Law Schools

Summer Fun For Law Students

Whether or not you are done with law school classes for the summer or are enjoying the last summer you’ll ever have before law school, it’s important to spend your time wisely.

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Whether or not you are done with law school classes for the summer or are enjoying the last summer you’ll ever have before law school, it’s important to spend your time wisely. It is a short drop from the womb to the tomb, and you shouldn’t spend a portion of that drop worrying about grades or your future life as a 1L. Instead, why not do something fun? Below is a list of things to do or not to do during the summer.

Advice for Incoming 1Ls:

  1. Do not watch The Paper Chase (affiliate link). Every law professor fantasizes about being Kingsfield in the famous scene. Some professors still carry on in this fashion. With a few exceptions, most do not do pure Socratic method well. (Note to professors: If you do pure Socratic method and are reading this and are about to craft a nasty email to me, I already consider you one of the few exceptions). For the most part, watching this movie will only produce needless worry. That is, if you can get over the glasses, hair cuts, and fashion. Under no circumstances should you vomit in the restroom after your law school class. Your classmates will circle around you like sharks.
  2. Do not read One L (affiliate link). As with the Paper Chase, this book is a bit dated. Published in 1977, it describes Scott Turow’s journey into law school. Keep in mind this is the same year that Episode IV of Star Wars first came out. The world has changed a lot since then, as has law school.
  3. Read 1L of a Ride (affiliate link). Andrew J. McClurg’s excellent book not only aids incoming students in handling the logistics of starting law school, but also helps students with the unspoken but ever present elephants in the room. Fear, anxiety, self-loathing, jealousy, hate — all those emotions that not only lead to the Dark Side, but also come hand in hand with being a law student. If you do nothing else this summer, read this book. Preferably while traveling somewhere exotic. (NOTE TO READERS: No, I’m not Andrew J. McClurg).
  4. Do something fun and memorable. Do not make it involve prison time or anything that you would have to disclose on your bar application. Travel to exotic locations or visit exotic people such as friends and family. In other words, do things that you won’t be doing for at least the next three years. This may be the last time friends and family look at you without thinking you are a strange creature from another planet.
  5. Start a journal that you can continue throughout law school. Chances are, once you graduate, you might have a book to sell. At the very least, you will be able to see the development in your thinking and your writing. And how your worries change over time. For example, in the first semester you might find yourself freaking about finals. By the end of the 3rd year, you can move on to freaking about the bar exam.
  6. Read about financial planning. Once you get a job (I know, I’m being optimistic here), you run the risk of consuming up to your income level, forgetting to put aside money for investment and short-term savings. What if you’re laid off or fired? What if you hate your senior partner? You don’t want to be trapped in a job you hate because you can’t afford to leave.

Advice for 2Ls and 3Ls:

Do something either fun or impossible. If you’re working or taking classes this summer, then you probably won’t have much time to do something fun like travel.

What follows are simple ways to have fun:

  • Law professor treasure hunt: Go to the law school, and see if you can spot a law professor who is NOT teaching over the summer and who is NOT a dean or associate dean. For extra fun, put a “for lease” sign on abandoned faculty office doors.
  • Law professor exam bingo: If you are not happy with your grades, then the best way to find out why is to ask to review your exam in every class. Patterns may emerge. If your grades are mixed, then you can compare your answers to see what the differences are. It could change your grades going forward. Manage to find all of your professors and go over your exams. Shout “BINGO” as you leave the last professor’s office.
  • Fake gunner move: E-mail your fall professors in late June and ask for a syllabus and first reading assignment. True, some schools post these things well in advance of fall classes, but it will signal to the professor that you are serious about law school, and perhaps on the verge of a mental breakdown. Ask follow-up questions about the syllabus.
  • Taunt fellow law students: The best way to freak out your colleagues is to refuse to conform to social norms. For example, in the “let’s compare grades” category of discussion, simply shrug and say, “The grades are meaningless. It is the learning that matters.” Or, if they are prodding you about whether you are writing onto a journal, reply, “I’ve been asked to coauthor a piece. I’ve no time to cite check.” If the bar comes up, just say, “Yeah, I’m not going to take a bar review course.” As your “friends” disappear from sight, you’ll have more time to study. If you use the bar review comment, your dean may even magically appear and beg you to reconsider.

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I would give the upper level students more fun things to do, but who am I kidding? They are already having fun.

LawProfBlawg is an anonymous professor at a Top 100 law school, at least according to people who rank law schools. You can see more of his musings here. Email him at lawprofblawg@gmail.com.

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