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We've previously rounded up some of our best law school resources for women, as well as other tips like what to know before 1L year, the best blogs for women law students, and must-have school supplies for law school — but it's been a while! So I asked our new law school correspondent, Nicole, to round up some of the best resources she found before embarking on her law school career. Huge thanks, Nicole! — Kat
How to Prepare for 1L Year
Getting to Maybe
I read this book the summer before law school, and it explained the basics of law school exams. If you don’t have time to read it before law school (which is no big deal), I’ll sum it up for you. My main takeaway from the book was the importance of getting comfortable with ambiguity. In law school, there is probably not going to be one right answer on the exam. That’s why the book is titled Getting to Maybe.
Women in Law On the Record
This is an amazing podcast about women in all areas of the legal profession. A female lawyer interviews other successful women lawyers about their decision to go to law school and their career path, and asks for general advice.
Listening to these women makes me so excited about my career because there are so many possibilities, and it often forces me to think differently about setbacks. It’s validating to hear that everyone experiences setbacks — even very, very successful lawyers. Also, the interviewer ends every podcast by asking for each interviewee’s five favorite things, which is a fun way to hear about different hobbies, music, books, and travel destinations.
Above the Law
If you want all the scoop on different law firms (particularly regarding bonuses, raises, and Dumb Memos), ATL is a must-read. ATL is like a BuzzFeed for the “world of law,” and it is entertaining (or as entertaining as the “world of law” can be)!
The Girl’s Guide to Law School
There are a ton of great resources for all law students here, including guides on Law School 101, how to write law review articles, and how to leave Biglaw.
Ms. JD
Run in conjunction with the National Women Law Students’ Organization, Ms. JD features a blog and runs conferences and programs throughout the year. Ms. JD also has a variety of useful resources about business development, pay equity, negotiation, and self-promotion.
Bonus Tip: How to Prepare to Apply for Law School
Spivey Consulting Blog
Spivey Consulting helps incoming law students through the admissions process. While I didn’t personally work with an admissions consultant, I found the blog posts written by former law school administrators extremely helpful! The blog posts are free to read and cover a wide range of topics about admissions, waitlists, negotiating scholarships, transferring, and law school life. They also now have podcasts!
Readers who've been to law school, what resources (books, blogs, newsletters and more) were helpful to you as you prepared to go to law school? What are your top tips for how to prepare for 1L year?
Stock photo via Deposit Photos / Wavebreakmedia.
Anon
Use the time before law school to do things you enjoy. You don’t need to be Hermione-ing law school for two months beforehand. Plenty of men survive law school without feeling like they have to come in familiar with the bonus structure of Big Law and how to leave Big Law. Not everyone goes into big law, not everyone wants to, and it’s a lot of privilege to think everyone even knows what it is before law school. Read books you want to read. Go on a road trip. Binge watch a favorite TV show.
Christina
I know different people take different paths to law school, but if you’re coming straight out of college (like I did) take the time to start routines for life outside of law school. For example, figure out workouts that you like and that you can integrate into law student life. Practice making meals that are nutritious, quick, and affordable for yourself. It can be overwhelming to try to figure out law school while ALSO learning how to live independently. Also, if you’re moving to a new city for law school, get the lay of the land in advance so that by the time you’re starting law school, you know the best places to grab coffee on your way to class, or which route feels safest to take home after a late night of studying, or where to get cheap takeout. I honestly think that’s an underrated advantage “nontraditional” law students have– they don’t need to spend time figuring out how to fend for themselves.
Al
This is really good advice. Law is my second career, and I was a little surprised at how much “mom-type advice” I had to supply during the first few weeks of school. It really derailed some people’s first semester to learn that (1) law school actually required all their time and attention to do well, unlike college (because this is always a collection of high achievers, many of whom have not had to work as hard as they could have in school), and (2) life also required significant time and attention because they now had to manage their finances, cook, clean, learn a new city, set out a new household, and do countless other things for the first time.