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William Mitchell / Re: First Post
« on: June 23, 2006, 06:35:20 PM »
I'll give a few thoughts ....
(1) Don't waste time briefing the cases thoroughly ... there's just too much reading to do and not enough time to do it all. Instead, either buy the commercial briefs from the bookstore or use your LexisNexis and/or Westlaw account (which you'll get for free) to get a summary of each case ... just ask the librarians how LexisNexis / Westlaw works. Briefing the cases doesn't add much to your understanding, doesn't count for your grade, and simply wastes time. I recommend reading each case only once ... and then just make a quick note of the "rule of law" from each case.
(2) Do get study guides ... they are invaluable and help to explain the material in layman terms whereas the course texts are an exercise in futility for understanding what's really going on. I've found the Gilbert's and Emmanuel's guides to be very valuable and easy to understand. Gilbert's for Property (by Dukeminier) was very helpful to me.
(3) Check out the exam archive on the library website ... you can see what your exams are likely to look like for each class / professor. Practice these exams starting 1 month prior to finals ... also ask your profs to "grade" your answers to these old exams. Do practice, practice, practice exam writing. It is a learned skill.
(4) Do get involved in MJF (MInnesota Justice Foundation) and get invaluable volunteer experience. This will look impressive on your resume.
(5) Do try to write on to Law Review after your first year. It is good to have on your resume.
(6) Do network with as many other students as possible. You never know who you're going to be working for in the future ... maybe one of your classmates.
(7) Do get a parking pass for the Grotto parking lot ... parking on the street is a pain in the arse.
(
Do spend lots of time memorizing and understanding the rules of law ... but DON'T spend lots of time obsessing about a particular case or cases.
(9) Do look up legal terms you don't understand while you are reading cases.
(10) Do prepare a resume and talk to the folks in career development early.
(11) Do take Professional Responsibility in summer after first year and then take the MPRE exam that August ... there are fewer people taking it in August and you'll have a better chance of passing easily. I passed the MPRE on the first try with no problems and my grade in the Prof. Resp. class was not even that great.
(12) Do prepare for OCI (on campus interviews) in fall semester of second year. These interviews are for next summer internships at the large firms ... and high pay during the summer internship ... and probable job offer after that making lots of money ... but all of this is dependent (unfortunately) on you being in the top 30% of the class. This is why it is important to get good grades (A's and B's) your first year. I signed up to interview with 20 large firms and only got 2 interviews ... but no offers for summer intership. Unfortunately, I wasn't in the top 30% of the class and missed out. There are small firms you can get an internship with ... but you'll have to do a lot of hunting around and interviewing out of the comforts of the law school.
(13) Don't obsess about the money you might get at big firms ... the folks that work at those places regularly put in 70 - 80 hours a week, including weekends. The money is great and I'd do it for a year or two if I didn't have a family life ... but there are other things important in life as well. Don't forget to spend time with your loved ones and to be satisfied with the type of work you're doing. Even if you start off at a small firm you can still make good money in a few years ... or even tranfer to a large firm later.
Well that's about it.
good luck.
(1) Don't waste time briefing the cases thoroughly ... there's just too much reading to do and not enough time to do it all. Instead, either buy the commercial briefs from the bookstore or use your LexisNexis and/or Westlaw account (which you'll get for free) to get a summary of each case ... just ask the librarians how LexisNexis / Westlaw works. Briefing the cases doesn't add much to your understanding, doesn't count for your grade, and simply wastes time. I recommend reading each case only once ... and then just make a quick note of the "rule of law" from each case.
(2) Do get study guides ... they are invaluable and help to explain the material in layman terms whereas the course texts are an exercise in futility for understanding what's really going on. I've found the Gilbert's and Emmanuel's guides to be very valuable and easy to understand. Gilbert's for Property (by Dukeminier) was very helpful to me.
(3) Check out the exam archive on the library website ... you can see what your exams are likely to look like for each class / professor. Practice these exams starting 1 month prior to finals ... also ask your profs to "grade" your answers to these old exams. Do practice, practice, practice exam writing. It is a learned skill.
(4) Do get involved in MJF (MInnesota Justice Foundation) and get invaluable volunteer experience. This will look impressive on your resume.
(5) Do try to write on to Law Review after your first year. It is good to have on your resume.
(6) Do network with as many other students as possible. You never know who you're going to be working for in the future ... maybe one of your classmates.
(7) Do get a parking pass for the Grotto parking lot ... parking on the street is a pain in the arse.
(
Do spend lots of time memorizing and understanding the rules of law ... but DON'T spend lots of time obsessing about a particular case or cases.(9) Do look up legal terms you don't understand while you are reading cases.
(10) Do prepare a resume and talk to the folks in career development early.
(11) Do take Professional Responsibility in summer after first year and then take the MPRE exam that August ... there are fewer people taking it in August and you'll have a better chance of passing easily. I passed the MPRE on the first try with no problems and my grade in the Prof. Resp. class was not even that great.
(12) Do prepare for OCI (on campus interviews) in fall semester of second year. These interviews are for next summer internships at the large firms ... and high pay during the summer internship ... and probable job offer after that making lots of money ... but all of this is dependent (unfortunately) on you being in the top 30% of the class. This is why it is important to get good grades (A's and B's) your first year. I signed up to interview with 20 large firms and only got 2 interviews ... but no offers for summer intership. Unfortunately, I wasn't in the top 30% of the class and missed out. There are small firms you can get an internship with ... but you'll have to do a lot of hunting around and interviewing out of the comforts of the law school.
(13) Don't obsess about the money you might get at big firms ... the folks that work at those places regularly put in 70 - 80 hours a week, including weekends. The money is great and I'd do it for a year or two if I didn't have a family life ... but there are other things important in life as well. Don't forget to spend time with your loved ones and to be satisfied with the type of work you're doing. Even if you start off at a small firm you can still make good money in a few years ... or even tranfer to a large firm later.
Well that's about it.
good luck.