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dont turn into an asshole
I don't have law school specific information, but I learned when working on my Master's (I graduate next month) not to procrastinate on papers. The binge-writing in one night and still get an A thing doesn't work anymore.
References, in particular, are much more complicated. My professors wanted documentation for EVERYTHING, even stuff that I considered common knowledge.
make friends with EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRY YYYYYYYYYYOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEE
there is no other field where who you know is even remotely close to as important as law
Did you mean something specific by this? Or is it the "don't take your law school stress out on people around you" type thing they give you in orientation? If not, I'm confused.
Ah, yeah. My Fiancée is doing her masters at the moment and even though she's got a 4.0 so far she has to really stay on top of everything to even get close to an A in her graduate courses. So I know what you mean just by watching her.
I'll keep that in mind. I have really good relationships with my professors overall, but I tend to keep to myself and a few close friends with similar personalities when I'm in school (classmate wise). I'll have to break out of that for the sake of networking. Thanks.
Yeah, with the way the bar exams are managed, it basically leads to most law school grads initially doing it in the state they go to school in, and then starting practicing in that state or another that accepts that state's. Most will only vary from that if they had a specific place in mind to go ahead of time. So the circles stay pretty connected generally.
And then, of course, anybody you meet might be someone you're eventually fighting a case against, negotiating a deal with in a case or a political sphere, arguing your case in front of as a judge, or even as simple as being a researcher for someone you want to work for and having them ask if they knew you when you were in school together.
One other thing is consider some kind of therapy, be it 1 on 1 or a group therapy thing or whatever. The things simple stress can do chemically to your mind are fucking nuts. By the time my sister was in law school she had gotten through alcoholism and didn't have any problems with drinking anymore, but she still says she never could have gotten through the schooling itself without her AA group sessions.
Both, and also a dash of lawyer joke. Specifically, it's really easy to get caught up in the professional world's intrigue and whatnot, and it's not healthy for you, your employer, or the people around you. It's just plain inefficient, too. Plus not being an asshole is just generally a good thing to keep in mind, right?
also, seconding plow's networking. i don't know shit about law, but my dad networks like crazy for his job. it's hugely rewarding- a lot of his/his university's success is due to his hard work and people skills. through him, i (and his students/contacts) can contact upper management people at the FBI, NSA, 3M, etc. All sorts of people in extremely useful positions. prolly wouldn't be able to leverage that for much, but you never know when that kind of contact will be useful. So don't forget to network with your teachers; they can have really good connections.
You've grown since your FFXI days eh?
The key to doing well is preparation and organization. You can never prepare enough, so always start early. Generally, if you can organize it, you will understand it. So, organize it, look for the relationships and find how it all fits together.
Communicate well and effectively, whether it be writing or oral advocacy. Clutter is the disease of American writing. Effectively say what you need to say using as few words as possible. Keep the words simple. This is harder to do than it seems, especially when you're trying to communicate complex ideas. The better you can do this, the better you probably understand the idea.
http://cgiss.boisestate.edu/~billc/Writing/zinsser.html
Good luck.