3 Traits to Bring your A-Game to Law School
The list of traits to become a ‘stellar’ law student or lawyer is perhaps endless because ambitious, high-achieving individuals never fail to find ways to improve. The search for a success formula for law school brought you to this article — so I thought of using this opportunity to suggest to you that this search will continue throughout law school. These three traits are ones that, from my experience, will make success more meaningful!
1. Authenticity
From the first day, you are able to recognize the immense calibre of your peers. As the year progresses, everyone is searching for the ‘right way’ to undergo law school. We might rely on the success stories of upper years and our peers as an indication of what we should be doing. Learning from others is good. However, in trying to mold into the best law student (or lawyer) possible, we must not lose all the qualities that makes us unique. Your individual characteristics and experiences got you to law school — so that you could then make a diverse contribution to the school and the work field. By staying your authentic self and putting in consistent effort, you will most definitely attract the ‘right’ people and the ‘right’ opportunities for yourself.
Having role models are important. The process of being yourself does not mean shying away from change. You can continue to harness your positive qualities while striving to improve other skills and pick up other good qualities from others.
2. Open-mindedness
The first year course-list is designed to provide a taste of many different areas of law. Property, Constitutional, Torts and Criminal Law are only some of the courses that I had the chance to take. Whether you enter law school with a specific interest or not, there is value in keeping an open mind to all your courses. Half-way into law school, I was stunned at how many different pathways you could take after law school. You might discover an interest you had not imagined for yourself before or find a niche in an area of your liking. Topics and cases from different courses sometimes overlap. A holistic understanding of how types of law impact one another will be useful to your own practice someday (i.e. working at a full-service firm or starting your own law practice).
Developing a professional skill set is very different from the academic skill set that most of us gain through undergraduate studies. In the three years of law school, take advantage of opportunities such as appellate advocacy competitions, specific-interest moots, writing for a journal, or attending events by an interest group club. Delving into multiple opportunities will allow you to discover what you are better at and truly enjoy! This understanding will help inform the career and lifestyle you have a strong match with.
3. Resiliency
Law school tests your patience on several occasions. Your work, social and personal life sometimes requires you all at once. With the work load always at a high in law school, this balancing act can feel exhausting. During these times, remind yourself that while the expectations from you are now greater, so is your ability to meet them. Whether it’s digesting an unexpected grade on paper or not securing the extra-curricular position you felt you were a strong candidate for, your set backs are part of the process of figuring it out. Rarely will anyone undergo law school without a single setback. Let your response to them demonstrate your ability to push forward and chase your goal.
Naturally, sometimes the competition at law school will make you question your competence. Exam and recruiting periods are designed to follow a pyramidal structure. As a result, this quest for the top can feel pressurizing. During such times, remind yourself that it’s not a race. Being able to weather different parts of law school and still manifest yourself in this journey will be worth it.
