Book Club - Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation Today’s episode is part of our Book Club series, and we’re discussing some key takeaways from the book Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation, by Dan Siegel.
- Podcast Episode 211: Putting Together a Capsule Wardrobe as a Law Student We’re talking about the idea of a capsule wardrobe, or how to choose staple pieces that will give you the versatility to easily create different outfits.
- Podcast Episode 212: Bouncing Back From a Major Mistake we’re talking about how to bounce back after making a significant mistake — one of those school, career, or personal screw ups that sometimes can be a major headache — and what steps to take to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
- Podcast Episode 225: Sustainable Living and Emergency Preparedness (w/Friday Apaliski) We chatted with special guest Friday Apaliski — the Sustainability Concierge — about things you can do that will put you in harmony with the environment, if you are wondering where to start on the road to living “greener.”
- Podcast Episode 229: Combining Law School and Military Service (w/Guest Steven Arango) We have special guest Steven Arango with us — a Marine officer and lawyer — to talk about how he combined his military career with the law, as well as offer some useful tips on getting a clerkship and being published.
- Podcast Episode 231: Our Experience Working at the Polls on Election Day We’re talking about something a bit different — our experiences as poll workers. Yes, Lee and Alison both worked at a polling station in the last election! It’s a unique experience, and one you might even be interested in trying out.
- Podcast Episode 252: Navigating the Law School Landscape in Light of COVID-19 (w/Anna Ivey) We’re talking with admissions consultant Anna Ivey about what could change for incoming 1Ls this year because of COVID-19 concerns, and how the pandemic might impact the future of law school admissions.
- Podcast Episode 277: Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do we’re excited to have Eve Rodsky on the podcast, who is an attorney and author of the book Fair Play. Through her research, she has developed a system for life-changing communication between partners, so that women can reclaim some of their time and live to their fullest potential.
- Podcast Episode 294: Money Talk (w/Carrie Friedberg) We’re discussing a topic that almost everyone has to focus on at one point or another – money! Join us as we talk through debt, savings, investments, and retirement planning with our special guest Carrie Friedberg – a certified financial coach, financial behavior specialist, and founder of SF Money Coach.
- Podcast Episode 363: Real-Life Estate Planning (w/Marina Modlin) We have Marina Modlin, founder of Modlin Legal, with us to share some real-life estate planning advice.