1. Time tracking
I have always been a time tracker. I did this throughout my time studying for the LSAT and I did this throughout law school.
If you’ve ever had a part time job (you’d be surprised how many people in law school who haven’t), you’re already doing this. Most, if not all, part time jobs are hourly shift work, you’re ALWAYS watching the clock, planning your break, etc etc. This is how you need to treat your days in law school. Account for your day. This is a good habit to get into.
When I was studying for the bar exam (and as a matter of fact I did this while studying for my law school exams and the LSAT) I would always keep a notebook or pad of scrap paper on my desk and would record the time I began studying. When I felt like I needed a break I would take a look at my page and see when I started and think “ok I’ve been studying for an hour I deserve a break” or “I can do another 10 mins then it’d be justifiable to take a break”. The point is, this is a great exercise in order to account for your time both for yourself and to maintain good habits going forward.
I easily have carried this habit into the work place today and I can truthfully say as lawyer in private practice who records billables each day this habit has really been crucial in my day to day operations.
2. Being resourceful
A lot of the practice of law is using precedents effectively (rather than blindly).
In law school a lot of us used CANS (see this blog post) which we got from upper years. The key was to make sure that the CANS you are relying on are current. Of course, not going to class all semester and then showing up at the exam with your year-old CANS is not ideal and quite frankly pretty foolish. Instead of making your own CANS work off the ones you have. Bring those CANS to class and while you are in class add to it (I used to do this in another colour) and I would delete content that was old or no longer applicable to ensure that the CANS were current and accurate as this is often your exam lifeline.
3. Managing and balancing a busy schedule and due dates
Listen, I get it – we are all busy. Everyone has a life outside of law school and the ability to manage all these obligations (family, social, work, etc) is a lot. Being able to successfully manage and balance your calendar is key to life and to work success. Take this time to see what works for you (whether it is an electronic calendar on your phone or a physical agenda) and start perfecting your ability to prioritize.
Of course, when you become a lawyer you will have an assistant who will help but when you’re articling or when you first start out you may be tasked with balancing your own schedule.
Be prepared to do this especially if you work for a smaller firm or in house, sometimes this is just something you will have to deal with from time to time.
4. Networking
Law school is basically a networking entry point. Your classmates are your peers for the rest of your career. Start making connections now. Being yourself (I know this is such a cheesy thing to say but its true) and overall just being someone who is easy to get along with is key, don’t take life too seriously and don’t get caught up in competition and being adversarial all the time. People often recall bad experiences over good ones. So long as you maintain a good working relationship with your peers and begin building your reputation for being a capable and competent professional people will respect you and will remember you later down the road when you have a file with them.
As I make my way into my second year as a lawyer, I can honestly say these are skills that I exercise on a daily basis and law school has truthfully played an important part in helping me practice these skills. It’s so strange how such a short period of time (3 years) feels like an eternity and is so important to the type of professional you choose to become. Build good habits as soon as you can to make your life simple later.
