Top 7 Tips for Law Students from a Law School Dropout

Written By carlina palmieri

Because who better to take advice from on avoiding mistakes than the very person who actually made them.
Here's what I would do if I had to start law school again.


1. The mature age student is your greatest asset

I understand that mature age students have a reputation. They’re known for giving out self righteous opinions that no one asked for and indulge in long winded accounts of personal experiences that no one cares about.

However, there is no doubt in how organized, conscientious and studious they are in the academic world. If you want to sit next to the student who has done the readings, watched the lecture and prepared notes for the weekly tutorial - your best bet is to sit next to the mature age student.

From my personal experience, the mature age student comradery is especially important in units with group assignments. I had the pleasure of having a mature age student in my group for a string of group assignments. Not only did she contribute substantially to the content required for three extensive business case analysis reports but she took responsibility for preparing, editing and submitting the most professionally formatted document I have ever had my name on in my entire university career. She delivered to this standard despite having a full-time job and two children.

The mature age student is your greatest asset.

2. Network - successful by association

A Harvard study conducted over 25 years has shown that 99% of your success is dependent on your ‘reference group’. In other words, success is dependent on association.

If you want to be successful as a law student, you must associate yourself with high achieving law students and we all know they are easy to spot.

I made the mistake of isolating myself even when law school acquaintances approached me and mentioned they were seated nearby in the same vicinity. What I should have done is joined them, shared a table with them in class or at the library on campus. 

Now, statistically speaking, if you're a law student you’re likely to be an introvert - too bad.

If you’re unsure on how to approach people directly, when your class ends, consider saying to a person at your table, “I’m heading to the library now, where are you off to?”
This way you’re suggesting the idea of studying in the library without a direct ask or invite.

Remember, networking is not limited to real life interactions. Networking also includes becoming part of online networks such as Facebook groups, forums and LinkedIn accounts. Not just for rubbing shoulders for your eventual clerkship but getting access to helpful study resources that may be available through such avenues.

And finally, is there a Facebook group chat? I studied two law units cross institutionally at a different law school and got added to a Facebook group with all the law students in my unit.

I never contributed to the chat but toward the end of semester the studious students uploaded their 50+ page exam notes files for everyone to use in preparation for final exams. 

Network, successful by association.

3. Get yourself a tutor for your first semester

Rather than stabbing in the dark and wondering if you're producing distinction level assignments, consider getting mentored by those who have already done it right.

Depending on the city or country you live in, your best bet is to do an organic search for both face-to-face or online tutors for your particular unit. If you can find one in your own university who happens to be a second or third year student, even better, as the assignments they completed are likely similar to yours, which is sure to give you an edge to achieving desirable grades.

Alternatively, supplement your studies by investing in online education via Udemy or Coursera who offer online courses in law subjects curated by both individuals and universities in partnership with the platform. 

Get yourself a tutor.

4. Keep consistent contact with your lecturers and tutors

You’re going to do this for 2 primary reasons:

  • It’s practical and advantageous to complete your weekly tutorial questions and then email your lecturer or tutor the work you’ve produced and ask for feedback. This prepares you for upcoming assignments, gives you insight into what your lecturer wants to see and prevents future errors in your answers.

    And of course, it's a purposeful way of initiating and maintaining contact when you’re someone who is introverted and would rather not participate in small talk during class.

  • Bias is real. If you have an evident reputation of doing your due diligence, lecturers will remember this when marking your paper. Now, there may not be much wiggle room to award you points on your standard legal essay but their bias may be advantageous when grading you on more subjective assignments such as mock trials or mock client interviews.

When I was completing my Contract Law unit, I missed one of my weekly tutorials. I still completed the tutorial work and then proceeded to email it to my tutor for feedback.

Not only did he review the work with corrections and commentary, he was so pleased with my efforts that he CC’d a fellow lecturer to share my work and contribute further praise.

Keep consistent contact with your lecturers and tutors.

5. Do your readings and do them efficiently with technology and AI

There is no dispute that Law requires the highest volume of reading at a tertiary level. This can not be compared to the general assignment of weekly textbook chapters readings in other degrees. 

For perspective:

If you are a law student doing a 4 unit workload in a semester and each unit has 5 cases on its weekly reading list, with cases having anywhere between 20 to 100 or more pages long (for the sake of example we’ll say 50 pages per case) - the numbers look like this:

4 units x 5 cases x 50 pages = 1000 pages per week.

I’ll let those numbers sink in.

Of course, you are not expected to read each and every word, what you are expected to do is understand the facts of the case, the legal principles applied, the precedents referenced and the judges conclusions. Your job is to skim through and extract the relevant information that will assist you in assignments and examinations. 

What you need is an efficient system of analyzing, extracting and noting important information when digesting mountains of case law.

Without further ado, here are some tips: 

  • Download that transcript

Most online lecture platforms used by universities have a transcript function.

Download the transcript and proceed to highlight, copy and paste and summarize the most important points. This is especially helpful where you have a lecturer who babbles, speaks really slow and has you hitting that 1.5x speed option.

  • Convert text to speech

Text to speech software is a Godsend hack for law students. It allows for the flexibility to multitask while studying, learn on the go and reduce procrastination.

Using a text to speech software like Speechify means that textbook chapters, case law reports and other text based resources can be converted to audio for you to listen to on the go.

  1. Take notes on your laptop while listening to audio.

  2. Listen to case law summaries while on the bus or in your car.

  3. Work your way through textbook chapters while strolling about campus grounds.

This is especially helpful for students managing ADHD, procrastination or those simply wanting to take time management and study efficiency to the next level. Get Speechify on your desktop now and start outpacing your competition, yesterday’s you.

  • Speech to text

Remember those 1000+ pages of case law you have to read weekly.

You could read the words, then type the words you think are important, then go back and forth for a few hours.

Or, you could simply open up Word, click ‘Dictate’ (top right hand corner) skim your readings and once you come across relevant text, say the words out loud and have Word covert your speech to text. Two birds with one stone.

After an hour of reading you will also have pages of notes to show for it.

  • Organize those notes

You will be taking notes like no one else in law school. They are not only important for learning as the semester progresses but they become especially important for exam preparation.

To keep dynamic, informative and organized notes there are a plethora of applications you can use, for the sake of saving you time I suggest RemNote.

  1. The RemNote Flashcards feature allows notes to be converted into flashcards to optimize learning. 

  2. The app can be used across multiple devices and can also be used offline, no need to worry about WiFi in the case you feel like taking notes in the park.

  3. Unlimited notes, you can create endless folders and files and essentially create your own personal library of notes.

Do your readings and do them efficiently with technology and AI

6. Use technology and tools to your advantage in organizing your university life 

Make life easier - you already have so much to think about. Automate the tedious tasks and remove friction. 

These software applications will save you time and stress when competing assignment deadlines find themselves at your doorstep. 

  • EndNote

    That dreaded bibliography can be tedious and complex when abiding by the Australian legal citation guidelines.

EndNote is one of the most popular reference management software applications that even this dropout used back in her university days. The software will automate the management and formatting of your citations when your lecturer is expecting you to hit a quota for the number of references expected.

  • Todoist 

Todoist is a worldwide favorite task manager and to-do list application trusted by more than 30 million people.

Make your lists of labeled and categorized tasks, keep track of responsibilities, take advantage of reminder and notification features and more importantly, stay calm and keep control over your day.

  • Cold Turkey

    Don’t worry, no one is asking you to quit anything permanently.

However, it would be in your best interest to quit social media and other entertainment temporarily while you study. That's where Cold Turkey comes in. Cold Turkey is a free browser extension that blocks your favorite websites for a set amount of time so you can focus without temptation while you study.

  • Grammarly

    And who can forget the OG of AI tools for written work.

    Your study tool box is not complete without Grammarly.

    You’ve probably seen their ads pop-up on a YouTube video and you patiently waited to click that Skip button, but for those who are unfamiliar, Grammarly is a cloud-based typing assistant that reviews spelling, grammar, punctuation, plagiarism etc.

    With the high degree of attention to detail expected for law assignments, the last thing you want is to lose marks on an assignment due to spelling, grammar and overall presentation, especially when one mark can be the difference between a credit and a distinction.

    Don’t slip up on grammar and clarity when dealing with convoluted legaleese - get Grammarly and keep it until you graduate.

Use technology and tools to your advantage in organizing your university life

7. Wondering if law is for you? Ask the experts

And be prepared to be honest with yourself.

It could happen after one class, one semester or after two years of studying your degree. Like me, you could find yourself questioning whether law was the right course of study for you.

This could be due to a multitude of reasons; high stress coupled with a lack of passion, lack of interest and satisfaction, concerns of the reality of the legal industry, stronger interests in other fields, etc.

Whichever reason it may be, research and reflect accordingly. 

For example: 

If your concerns are job prospects and competition; reach out randomly to law graduates on LinkedIn for their insights, cold email a variety of firms to find out what they look for in law graduates and how many applications they usually receive during an intake.

If you want to complete a law degree but not work as an attorney in a given industry (say, finance) as you believe the law degree would be highly regarded and give you a competitive edge, cold email companies in said industry and find out if they value law degree holders or if they have other preferences. Make sure you’re not overestimating the impression a law degree leaves on a potential employer.

In my personal experience, the call to leave law was a combination of stress, lack of genuine excitement for my learning and the desire to work in business and finance.

In my research, the sentiment shared amongst previous law students and legal professionals on forums and YouTube is that you can't do law and stick with it unless you love it.

I recall my Tort Law tutor in class saying how she considered curling up with a 200+ page print out of legislation as an ideal Friday night in. 

I admire that. I really do.

However, I could never visualize myself enjoying such a night.

I also had a fellow law student mention how his grandfather was a judge and in his grandfather's home office were volumes of books on decades-old case law that he “could read all day”. 

I found the source of his joy to be abhorrent.

I did not resonate with their love for law and yet, I thought I could still soldier on through running on nothing but fumes and the desire to ultimately work in finance with the air of prestige of a law degree beneath my wings.
Of course, I eventually realized that keeping your head barely above water for the sake of ego and identity was certifiably insane.

Wondering if law is for you? Ask the experts.

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All my best,

Carlina

carlina palmieri