Read on Twitter
I was so lucky to have two former bosses (now friends and mentors) come speak to my #1L Legal Practice class today.
I don't think I realized how much our students miss informal networking opportunities to hear from practitioners in the Zoom world.
A few takeaways
I don't think I realized how much our students miss informal networking opportunities to hear from practitioners in the Zoom world.
A few takeaways
1. "Fake it until you make it. Seriously."
So much of being a lawyer is responding to new (or new to you) questions and tasks. Use your skills to handle them in the best way you can in that moment and get experience for how to handle next time.
So much of being a lawyer is responding to new (or new to you) questions and tasks. Use your skills to handle them in the best way you can in that moment and get experience for how to handle next time.
2. "Write to your specific audience."
Much of law school is about writing to the mythical "legal reader." Legal practice is about writing to a specific audience for a specific purpose. The same document could get you hired or fired depending on the audience!
Much of law school is about writing to the mythical "legal reader." Legal practice is about writing to a specific audience for a specific purpose. The same document could get you hired or fired depending on the audience!
3. "Fail iteratively."
Lawyers hate failure and make decisions to avoid it. But the best lawyers try things, take risks, and think outside of the box. With that comes failure. Good failure. The more you are willing to fail quickly the more likely you are to find overall success.
Lawyers hate failure and make decisions to avoid it. But the best lawyers try things, take risks, and think outside of the box. With that comes failure. Good failure. The more you are willing to fail quickly the more likely you are to find overall success.
4. "The Client Does Not Need to See How the Sausage Gets Made."
Too often lawyers try to tell their clients how they got to their answer instead of the answer. The key is to give answers and reflect uncertainty in those answers (see @Joe_Fore). + Not all uncertainty is equal.
Too often lawyers try to tell their clients how they got to their answer instead of the answer. The key is to give answers and reflect uncertainty in those answers (see @Joe_Fore). + Not all uncertainty is equal.
5. "Learn by doing."
It is amazing how much of our legal education is about training to think. That doesn't mean you need to remember every rule or every case. Focus on balancing book learning with practice-based learning. You'll be more prepared (and valuable) once you start.
It is amazing how much of our legal education is about training to think. That doesn't mean you need to remember every rule or every case. Focus on balancing book learning with practice-based learning. You'll be more prepared (and valuable) once you start.
6. "The Law is Always Changing and Your Eventual Specialty Might Not Even Exist Today."
There is a drive to specialize early in law school or practice. But the law of today is not the law of tomorrow. Be prepared to see new areas of practice and to become an expert.
There is a drive to specialize early in law school or practice. But the law of today is not the law of tomorrow. Be prepared to see new areas of practice and to become an expert.
