What to do over Thanksgiving Break as a Law Student

I feel like I blinked once and Fall is almost over. Where did time go?!? Thanksgiving is next week! Wowzers. What this means is that I only have a few weeks and a lot of turkey and mashed potatoes between me and Fall semester final exams (my first exam is 12/2/18).

I wrote a post not too long ago on my final exam prep during the month leading up to exams. You can read it here. I had a few questions lately about what you should do over Thanksgiving break to get ready for exams so I decided to write up a post about it.

I will start with a disclaimer- everyone is different and everyone studies differently. Take my advice with a grain of salt; what works for me may not work for you and vice versa. Read it, use any tips you find useful and do what you need to do to be successful. You know yourself better than anyone so do what is best for you.

Preparing for Law School Exams One Month Out

Happy Halloween!

I am currently dressed up as Elle Woods, including carrying a stuffed Chihuahua, because I realized this is my last chance to do that as a law student and let's be honest, Elle Woods is our queen.

How to Survive Commuting to Law School

Hello friends!

This is a highly requested post that has taken me a little while to compile information for because it is not something I have personal experience with. I do not commute a large distance to law school- I have about a 15 minutes drive. I know that many people have to commute to law school (or grad school of any kind) and I can imagine it would be difficult on top of an already busy and exhausting schedule. Though I do not have personal experience, I polled a few of my super successful classmates who commute to law school for the information found in this post. Though this is not my own thoughts or opinions, I trust the people who I talked to implicitly and I think their advice is very valuable as they have all managed to commute through law school while still doing amazing in school. Sometimes I quote them directly and sometimes I summarized but overall, I hope this is helpful to those who are currently commuting to law school or those considering it in the future.

How Different is Law School from College

Happy Saturday!

For all of those who finished their first week of law school- CONGRATS! Isn't that a great feeling?

I was having a conversation with some of the new 1L's at my school the other day about how law school is different from undergrad. I thought I would type up my thoughts on the subject as a blog post because this is a question I have gotten quite often from prospective law students while I give tours at my law school.

Law school is in a league all it's own. There is really no way to "prepare" yourself for it.... even if you were a pre-law student in undergrad, law school is going to be very different from anything you have ever done. I think this is good and bad; on the plus side, it is a fresh start and provides an opportunity to reinvent yourself in preparation of a legal career and everyone comes in in the same position... on the negative side, it involves a lot of trial and error to figure out how to be a good law student. I found that law school was vastly different from undergrad in both good and bad ways. Here are a few of the biggest differences.

1. You MUST Prepare for Class
Maybe others are different but I was able to get by in undergrad without ever truly preparing for class and I still got really good grades and graduated Magna Cum Laude. I would read in the 10 minutes before class or do a quick skim while the professor was saying hello to the class or sometimes I would just show up and hope for the best. Don't get me wrong, I studied for exams and spent some time on my papers to make sure I turned in something halfway decent but for class, I was able to get by without ever really preparing for classes.

If I have said it once on this blog, I have said it a million times: In Law School, you really have to prepare for class. Like extensively. Before class, I do the reading, I take reading notes and I make sure to do one last skim in the last few minutes before class. Because many law professors cold call during class, you never know when you will be expected to answer questions on the reading material. Also, law school classes are intense and without reading before class, it can be very difficult to keep up in class. I had a professor during my first week of 1L year tell us that you need to work like it's finals week from the first day of law school. To me, that means making sure I am 110% prepared for classes and any potential cold calls, keeping up on my notes and outlining, and going to the professors when I am feeling confused about something.

More: HOW TO BE PREPARED FOR A LAW SCHOOL CLASS

2. One Exam = Your Whole Grade
So this might be my least favorite think about law school... right behind core grammar from 1L year. In almost every law school class, one final exam at the end of the semester over the entire course will make up your entire grade. Prior to law school, I had never been graded in this format. In undergrad, my grades were always based on a variety of assignments, quizzes, tests, and papers. None of my undergrad professors graded on a curve. It seriously stressed me out when I realized that my entire grade in law school boiled down to one gigantic exam. It takes some getting used to and through the semester, you have to stay self-accountable to prepare for the exam because generally there won't be quizzes, tests or assignments to keep you on track as there are in undergrad classes. (I have had midterms in a handful of my classes but they are the distinct minority and a few of my classes count participation into the grade but it is only like 3-5% of the total while the rest is from the exam). I think what stressed me out the most was knowing that if I had a bad day on exam day, my entire grade would suffer.... and the two straight weeks of non-stop study are pretty unpleasant. But I have survived it and gotten used to it... I won't say it is fun but you just have to power through and make it happen.

As for grades, they are not the end all be all of your legal careers. Most law school classes are graded on a curve and only so many A's are given out. This can be very frustrating because you can complete what feels like an A exam and still get a B+ because the curve was tight in that class. But, it is not the end of the world. One bad grade doesn't kill you and it's all relative. In some classes, I feel I deserved higher grades and in other classes, I was surprised my grade was so high. But at the end of the day, if you work hard, do your absolute best and learn something from the experience, then you have done all you can.

3. Professionalism Matters 
There is nothing wrong with wearing leggings and a baggy sweatshirt in undergrad. In fact, it was pretty much my entire wardrobe. Showing up late to class in undergrad may be embarrassing but most professors don't really care. You can online shop all through class and generally, it doesn't matter. I also didn't really think about the bigger picture and any career stuff other than getting into law school.

Law school is different- from day one of orientation, they will be preaching professionalism at you. Your legal career begins the day you start law school. And all that other stuff I talked about above should probably come to an end. You never know when lawyers will be in the law school so I always dress presentably for class in law school. I refuse to be late to any of my law school classes. I generally don't even use my computer in classes for law school. Also, from day one you have to be thinking about your professionalism, your future internships and jobs and character and fitness for the bar. Law school is in a whole other league of professionalism from undergrad.

4. Time Management is a Thing 
I don't know about everyone else but I kept myself pretty busy in undergrad. I was a varsity athlete, I had a job, I had two majors, I lived on my own all four years, I was in a bunch of organizations and held leadership roles, and I planned my wedding. However, I was horrible at managing my time because I could get away with procrastinating on my homework and other stuff in favor of watching High School Musical with my roommates or going to a party.

Law school has forced me to actually learn some time management skills. There are just so many things going on and so many hours in a day and procrastinating is simply not an option. I have really had to get regimented about my time and my responsibilities because I am pulled in a million directions. I take a full course load, I work in admissions, I am on Moot Court, I coordinate the oral advocacy competition at my school, I am president of the Criminal Law Society, I am Clerk for our schools chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, I mentor 1L's through SBA, I participate in a legal clinic with my own clients as a certified intern, I have a part-time job as a social media manager, I blog, and I have a house, husband and 3 dogs to keep up with. Keeping all the things organized and getting everything done is no small task but it is manageable as long as you manage your time. I am actually really glad that law school has forced me to become so good at managing my time because that is just a great life skill to master.

More: TIPS FOR TIME MANAGEMENT IN LAW SCHOOL

5. It's a bit of a Flashback to High School 
One of my favorite things about college was that it was nothing like high school. I absolutely hated high school. The only good thing that came out of it was that I met my now husband... other than that, my high school years were spent studying, avoiding classmates, traveling the country for horse shows and counting the days until I was out of there. I hated the cliques and drama and nosiness. College was much more my speed and I loved every minute of my 4 years of undergrad.

Law school surprised me by being a bit of a return to high school. You spend all day in classes with the same people, you have lockers, you generally hang out with your classmates in spare time.... lots of elements reminiscent of high school. I vastly prefer law school to high school but there are some overlaps I could do without. Law school can be kinda cliquey... I try to avoid it and be friendly with everyone but there are definitely cliques at my law school. Also, there can definitely be some drama.... putting a bunch of people together in a high-stress environment will always breed a bit of drama. While law school is not exactly like high school, it definitely brings back some elements from my high school years. However, I have had a much more positive experience in law school than I did in high school.... and despite this fact, law school retains quite a bit of the college atmosphere thank heavens. Regardless of your high school experience and any similarities between high school and law school, you can have a different experience. My law school experience has been really fun and I have met wonderful people and made lifelong memories. That is the polar opposite of my experience in high school. Make law school its own experience- it's not high school, it's not college so don't let those dictate how law school goes for you.

How to Create a Manageable Reading Schedule for Law School

Happy Hump Day!

For those in the middle of their first week of law school or law school orientation- stay strong! You are halfway there!

To continue my Law School series for 1L's, I am talking today about my top tips for creating a manageable reading schedule for law school- particularly for 1L year (but I have used these tips beyond 1L year).

Supplies for Law School: What I Actually Use and What Was a Waste of Money

So I have about 2 more weeks of summer before my 3L year of Law School. I do not know where time has gone- it flew by! I had a reader request this post and I think it is a great one. I will be talking all about the supplies I use in law school and compare/contrast what I bought for my 1L year and all the things that were a waste of money because I never ended up using them.

I have always LOVED school supplies shopping. I would beg my mom to take me shopping for new school supplies at the beginning of August so I would have a few weeks to completely organize and decorate my binders and notebooks. College didn't change anything except now I had to buy my own school supplies. When I was getting ready to start law school, I was so pumped to get all new fancy school supplies. A lot of those things I bought 1L year, I still use... but a lot of things I never really used and ended up being a waste of money. So today I am laying out all the things I truly use in law school for the last 2 years and all the things that were a waste of money. 

The Evolution of My Law School Study Habits- Everything I do to be Successful

Hi all! I have had a few requests lately to do a post about how my study and note-taking habits have changed since my 1L year following my post about how I have been able to raise my GPA. I am now in the summer before my 3L year- my last year of law school. I have learned so much over the last 2 years in regards to studying, time management and productivity. A lot of my study habits and note-taking strategies have changed and a lot has remained the same. I will outline what has changed and what has remained the same in addition to all the tools I use to be successful as a law student. Buckle up folks, this is going to be one long blog post.

Springing into Spring Semester

Well, friends, it's my 24th birthday! It's hard to believe I am almost to my quarter life milestone because I still feel like I am too young to really be an adult. My hubby made me a delicious breakfast and we have a quiet day planned but he is taking me out to a fancy dinner later... I am a lucky wife to be married to this guy.

In other news, I start my 4th semester of law school on Monday. It's hard to believe I am halfway through law school. It's actually pretty surreal. I have a busy tough semester ahead of me: 5 classes (3 super challenging ones)  plus working and my Moot Court competition will take place this spring. I am vowing to get off on the right foot in 2018 and I want to rock this semester. I know... those who have been following for a while are probably thinking I say this before every semester... and you're right. I do try to motivate myself at the beginning to do my best... throughout the semester I do tend to run out of steam because well, law school is really hard.

Following Fall semester, I am mostly pleased and yet still a little disappointed in myself. A few of my grades were great and I was super proud of myself. A few others.... not quite so proud of myself. it's all relative I suppose and balances out in the end. I still hope to further improve my GPA this upcoming semester and get one step closer to finishing my law degree. In order to do this, I have set some goals to work towards as I spring into spring semester (yes I know, terrible puns but I can't help it).

1. Start Reviewing Earlier
It pains me to write this but it's the truth... I always seem to think I am going to start getting ready for finals nice and early and I still always start later than I would like which leaves me working like a mad person for the week before and weeks of finals. With only three in-class exams this semester, I really think I can manage to start reviewing for those exams much earlier. Fingers crossed that my willpower stays strong. I hope to have my outlines done plenty early and be able to start practice problems, practice essays, flashcards and study group a full month out from final exams. I think this will set me up for better exam success in two of my toughest classes this semester: Evidence and Secured Transactions.

2. Do All Weekly Reading by Monday Night
I do not have class on Monday until 5:55pm. I am going to utilize my mostly open Monday's to *hopefully* crunch out all of my reading for the week so I can spend my time revising class notes, working on Moot Court and outlining after classes. I tend to run out of steam for reading and taking good reading notes as the week goes on so if I do it all by Monday night, I will be fresh and ready to read well and take excellent reading notes. I will then do a 15-minute refresher before class to make sure the reading is fresh in my mind before class. I hope this will make my weeks more productive and leave me with more time to work on goal one, reviewing earlier.

The longer I am a law student, the more I am recognizing my faults and the more I am trying to overcome them to consistently improve my grades and performance. Both these goals are a result of that.

3. Make Law School more "9-5"
I have always had a weird schedule in law school. I tend to sleep in, go to class, take a few hours to relax and then pick up my work and study late into the night. I know it sounds insane but it is the schedule that worked for me because I am a total night owl. This semester, I have early morning classes three days a week and night classes until 8pm four nights a week... this forces me to change up my normal schedule quite a bit. I hope to stay productive and adjust my schedule into more of a "9-5" law school schedule. In between classes and work, I will work on my school work, moot court problem and reading. Then when I come home from night classes, I can relax with my husband a little bit and do some Yoga before going to bed at a normal time. My goals of completing my weekly reading by Monday night will also help with this I think. I hope this new schedule will work out and make my weeks productive while still getting enough sleep.

My busy spring weekly schedule (or at least what I hope it will look like so long as I can be organized)

4. Outline Every Friday
I did so much better with outlining last semester! I was very proud of myself for having them done well before exams. I plan to keep that up this semester by outlining my classes weekly each Friday when I have no class. I work Friday mornings and I can come home and outline all afternoon while I throw in a few loads of laundry. This leaves my weekends a little more open for having a life, lol.

There we go! My spring semester goals. I hope everyone has had an enjoyable break and is ready for another great semester. Best of luck to all of you!

How to Rock a Moot Court Try-out or Competition

Moot Court is a big part of most law schools. At my school, and most law schools from my understanding, there are two big optional opportunities to try out for after 1L year: Law Review and Moot Court. Law Review is a more research and writing based activity where you spend your time writing and editing a not/comment on a specific area of law. Moot Court allows you to practice and hone oral advocacy skills through competition as well as practical legal writing skills through the accompanying written brief. Personally, as I want to go into criminal prosecution and trial work, Moot Court seemed like the right fit for me over Law Review because I really wanted to hone my oral advocacy skills. I tried out for Moot Court at my school, was selected for the Products Liability team and I am preparing for a national competition in March.

Throughout my process of trying out for and being selected for Moot Court and my interscholastic appellate advocacy competition this Fall in which I made it to the final four and presented my argument in front of three real federal judges, I think I have figured out a few tips for being successful in the Moot Court setting. For those preparing for Moot Court try-outs or oral arguments this spring, I sincerely hope this helps in your preparation.

1. Prepare for Everything 
Moot court try-outs are fashioned after the format of the competitions. You will write a brief or be given one, you must read every case cited and be able to competently discuss them, be fluent in the relevant law and anticipate any possible holes in the logic. Whomever the judges on your panel are, they will attack any weakness in your argument. You must be prepared for this and be able to consistently counter with your argument strengths. If you are prepared and have practiced your argument and answers to possible questions, you will do great.

2. Be Confident
This may seem silly and basic but it is simple truth. You must argue with confidence. Be confident in your argument, your material and yourself. If you can present an image of poise and confidence, you will have a better chance. Fake it until you make it they say; even if you are nervous, if you can project an image of confidence, you will be in good shape so long as you are also properly prepared.

3. Dress to Impress
Boys, wear a dark-colored suit. Girls, a dark-colored suit and low heels. I know it is formal and boring but it is the nature of the profession. I know more about what the girls should wear than the boys so I will focus on that. A dark colored suit is necessary; traditionally, a skirt suit is best but a well-fitting pantsuit is not wrong. Invest in a quality suit and if it is not a perfect fit, a good tailor can make it lok custom made. Simple hair-do's are best. No bright colored nail polish but make sure nails are clean and not chipped or overly long. Wear simple jewelry such as small studs, a simple chain necklace and a watch. Flesh colored nylons are encouraged. Low heels are best in a neutral color. Some say to wear only matte leather or suede but I always wear patent leather 3' heels and I have never gotten chastised for it. Soft makeup is best; don't overdo it. Your outfit and appearance should be classy and modest and allow your argument and intellect to shine through.

Example of what I wore during my competition this Fall: Black J. Crew Skirt Suit, a royal blue blouse, flesh-colored nylons, black patent leather 3" heels and simple hair and makeup

4. Formalities are Key
Ahhh Moot Court formalities. They are annoying but necessary. Here is a fairly comprehensive list:

• Open every argument with "May it please the court"
• Make sure to have a roadmap at the beginning of your argument outlining your main premise and your numbered points of argument
• Always thank the judges at your argument conclusion and conclude clearly with a prayer for relief (what are you asking the court to do)
• Show deference to the bench- refer to them as your honor, thank them for questions, be respectful at all times and in all manners
• For heaven's sake, have eye contact with the judges, particularly to whoever is asking you a question
• Scan the bench as you are talking; don't fixate on one spot or one judge in particular
• All the primary elements of good speaking are still necessary: speak clearly, speak up, don't say "um" or "like", don't mumble, stand up straight and don't wave your hands around all that fun stuff

5. Don't be Stuffy 
While Moot Court is a formal activity, it is also important to make the process conversational. You are not preaching; you are having a formal conversation with the judges. Smile, try to be natural and have some fun while you are doing it. It can be very invigorating and enjoyable to compete when you are prepared and can maintain your position. Try to make it a fun experience and not a scary/stressful one.

I hope this is helpful! I wish everyone the best of luck in Moot Court try-outs and oral arguments this spring.

Mid-Semester Finals Prep Guide

Well hello! It has been a full month since I last blogged. Life has been absolutely crazy- I made it to the final four in my law schools interscholastic appellate advocacy competition which involved 2.5 weeks of daily practices and constant revision on top of reading, class, work and food/sleep. It cumulated in an oral argument in front of 3 real, federal judges as well as our whole student body. It was stressful and exhausting but such a great experience. 

It is now midway through the semester and I know there are many 1L's out there getting stressed about final exams but are not sure quite what to do to start preparing. I have gotten a few questions about prepping for finals so I am sharing what I am doing at this point in the semester to start prepping for final exams. I hope it helps! 

1. Update Outlines 
I know every 1L ever is beyond tired of hearing the word outline but this is the time to be working on them and updating so you don't end up spending your whole Thanksgiving break outlining. I have been working on updating all of my outlines to the current point of material so that I can relax more on Thanksgiving break this year. For more on outlining see this post: A Guide to Outlining.

2. Meet with Professors
Now is the time to clear up confusion in the material. As you are outlining, make note of areas where you are confused or your notes were messy. Go get it cleared up by the professor sooner rather than later so you are not stressing at the last minute and fighting for office hours with all the people who waited until the week before exams to ask for help. Having your outlines updated will help you to know if there were confusing areas you need to get some help with. Then you know that whatever info is in that final outline is correct and you fully understand it.

3. Practice Essay Questions 
Law school essay questions are a new breed of essays you have likely never encountered. My biggest downfall my first semester of law school was not doing enough practice questions, not being comfortable with how to write them out and not having a solid plan for how to attack them. I highly highly suggest tracking down some practice essay questions for each subject and taking some time to write them out in exam-style conditions. It will help you to become comfortable with the feel of law school essays and make it less intimidating come exam day. The best case scenario is getting old practice questions from your professor along with model answers. If you can't get those, many of the bar prep companies give out free study materials on first-year subjects and there is also tons available online after a simple google search. There are often practice questions in your casebooks as well so make sure to look there.

4. Practice Multiple Choice
Just like essays, law school multiple choice questions are very different from other multiple choice. Find some to practice and get comfortable with them. It will make exam day way less stressful when you are prepared for the type of questions you will encounter. In addition, practice essay and multiple choice questions can pinpoint some weak areas in your understanding of the subject that need to be cleared up before exam time.

5. Start Studying
I know it seems crazy early, but it is time to start actually studying. Practice essay questions and practice multiple choice are a part of that but substantively studying the material is most important. I like to start making flashcards and reading over my outlines at this time. I also start meeting with my study group or study partners to go over out outlines and ensure that we have everything/there are no holes. I love group studying but it is not for everyone. If you are studying solo, start making a habit out of studying and find a good spot for it. If you plan to group study, start meeting with your group and ironing out the kinks. Law school exams require you to know and understand a massive amount of information. The earlier you start studying, the better.

6. Relax and Stay Healthy 
Don't get me wrong, this is a stressful time and working hard is vital. But doing so at the sacrifice of your mental and physical health is not good. Eat well, get plenty of sleep, take some time for yourself and the things you enjoy, exercise and spend time with friends and family. Law school takes over your life but you have to fight back a little bit and keep yourself happy and healthy. Also, it is cold and flu season so it wouldn't hurt to start taking a multi-vitamin and vitamin C- it is no good to be sick during exams!!

Shop my exam printable materials here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LegalDuchessShop?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1059870419

Here is a free printable to help you stay on track! 

Print HERE

Best of luck to all! Thankfully, the light at the end of the first-semester tunnel is growing closer.

How I Have Changed My Study Habits as a Second Year Law Student

Hello friends!

I feel like I have been neglecting this little blog. School has been crazy- I am in the middle of an oral advocacy competition and I have to make new arguments and go head to head each week in addition to class, reading, writing an appellate brief for moot court and working in admissions. Blogging just got pushed down the priority list. But I am back!

Now on to today's topic... as I am a few weeks into 2L year, I have made some adjustments to my study habits. Some of my upper-level courses are structured a little differently than my 1L core classes which have forced me to adjust as well as my own shifting and evolving learning process and knowledge base. I have posts from 1L year about my note-taking and study habits and I do believe that they served me very well at that time and for those classes. The adjustments I have made are more due to changing class structures and my ever-evolving way to understand the law as best I can and as thoroughly as I can... and I have become busier so efficiency is my #1 priority now. Here are the changes to my law school study habits.

1. Class Reading/Preparation
Unlike many of my classmates, I continue to read everything for class and take notes on my reading. Many of my classmates have dropped down to just book briefing but I find that taking notes is the best way for me to truly understand the material and have the best retention of it. Unlike my 1L year, I actually take more detailed notes from the reading and I count on them more in class as I participate more. 1L year I was content to answer cold calls, sit and listen and only voluntarily talk if I truly felt confident in what I had to say. Now that I am a 2L and a lot less nervous, I raise my hand whenever I have something to contribute and therefore having good reading notes helps me to follow along with class and have insightful comments. Also, my real life experience of working in a prosecutors office has given me some real-life legal context for some of the things I am learning in class. Therefore, when reading for class, I jot down notes of real-life examples that are related to bring up in class or in office hours. I find that having some real-life context is really helping my retention of the material so far this year. Additionally, my classes are structured a little different: one of my classes has little to no case law and is based on problems... Another is based purely on statutes. It has required me to read and learn differently.

2. Class Notes
Another change I have made from 1L year to 2L year is I take all of my class notes by hand. I found that when I took computer notes last year, I more easily became distracted and I did not retain as much of the information. This is reasonable because many scientific studies have been done that prove handwriting aids in retention and better understanding. By hand writing my notes, I am forced to synthesize the professor's points because I cannot physically handwrite every word as easily as I could type every word. This is a constant practice in analysis, issue spotting big rules and synthesizing which are important legal skills. I find that I remember the information better and when I type it up later into an outline, I am working from my own synthesized words and rules, not the professor's words and it helps me to have a deeper understanding. I have found that simply word-vomiting the professor's words/phrases onto an outline does not equal full understanding and was not the most effective way for me to outline. I also color code all my class notes because bright colors are easier for me to remember long term and it distinguishes class info from reading notes; I take all reading notes in black ink and class notes in a color designated for that specific class (ex. Constitutional law is blue, criminal procedure is purple...). I also love the freedom handwriting notes provides- I can make graphs, pictures, tables, etc. Whatever I need to do to get that information, I can. Sometimes computers can hinder notetaking in my experience because of the formatting problems and having to pause during class notes to fix the bullets or margins, etc.

3. Outlining
I learned my lesson first semester of 1L year- outline as you go. I spent last Thanksgiving break frantically outlining and it was the worst. Now, my approach to outlining is to outline after finishing a section or chapter. This way, I am outlining throughout the semester and I can address questions, confusion or concerns sooner rather than later. It also helps that the information is fresher in my brain when I outline it and it helps me to formulate and synthesize it better into the outline thus creating a much more effective study aid come finals. I just finished the fourth week of the semester but I have all my outlines started and 2 are completely up to date...the others will be up to date by the end of this weekend. I refuse to stop making my own outlines- I think it is such a valuable skill and learning tool... simple printing another persons outline will not allow me the same level of understanding nor the learning provided during the outlining process. Overall, outlining no longer scares me the way it did 1L year... I just buckle down, set aside some time each week and get it done.

4. Review/Practice Problems
Kind of like outlining, I have started reviewing throughout the semester instead of just at the end. Not only is outlining itself a form of review, I make a point to review my notes after class, twice after reading and to attend office hours. I attempt to make sure that I understand everything right away instead of waiting until the end of the semester to figure something out. There just is not enough time to do it all at the end of the semester and I need excellent grades so I am putting all the extra effort in. I have started doing some of the practice problems from the casebooks and as the semester moves on, I will be completing multiple choice questions each week and practice problems that I can take to professor office hours for feedback. This is something I neglected 1L year and I think I did myself a disservice. After reviewing my past exams, I have identified a few issues I would like to work towards resolving in the future when taking exams- I am not waiting until the end of the semester; I am starting right away to do everything in my power to be as successful as possible for exams this semester. Unlike 1L year, I know exactly what I need to do to be successful... I just have to buckle down and do it.

5. Organization/Planning/Efficiency
My schedule is a little more diverse this year. I have more responsibilities beyond just reading, class, studying. One thing I haven't changed is my dependence on my planner. I would seriously go insane without it. Beyond that, I have had to be a little more inventive with my time to fit everything in. I multitask- cooking is also my Netflix time, I work in between classes to make money, I do my reading right when I get home from class so I don't procrastinate, I outline and review on Friday afternoons before 5pm so I can have Friday nights off. For my appellate brief for moot court, there is very little structure. Therefore, I set aside time each week within my planner to work on it and stay accountable. I have started to do this with everything- I plan time for cleaning, grocery shopping, outlining... everything is planned and I do my best to stick to it. I meal plan and utilize a crockpot often to make sure that we eat decently without wasting a bunch of time in the kitchen puttering around or doing the "what sounds good" or "what do we have" discussion. I record my oral advocacy competition arguments and listen to them while driving to and from class to enforce my memorization of my arguments. 2L year for me is all about efficiently and effectively using my time so I can get everything done and still have some time to relax.

For me, 2L year has been about implementing the lessons I learned 1L year and making myself a better student and a more efficient person. I do not regret the things I did 1L year... I was not the same person I am now and I am choosing to move forward to be the best I can be. 2L year is definitely different and is stressful and difficult in different ways than 1L year. However, I am confident that I will be successful and I am more confident than ever that the law is what I want to do.

Helpful printables: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LegalDuchessShop?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1059870419

The Weekly Schedule of a Law Student- 2L Edition

Happy Labor Day!!!

It is a little ironic that I am posting my average weekly schedule on the Monday of a 4 day week... pssh details! Regardless, it is the beginning of my 3rd week of 2L year and I am finally feeling like I am back in law school gear. The first two weeks were a little tough just getting back into the law school groove and figuring out how my schedule needs to work. Not to mention I came down with a horrible stomach virus and was sick off and on for the entire second week and missed my first ever law school classes as a result :( I finally feel like I have life organized and a routine that works. Without further ado, here is a snapshot into a week in the life of a second-year law student, Moot Court member and student representative for law school admissions.

Monday
7:30- Wake up, Shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, play with puppies and get ready for class.
9:30- Drive to school and review reading for class
10:10- Class
11:40- Head into admissions for a bit of work while I eat lunch
1:00- Class
2:30- Back to admissions for a bit more work
4:30- Head home for the day and start reading for next day
5:30- Take a break to cook dinner while catching up on Netflix
6:15- Eat dinner and watch some TV with my husband or take the dogs for a walk
8:00- Finish reading assignments
10:00- Pack lunch for tomorrow, pack bookbag for tomorrow
10:30- Nightly beauty routine, read a few chapters of a novel
11:00- Bed time!

Tuesday
8:00- Wake up, do a quick workout of Yoga or Toneitup
8:30: Shower, get dressed and eat breakfast
9:00- Sit down at desk with my coffee to do some work while a load of laundry is in the washer/dryer
10:50- Drive to school
11:00- Head into admissions for a bit of work before class
1:00- Class
2:30- Home for a long break between classes
2:50- Start reading for next day and run the dishwasher
5:00- Cook and eat dinner while catching up on Netflix
5:40- Back to school for night class
6:00- Class
7:30- Headed home for the evening
7:45- Spend some time with my hubby and puppies watching TV
9:00- Finish reading for tomorrow if I have not already
10:00- Fold laundry, Pack lunch for tomorrow, pack bookbag for tomorrow
10:30- Nightly beauty routine, read a few chapters of a novel
11:00- Bed time!

Wednesday
7:30- Wake up, Shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, play with puppies and get ready for class.
9:30- Drive to school and review reading for class
10:10- Class
11:40- Head into admissions for a bit of work while I eat lunch
1:00- Class
2:30- Back to admissions for a bit more work
4:30- Head home for the day and start reading for next day
5:30- Take a break to cook dinner while catching up on Netflix
6:15- Eat dinner and watch some TV with my husband or take the dogs for a walk
8:00- Finish reading assignments
10:00- Pack lunch for tomorrow, pack bookbag for tomorrow
10:30- Nightly beauty routine, read a few chapters of a novel
11:00- Bed time!

Thursday
8:00- Wake up, do a quick workout of Yoga or Toneitup
8:30: Shower, get dressed and eat breakfast
9:00- Sit down at desk with my coffee to do some work while a load of laundry is in the washer/dryer
10:50- Drive to school
11:00- Head into admissions for a bit of work before class
1:00- Class
2:30- Home for a long break between classes
2:50- Do some work at my desk
5:00- Cook and eat dinner while catching up on Netflix
5:40- Back to school for night class
6:00- Class
7:30- Headed home for the evening
7:45- Spend some time with my hubby and puppies watching TV
9:00- Vacuum and scrub the floors, dust, clean the kitchen counters... general tidying up
10:00- Fold laundry, Pack Hubby's lunch for tomorrow
10:30- Nightly beauty routine, read a few chapters of a novel
11:00- Bed time!

Friday
8:00- Wake up, Shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, play with puppies and drink coffee
9:00- Drive to school to work in admissions
2:00- Head home for the day
2:15- Do some yard work
3:00- Do a light workout
3:30- Back to my desk to get some work done... usually outlining or synthesizing what I learned through the week
6:00- Make homemade Pizza
6:30- Homemade pizza and movie night with my hubby. I take the rest of the evening to just relax with my husband and forget about school for a bit
11:30- nightly beauty routine, read a few chapters of a novel
12:00- Bed time!

Saturday
Saturdays are for sleeping in around here! Usually, my husband makes us a big breakfast and we lounge around the house most of the day or go find something fun to do. I try to take most of the day as a break from law school but sometimes I have to break out the books for a few hours during busy times in the semester. Sometimes we go visit family or do something else but generally, Saturday is a day for rest, relaxation and some quality time with each other and our 3 pups.

Sunday
Sundays we usually sleep in again and then tackle the house cleaning. After that, we spend some more time together and then get started on homework and prepping for the week. I usually take a mid-afternoon break to meal prep and go grocery shopping. We cook up a nice dinner and then it's back to the books to make sure I am ready for the week and all my reading is done. The more I can get prepped and organized on Sunday, the better I feel heading into the week.

So that is a generalized outline of what my weeks look like. Obviously, life is crazy and sometimes things change but I do find that a routine helps me to stay organized so I try to stick to this roughly. This week is irregular because I have no class on Monday so I am spending it hanging out with a friend, cleaning out my closet to make room for fall clothes and getting jump started on homework for the week. I find it very important to keep a balance between school and regular life and as a 2L, it's hard but not impossible to find time for both in my weekly schedule. As finals get closer, this schedule becomes a lot more focused on studying but for now, this works.

One thing you did not see on my weekly outline is blogging. This is because I never parcel off specific time to blog- because this is a hobby and creative outlet, I simply fit it in whenever I have a little spare time, while dinner is in the oven or when I need a break from casebooks. Some weeks I have more time for it than others but it is somethign I enjoy so I try to at least make a little time for it each week.

Enjoy this short first week of September!

20 Things Every Law Student Needs Before Starting Law School

Are you gearing up for your first year of law school??? The last bit of time before the first year starts in nerve-wracking. I spent it trying desperately to prepare myself for the experience: what I would wear, what I would need and what an outline was. It is very hard to prepare and know what to expect from an experience like law school. Also, people were always asking what I needed. I didn't even know what I needed let alone tell them what to get me! So, I have compiled a list of the things I could not have survived my first year of law school without.

5 Things I Wish I Would Have Known Before Starting Law School

Well, incoming 1L's... summer is flying by and you will soon be official law students. This time last year, I was a mix of nerves, excitement, and trepidation. I read everything I could get my hands on to help prepare but I was so very nervous. For all of you feeling the same way, just try to enjoy your summer.  Now that I am officially a 2L, I reflect back on my 1L year and all the things I learned. Here are 5 things I wish I would have known prior to starting law school.

Friday Five 4/7/17

It's finally Friday- YAY! What a week... I got a yucky cold, it has been raining every single day and I feel like all I did was outline property. However, there were some bright spots; one of my best friends got engaged and I got to put together the cutest little engagement gift box to send off to her. I also picked out a gift for an upcoming wedding we are attending and it was too fun. I love gifting- it is fun to take the time to piece together something you know that person will love and use and knowing the smile it will bring to their face. I love it!Law school finals are growing ever closer... as is my internship. On top of all the studying and outlining, I am starting to freak out about my internship and if I have enough "dress up" clothes.... I keep begging my hubby to take me shopping.

This weekend is my nephew's first birthday party and we will be going to our hometown and meeting up with some old friends so it should be a good weekend.

Prepping for Law School Finals: One Month Out

I am not sure where the time went butttttt final exams are in like a month. Cue epic freak out. Time to outline, write out flashcards and take practice exams until I'm blue in the face. Here is what I am doing to prepare and set myself up for success one month out from final exams.

The 1L Appellate Brief

I have been pretty absent from blogging recently... all of my spare time, and then some, has been devoted to my appellate brief. For those new to the law school lifestyle, most law schools require a legal research and writing class. Generally, second semester of your first year, the big assignment that determines most of your grade is an appellate brief process over a big legal fact problem.

For my class, we were given a fact pattern involving trademark infringement. First, we did a serious of research reports, then a trial brief and lastly the 30-page appellate brief that I turned in on Monday. I still have an oral argument that is ungraded and I will be done with legal research and writing!

I am not going to lie- this was the hardest writing assignment I have ever had. It took forever, given the amount of my grade it represented I had to be a perfectionist, and we had a really complex fact pattern and law to deal with. However, now that it is over and turned in, I am feeling pretty good about the work I did and proud of myself for completing such a huge assignment.

What is an Appellate Brief?

(I am going to give you the cliff notes version because your respective professor will give you the precise outline and information on what you need to do.)

An appellate brief is submitted to urge an appellate court to affirm or reverse the lower court decision. The Appellant is the moving/appealing party seeking a reversal while the Appellee is the non-moving party asking for affirmation of the lower decision. It is generally a large document written very persuasivly in regards to your parties position. In real court, these briefs are what the appellate court looks to for the information they use to make a decision. In the law school arena, this is an exercise in legal research and persusasive writing. 

The Process

Basically, the way it went at my school is that we were given the fact pattern, assigned plaintiff or defendant and asked to start research when spring semester began. From there, we had a series of research assignments to really hone the cases and the related law. This was challenging because the problem we dealt with had an applicable 8-factor legal test to decide the case. That was a lot of law to consider and learn. All said and done, I think I used about 15 cases to make my arguments.

The next step was to write a persuasive trial brief for the plaintiff or defendant. I had plaintiff side and this paper rounded out at about 18 pages complete.

Once the trial brief was over, they adjusted our facts to add what happened in the fictional "trial" and we were swapped from our existing side and given the opposing side to write the appellate brief in favor of. This was the most challenging thing for me- I had to turn off my advocate in my head for the plaintiff and start advocating for the defendant. It took a bit to wrap my head around that.

I had about 3 weeks to write my appellate brief. It went reallyyyy fast. I worked steadily on it a little bit at a time and finally turned in the 30-page final project this Monday.

Sticking with the appellate brief sides, we are doing an oral argument next week for no grade but we get feedback and it doubles as a try out for moot court if you choose to do so.

Some Tips to Ease the Process

1. Start EARLY
I know you probably hear that from every teacher under the sun but seriously, start really early. This is not like those papers in undergrad that you could knock out in a long weekend or an all nighter. If you want a return of a good grade, you have to put in ample work over time to ensure it is quality. The more time you have, the more time you have to write a little bit at a time so you don't get burnt out, rework on a sentence level for maximum persuasiveness and to edit edit edit.

2. If possible, meet with Professor
Not all professors will meet with you in regards to the brief and looking over your work. If they are willing to, I highly suggest doing so. They are the grader and they have more experience so whatever they have to say will probably have a positive impact on your grade. Another set of eyes, especially the highly trained eyes of your professor, is always a good idea.

3. Make time to look at it with Fresh Eyes
Finish early and leave yourself ample time for editing. I find it best to take a little time away from the paper and returning to it with fresh eyes. I find that I catch a lot more mistakes and have better luck rephrasing when I do this.

4. Find a Stopping Point
There comes a point where you have done everything you can do and you need to stop nitpicking your paper. Eventually, you just need to stop and turn it in- staying up all night and editing will not make a huge difference- in your tired state you may do more harm than good. Start early, leave time for editing and find a stopping point to press submit and be done.


The appellate brief is hard but you can do it. The feeling you have when you turn it in is one of relief and extreme pride knowing you completed such a huge accomplishment. Then, you put it out of your mind as grades won't be out until after the semester and the exam grind is on.

As for me, I should probably get back to outlining! No rest for the wicked... or law students...

Friday Five 3/3/17

I"M ON SPRING BREAK! Granted, my spring break will be full of my appellate brief and outlining but I do not have to attend class or leave my house for a week so it's still super exciting. I am so ready for some time to relax, rejuvenate and catch up on life. Spring break came just in time!

A Guide to Law School Outlining

If you are in law school and you have heard the word outlining 365x since starting, raise your hand. If you were 110% confused as it what the elusive "outline" was, raise it again. If you spent 1L Thanksgiving break frantically outlining and still having no clue what you were doing and then entered your first round of exams with no confidence in those 30-40 page monster outlines, raise it one more time. If you raised your hand every time, you are just like me.

I had NO idea what on earth an outline was when I started law school. I looked all over the internet, talked to all my professors, talked to 2Ls and 3Ls and yet I still did not fully understand what I was supposed to be doing. I gave it the good old college try over Thanksgiving break because prior to that, I just hadn't been able to wrap my head around what I needed to do. Come exam time, I studied the crap out of those outlines but I was not 100% confident I had everything I needed to know or had it arranged and synthesized correctly. Throughout my first semester of law school, just the word "outline" caused me to have extreme anxiety. Now that I am on to semester two, I am feeling much better about the whole process. So for anyone out there who is struggling the way I did first semester, I truly hope this helps! A good outline is a big key to law school exam success so understanding the process is key.

Friday Five

Happy Friday all!! I am starting up something new- I am calling it the "Friday five". Basically it is just me sharing five things that have piqued my interest throughout the week. Please let me know thoughts on this new blog idea!