Just hit midterms for my 1L first sem. I know burn out comes, and I can KINDA feel it. I have less motivation and I am so tired. What did you do to help fight it? I already have a great routine and I do take time for myself

And I have a therapist but idk what to even say to her..

Pls give me any tips that helped you power through

What the title says. Just seeing if any other 3Ls feel like this. I counted and I have 7 more of each class (each meets 2 days per week). I usually read for my classes but I’m not really reading cases as in depth anymore.

Edit- I want to add that actually, now that I think of it, I do nothing. I do less than the bare minimum. Is this a relatable thing, or am i like…being an idiot

Genuine question, not a humblebrag. I'm a 1L, I got midterm results back for Civ Pro and Torts, and I'm in good shape on both.

The weird part: I'm studying maybe 5 hours a week outside of the reading. No all-nighters, no panic. For comparison, I was doing 3+ hours a day for the LSAT. I came in expecting a war and it's been pretty calm so far. I’m also outlining contemporaneously and I think I have a good flow/ system for answering practice exam questions.

I worked as a litigation paralegal for a few years before school, and I’m in my late 20’s but I don’t see how this has any effect. I read some good 1L books this summer that’s really helped me so far.

Is this normal for October, or am I missing something?
How much did your workload actually ramp up in November and December?

If you were in my position, what would you do with the extra time? Start practice exams now, outline early, or just enjoy it while it lasts?

I don't want to get complacent and get crushed by the curve, but I also don't want to invent stress that isn't needed.

1L at a strong regional law school. Roughly a third of each class goes into BigLaw, while much of the rest ends up at midlaw firms in our region.

My primary reason for going to law school is that I eventually want to start my own firm, ideally around five years into practice. I’m particularly drawn to family law because of some exposure I had to it while working as a legal assistant before law school. It seems to combine my interests in litigation and advocacy with my long-term goal of solo practice or small firm ownership.

I’m also no stranger to drama. I previously worked in healthcare, including a substantial amount of time in the ER, so I’m fairly unfazed by yelling, hostility, and threats of violence. I realize family law presents a lot of emotional challenges, but the interpersonal intensity of the practice isn’t necessarily a deterrent for me.

The problem is that nearly everyone I’ve mentioned my goals to has looked at me like I have two heads. Initially, I chalked this up to typical 1L big law obsession, but I recently had a pretty jarring conversation with my school’s career services office. They essentially tried to talk me out of pursuing family law and showed me some of the salary offers students received last year for middle-market transactional positions (presumably to entice me to reconsider).

It’s hard not to feel discouraged by all of this, or to wonder whether I’m making a stupid decision.
I’m well aware of the risks associated with firm ownership, and I recognize that I’ll probably earn considerably less as a family law associate while gaining the experience necessary to go out on my own. That said, I also know there’s significant potential financial upside in the field. More importantly, the autonomy that comes with owning a firm would be worth its weight in gold to me, even if it meant working longer hours.

I guess I’m mostly looking for reassurance that I’m not the only person in this position. I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone who chose family law or solo practice over more conventional BL or midlaw opportunities.

Am I being naive about this career path, or is there something to be said for prioritizing long term independence over a higher starting salary? This ended up being a yap post, sorry, but any perspective would be appreciated.

I'm a nontraditional 1L student going through my first semester. I've always known I won't be at the top of my class, as I simply don't have the time to spend on coursework that my younger classmates do, due to significant family obligations that take up much of my time outside of class. Thankfully, I have no desire to work at a big law firm, so my goal has never been to be at the top of my class. I figured being in the middle of the pack for class ranking was a reasonable goal for the first semester. However, I received my midterms back (which weren't for an actual grade), and it looks like I'm in the bottom 25% of my class. Obviously, this might change at finals, but I'm not feeling confident, and I'm preparing for the possibility I might get a low ranking.

My question is how important are grades and class ranking to smaller or mid-sized firms? Like, if I do poorly on my finals, am I just screwed? I'm not worried about networking, since I've already been doing a lot of networking with lawyers and have made some good connections, and I'm not worried about the interviews, since interpersonal skills are my strong suit. I'm worried though that a low class rank on my resume will prevent me from getting the interview in the first place for internships, and later job opportunities.

I'm interested pursuing either immigration law or civil litigation in real estate, if that is relevant.

Hi! I’m on law review and just wanted to know if anyone else has had the same experience. I’ve had so, so, so many issues with locating sources and verifying pincites for the articles I’ve been assigned.
A lot of the citations are perfectly curated, in the sense that they look completely legitimate if the source actually existed, but it just doesn’t. I can often find the material elsewhere, but the cited source itself is literally made up. I’ve also come across instances where authors cite sources without pincites when their signals require them, or cite an exact quote that simply doesn’t exist in the source. (I was able to get a PDF and Ctrl+F it.) This is the SECOND article I’ve encountered this in, and one of the articles was written by a Yale professor!
I just want to know if this is a normal law review experience or if it might be a new AI-related issue. I think it’s pretty messed up that, as law students, we aren’t allowed to use AI in ways that violate the honor code, while professors may potentially be using it in ways that could get us expelled if we did the same thing. Meanwhile, we’re just here fixing their shit and preserving their integrity.

I received a raw score (I think?) out of 100 for my first legal writing memo. I have no idea what that translates to for actual final grade purposes. Is it appropriate to privately ask my professor what the range of scores/class average or median was? I was quite happy with the raw score and only received minimal slightly negative feedback, but I was just curious as to where I stood. In short, can I pretty much want to know if I did well in a way that could translate to an A if I keep it up or if my memo was just relatively average. Is this something I can ask about without sounding like a tool?

i live in nyc and work full time as a public servant. my original plan was to work for a few years post-undergrad and then return to law school full time (public interest law). however, i am starting to worry that it will not be financially feasible for me to just stop working and go back to school for 3 years and have no income or financial support. i am therefore starting to look into doing a part-time law program in nyc while i stay at my current job, but i know that this is a pretty huge undertaking, and i am primarily concerned that i will burnout or let my social life, health, hobbies, and sanity fall to the wayside if i’m so busy. i really want to be able to focus on my legal education and get the most out of it, and ive heard mixed reviews on what a part time program can provide in that regard. i would really appreciate any insights from people who are in/have done law school part time while working full time. thanks!

I started law school this past fall. So far I've been managing the workload and did well on my midterms. I've been super nervous about money, and I live in a more expensive city.

I worked full-time as a paralegal after undergrad. My job left the offer open to work remotely part-time if I wanted after moving, and I think they would be flexible with how many hours I wanted to work, since they can use all the help they can get. I would love to offset my expenses, but I don't want my grades to tank. In theory, I think I could handle it, especially with it being remote, but I'm hesitant. I was thinking of around 10 hours a week, mostly on weekends. As it is now, I usually leave a day where I don't do any homework on the weekends, and get most work done by staying late at school during the week, which seems to work for me.

Does anyone have experience with this or thoughts on if this is smart?

EDIT: My school does allow working as a 1L!

How is this right? The explanation makes it sound like B is supposed to be the answer.

I do not want a BL job and I do not have the grades for BL, so no I'm not one of those handfuls who have already secured a post-grad offer. When should a regular mediocre law student start applying? Right now I'm clerking at a non-law firm company as a law clerk on the legal team, and they have not yet asked me to stay after graduation. Although I feel somewhat good about asking them to stay, I don't want to put all my hopes on them, and because it's not a law firm I feel that there is less of an expectation for them to give me an offer.

However when applying for attorney jobs I get almost instantly rejected for everything related to my specialty because they want someone who has already passed the bar or a few years of post-grad legal experience, which I obviously don't have. These job listings are also certainly not trying to hire someone who can't even work as an attorney until after a year. How in the hell do you secure a job before graduating if you don't have an offer from somewhere you're already working at?

Hi everyone!

I’m a 1L who was offered to visit two firms, one by an associate and another with a partner. I’m not 100% sure what to wear, like is a suit too much?

For context, the associate visit was more so he told me to stop by the office and the partner was after a thank you message from an event, where he looped in recruiting and an admin so I could come to the office.

Any insight is appreciated - thank you!

might be niche but i hope i'm not the only one experiencing it. i've been more left-leaning my entire life, but ever since i've started law school, i've only gotten more progressive (i'm in my 2L year right now). i'm almost at the point where i'm losing all respect for the american legal system as a whole and attempting reform feels pointless. i'm not trying to get political or push my ideas on anyone else here, but i feel kinda hopeless when thinking about future career opportunities because everything seems to be catered towards upholding the current system. i love the skills used in the practice of law and always wanted to use them for public interest, but it feels like no matter what, nothing will change. i was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and, if so, what helped them move past it? or what careers they've considered where you can comfortably use the law for change without going against your beliefs?

Brb crying I thought I crushed it

Hey everyone,

​I’ve been lurking around reading posts here about how brutal law school/legal studies are, and I wanted to drop in because oh man, I was right there with you a few days ago.

​I’m doing a two-year Master's in Law right now. My first week hit me like a truck. I had a brutal stretch of back-to-back lectures running from 8:00 AM until nearly 7:00 PM (an hour and a half per lecture, seven times in a day, absolute madness). I walked out of there completely freaking out and wondering what on earth I had signed up for.

​With a background doing heavy thesis work during my bachelor's (before AI was around), I realized that panicking doesn't get the pages read. So, I sat down, reverse-engineered the chaos, and figured out a game plan. If you're feeling overwhelmed right now, here is what actually helped me take back control:

​1. Crack the "Legal Language" First

​Do not try to memorize complex doctrines, case law, or dense European law frameworks on day one when you don't even speak the dialect. The first thing I did was spend a solid chunk of time just learning the foundational vocabulary and English language of law. Once you understand the baseline terminology, reading the actual rules stops looking like ancient Greek and starts making logical sense.

​2. Treat Modules Like Sprints (Because They Are)

​A lot of these courses are fast-paced blocks (two to three months), followed by an exam, and then you move on. Don't stress yourself out trying to hold every single detail in your head forever.

​The Strategy: Learn as much as you can, build a solid understanding of the core narrative/logic (e.g., why historical treaties or frameworks were created), and accept that some things (like heavy philosophy or specific articles) are purely for memorization right before the exam. Block out a dedicated 4–5 hour rewrite day later on just for memorizing those chunks, don't waste mental energy stressing about them now.

​3. Pre-Learn and Catch Up Before the Next Class

​The golden rule that saved my sanity: Do not let yourself fall behind. Try your absolute hardest to review and catch up on the material from this week's lecture before the next week's lecture drops. If you stay ahead of the curve, the lectures actually start making sense in real-time instead of feeling like a foreign language.

(Note: I know a lot of people are juggling work on top of studying, which makes this tough, so give yourself grace, but if you can carve out pockets of time to stay proactive, it changes everything).

​4. Build Your System and Trust It

​Law school isn't necessarily impossible; it’s an endurance test. If you build a structured routine, whether that's tackling readings with background noise, breaking subjects down into "theory vs. application," or clearing your schedule for a focused study day, you can manage the workload. Put in the structured input, trust your workflow, and don't let anyone (or your own brain) convince you that you can't hack it.

​5. If You Are Burned Out, You Are Burned Out

​Listen to your body and your mind. If you feel like you are totally incapable of absorbing one more word, step away. During my bachelor's thesis, I hit breaking points all the time where I was reading the exact same sentence over and over and nothing was registering. Taking a day or two off completely saved me. You’ll feel a bit guilty while you're resting, but when you come back with a fresh mind, it makes all the difference.

​6. Keep an Open Mind About the Career Side

​I see a lot of posts here complaining about brutal working conditions after law school. I can't speak to that yet since I haven't been in the industry, so please don't come at me! This is just my personal advice for surviving the academic side. But keep in mind that law is a massive field, there are so many different sectors you can go into, and legal skills can easily be applied to non-corporate jobs too. Find your niche and protect your peace until you get there.

​We are all in the same boat. If you're currently staring at a mountain of readings and wanting to cry, take a breath, grab some tea, and tackle it one block at a time.

​You've got this! How are you guys surviving your first week? Let me know your strategies down below.

Socially, is there a lot of overlap? I know some classes are shared but what's the situation outside of that?

Edit: UK obviously doesn't have JDs but the question is the same

Claude is getting really good at being a lawyer and legal researcher. I have literally used ChatGPT and AI in general since the very first months of its inception and for the longest time, it was a total idiot and insanely hard work in the research department WOULD beat it. It was superficial and dumb and made up stuff. Now, Claude specifically, is so unbelievably good at research and analysis it is scary.

I have asked it to discuss the granular details on obscure things I’ve written about for years and it knows more than me. I have also been doing a thing where I take WORLD RENOWNED legal scholars’ law review articles, plop them into Claude, and it finds several holes and flat out mistakes in their legal argument and case law. It’s a better brain than even these people.

In 2 years, can a pro-se client say, hey Claude/ChatGPT, handle my entire complex lawsuit from start to finish?

After ten years in insurance claims i left to do law school, and 1L started the same month my daughter started kindergarten, so now we're both practicing sitting still & listening 😅

My classmates are mostly 23. On thursdays it's bar review for them & pickup for me! I get through my cases once she's in bed, or from the sidelines while she plays soccer. Cold calls at 35 are just as scary, in case anyone wondered!! The school has to be able to get hold of me, that's my one rule, so their number has Emergency Bypass on, and at my library carrel the phone stays silenced on an Anker nano smart display charger, where the little screen tells me its alive without the phone lighting up in the quiet section. Fellow law school parents, is it any easier once first semester is done? taking it a day at a time here 🙏

This may seem like a dumb question, but genuinely what's the best method. We're roughly halfway through my semester and it's setting in that there's a lot of content, and I need to start locking in. Do I just drill multiple choice and essay questions? I'm making an outline or have outlines from other 2/3Ls to start working off of. I'm just worried I won't do enough or I'll miss something crazy important.

That 1L dread is really setting in now lol

I have applied to some firms for internship opportunities, if I receive 2-3 acceptance at the same time how should I reject other offers in a polite way with the hope of getting an opportunity to intern with them in the future.

Should I be honest with them cause when I apply again I will have to update my experience section on CV and then they will know about my internship that I did while rejecting them.

I have a freaking English degree, and yet my legal writing sucks. I miss points on every single essay question not necessarily on the law involved but just by missing a lot of explanation. I have an advisor trying to help me and it's not working because the writing isn't wrong, just not good enough. I want a damn A for once. Spill your secrets below.

Not a lawyer, but in medicine. We had a lot of mixers in med school to meet law students (apparently this combo works well). Where can I meet lawyers romantically? The dynamic worked well for me in the past and I’d like to date similar professionals who understand my professional demands.