Add

ition

al R

esou

rces

Ram

sey

Ali,

Dan

iel B

atis

ta*,

Kok

er C

hris

tens

en*

and

Ian

Coo

per.

The

ABC

s of

Law

Sch

ool:

A P

ract

ical

Gui

de to

Suc

cess

With

out S

acrifi

ce.

Tor

onto

: Irw

in

Law

, 200

2.

And

rew

J.

M

cCle

rg.

1L

of

a Ri

de:

A

Wel

l-Tra

vele

d Pr

ofes

sor’

s Ro

adm

ap to

Suc

cess

in th

e Fi

rst Y

ear o

f Law

Sch

ool.

St. P

aul,

MN

: Tho

mso

n/Re

uter

s, 2

009.

Law

Sch

ool S

ucce

ss, B

ora

Lask

in L

aw L

ibra

rylib

rary

.law

.uto

ron

to.c

a/re

sear

ch-g

uid

es/l

aw-s

cho

ol-

succ

ess

Cop

ing

with

Str

ess

at L

aw S

choo

l, U

nive

rsity

of

Toro

nto,

Fac

ulty

of

Law

law

.uto

ron

to.c

a/d

ocu

men

ts/J

D/S

tres

s-In

fo-S

hee

t.p

df

Men

tal H

ealth

- C

opin

g W

ith S

tres

s, H

ealth

Can

ada

hc-

sc.g

c.ca

/hl-

vs/i

yh-v

sv/l

ife-

vie/

stre

ss-e

ng

.ph

p

Can

adia

n La

w S

choo

l and

Leg

al E

duca

tion

Foru

m

law

stu

den

ts.c

a

Law

Sch

ool A

cade

mic

Sup

port

Blo

g la

wp

rofe

sso

rs.t

ypep

ad.c

om

/aca

dem

ic_s

up

po

rt

*Dan

iel B

atis

ta a

nd K

oker

Chr

iste

nsen

are

par

tner

s w

ith t

he T

oron

to O

ffi c

e of

Fas

ken

Mar

tinea

u.

VA

NC

OU

VER

CA

LGA

RY

TOR

ON

TO

OTT

AW

A

M

ON

TRÉA

L

QU

ÉBEC

CIT

Y

LO

ND

ON

JOH

AN

NES

BU

RG

VA

NC

OU

VER

CA

LGA

RY

TOR

ON

TO

OTT

AW

A

M

ON

TRÉA

L

QU

ÉBEC

CIT

Y

LO

ND

ON

JOH

AN

NES

BU

RG

Top

Tips

for

Sur

vivi

ng

and

Thriv

ing

in

Firs

t-Ye

ar L

aw

Fask

en M

artin

eau

take

s gr

eat

prid

e in

the

man

y ed

ucat

ion

outr

each

pr

ogra

ms

we

have

dev

elop

ed o

ver

the

year

s. O

ur In

terv

iew

Wor

ksho

p is

pr

esen

ted

annu

ally

at

man

y of

the

Can

adia

n la

w s

choo

ls a

nd o

ur in

-fi r

m

Sum

mer

Inte

rvie

w W

orks

hop

fi lls

with

in m

inut

es o

f ac

tivat

ing

the

onlin

e re

gist

ratio

n sy

stem

. W

e ar

e al

way

s lo

okin

g fo

r ne

w w

ays

to p

rovi

de

info

rmat

ion

and

insi

ght

to la

w s

tude

nts

expl

orin

g ca

reer

opp

ortu

nitie

s.

We

are

plea

sed

to i

ntro

duce

our

lat

est

tool

: “T

op T

ips

for

Surv

ivin

g an

d Th

rivin

g in

Firs

t-Y

ear

Law

”. T

his

reso

urce

was

dev

elop

ed w

ith t

he

gene

rous

ass

ista

nce

of o

ur A

rtic

ling

and

Sum

mer

Stu

dent

s.

We

are

alw

ays

happ

y to

ans

wer

you

r qu

estio

ns.

Plea

se f

eel

free

to

cont

act

me

or a

ny o

f ou

r st

uden

ts li

sted

on

our

web

site

at:

fa

sken

.co

m/e

n/s

tud

ents

/to

r/o

urs

tud

ents

.

Best

wis

hes

for

cont

inue

d su

cces

s as

you

pur

sue

your

law

car

eer.

Top

Tip

s fo

r S

urv

ivin

g a

nd

Th

riv

ing

in

Fir

st-Y

ea

r L

aw

|

2

|

F

ask

en

Ma

rtin

ea

u

Top

Tip

s fo

r S

urv

ivin

g a

nd

Th

riv

ing

in

Fir

st-Y

ea

r L

aw

|

11

|

Fask

en

Ma

rtin

ea

u

• Fo

cus

on t

he b

ig p

ictu

re.

If yo

u ha

ve

trou

ble

unde

rsta

ndin

g a

lega

l prin

cipl

e, it

is o

ften

hel

pful

to

take

a s

tep

back

. Ask

you

rsel

f w

hat

the

prin

cipl

e is

supp

osed

to

ac

com

plish

an

d co

nsid

er

the

polic

y go

als

behi

nd

it.

This

shou

ld h

elp

lead

you

in t

he

right

dire

ctio

n.

• Ex

erci

se re

gula

rly. T

ake

wal

ks, d

o yo

ga, o

r tak

e a

clas

s at

the

athl

etic

ce

ntre

. Exe

rcise

not

onl

y ke

eps

your

bod

y in

goo

d he

alth

, it r

educ

es

stre

ss a

nd im

prov

es s

leep

too.

• Br

ing

ener

gy-b

oost

ing

food

s an

d a

drin

k in

to

your

ex

am.

Thre

e ho

urs

can

be a

long

tim

e to

go

with

out r

efue

lling

, par

ticul

arly

w

hile

thi

nkin

g un

der

pres

sure

. H

owev

er,

chec

k ah

ead

of t

ime

to

confi

rm

this

is pe

rmitt

ed.

• Ea

t re

gula

r m

eals

inst

ead

of u

nhea

lthy

snac

ks t

hrou

ghou

t th

e da

y.

Law

stu

dent

s sp

end

so m

uch

time

cram

min

g in

form

atio

n in

to t

heir

brai

ns th

at e

atin

g ca

n be

com

e an

aft

erth

ough

t. Ea

ting

regu

lar m

eals

en

cour

ages

a h

ealth

y rh

ythm

to

the

day.

Foo

ds h

igh

in p

rote

in a

nd

com

plex

car

bohy

drat

es w

ill g

ive

you

the

ener

gy y

ou n

eed.

• Ta

ke b

reak

s du

ring

the

exam

per

iod.

Sch

edul

e tim

e fo

r act

iviti

es y

ou

enjo

y th

at w

ill t

empo

raril

y ta

ke y

our

min

d of

f yo

ur s

tudi

es.

If yo

u fo

llow

a s

tudy

sch

edul

e, y

ou m

ay e

ven

fi nd

that

you

can

take

som

e tim

e of

f be

fore

tha

t bi

g ex

am a

nd j

ust

quic

kly

revi

ew y

our

stud

y no

tes

the

next

day

. You

will

be

able

to b

ring

a w

ell-r

este

d an

d w

ell-

prep

ared

min

d, w

ith a

fres

h ou

tlook

, to

your

exa

m.

• En

joy

the

expe

rienc

e of

law

sch

ool.

You

will

fi n

d it

rew

ardi

ng a

nd

enric

hing

. You

will

mak

e lif

e-lo

ng fr

iend

s an

d lo

ok b

ack

on th

is tim

e w

ith g

reat

aff

ectio

n.

Fask

en M

artin

eau

wis

hes

all c

urre

nt la

w s

tude

nts

the

best

of l

uck.

For

info

rmat

ion

on s

peci

fi c o

ffi c

es,

plea

se r

evie

w t

he s

tude

nt s

ectio

n of

our w

ebsi

te a

t the

follo

win

g lin

k: fa

sken

.com

/en/

law

stud

ents

d r t.

Sally

Wo

od

s

Co-

Cha

ir, S

tude

nt C

omm

ittee

(Tor

onto

)

Ju

ne 2

017

• Th

e W

ritin

g C

entr

e pr

ovid

es th

at “

seco

nd p

air o

f eye

s” a

nd w

ill a

lso

offe

r str

ateg

ies

to im

prov

e yo

ur w

ritin

g sk

ills.

• C

lass

mat

es a

re e

xcel

lent

res

ourc

es t

o br

ains

torm

or

deba

te is

sues

w

ith.

In a

dditi

on,

man

y st

uden

ts fi

nd

stud

ent-

run

stud

y gr

oups

to

be a

hel

pful

tool

. The

re is

also

a b

enefi

t in

revi

ewin

g pr

actic

e ex

ams

with

you

r pee

rs to

com

pare

ans

wer

s. E

ven

if yo

u ha

ve b

een

used

to

wor

king

alo

ne d

urin

g yo

ur p

revi

ous

stud

ies,

you

will

like

ly b

enefi

t

from

disc

ussio

ns w

ith c

lass

mat

es a

t law

sch

ool –

thei

r poi

nt-o

f-vi

ew

will

at a

min

imum

be

thou

ght-

prov

okin

g an

d m

ay p

rovi

de y

ou w

ith

a ne

w in

sight

into

the

issu

e. It

is a

lso a

goo

d id

ea t

o fi n

d a

“not

e bu

ddy”

in e

ach

of y

our c

ours

es fo

r whe

n yo

u m

iss a

cla

ss o

r a p

oint

m

ade

durin

g th

e le

ctur

e.

12.

Take

Car

e of

You

rsel

f

Take

goo

d ca

re o

f yo

ur h

ealth

, bo

th m

enta

l and

phy

sical

. If

you

fi nd

you

are

feel

ing

stre

ssed

or

anxi

ous,

do

not

suff

er in

sile

nce.

Spe

ak w

ith f

amily

an

d fr

iend

s. R

each

out

to tr

uste

d ad

viso

rs. S

omet

imes

just

talk

ing

the

issue

s th

roug

h ca

n m

ake

a b

ig d

iffer

ence

.

No

one

deliv

ers

at p

eak

perf

orm

ance

whe

n th

ey a

re o

verw

orke

d or

sle

ep-

depr

ived

. Y

our

best

res

ults

will

com

e fr

om a

pply

ing

a he

alth

y an

d w

ell-

rest

ed m

ind

to y

our s

tudi

es s

o th

at y

ou a

re a

ble

to e

ngag

e w

ith a

nd a

bsor

b th

e m

ater

ial i

n an

effi

cie

nt w

ay.

Bonu

s Ti

ps:

Som

e Pr

actic

al S

trat

egie

s fo

r Suc

cess

•

Flag

con

cept

s in

you

r no

tes

that

you

don

’t un

ders

tand

. Th

is w

ay,

you

can

easil

y re

turn

to

a di

ffi c

ult

topi

c la

ter.

Ulti

mat

ely,

the

goa

l is

to a

ddre

ss t

he p

robl

em in

a p

rom

pt m

anne

r an

d re

turn

to

your

no

tes

once

you

hav

e a

fi rm

er g

rasp

on

the

mat

eria

l.

• Ta

ke th

e tim

e to

wor

k th

roug

h pr

oble

ms.

If a

lega

l prin

cipl

e do

esn’

t m

ake

sens

e, s

pend

tim

e to

iden

tify

and

unde

rsta

nd t

he p

robl

em.

By w

orki

ng th

roug

h a

mud

dled

poi

nt o

f law

, you

will

end

up

with

a

riche

r und

erst

andi

ng o

f the

mat

eria

l. Fu

rthe

rmor

e, y

our a

nsw

er w

ill

stan

d ou

t on

a fi

nal e

xam

bec

ause

you

will

be

able

to

iden

tify

and

deal

with

this

prob

lem

atic

are

a of

the

law

.

Top

Tip

s fo

r S

urv

ivin

g a

nd

Th

riv

ing

in

Fir

st-Y

ea

r L

aw

|

10

|

Fask

en

Ma

rtin

ea

u

Top

Tips

for

Sur

vivi

ng a

nd T

hriv

ing

in F

irst-

Year

Law

Ev

ery

stud

ent

purs

uing

a la

w d

egre

e ha

s th

e po

tent

ial t

o ac

hiev

e ac

adem

ic

succ

ess.

How

ever

, the

re a

re so

me

com

mon

mist

akes

that

may

hav

e an

impa

ct

on h

ow w

ell a

stu

dent

ada

pts

to la

w s

choo

l. W

hile

you

may

be

fam

iliar

with

th

e tip

s se

t out

bel

ow fr

om y

our u

nder

grad

uate

stu

dies

, the

y ar

e lik

ely

to b

e ev

en m

ore

impo

rtan

t to

your

succ

ess i

n la

w sc

hool

. We

hope

this

book

let w

ill

assis

t you

in n

avig

atin

g yo

ur w

ay th

roug

h fi r

st y

ear a

nd b

eyon

d.

1. B

e Pr

epar

ed to

Wor

k H

ard

Law

sch

ool i

s a

prof

essio

nal p

rogr

am a

nd th

e m

ost s

ucce

ssfu

l stu

dent

s tr

eat

it as

a f

ull-t

ime

job.

Som

e st

uden

ts h

ave

a di

ffi cu

lt tim

e ad

just

ing

to t

his

conc

ept.

As

a gr

oup

of b

right

indi

vidu

als,

man

y fi r

st-y

ear

law

stu

dent

s ha

ve

neve

r be

en r

equi

red

to p

ut s

o m

uch

effo

rt in

to a

chie

ving

aca

dem

ic s

ucce

ss.

The

soon

er y

ou e

stab

lish

regu

lar

wor

king

hou

rs f

or y

ours

elf

each

day

and

be

com

e ac

cust

omed

to

the

signi

fi can

t am

ount

of

time

and

effo

rt n

eede

d to

kee

p up

with

you

r st

udie

s, t

he b

ette

r yo

u w

ill b

e ab

le t

o co

pe w

ith y

our

cour

se r

equi

rem

ents

. Th

is w

ill a

lso h

elp

you

tran

sitio

n in

to y

our

role

as

a su

mm

er a

nd/o

r ar

ticlin

g st

uden

t, w

here

you

will

like

ly b

e re

quire

d to

put

in

long

er h

ours

.

2. G

et O

rgan

ized

“Pro

cras

tinat

ion

is th

e th

ief o

f tim

e.”

A c

omm

on m

istak

e by

stu

dent

s co

mes

no

t fro

m a

lack

of e

ffor

t but

from

a la

ck o

f pla

nnin

g. D

eter

min

e ea

rly o

n th

e am

ount

of t

ime

that

is re

quire

d fo

r you

to k

eep

up w

ith c

ours

e re

quire

men

ts

and

esta

blish

dai

ly,

wee

kly

and

sem

este

r-lo

ng s

ched

ules

and

fol

low

the

m.

Kee

ping

up

with

you

r re

adin

g is

key.

As

such

, pl

an d

esig

nate

d tim

es t

o re

view

the

mat

eria

l for

eac

h cl

ass.

Thi

s w

ill a

llow

you

to

follo

w a

long

mor

e ef

fect

ivel

y in

cla

ss a

nd m

ore

impo

rtan

tly, w

hen

you

are

in th

e m

idst

of e

xam

s,

you

will

be

able

to

focu

s yo

ur e

nerg

y on

rev

iew

ing

mat

eria

l ra

ther

tha

n st

rugg

ling

to re

ad a

cas

e fo

r the

fi rs

t tim

e. S

tart

ing

early

to d

evel

op a

stra

tegy

on

how

to m

anag

e yo

ur ti

me

in a

n ef

fect

ive

man

ner w

ill p

ay o

ff in

the

end.

D

evel

opin

g tim

e m

anag

emen

t sk

ills

at t

his

early

sta

ge w

ill a

lso g

reat

ly a

ssist

yo

u in

tran

sitio

ning

into

you

r rol

e as

a s

tude

nt/la

wye

r in

the

futu

re.

Top

Tip

s fo

r S

urv

ivin

g a

nd

Th

riv

ing

in

Fir

st-Y

ea

r L

aw

|

3

|

F

ask

en

Ma

rtin

ea

u

Stic

k to

you

r st

udy

plan

. W

heth

er i

t is

sickn

ess,

per

sona

l iss

ues,

or

an

unex

pect

ed c

omm

itmen

t to

an

extr

a-cu

rric

ular

act

ivity

, thi

ngs

happ

en t

hat

will

impa

ct y

our

wel

l-lai

d-ou

t st

udy

sche

dule

. Kee

p ah

ead

of y

our

read

ings

an

d m

ater

ial r

evie

w s

o th

at a

ny u

nexp

ecte

d di

srup

tion

is no

t as

prob

lem

atic

as

it w

ould

be

if yo

u w

ere

behi

nd in

the

fi rst

pla

ce.

Look

for

way

s in

whi

ch t

echn

olog

y ca

n st

ream

line

your

stu

dy p

roce

ss.

For

exam

ple,

tak

e re

adin

g no

tes

on a

lapt

op in

ord

er t

o ea

sily

revi

ew t

hem

be

fore

cla

ss a

nd t

ake

adva

ntag

e of

the

sea

rch

func

tion

to q

uick

ly c

heck

on

case

s an

d co

ncep

ts d

urin

g a

lect

ure.

3. I

nves

t in

Your

self

Shor

tcut

s in

law

sch

ool c

an b

e te

mpt

ing.

Cas

e br

iefs

, oth

er s

tude

nts’

cla

ss

note

s an

d su

mm

arie

s fr

om p

rior

year

s ar

e re

adily

ava

ilabl

e. M

any

stud

ents

us

e th

em a

nd d

o ve

ry w

ell.

How

ever

, ev

en t

he b

est

note

s an

d su

mm

arie

s ca

n co

ntai

n er

rors

or o

mit

cruc

ial d

etai

ls th

at w

ill le

ave

you

with

onl

y a

part

ial

unde

rsta

ndin

g of

the

mat

eria

l. A

lso, k

eep

in m

ind

that

thi

ngs

can

chan

ge.

New

legi

slatio

n or

cas

e la

w m

ay a

ffec

t th

e in

itial

ana

lysis

. Whe

n yo

u do

n’t

inve

st t

he t

ime

to t

horo

ughl

y en

gage

with

the

mat

eria

l an

d ta

ke y

our

own

note

s, y

ou m

iss o

ut o

n op

port

uniti

es t

o th

ink

criti

cally

and

gra

pple

w

ith c

halle

ngin

g co

ncep

ts.

Ensu

re t

hat

you

bene

fi t f

rom

the

dep

th o

f un

ders

tand

ing

that

can

onl

y be

ach

ieve

d by

act

ivel

y en

gagi

ng w

ith t

he

mat

eria

l. H

ave

confi

den

ce in

you

r ow

n ab

ilitie

s.

4. D

evel

op G

ood

Read

ing

Hab

its

Dev

elop

a s

trat

egy

that

allo

ws

for

max

imum

ret

entio

n w

hen

read

ing

the

cour

se m

ater

ial.

Ever

yone

lea

rns

diff

eren

tly s

o yo

u m

ay h

ave

to e

xper

imen

t to

fi n

d w

hat

wor

ks f

or y

ou.

Mos

t su

cces

sful

law

stu

dent

s m

ake

note

s w

hile

doi

ng

read

ings

. Th

ese

note

s ca

n th

en b

e us

ed f

or s

tudy

dur

ing

exam

tim

e.

A r

egul

ar r

evie

w o

f yo

ur r

eadi

ng n

otes

thr

ough

out

the

sem

este

r he

lps

to e

mbe

d th

e co

ncep

ts i

n yo

ur m

ind

even

bef

ore

you

begi

n to

stu

dy

for e

xam

s.

The

leve

l of d

etai

l put

into

the

note

s is

a pe

rson

al p

refe

renc

e bu

t be

care

ful

not t

o ex

clud

e fa

cts

or le

gal c

once

pts

hast

ily. T

rim la

ter a

s ne

eded

. You

may

no

t und

erst

and

the

impo

rtan

ce o

f a p

oint

unt

il af

ter y

ou fi

nish

you

r rea

ding

or

aft

er y

ou a

tten

d th

e co

mpa

nion

lect

ure.

Top

Tip

s fo

r S

urv

ivin

g a

nd

Th

riv

ing

in

Fir

st-Y

ea

r L

aw

|

4

|

F

ask

en

Ma

rtin

ea

u

11.

Net

wor

king

/Com

mun

icat

ions

Law

sch

ool o

ffer

s co

untle

ss o

ppor

tuni

ties

to d

evel

op y

our

netw

orki

ng s

kills

lo

ng b

efor

e th

e O

CI p

roce

ss in

sec

ond

year

com

men

ces.

Pus

h yo

urse

lf ou

t of

you

r co

mfo

rt z

one

and

take

adv

anta

ge o

f th

ese

oppo

rtun

ities

whe

n pr

esen

ted.

Rea

chin

g ou

t to

facu

lty m

embe

rs, a

tten

ding

spe

aker

ser

ies

even

ts

and

fi rm

tour

s an

d bo

ndin

g w

ith y

our p

eers

will

help

refi n

e yo

ur n

etw

orki

ng

skills

and

ass

ist y

ou in

mak

ing

conn

ectio

ns. T

his

is a

valu

able

ski

ll w

hich

will

se

rve

you

wel

l in

your

car

eer,

both

in y

our

rela

tions

hips

with

col

leag

ues

and

with

act

ual a

nd p

oten

tial c

lient

s as

bus

ines

s de

velo

pmen

t ski

lls b

ecom

e m

ore

impo

rtan

t to

your

suc

cess

.

Be p

roac

tive

in d

evel

opin

g m

ento

ring

rela

tions

hips

, be

it

with

pro

fess

ors,

sc

hool

adm

inist

ratio

n, u

pper

yea

rs o

r eve

n at

law

fi rm

s w

ith p

eopl

e yo

u ha

ve

met

thro

ugh

fi rm

tour

s, s

peak

ing

prog

ram

s, e

tc.

Do

your

bes

t to

ans

wer

or

addr

ess

emai

ls pr

ompt

ly.

You

can

get

a l

ot o

f re

ques

ts f

rom

the

adm

inist

ratio

n, p

rofe

ssor

s, a

nd c

lass

mat

es t

o re

gist

er,

sign

up o

r he

lp o

ut w

ith a

var

iety

of

thin

gs.

You

may

fi n

d an

opp

ortu

nity

ha

s be

en m

issed

if y

ou d

evel

op a

hab

it of

del

ayin

g yo

ur r

espo

nse

to t

hese

co

mm

unic

atio

ns. A

gain

, thi

s is

also

a g

ood

habi

t to

deve

lop

early

in o

rder

to

hone

you

r pra

ctic

e m

anag

emen

t ski

lls.

Att

end

Car

eer

Day

s. T

hey

are

a gr

eat

intr

oduc

tion

to fi

rms/

gove

rnm

ent

agen

cies

. Fo

r m

ore

on C

aree

r D

ays,

see

our

Res

ume/

Inte

rvie

w P

repa

ratio

n G

uide

at:

fask

en.c

om/fi

les/

uplo

ad/R

esum

e_In

terv

iew

_Tip

s.pd

f

Be p

roac

tive

in id

entif

ying

reso

urce

s th

at c

an h

elp

guid

e yo

u th

roug

h th

e la

w

scho

ol e

xper

ienc

e an

d ge

t in

to t

he h

abit

of u

sing

thes

e re

sour

ces

from

the

be

ginn

ing.

Don

’t be

afr

aid

to a

dmit

you

are

conf

used

and

reac

h ou

t to

othe

rs

for a

ssist

ance

.

The

follo

win

g ar

e so

me

key

reso

urce

s on

cam

pus

that

you

may

fi nd

hel

pful

:

• Pr

ofes

sors

are

hap

py w

hen

som

eone

act

ually

show

s up

for t

heir

offi c

e ho

urs

and

are

mor

e th

an w

illing

to a

nsw

er q

uest

ions

.

• Li

brar

ians

are

tre

men

dous

ass

ets

in fi

ndi

ng c

ase

law

, le

gisla

tion,

te

xtbo

oks

and/

or o

nlin

e re

sour

ces.

• A

cade

mic

Ses

sions

off

ered

by

scho

ols

thro

ugho

ut t

he y

ear

assis

t st

uden

ts in

pre

parin

g fo

r ex

ams

and

deve

lopi

ng g

ood

habi

ts s

uch

as

time

man

agem

ent.

Top

Tip

s fo

r S

urv

ivin

g a

nd

Th

riv

ing

in

Fir

st-Y

ea

r L

aw

|

9

|

F

ask

en

Ma

rtin

ea

u

As

you

prog

ress

thr

ough

law

sch

ool

and

even

tual

ly s

umm

er a

nd a

rtic

le,

you

will

fi nd

you

r int

eres

ts w

ill b

ecom

e m

ore

focu

sed

and

your

cho

ices

will

be

mad

e ba

sed

on y

our

expe

rienc

es.

Try

to i

nclu

de a

t le

ast

one

rese

arch

and

writ

ing

cour

se i

n ea

ch o

f yo

ur

seco

nd a

nd t

hird

yea

rs o

f st

udy.

You

will

be

requ

ired

to c

ondu

ct r

esea

rch

and

prod

uce

writ

ten

wor

k pr

oduc

t du

ring

your

art

icle

s so

it is

a g

ood

idea

to

sha

rpen

the

se s

kills

whi

le a

t la

w s

choo

l.

Als

o, b

e su

re t

o lo

ok in

to c

redi

ts y

ou c

an o

btai

n ou

tsid

e of

cla

ss. T

here

are

a

varie

ty o

f op

port

uniti

es in

sec

ond

and

third

yea

r to

obt

ain

cour

se c

redi

ts

thro

ugh

prac

tical

exp

erie

nce

oppo

rtun

ities

suc

h as

int

erns

hips

, m

ootin

g or

by

wor

king

for

you

r la

w s

choo

l’s le

gal c

linic

. Th

ese

are

grea

t w

ays

to

com

plem

ent

your

cla

ssro

om le

arni

ng.

10.

Beyo

nd t

he C

lass

room

Don

’t l

ose

sigh

t of

the

fac

t th

at t

here

is

life

outs

ide

the

clas

sroo

m.

Whi

le g

rade

s ar

e im

port

ant,

you

r le

gal e

duca

tion

will

ena

ble

you

to b

uild

ot

her s

kills

whi

ch e

mpl

oyer

s w

ill b

e se

ekin

g. In

volv

emen

t in

extr

a-cu

rric

ular

ac

tiviti

es w

ill n

ot o

nly

enric

h yo

ur la

w s

choo

l exp

erie

nce

but w

ill a

lso

enab

le

you

to d

evel

op o

ther

crit

ical

ski

lls in

the

are

as o

f le

ader

ship

, int

er-p

erso

nal

rela

tions

hips

, tea

m-w

ork

and

so m

uch

mor

e.

Take

the

tim

e to

get

inv

olve

d in

act

iviti

es y

ou f

eel

pass

iona

te a

bout

. V

olun

teer

ing

prov

ides

not

onl

y an

edu

catio

nal b

enefi

t b

ut t

he c

hanc

e to

ap

ply

wha

t you

hav

e le

arne

d in

a p

ract

ical

set

ting.

Ext

ra-c

urric

ular

act

iviti

es

will

als

o he

lp y

ou le

arn

how

to p

riorit

ize

your

tim

e. T

ry to

focu

s on

a s

elec

t gr

oup

of a

ctiv

ities

tha

t ar

e of

int

eres

t to

you

rat

her

than

ove

rload

ing

your

self.

Part

icip

atio

n ou

tsid

e th

e cl

assr

oom

can

als

o be

a g

reat

str

ess

relie

ver.

Fi

nd s

omet

hing

tha

t gi

ves

your

bra

in a

bit

of a

bre

ak a

nd m

ake

time

ever

y w

eek

to b

low

off

a li

ttle

ste

am.

Mak

e tim

e fo

r fam

ily a

nd fr

iend

s. T

heir

supp

ort c

an b

e cr

itica

l to

givi

ng y

ou

a se

nse

of b

alan

ce a

nd a

n aw

aren

ess

of y

our

prio

ritie

s.

Top

Tip

s fo

r S

urv

ivin

g a

nd

Th

riv

ing

in

Fir

st-Y

ea

r L

aw

|

8

|

F

ask

en

Ma

rtin

ea

u

Prep

are

ques

tions

tha

t w

ill d

eepe

n yo

ur u

nder

stan

ding

and

hel

p yo

u w

ork

thro

ugh

com

plex

issu

es,

ther

eby

enga

ging

you

rsel

f ac

tivel

y w

ith t

he

mat

eria

l. D

evel

op a

met

hod

of fl

aggi

ng c

once

pts

that

you

don

’t un

ders

tand

so

tha

t yo

u ca

n di

scus

s th

em w

ith y

our

prof

esso

rs o

r cl

assm

ates

. Re

fer

to

your

not

es t

hrou

ghou

t th

e se

mes

ter

so t

hat

you

spen

d tim

e be

fore

exa

ms

revi

ewin

g m

ater

ial a

nd c

once

pts,

rat

her

than

rus

hing

to

lear

n th

em f

or t

he

fi rst

tim

e.

5. D

evel

op G

ood

Writ

ing

Hab

its

Effe

ctiv

e w

ritin

g sk

ills

are

esse

ntia

l not

onl

y in

law

sch

ool b

ut t

hrou

ghou

t yo

ur c

aree

r. Th

ese

skill

s ar

e ho

ned

and

deve

lope

d ov

er t

ime,

but

the

re a

re

a nu

mbe

r of

str

ateg

ies

you

can

utili

ze in

law

sch

ool t

o ge

t yo

u st

arte

d on

th

e rig

ht tr

ack.

Befo

re

you

begi

n to

w

rite

anyt

hing

, cr

eate

an

ou

tline

. Pl

anni

ng

the

stru

ctur

e of

you

r w

ritte

n w

ork

cont

ribut

es t

o a

focu

sed

wor

k pr

oduc

t.

This

is im

port

ant

whe

ther

yo

u ar

e w

orki

ng

on

your

re

spon

se

to

an

exam

que

stio

n or

dra

ftin

g a

35-p

age

essa

y. H

avin

g a

road

map

will

ke

ep

you

focu

sed

and

your

w

ritin

g w

ill

be

mor

e su

ccin

ct.

This

is

anot

her

criti

cal s

kill

whi

ch y

ou s

houl

d w

ork

to d

evel

op b

efor

e yo

u be

gin

your

car

eer.

Edit

your

wor

k ca

refu

lly a

nd o

ften

. So

me

peop

le fi

nd

it he

lpfu

l to

prin

t a

hard

cop

y an

d to

writ

e in

cor

rect

ions

bef

ore

alte

ring

the

elec

tron

ic v

ersio

n.

Read

ing

alou

d m

ay a

lso h

elp

aler

t you

to e

rror

s you

may

not

oth

erw

ise n

otic

e.

Giv

e yo

urse

lf a

buff

er b

efor

e th

e de

adlin

e so

that

you

can

take

a b

reak

and

co

me

back

to y

our w

ork

with

fres

h ey

es.

Top

Tip

s fo

r S

urv

ivin

g a

nd

Th

riv

ing

in

Fir

st-Y

ea

r L

aw

|

5

|

F

ask

en

Ma

rtin

ea

u

Try

to b

e eq

ually

thor

ough

in e

ditin

g yo

ur le

gal c

itatio

ns. G

et in

to th

e ha

bit

of p

rope

rly f

orm

attin

g yo

ur c

itatio

ns f

rom

the

sta

rt.

Initi

ally

it

can

be a

te

diou

s pr

oces

s, b

ut it

will

bec

ome

seco

nd n

atur

e in

tim

e an

d yo

u w

on’t

ha

ve to

str

uggl

e to

bre

ak b

ad h

abits

late

r in

your

car

eer.

6. R

einv

entin

g th

e W

heel

Do

not

atte

mpt

to

com

plet

ely

rem

odel

stu

dy h

abits

tha

t ha

ve w

orke

d fo

r yo

u be

fore

in o

rder

to

conf

orm

to

met

hodo

logi

es u

sed

by o

ther

stu

dent

s.

Whi

le y

our p

eers

com

e fr

om a

wid

e va

riety

of b

ackg

roun

ds w

ith n

umer

ous

skill

s w

hich

will

enr

ich

your

law

sch

ool e

xper

ienc

e, th

eir s

tudy

met

hods

may

no

t alw

ays

wor

k fo

r you

.

Wat

chin

g yo

ur p

eers

cre

ate

the

perf

ect s

umm

ary

to ta

ke in

to a

n ex

am m

ay

lead

you

to

belie

ve t

his

is th

e be

st w

ay t

o de

velo

p yo

ur k

now

ledg

e of

the

m

ater

ial.

Whi

le s

ome

stud

ents

lea

rn b

y m

akin

g su

mm

arie

s, t

his

met

hod

may

not

wor

k fo

r eve

ryon

e.

Mor

eove

r, so

me

stud

ents

spe

nd s

o m

uch

time

stru

ctur

ing

and

form

attin

g su

mm

arie

s th

at t

hey

sacr

ifi ce

tim

e th

at w

ould

be

bett

er s

pent

rea

ding

and

en

gagi

ng w

ith t

he m

ater

ial.

List

en t

o ad

vice

but

don

’t fo

rget

wha

t ha

s w

orke

d fo

r yo

u in

the

pas

t; af

ter

all,

that

’s w

hat

got

you

into

law

sch

ool i

n th

e fi r

st p

lace

.

Alw

ays

be w

ary

of a

dvic

e th

at t

akes

you

aw

ay f

rom

rea

ding

and

rev

iew

ing

the

cour

se m

ater

ial.

Ther

e is

no s

ubst

itute

for

act

ually

kno

win

g an

d un

ders

tand

ing

the

law

.

7. P

repa

re E

arly

for E

xam

s

Star

t pr

epar

ing

for

your

exa

ms

early

in t

he s

emes

ter.

Incl

ude

exam

stu

dy

time

in y

our s

ched

ule

and

allo

w a

dequ

ate

time

for e

ach

subj

ect.

The

quan

tity

and

scop

e of

the

mat

eria

l mea

ns e

xam

pre

para

tion

is a

time-

inte

nsiv

e pr

oces

s. B

y st

artin

g ea

rly a

nd s

prea

ding

rev

iew

tim

e ou

t ov

er t

he

sem

este

r, yo

u gi

ve y

ours

elf

time

to t

horo

ughl

y fa

mili

ariz

e yo

urse

lf w

ith

the

mat

eria

l. It

also

mea

ns y

ou h

ave

time

to id

entif

y th

e co

ncep

ts t

hat

you

don’

t und

erst

and

and

proa

ctiv

ely

addr

ess t

he p

robl

em ra

ther

than

fran

tical

ly

emai

ling

your

pro

fess

or th

e ni

ght b

efor

e th

e fi n

al.

Top

Tip

s fo

r S

urv

ivin

g a

nd

Th

riv

ing

in

Fir

st-Y

ea

r L

aw

|

6

|

F

ask

en

Ma

rtin

ea

u

Giv

e yo

urse

lf tim

e to

writ

e as

man

y pr

actic

e ex

ams

as

poss

ible

for e

ach

cour

se, p

artic

ular

ly if

they

are

fairl

y re

cent

ex

ams

and

the

sam

e pr

ofes

sor

is te

achi

ng t

he c

ours

e.

Exam

s ol

der

than

5 y

ears

may

not

be

as r

elev

ant.

This

is a

grea

t w

ay t

o fa

milia

rize

your

self

with

the

mat

eria

l and

to

lay

out a

pla

n fo

r how

you

will

appr

oach

que

stio

ns. T

his w

ill

also

hel

p yo

u to

bec

ome

com

fort

able

with

the

pro

fess

or’s

ap

proa

ch a

nd e

xam

str

uctu

re.

8. D

on’t

Be D

iscou

rage

d

You

r m

arks

fro

m fi

rst

ter

m m

ay n

ot l

ive

up t

o yo

ur o

wn

expe

ctat

ions

. It

take

s tim

e to

adj

ust

to l

aw s

choo

l an

d de

velo

p ha

bits

tha

t w

ill e

nabl

e yo

u to

per

form

wel

l on

your

exa

ms.

Man

y st

uden

ts h

it th

eir

strid

e la

ter

on

and

end

up g

radu

atin

g at

the

top

of

the

clas

s. F

urth

erm

ore,

it is

impo

rtan

t to

rem

embe

r th

at t

here

is a

diff

eren

ce b

etw

een

know

ing

how

to

writ

e an

ex

am w

ell a

nd b

eing

pre

pare

d fo

r a le

gal c

aree

r.

Whi

le g

rade

s ca

n ce

rtai

nly

help

to

open

doo

rs f

or y

ou in

ter

ms

of a

car

eer

path

, yo

u sh

ould

also

foc

us o

n le

arni

ng a

s m

uch

as p

ossib

le a

nd b

uild

ing

a so

lid f

ound

atio

n of

kno

wle

dge

with

whi

ch y

ou c

an b

egin

you

r le

gal

prof

essio

n. T

his

will

take

tim

e bu

t it w

ill u

ltim

atel

y m

ean

muc

h m

ore

to y

ou,

and

your

em

ploy

er, t

han

an a

nom

alou

s gr

ade

in fi

rst-

year

tort

s.

9. K

eep

an O

pen

Min

d

One

of

the

grea

t th

ings

abo

ut l

aw s

choo

l is

that

man

y co

urse

s ha

ve a

n un

expe

cted

dep

th a

nd c

ompl

exity

whi

ch y

ou m

ay n

ot h

ave

antic

ipat

ed

prio

r to

enr

ollm

ent.

Kee

p an

ope

n m

ind

and

allo

w y

ours

elf

to e

xper

imen

t w

ith d

iffer

ent

area

s of

law

rat

her

than

foc

usin

g on

one

disc

iplin

e fr

om a

n ea

rly s

tage

.

In y

our e

arlie

r yea

rs, i

t is i

mpo

rtan

t tha

t you

take

cou

rses

in c

ore

area

s tha

t you

w

ill us

e in

eve

ryda

y pr

actic

e af

ter y

ou g

radu

ate.

In y

our u

pper

yea

rs, h

owev

er,

be s

ure

to in

clud

e to

pics

in y

our c

ours

e sc

hedu

le th

at in

tere

st a

nd e

xcite

you

.

Stud

ents

pe

rfor

m

at

thei

r be

st

whe

n st

udyi

ng

topi

cs

that

th

ey

feel

pa

ssio

nate

ly a

bout

and

enj

oy r

efl e

ctin

g up

on o

utsid

e of

the

cla

ssro

om.

This

mak

es s

ense

for

you

r fu

ture

law

car

eer

as w

ell.

Ther

e is

little

poi

nt

to in

vest

ing

such

a s

igni

fi can

t am

ount

of

time

and

ener

gy in

to b

uild

ing

a ca

reer

that

doe

sn’t

inte

rest

you

.

Top

Tip

s fo

r S

urv

ivin

g a

nd

Th

riv

ing

in

Fir

st-Y

ea

r L

aw

|

7

|

F

ask

en

Ma

rtin

ea

u