This month, we’re talking all about legal writing in law school. As a first-year law student, you’ll almost certainly be required to take legal research and writing classes, and many students opt to take more in their 2L and 3L years. We’ll have a podcast episode on organizing your LRW projects, and we’ll talk with Luiz Arroyo, a career law clerk and Law School Toolbox tutor, about the basics of improving your legal writing skills. [Read more…] about Legal Writing in Law School
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Podcast Episode 442: Quick Tips — How to Get the Most Out of Your Summer Legal Job
Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today we’re talking about how to get the most out of your summer job. In particular, we are going to cover tips for success in three key aspects of your summer work experience: professionalism, substantive work, and networking.
In this episode we discuss:
- How to be the co-worker that people want on their team
- Tips for getting the most out of the substantive work you do at your summer job
- Networking at your work place
- Legal documents you might be asked to draft during your summer job, and how they relate to your writing sample
Thanks for listening!
Using Legal Writing in the Workplace
This month, we wanted to talk about legal writing in the workplace. Sure, this is mid-school year, but many students are thinking about upcoming internships, externships and even summer associate positions. It is time to start thinking about legal writing outside the context of your legal writing class. And start to find your legal writing voice to be used in the workplace.
You have likely done some practical legal writing as part of your school’s legal writing requirement. This may have gone well or it may have not. I will be honest, my first semester of legal writing did not go well. [Read more…] about Using Legal Writing in the Workplace
Podcast Episode 423: Law School Exam Prep (Part 2)
Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! This is the second episode in a two-part series on getting ready for exams. Last time, we talked about outlining, creating study materials, and applying those study materials to a fact pattern. Today, we’re focusing on how to actually write an exam answer.
In this episode we discuss:
- What professors look for in your exam answers, and what to make sure to avoid doing
- A sample Criminal Law hypo
- Planning and outlining before you start writing
- The elements of the IRAC/CRAC/CREAC structures
- Five key things related to a solid exam answer
Thanks for listening!
[Read more…] about Podcast Episode 423: Law School Exam Prep (Part 2)
Podcast Episode 415: Bad Ideas for Job Hunting (w/Sadie Jones)
Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we’re talking to ex-BigLaw recruiter Sadie Jones about job hunting practices that are typically not great ideas and aren’t going to help you secure a job.
In this episode we discuss:
- What is the perfect length for a resume?
- How to cut down your writing sample for the purposes of job searching
- Should you include an addendum with your application documents to explain a bad grade?
- Deciding which of your previous jobs to include on your resume
- Are thank-you notes a good or bad idea?
- Is it acceptable to reach out to potential employers via cold calls or emails?
Thanks for listening!
[Read more…] about Podcast Episode 415: Bad Ideas for Job Hunting (w/Sadie Jones)
How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Published on Law Review (or Journal of Choice)
So you’re going to be on a journal next year—congratulations!! Being on a law school journal is a great way to hone your research, writing, and editing skills, while having the opportunity to be involved in helping legal scholars—and potentially yourself—get published! That’s right—many journals select student notes that are published along with articles from professional scholars. Here’s a great overview of what a Note is and the four essential elements of a Note.
Why would you want to get published? By contributing to legal scholarship and sharing your voice and perspective in the legal discourse, you help shape the conversation in the legal world and beyond. Plus, it’s just cool to have an article you wrote get published! And it doesn’t hurt to submit your article for publication, so why not submit what you’ve been working so hard on all year?
If you want to get published, here are 6 tips to keep in mind as you start to research and write your Note: