Law Review and Moot Court - advisable?

[Marathoner]

I was hoping that someone may have some reliable insight into whether it is advisable for an individual who attends a top school to do both Law Review and Moot Court. I got onto both, and would absolutely love to do both, but do not want my grades to suffer.

Any advice? Has anyone attempted this, or know someone who has?

[Marathoner]

Anyone??

[jacy85]

I've been told by several professors at my school that while it may be physically possible to do both, its almost (if not absolutely) impossible to do both well and maintain grades.

Emory frowns on the concept of doing both, and I haven't heard of anyone at the school that has done it (granted, its not something I was interested in, so I never checked specifically).  Other people here have posted that people do both regularly at their school.

Before you commit, why don't you ask some 3Ls what they think, and maybe a professor or two you respect, and get their perspectives on it.

[Lenny]

If you do Law Review, you will already have enough of a battle to keep your grades up because at most schools, Law Review is ungraded and thus doesn't take the place of a class.  So you'll have a lot of work just being a student plus a member of law review staff.  If you have any desire to clerk after law school, your grades are of paramount importance, so hedge on the side of not hurting your grades.  Can you participate in Moot Court without "being on" Moot Court at your school?  At mine, we can do one or two of the competitions just by virtue of being a 2L or 3L, so I was able to participate in moot court on my terms without devoting too much time to it.

[dorsia]

The smartest guy at my school did both.  Well.  But, as I said, he was the smartest guy at my school. 

I know of others who do both as well.  If I had the opportunity to do both I would probably do so.  If you are on Law Review then you have great grades, and although they may dip in the future, grades generally remain on the higher range for the second and third years anyway. 

Jacy is right.  Ask around. 

[JD_MSA]

I managed to do both and not compromise my grades.  It was stressful, difficult, and frustrating most of the time.  Like most things in law school, time management is key.  If you feel overwhelmed by classes alone, pick one or the other (but do one). 

[Marathoner]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I am definitely trying to find others at my school to speak with who are participating in both activities. The problem is that there aren't that many, and since it's summer, it's a bit hard to get in contact with folks. 

JD_MSA, what made you decide to do both instead of one or the other? In other words, what factors did you take into consideration when making your decision? BTW, I sent you a PM.

[JD_MSA]

JD_MSA, what made you decide to do both instead of one or the other? In other words, what factors did you take into consideration when making your decision? BTW, I sent you a PM.

Replied to your PM, but I'll post here too in case anyone is interested.

For me, it was a strictly personal decision.  I didn't want to later regret passing up an opportunity.  I passed up a lot of things in college because I was an athlete and didn't have time to do anything else but row and go to class.  I think the most important thing is that I did both because I legitimately wanted to do both.  I didn't really have any "ulterior motives," like job placement.  I know that sounds silly to a lot of people, but, hey, it worked out for me.   

[tacojohn]

You can do it if you have supreme time management skills and discipline.  It's one thing to have gotten through 1L and never have fallen behind.  It's another if you said to yourself "I'm scheduled to get 30 pages ahead in all my classes by the end of the week" and actually did it every time.  You essentially need to plan out your whole life.  How top is a top school as well?  I go to a top tier school and was shocked at how valuable doing both would be in employment.  If we're talking about HYS or CCN, then the benefits might be minimal.  I think if it's any school ranked lower than that, there might be a significant benefit.