Law Student Jobs: The Two Paths To Find Work
Everyone is probably throwing out their 2 cents for the 1L’s. I really do not have many specific advice. Because everyone studies differnetly and have different personalities, I would say that specific advice would probably not help at this point. After all, law school is an experience that you would just have to find out for yourself.
The best way to come into the law school, I find, is to have a very strong reason to be there. By this I mean to say have a “conviction.” Ask yourself, why do you want to be here? The stronger your reason, the better you can endure the stress that comes with law school. Again, this is a generality. Not everyone who comes in with a conviction will stay — they might change or realize that they simply do not care for law anymore.
There are generally two paths for law students in terms of finding a job.
1. The super student
2. The networking hardworker
The super student is someone who works hard, gets good grades (top 10-15%), make it to law review or some kind of prestigious leadership position (journal board, moot court/trial court team, dean’s list). He or she can study for hours and understand what the professor is saying. He or she is born to study or tries really hard and succeeds in academics. Many law firms, in particular the top law firms, take these people in for the interview.
The networking hardworker is someone who tries hard but simply is not ranked within the top 15%. The networking hardworker should focus on his/her strength (e.g. a specialty, concentration) and find out the key people in this area of law.
These are merely my observations. You may have a different idea and that may work better for you.
[thanks to victoriapeckham and shelly via cc]
Dawn Amos: Harvard Law Student Shares Her 1L Experience
From Harvard Law Blog:
I asked a bunch of first-year students to tell me how their year’s been going so far. I’ll post a few of their entries from time to time. Here’s one from Dawn Amos:
“I have now been at Harvard Law School for one semester. It’s funny, because I feel like most people came here with all these ideas of what it was going to be, and most have been knocked off their feet in one way or another by discovering what it actually is. I know I have. So what is this place, HLS?
“The most distinctive thing about it, I believe, is that it’s an incredible experience. Incredibly trying, incredibly moving, and incredibly rewarding. I work hard. Some days I feel completely lost and confused. Other days I’m amazed at how much I’ve already learned. It’s also challenging.
“In one of my classes, we held a lengthy discussion about a particular case, and then voted on what we would have done if we had been the judge in the case. After our vote, the professor told us which political party usually falls on which side of the fence. Murmurs went around the room as many people were surprised they had not voted in line with where they stand politically.
“Our professor then told us that it was good if we were surprised, because that’s what law school is all about. It’s about challenge. Challenging yourself to see the other side of the story, and not only to see it but to understand it in a way that allows you to see how they could be right.
“And it’s also really fun. There’s time for dinners, socials, parties, and making lots of new friends from lots of different backgrounds. One of the really great things about this school is the people.
“Rumors about the competition among students here run rampant. In my experience, they’ve also been completely wrong. I’ve never met a group of people more willing to help each other out, or more caring of each other’s well being. They seem to me in many ways to be the most open minded and non-judgmental people I’ve ever met.
“The faculty is amazing as well. I’m continually surprised at how much everyone cares about you. Professors, advisers, and staff all go out of their way day after day to find out if you’re alright and if there is anything they can help you with.
“For me, this past semester has been a period of dynamic growth and change. It has tried me, it has surprised me, and it has inspired me. It has inspired me to believe in the phenomenal humanity of an amazing group of people. It has inspired me to grow, to think, and to analyze, but also to feel. To hold on to the passion that brought me here and use it to augment the skills that I’m learning every day. I love it. 
”
How a Law Case Title Tells You More Than You May Think
From Shelley’s Case:Â
This might be helpful for the 1L’s, thought most of you probably knew this already.
Jane Doe v. John Doe
(Plaintiff versus Defendant)
This is the classic case name in civil suits.
In re Doe
These are judicial proceedings where there is no adversarial parties. Usually used for bankruptcy, contempt, disbarment, guardianship, and probate proceedings.
Ex parte Doe
These are special proceedings in which a court communicates with a particular party.
State ex rel. Jane Doe v. John Doe
These are cases relating to extraordinary legal remedies.
Jane Doe v. Alfred Gonzales
The 11th Amendment provides that citizens may not sue states in federal courts. Thus, instead of naming a state, you have to name the head of the state or agency you are suing in a civil case.
The Commonwealth of Virginia v. Jane Doe
This is a criminal case in which a state brings suit against an individual, Jane Doe.
