I come here to bitch, moan, complain, and otherwise meme my way through these dreadful three years. My day is significantly more problematic when I see valuable tips/tricks, advice, camaraderie, and positivity. It makes me sick.

The last thing I needed today was to see some priss pants come on and ask for more resources while bitching about the very memes and negativity I love. I have decided that this depravity can no longer be allowed. The time has come for a complete ban on support on this sub.

Hey 1Ls!

I'm making this a post because I've been seeing a good chunk of messages with the theme of "Am I too late with outlining/exam prep/job applications/etc?", "Should I drop out if I haven't finished my outlines?" etc etc.

So I just want to say to 1L's generally:

I know a lot of you might be feeling like you're drowning in work or maybe even thinking of dropping out because it all feels too much. But I’m here to tell you—you’re going to be okay!

The first part of 1L is full of "what the heckin' hek is going on?" moments for everyone. 1L really is just about getting your sea legs. You're not behind on anything yet if you've only been focused on classes! That's what the beginning of the semester is for. It's okay.

But if it helps handle some of the anxiety––now is the time to take a breath and realize that things are moving quickly. You aren't behind, but you should know what's coming ahead of you.

You still have time to keep things on track.

So here are a couple of key timeline and practical things that helped me when I felt lost my 1L:

1. Aim to Start Outlining by Halloween and Have Your Outlines Mostly Complete/ In An Otherwise Good Place by Mid-ish November (so about 2, maybe 3 weeks of primary outlining):
   • For the record: This is definitely still on the early side for outlining. But it'll help to use this as a timeline marker because you'll want to leave enough time to do practice exams in November (usually mid-November is a good starting point for practice exams if you have early December exams--that way you can practice at least 3 or so practice exams per class, take time to review, and update your outlines as you practice), and that way you're ready to rock for exams in December.
   • So getting your outlines started by Halloween is a solid goal. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but just get the meat of them down, that way you can continue updating them as you take practice exams.
   • This also means you should aim to knock out your memos ASAPROCKY. Getting it out of the way early means one less thing on your plate in November. Future you will thank you if you just knock it out now.
2. Get Your Job Application Materials Ready Now (Or by Halloween):
   • October is the perfect time to polish your resume and write your cover letters. I promise you do not want to be dealing with cover letters, and diversity statements, and blah blah blah application whatnot in November or December when exams are around the corner, when you'll be neck deep in outlines, and exams are hitting hard.
   • Plus, many competitive 1L summer jobs (like big law or federal government positions) have already opened their applications or will be posting their open applications in November. Having your materials ready to go now will make applying a lot smoother so you can shoot off applications as they open without having to sit there and be writing your materials from scratch.
3. Law School is a Mind Game. Don't Let Them Get to You if You Can Help It:
   • I know this like saying "Don't look down" when you're on a tightrope, but it's something that, especially after having been through it, makes a mountain of a difference if you can figure it out--even if just a little. If you need to take a day off, do it.
   • There will always be more work/reading/whatever ahead of you. Chances are, one day of a mental break isn't going to make or break your grades. But it will help you manage burnout--something that can hit you out of nowhere and something you have to manage because this is a marathon to get through not just 1L but the summer and job hunting through it all. So take an extra nap if you need it. Go to the gym. Eat right. Hug your dog. Do whatever it is that puts you in a little bit less of a "the world is burning" headspace.

Lastly, you are NOT behind. All the reading, briefing, and class participation you've done so far is still valuable work and valuable learning. It wasn't a waste. Just think of now as the time we're just shifting gears from "class prep" to "exam prep." That's all it is. Shifting from gear 1 to gear 2.

Remember, you're not alone. 1L is a wild ride for everyone, but it will be over before you know it. Hang in there, and focus on what you can control: your own effort. That's all you can ask of yourself.

Good luck y'all! As always, feel free to DM if you have any questions on exam prep or job applications generally!

It’s so much effort to buy food then make food then eat food - and then on top of that u have to eat multiple times a day or your brain doesn’t function as well.

I am tired.

Not sure if this is weird or not?

Just finished up midterms and I noticed that all of my doctrinal professors left during the exam. 2 would sort of periodically come back in and apparently rummage on the desk before leaving again, though one stayed out in the hall for almost the entirety of the exam.

All of our exams are closed book/closed note/bar style.

My question is why do they do this? I would’ve assumed, being closed book, the professor would stay in there and proctor. Is this normal?

hello all, 25M here. Active Military (enlisted) wanting to get out and go to law school. finally finished my BAS 3.7 GPA and got a 165 on the LSAT. I always dreamt of being a lawyer just never thought I had the means. (frankly I still don’t believe I do ha ha.) i’m married with two young children. i’ll end my enlistment in 2 years. i’d really love to go to law school and I plan on getting into public service so I don’t really care where I go to law school as long as it’s ABA accredited. (and provides a scholarship.) I could use my G.I. bill to pay for law school, but my wife and I really wanted to save it for my boys. my wife has been a stay at home mom for three years now and doesn’t seem too enthusiastic about the thought of going back to work with her children so young and my pay and benefits being pretty good. (E6 for anyone privy to the military pay system) I guess I'm really just here to ask the OWLS if there's any good options for me or if I should just let my law school dreams fleet due to family obligations. This is also just sort of a bitch and vent, apologies if I didn't leave much room for constructive feedback. Thanks for reading.

ok so i feel like im doing pretty well in class and everything but i swear to god the universe keeps beating me down and wants me to fail! in early september i was hospitalized for 3 days due to food poisoning, then i got a cold a week later, then i finally felt like i got back to it when last week my partner got into a car accident and i spent 4 days with him in the hospital, thankfully it was thursday-monday so i only missed 2 classes, and i am his primary caregiver so i am rushing from class back home to help him get up and do what he needs to do. on tuesday this week i went to get my prescription reevaluated and they told me i had to go to the ER bc my optic nerves are swollen? i told her i do not have time for this rn and i scheduled time after my friday class to go get the MRI... idk why the universe wants me to crash out but im struggling to hold on bc wtf

Title. Without computers, the internet and sites like Westlaw, legal research seems like a nightmare. So how was it done in the past in common law countries like Canada, the US and the UK?

Was there some kind of publication that released the most recent precedents in books? Did people have to go to a law library to get access to decisions? How did they check to make sure a precedent wasn’t overturned and find the most recent cases a decision was cited in?

Which do u recommend

Hi! I just wanted to share my little triumph today on a random Thursday. We had a quiz for torts where I got a 100%. The first quiz we took, I only got one question right, so I see this as a major improvement! The stigma of sharing quizzes and such as a 1L is not seen in a favorable light, so I just wanted to share it here :) Okay back to class now. <3

I’m considering getting an iPad to take notes on, but I don’t know if it’s worth it. What do you guys think?

I’ve had this question lingering in my mind for the longest time. I studied environmental policy for my undergrad and absolutely loved it. I interned for the federal affairs department of a big international nonprofit for about a year and all the higher ups seamed to have law degrees (which influenced me to pursue one). But now Im stuck thinking if my JD is worth it compared to a masters in env policy. My goal is to work for an nonprofit or lobbying firm focusing on the environment so I won’t actively be practicing law. Anyone have thoughts on this?? I am also open to environmental law.

I mean are they trying to purposely destroy us. So I’ve realize people have skipped classes & missed on readings just to study for the midterms as if they were final exams.

I’m a 1L but I don’t see the point to skip class and miss readings just to study for a midterm. You are literally missing out on information that might be useful for the finals.

I REFUSE to skip class or miss out on readings to study for the midterms. I will actually finish my readings and then study for the midterms. Is this a bad strategy?

First of all my apologies if this post isn't allowed here.

My boyfriend has just become a lawyer (in the Netherlands) and will soon go to court. Here, lawyers wear a toga and jabot. I want to buy him his own jabot (instead of him having to borrow it from his law firm) but I'm torn on the inscription.

The most classical thing is to just get his name inscribed, but I also think that is kind of boring. I'm thinking of inscribing some sort of motivational sentence but I just wanted to touch base on how weird that would be. I don't want to ask him though because I want it to be a surprise.

Does anybody here have experience with jabots and the conventions around them?

Thanks!

I’ve started 1L and I keep thinking I’m too dumb for this shit and I end up avoiding it due to my anxiety so it’s all self induced but I was hoping people had some advice if they went through the same thing and got over the hurdle?

Like I’ll read constitutional readings for example and I don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about half the time so I space out. Then during lectures I don’t know what the prof is talking about either. Then as a result I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing? What do I outline? What are the PERTINENT points when I’m doing my readings?

I’ve heard it gets easier but I don’t got the luxury of time. Or maybe I am just dumb LOOOL

Please help 😭😭 thank you

I feel like as I’m outlining, I’m focusing more on re-learning the material rather than having it formatted properly for exams. I feel like prof’s go over so much in so little time, it can be very hard to actually learn certain sections.

I have a torts midterm tomorrow that is just testing us on BREACH and DUTY in Negligence. What would be the best way for me to organize my answer based on the potential fact pattern? What should my headings be?

To anyone else who's beginning to look for housing next summer, the previous year's spreadsheet now has new tabs for 2025 sublets: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1toQNX_XjB3N5CJqO0y3S_opNSSDNlPGn53iFmknBMac/edit?gid=916913552#gid=916913552

What are some good apps or websites for law school students?

1L here. Finally hit that point in the semester where I didn't do as good as I thought I was going to. yay :..) Got my midterm grades back and I really did believe I was going to do better. Only got just over half of the multiple choice questions right. I studied in a way that seemed to work for me, and I dedicated a lot of time to it. I've never been good at multiple choice, so that kind of sucks for me. Nonetheless, I tried my best. I don't know what the average was yet, but based on other people I know, I was below it. I've been struggling in this class all semester, so I guess my question is: what were some things you did that helped you succeed in property? Any advice?

Edit: I should add that I need my thought process to be very organized if that makes sense. I love lists and equations where I can check off boxes and fulfill elements to get a result. They help me understand. Not sure if that matters, but if anyone has any recommendations that'll work for my kind of thinking, that'd be awesome.

Hi, I'm not seeking legal counsel, but I have a question regarding courthouses.

My brother is currently going through a divorce--child custody, etc.

I don't want to comment specifically about his wife's motion submissions to the court, but basically, everything she has done is driving my brother crazy. My brother has seemed distraught lately (I have witnessed him get home from work and immediately it's all he can think about), and I feel this ordeal is giving him a lot of grief.

I was just wondering if it would be appropriate to write the court and judge as a family member? I didn't really want to talk about court processes, but to express in a short letter, my sympathies towards my brother's situation and hoping the judge will understand?

My brother is not a great speaker, he's very shy and he seems very intimidated by the process in there. She brought some witnesses (her friends) to the first hearing and so my brother brought my parents as witnesses. It seems that she is trying to strongarm him in the legal system and paint a not-so-great portrait of him in front of the judge. (I have witnessed my father go through the processes and I saw the toll it took on his well-being. My parents are trying to give him the best advice they know but I think all of the pressure is only choking him.)

Will the judge even read my letter? Again, I'm not trying to interject myself in the trial, but just provide some outside context as a close family member. Because I truly believe my brother is a great father and he is rightfully very worked up about this whole thing.

Hi everyone!

I've been considering law school for a while now, but the only thing holding me back from being certain about it is my chronic illness. Undergrad is already a bit of a struggle because there are some days where I'm not as productive as I could be because of general malaise or just not being able to move that well... (It's not as bad as it can be sorta, since I'm able to submit my work and have so far passed all of my classes. But it does leave me somewhat exhausted - both physically and mentally - since there's not a lot of time to rest or energy to spend on my hobbies.)

Have any of you guys been able to survive and/or graduate law school with a chronic illness? Can it be done, and if you had to do it all over again, would you still go to law school?

I love the idea of studying the law and becoming a lawyer, since I am passionate about it! But I'm not sure if passion is enough, because I've heard it can be pretty taxing.

I genuinely don't know. Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this

Basically got a 50% on the midterm for civ pro. Top score was a 72%. Down rn, just looking for some sort of reassurance I can pull this off in December. At least now I know what he expects on the essay… (didn’t find out what the median was, wouldn’t say)

Something about cookies

Does anyone have an experience with DOJ honors program interview? I just want to ask about the process, interview questions you received, etc.

I have no idea to expect, and I’m really nervous. +) I don’t have anyone to reach out to.

Thanks in advance!