Law Lateral reposted this
If I could go back to my first year at UNC Law, I'd take those first-semester finals more seriously. Here's why... Those ~16 hours in December can shape ~90% of your legal path. First-year law students, your first-semester finals are often the most important period, minute for minute, in your career. No pressure, but it’s worth saying—I wish someone had told me. These finals are almost always more important than: 1. The LSAT 2. The Bar Exam 3. Writing onto law review 4. Any undergraduate final Why? How? 1. The LSAT and Bar Exam aren’t final. I retook the LSAT. Your first-semester 1L finals are one-and-done. 2. Grades are the key to Summer Associate positions. You’ll apply for 2L summer roles before second-semester grades come in, so first-semester results are crucial. 3. Where you spend your 2L summer will determine where you start your career ~90%+ of the time. Starting strong gives you the option to choose less selective paths later, but it's much harder to reach the top from outside the most selective firms, clerkships, or internships (though not impossible—see my other posts). The benefits of getting top grades first-semester compound over time because: - You’ll be less stressed going forward - You’ll have first pick at jobs during and after law school - You’ll master the law school test-taking process, applicable to classes going forward - You’ll be more likely to secure a Cravath-scale, lockstep compensation role, setting yourself up financially for years, as long as you keep the job Plus, you get the benefits of Big Law (see my other posts) if that’s your goal. Here’s what I’d do as a first-semester 1L approaching finals: - Prioritize studying for the final over reading for class - Immerse yourself in the material as much as possible, even if it means listening to lectures or Barbri videos while cooking, showering, or cleaning - Let the information consume you to the point where you’re dreaming about it LinkedIn advice might downplay the intensity of 1L finals, saying: - Focus on soft skills over grades - Don’t work too hard; it could stress you out - Big Law isn’t for everyone, so why stress over finals? - There are plenty of legal jobs even you don’t land in Big Law While grades seem arbitrary, they are what matter. You can't change the system alone, so you might as well play the game. Even if you don’t want Big Law, top grades open doors to public interest roles and give you control over your career choices. You want to be the one choosing not to go into Big Law, not Big Law deciding against you. If you aren’t stressed about first-semester finals, you might not be trying hard enough. Take it from someone who struggled in his first semester and had to work hard to catch up. Do you have any advice for first-semester law students? 📸 My undefeated mock trial team (1-0)