To be successful in law school there are certain things a student should do, and certain things that a student should not do. Let’s start with the don’ts.

A student should never brief a case.  Law professors emphasize the importance of briefing a case.  They claim that it will help students analyze cases and learn how to extract important information from cases (which is something lawyers need to do).  However, it does not really do that.  While true that reading cases is important, a student will develop that skill over time.  For law school, it is far more important to learn the law then to learn how to analyze a case.  There are many things a student can do to learn the case without going through the process of briefing it.  Doing the brief is just a big waste of time that is better spent elsewhere.

Next, and this is a big one, students should not spend much time preparing for class.  This is hard for most students to comprehend at first or even practice.  The professors are going to cold call on students and it would be embarrassing if someone did not know the answer.  It is better to be embarrassed and get an A in class then to be good at class and get a C.  No one will remember that you didn’t know the answer, but everyone will know where your stand in class rank.  Spend your time learning the law and that will pay dividends.

The things law students should do is to learn the law early and create an outline early.  This will help law students build that foundational knowledge that is necessary for mastering the law and performing well on the final exam.  Further, law students should do numerous practice exams so they are ready for the final exam.  Practice makes perfect and the more a student practice the better the results. 

Finally, a student should get plenty of sleep, eat well, and exercise to maximize performance.  Take care of your body and your mind; you will need it to survive the long semester and the final exams. This should not be underestimated. To find out more, click on the Case Study and start your application today.