20 Tips for Success in Law School
1. DO THE READING. Do all of the reading assigned for your courses. Do not fall behind; you
may never catch up. Do your reading at times of the day when you are most alert. Also, do your
reading in a location where you will not be distracted or tempted to do something else.
Otherwise, you will find that it takes you far longer than necessary to prepare for class.
2. BRIEF THE CASES. Take notes while reading. For each assigned case, write down the legally
significant facts, the holding of the case, and the rationale for the court's decision. This is what
is referred to as "briefing" cases. Your case briefs should be just that-brief.
3. REVIEW BEFORE EACH CLASS. Review your reading notes (case briefs) right before class.
That way, the cases will be fresh in your mind, and you will substantially increase your ability to
follow the class discussion (not to mention avoid the embarrassment associated with being
unprepared when called upon by the professor).
4. GO TO CLASS. Most professors cover some material in class that is not discussed in the
reading, so failure to attend class will put you at a big disadvantage when you take the final
exam. Also, you will receive an "FW" if you miss more than 20% of the sessions of a course.
This is factored into your grade point average as an "F" and is never removed from your
academic record, even if you retake the course.
5. PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS. Some misguided students use class time to shop on the Internet,
play computer games or catch up on their e-mail. You are paying a substantial amount of
money for tuition. Do you really want to spend your tuition money "surfing the net" or playing
computer solitaire instead of paying attention to the class discussion?
6. PARTICIPATE IN CLASS. Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning
process.
7. TAKE CLASS NOTES. Do not, however, get so caught up in trying to take down everything
your professor says that you are not actively engaged in the class discussion. Review your
class notes before starting your next reading assignment and analyze how the new cases you
read affect those cases you already have reviewed in class.
8. PREPARE AN OUTLINE FOR EACH OF YOUR CLASSES. Outlines prepared by more senior
students or commercial outlines are not acceptable substitutes for making your own outlines.
The analysis necessary to prepare a course outline helps you determine the rules of law
applicable to the subject matter of the course, as well as determine how the rules relate to one
another. If you do not go through this process, you are less likely to master the subject matter.
Also, not all professors teach a subject the same way. In fact, many professors do not even
teach a course the same way from one year to the next. The only way to get an outline tailored
to your course is to make it yourself. Do NOT wait until the reading period to prepare your
outlines; you'll never get them done in time. Some students like to outline once per week,
others once per month. Still others prefer to outline whenever a topic is completed. Pick
whatever schedule works best for you and stick to it.
9. CONSIDER FORMING A STUDY GROUP. Study groups can be a valuable learning tool.
Talking through material with classmates can increase your understanding and retention of
course material. You also can obtain helpful study tips from your peers. If you decide to form a
study group, seek out other students who are well-prepared for class and have similar
academic goals. Do not let your study group meetings become social or gossip sessions. Also,
do not use study groups as a way of sharing the workload. Lastly, if you find that you are not
benefiting from your study group, resign from the group.
10. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW. Just because you don't have an exam until the end of the
semester does not mean that you should wait until the reading period to begin your review. This
is not undergraduate school. You cannot cram right before finals and get good grades.
Therefore, make time for frequent review over the course of the semester.
11. ATTEND REVIEW SESSIONS CONDUCTED BY YOUR PROFESSORS AND/OR THEIR
ACADEMIC FELLOWS. Some professors and/or Academic Fellows hold review sessions prior
to exams. This is a great way to clarify the issues about which you are confused without having
to stand in line outside your professor's office. Moreover, helpful tips regarding how to write
your exam answers in a way that will earn you the most points are often shared during review
sessions.
12. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FEEDBACK FROM YOUR PROFESSORS. If your professor
distributes a practice question and says that she will review your answer if you submit it by a
certain time, DO IT! This is a great opportunity to get your professor's input and make any
necessary adjustments before your performance is graded.
13. ATTEND THE WORKSHOPS CONDUCTED BY THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
CENTER. These workshops cover a number of topics such as outlining, time and stress
management, and how to prepare for and write law school exams-skills essential to success in
law school.
14. TAKE PRACTICE EXAMS. Lots of them. Exams previously administered by your professor are
preferable. This will help you determine how your professor drafts his or her exams. The Fowler
School of Law Library maintains a number of prior exams prepared by law professors.
Whenever possible, select a prior exam for which there is a sample answer on file. This will
allow you to check your answer against the sample and evaluate your performance. If there is
no sample answer on file, ask you professor if he/she will review and comment on your answer.
Do not, however, wait until right before finals to ask your professor to review your answer. The
earlier you ask, the more likely your professor will have time to review your answer.
15. CREATE A STUDY PLAN. Many students complain that they do not have enough time to brief
cases, prepare outlines and/or take practice exams. They're wrong! By planning your time in
advance, you will have enough time to meet all of the demands of law school and have time to
enjoy some outside activities. If you need help managing your time, see Professor Faulkner.
16. DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO PREPARE YOUR LRW PAPERS. Again, this is
not undergraduate school. You cannot throw a paper together the night before it is due and
expect to receive a good grade (or for that matter, a passing grade). Good legal writing takes
time and lots of editing so start working on your LRW assignments as soon as possible.
17. REVIEW YOUR EXAMS. Meet with your professors to review your exams after grades have
been posted. This is the best way to determine what you did well and what you need to
improve.
18. MINIMIZE YOUR STRESS. Law school can be stressful, but there are a number of steps you
can take to keep stress to a minimum. Humor is a great stress reliever. Make time for exercise-
carrying 100 pounds of law books every day doesn't count. Eat fruit, vegetables, and whole
grain foods on a regular basis-a diet Coke and a package of Ding-Dongs are not a balanced
breakfast. Don't overdo your caffeine intake; drink lots of water instead. Get at least seven
hours of sleep per night. Maintain a life outside of law school. You don't need to give up all of
the things you enjoyed doing before you went to law school; you just won't be able to do them
as often. Finally, if you think that your stress level is getting out of control, talk about it with your
significant other, a family member, a close friend, a faculty member, one of the law school
Deans, or Professor Faulkner.
19. DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN THE COMPETITION ASPECT OF LAW SCHOOL. Face it. Only
one student can finish at the top of the class. So instead of setting Numero Uno as your goal,
focus on doing your very best. Also, be supportive of and respectful to your classmates. It will
make for a more positive law school experience for you and your peers.
20. GET HELP IF YOU NEED IT. It is not uncommon for students to be confused about the
substantive law covered in their classes, how to prepare for class, how to study for exams, how
to manage their time or how to take law school exams. Indeed, it is the rare student who does
not have questions about these subjects from time to time, particularly during the first year of
law school. If you have questions, there are a number of resources available to you. Every
professor holds weekly office hours. The Academic Fellows for your courses also are available
to help you, as is Professor Faulkner. Please visit us if you have any questions. We're here to
help.
Student Top Ten Tips and Advice
If
you
wish to
know the
road up the
mountain, you
must ask the man who
goes back and forth on it.
TOP TEN PIECES OF ADVICE FOR 1Ls
TOP TEN TRAITS FOR DOING WELL IN LAW SCHOOL
TOP TEN PIECES OF ADVICE FOR LEGAL WRITING CLASS
BEST ADVICE FOR DOING WELL ON FINAL EXAMS
BIGGEST MYTH/MISCONCEPTION ABOUT LAW SCHOOL
Law Students’ Top Ten Pieces of Advice for 1Ls*
(1) Keep up with the reading/don’t fall behind.
(2) Go to class.
(3) Network/make friends.
(4) Maintain balance/have a life outside of law school.
(5) Get involved with things that interest you/student organizations.
(6) Don’t become obsessed with grades/become competitive.
(7) Relax/try not to stress.
(8) Maintain a healthy lifestyle (exercise and diet).
(9) Go to your professors’ office hours and ask questions.
(10) Don’t Facebook/surf the internet during class.
*This Top Ten List has been compiled from a questionnaire given to more than 500 students after their first year of
law school.
Law Student Survey: Top Ten Essential Traits for Doing Well in Law
School**
(1) Hard work/Commitment/Discipline
(2) Focus
(3) Having/Maintaining a positive mental outlook
(4) Time management
(5) Critical thinking
(6) Ability to maintain balance
(7) Perseverance
(8) Patience
(9) Learn how law school works
(10) Having thick skin
Top Ten Pieces of Advice for Doing Well in Your Legal Writing Class*
(1) Start assignments early – they will take longer than you think.
(2) Plug into the format your professor gives you (IRAC/CRAC, etc) and don’t try to be creative.
(3) Go to your writing professor’s office hours and ask questions.
(4) Be prepared to write in a style completely different than what you are used to.
(5) Be detail-oriented.
(6) Be concise.
(7) Double and triple check your citation and proofreading.
(8) Take it seriously (even if it is worth fewer credits) because it’s probably the most important class you will take.
(9) Learn how to research well as quickly as you can/attend research training classes.
(10) Put in your best effort on ungraded assignments too.
Law Student Advice**
What is the best piece of advice you could give someone for doing well on final exams?
Every exam is different. You are learning the teacher’s teaching style just as much as you are learning the
material. The best way to prepare for this is to be able to apply the material well in any situation, which means
answering as many practice questions as you can.
Methodical studying, flashcards, and creating your own outlines.
Focus on what your professor presented in class because this is the best clue about what will be on the final.
Take the time to make your own study guides.
Eat a good meal before and try not to stress or get too excited before. One exam I was so excited to take it that I
couldn’t eat, but I crashed midway through because I had no fuel in my tank.
If possible, take every single one of the professor’s past final exams, and do it under similar time constraints.
Don’t rely on someone else’s outlines. A large part of the learning process is putting together your own materials,
figuring out where everything fits and how it works together. While you might be able to memorize someone else’s
information, you will not be able to apply it effectively if you haven’t put in the work to synthesize the material yourself.
Go with your gut about what works best for you, and don’t adopt any specific approach to studying just because
people around you are doing it.
Get to the point and get to know what your professor expects.
Be very careful who you study with and avoid large study groups (they are inefficient).
If you can, review professors’ old exams – they use the same questions over and over again.
Practice with lots of hypos.
Study in a way that works for you. Don’t give up the strategies that have been working up until law school just
because others are doing something different.
Review old exams from the same professor.
Get former students’ outlines to supplement your own outlines
What is the biggest myth/misconception about law school?
That it teaches you the law. Law school’s intent is not to teach you the law. We can look that up. Instead, law school
teaches you how to teach yourself – one of the most valuable tools we will ever have.
Law school is not just an extension of undergrad—it is actually the first step of your professional career. Thus, it is
helpful to act accordingly.
Law school is not full of squares. People are people. Some will suck. Some will be badass. Stress and a heavy
workload do not make everyone lame.
That you are locked into becoming a lawyer once you decide to go to law school. Law school provides a massive
base of knowledge that can be applied to many different endeavors.
That it prepares you to be a lawyer.
That all lawyers make loads of money!
That all professors are rigid, hard-nosed people who never smile or laugh.
That you have to have good grades to get a good job.
Everyone seems to think that it teaches you how to be a lawyer, but unless you focus your curriculum on practical
courses, it really doesn’t prepare you to be a lawyer at all. It teaches you how to think about problems analytically,
which is something that I don’t think a lot of people realize.
That it’s a miserable experience.
That there’s a great, high paying job waiting for you after graduation.
**The law student survey/advice sections are from a compilation of graduating law students’ surveys, only a small
sample of which has been replicated here.
Make or break: My
freshman law story
To say that my first year in law school was the hardest thing I ever had to
accomplish would be an understatement
Anna Isabel Rodriguez
Published 9:50 PM, June 22, 2014
Updated 11:33 PM, June 22, 2014
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“The business of a law school is not sufficiently described when you merely say
that it is to teach law, or to make lawyers. It is to teach law in the grand manner,
and to make great lawyers.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes
I celebrated on the day that I found out I passed the University of the Philippines '
Law Aptitude Exam (LAE), but I had no idea what exactly I was celebrating for.
Amidst warnings from those (un)fortunate enough to have already spent time in
the hallowed halls of Malcolm, I welcomed the adventure I thought law school
was going to be. I just passed the LAE and nothing could rain on my parade—
certainly, admittance to the prestigious UP College of Law was a feat in itself.
Then, law school started. You soon learn that there is nothing more grueling,
more disastrous than the life of law students struggling with their first year.
Not for me
I honestly did not think I’d ever end up in law school, nor did the scores of people
who were so unabashedly surprised when they found out I was in UP Law. At a
young age, I had decided against it, much to the chagrin of my lawyer father who
loves what he does for a living and lives for what he loves doing. And sure, Suits
made it seem fun and sexy but law always appeared to me to be such a strict,
rigid, and unforgiving profession.
But then, I one day found myself - a lost twenty-something graduating from
college with no plans nor any inkling of what to do with my (now very imminent)
future. When my father suggested that I take law entrance exams, I did so not
because I wanted to be a lawyer.
Today, that is not true. A year in, hundreds of cases read, and a dream job
replaced with dreams of a legal profession later, I daresay: I may want to be a
lawyer after all.
Hardest part
To say that my first year in law school was the hardest thing I ever had to
accomplish would be an understatement. There is little to no time for anything
else in your life and most days you find yourself racking your brain, wondering
why in the world you’re staying. Nothing really prepares you for “the grand
manner”. The reality of it isn’t so grand.
The normal load for freshman student is 18 units. A unit would mean an hour per
week; so a 4-unit subject would translate to 4 hours of meeting per week, or 2-
hour sessions twice a week. Eighteen (18) hours of class a week do not seem
like much considering that, on a "light” school day, you would have only a 2-hour
class and, on a “heavy” day, you need only to attend 3 classes. But to prepare for
a 2-hour class means having to read at least 20 assigned Supreme Court
decisions, on top of legal provisions, annotations and commentaries. One case
can take from 7 to 30 pages. But you have 18 hours of classes per week, did I
not say that already? Easily, you’re just reading from the time you leave your last
class to the time you head to your next class the next day. All this doesn’t even
factor in classes where the good professor allows only hand-written notes to be
brought to class, or weekly quizzes on how well you have memorized law
provisions, word for word, which, to hurdle, you’ve got to garner at least 90%.
Law school subscribes to the Socratic method. There are no lectures or
explanations, just recitations. Nothing is ever explained to you in class, you are
expected to come in, know your material, and recite on it flawlessly. Basically,
the professor picks a random class card and the person called is made to stand
and answer a barrage of questions to test how well he understood the material—
if you forget the answer, you get a 5 (which means you failed for that day); if
you’re asked about the one topic you didn’t read about, that’s also a 5; if you cut
class because you didn’t finish reading and you get called, that’s also a 5. Yes, it
rains 5’s in Malcolm and when it rains, it pours. This is especially troubling given
that to stay in the college, you need to maintain a certain grade, one that
gradually goes higher the longer you stay in the college.
This year, out of the 200 something freshmen students enrolled in UP Law, there
were more or less 60 students who have been dropped from the rolls. This is not
counting those who failed the first semester and those who left the college
voluntarily.
No sleep
The first month in, I slept an average of 4 hours a night (6 if I’m lucky!) and I was
downing around 4 cups of coffee per day. It was on the third day of non-stop
reading that I started really doubting what I was doing and the tears finally came.
It was 6 a.m.on a beautiful morning after a long night of studying and I was
having my first cup of coffee. I was dreading the day to come— there was a pile
of readings due that afternoon that I haven’t gotten to. I was tired, stressed, and
sleepy. I felt burned out, run into the ground and it wasn’t even a week in. I
wanted to cry. Just when that first tear was about to drop, I thought to myself:
crying would take 5 minutes, I could finish reading a page in the same amount of
time— and so, I finished that page instead.
Later on that night, there were no pages, just tears.
Sacrifice to learn
That’s pretty much what law school is: a sacrifice to learn. Through all of this, you
also learn to persevere. That glimmer of hope, that small slither of light which
shines through the darkest of days, can get you through so much. Og Mandino
did say, “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong
enough,” and this has never been so true.
In between piles and piles of readings, arduous recitations, countless sleepless
nights, and so many tears, I learned about the law— and I learned so much
about myself. Man’s resilience and propensity to carry on has always amazed,
but never would I have ever imagined that I would find this in myself.
I have since believed that never in my life have I gone through anything more
gut-wrenching and fulfilling but at the same time I am thankful for it every single
day.
I celebrated on the day that I found out I passed the Law Aptitude Exam, like how
I celebrated when I found out I made it through this school year, like how I now
celebrate after every exam, quiz, and recitation— and now I know why I do this.
Law school makes or breaks you.. and if you’re still swimming, there is much to
be thankful for. - Rappler.com
Isa Rodriguez is a law student and social media producer at Rappler.
iSpeak is Rappler's platform for sharing ideas, sparking discussions, and taking
action! Share your iSpeak articles with us: [email protected].
Tell us what you think about this iSpeak article in the comments section below.
14 Struggles Only Girl
Law Students
Understand
I'm sorry for snapping at YOU.
by Samantha Dizon
Apr 26, 2015
Share 1809 Tweet 8 Pin 1
LIKE US AND SAY NO TO #FOMO
1. Corporate dressing is hard AF. Presentation time! If I remove the blazer,
will I look "too sexy" or will I still be tastefully professional? If I wear it, will
people focus more on how I look or what I have to say? It’s a mental workout
just trying to find the balance. Like searching for the nirvana of corporate
wear. Then the boys can just get away with wearing a barong?! I thought law
school was a place to learn about justice?
2. We live vicariously through friends' Instagram posts. Yes, Instagram,
because no, I can’t just hang with you whenever, wherever (as much as I want
to). The prof just assigned 200 pages for tomorrow. So I’ll just update myself
with all my non-law school friends’ lives by checking my feed. Please don’t
think I’m a bad friend, I still know you got that job you wanted. (Your post
appeared within my self-imposed 15-minute break.) Outside of this...oops. I
know nothing.
3. Our lives are so unexciting. You finally went to Bali! Double tap. You
finally achieved your fitness goals through months of hard work. Definitely
double tap material. You traveled in the middle of the work week. Ah, the
life…that I might be missing out on. Is what I’m going through right now all
worth it? Hell yeah, it is. I just need reminding sometimes. And when I do
remember how it’s all worth it, I’ll excitedly take a photo of my readings for the
past month. Look at this bad-boy pile of readings that’s taller than a toddler.
Double tap that.
4. We have to deal with law school stress and PMS at the same
time. Don’t come near me. Unless you have a digest of the case I didn’t read.
I don’t understand my own handwriting. Did anyone tell you it’s “with regard
to,” not “with regards to?” Why did you bother to ask me about the case only
to argue about the facts? Also, I just got my period today. At least it only lasts
for a week. Unlike law stress. With the recitations. Which are constant. And
forever.
5. We flip out over the tiniest things especially during exam week. What
do you mean the highlighter in this shade of yellow is out of stock?
6. We rarely go out, so when we do...the car breaks down. Panira. No
point in trying to fight things I can’t control. Things don’t always go as planned.
Like that time I paid P500 for a reviewer I studied for five full days, and
it didn’tcome out in the exam.
7. We kind of, sort of don't have time for a relationship. No, you can’t
expect me to be free just because you are. And even if I am, I might choose
sleep over you. You’ll have to be quiet while I study, but please do know I
enjoy your company. Being a law student might seem like tough work, but the
lack of time and high stress teaches us to be appreciative of the little things.
Like you knowing my favorite highlighter color. You are an ~*angel*~.
8. And since we're constantly stressed out, we might snap at our S.O. a
lot. So in the rare times I’m free, you reply to me late? I’m finally on break, but
you can’t see me?!
9. We think about law school even when we're doing normal things. Like,
shopping. Oooh, cute tote bag! Four books can fit inside it! ~*buys it in two
different colors.*~
10. We have a lot of beauty problems. Eternal eye bags. Skin breakouts.
Falling hair. Weight gain. Weight loss. Can lack of sleep be directly
proportional to attractiveness, please?
11. We always get the, "Hindi ka na magkaka-boyfriend kasi wala kang
oras" and we hate it. Giiiiirl, kilala mo ba si Amal Alamuddin? Yeah, she
married some actor. He's pretty irrelevant.
12. We secretly ask ourselves if the world expects us to be pretty and
smart. Would we have an edge if we were pretty, and not just smart?
Everyone around us seems smart; everyone is hard working. Between two
girls of equal achievements, respectable intelligence, and good work ethic,
would the firms hire the “pretty” one?
13. We put some important parts of our lives on pause. The years I spend
in law school buried in books, other girls my age might spend building their
careers already. The fact of four or five years of no salary (unless you’re a
working student) has real setbacks. It’s part of law school’s many opportunity
costs. That’s why law students give everything. We can’t afford to lose.
14. We feel invincible. Law school pressure creates rare gems that we store
for safekeeping. We get them at any moment we need to pull ourselves
together through the daily grind, a heartbreak, a bad day with a sexist
professor, and so on. Each triumph is never just wala lang. We're secretly
superheroes—and ya better believe it!
