5 Skills to Hone in Law School That Will Help You Succeed at a Law Firm
As many 2L students await the OCI process or prepare to find summer jobs, it is important to keep in mind the types of skills you will actually need to use and hone when working as a summer student. Although a student’s role varies from firm to firm, there are a few basic skills, both hard and soft skills, that summer students will very likely need to master. From my experience this past summer, I found that there were 5 core skills that I was constantly working on and refining. None of these skills are brand new concepts, but these are definitely things I wish I worked on more before I began my summer job.
1. Research
As a summer student at a law firm, you will very likely be doing research for associates and partners. Sometimes lawyers will give you very clear directions for your research, and sometimes they will be quite vague. It is your responsibility to navigate the legal research resources and produce the best answer for them. In order to do this successfully and confidently, it is very important that you understand how to use the legal research tools and databases such as Westlaw. You should also become comfortable with using advanced search and picking appropriate key words to find the most accurate cases and information. This of course comes with time and practice; however, if you have the chance to take courses in law school that allow you to practice these researching skills, it will most definitely pay off in your summer job. Get familiar and ask your professors or peers questions about researching, because lawyers love to utilize students for research tasks.
2. Summarizing case law
In addition to researching, the lawyer assigning you research will almost certainly want you to give a summary of the relevant case law or articles that you found. Creating concise, accurate, and helpful summaries is a skill in itself that also takes some time to hone and refine. The more exposure you have to reading case law and the more practice you have writing in law school, the better equipped you will be to provide lawyers with useful material to work with. Lawyers don’t always have time to read long cases, and so they will rely on students to provide them with a summary that gets straight to the point. I would highly recommend taking a writing course in law school to become familiar with point first writing, plain language, and identifying the most significant issues within a passage. Although it is not always the most fun activity, it is an essential task that you will surely be asked to complete as a summer law student at a firm.
3. Communication
In the context of a law firm, and particularly with remote working, it is even more important to communicate clearly with others. There are 3 parts of communication that are very relevant to working at a law firm that can all be practiced in law school.
a) Getting to know people
Communication in its most basic form means getting to know the lawyers and clerks at the firm. Building a solid foundational relationship with those around you will make you feel comfortable working with them and it makes the long hours together way more enjoyable. It can be daunting to start a new job and have to meet many new people, but introducing yourself and getting to know lawyers on a personal level will go a long way. Talking about your interests outside of work helps form a personal bond and a community feeling with colleagues that will make you much more comfortable communicating with them about work (see below).
b) Communicating your concerns
When starting at a new job, there is so much new information and language being thrown at you that it definitely takes some time to adjust. Lawyers completely understand that not everything will come naturally to a new student. However, it is essential to communicate your questions and confirm your understanding of an assignment. There is nothing worse than having a lawyer assign a task and pretending to understand what they told you, and then spiralling when you realize you really didn’t comprehend it at all. The lawyers were once in your shoes too, so they will really appreciate your honest communication with them if you ever feel lost or confused. By taking an extra few minutes to ask for clarification or relay your questions or concerns about a certain assignment, you could save hours of confusion and anxiety. It never hurts to double or triple check on a lawyer’s expectations of you, but a lawyer will have no idea if you have concerns unless you communicate with them.
c) Networking
Another form of communication that appears often in a law firm is networking, especially if it is a larger firm. Networking is an ongoing process that law students and lawyers have to keep up with throughout their careers. It is very normal to feel uncomfortable or nervous when talking to lawyers, but with time and experience, it will begin to feel like second nature. Law school is a great way to start networking with your peers and in turn sharpen your communication skills. Don’t be afraid to talk to your professors and ask them about their careers as well. When you begin as a summer student, take advantage of the access you have and reach out to all of these new lawyers around you. If you find a certain lawyer’s practice super interesting, ask them about it!
4. Stress management
Another unfortunate reality is that both law school and working as a summer student can be stressful. However, stressful situations are only as stressful as you let them be. Stress can be controlled, and it is critical that you find ways to cope and relieve your stress or anxiety. Establishing good routines and coping mechanisms, or even seeking professional help, can make all the difference and allow you to actually enjoy the work given to you. The way you manage stress in law school can definitely be transferable to the workplace, and I encourage everyone to make mental health a priority as soon as possible. Knowing what you need to do to help keep calm and clear your mind will be one of your greatest tools in succeeding as a summer student. For example, know when you need to take a 10 minute walk around the block to clear your head and implement it into your work days. Figuring out the small things that help you manage your stress will take you far in your career and in life.
5. Time management and prioritization
Time management is an obvious but significant skill to hone when working in a law firm. Although law students have to constantly manage their time to get readings and assignments done during school, time management becomes slightly more difficult in a law firm. Deadlines in a law firm come with more weight because lawyers and clients are relying on you. Clients pay a lot of money to receive your services in a timely manner and the quality of the work cannot be compromised. On the other hand, in law school there are not drastic consequences for skimming though readings. Therefore, just like with stress management, time management is a skill that can and should be strengthened over time — you have to find what tools or methods work best for you.
Personally, making a priority list has been a helpful tool in making sure I get all my tasks done on time and done well. When making a priority list, you should think about each assignment’s importance, how much time it will take to complete, and its due date. Through this process, you can easily decide what tasks need to be completed first and with greatest effort, and which ones may be left for a later time.
Unlike in law school, students at a firm probably won’t be able to get an extension or miss a deadline without risking repercussions, so take the time in school to really master time management and find routines that keep you productive throughout the day.
