Advice for Entering Students

An upper-class law student writes What I Wish I’d Known As A 1L, June 14, 2011, in The Student Appeal, a new forum for law student writing. The same author, Sara Eli Mattern, also wrote Jobs for Law Students, and the Future of Legal Education, April 10, 2011.

Of course, Ms. Mattern isn't the only person offering advice to new law students. Here is a selection from the past few years:

• Paul Caron, Advice for Incoming 1Ls, TaxProf Blog, Sept. 3, 2007 (links to half a dozen posts by Jeffrey Toobin, Scott Turow, and others)
• David S. Cohen, Advice for Feminist 1Ls, Feminist Law Professors, Oct. 22, 2007
• Michael Dorf, Welcome 1Ls, Dorf on Law, Aug. 24, 2009
• Einer Elhauge, Is 1L One Hell? Advice from a Law Professor, Harvard Law Record, Oct. 8, 2009 
• Brandon Greene, Letter to a 0L ... Stay Focused on What Brought You Here, In Their Own Words: BU Law Student Blogs, April 2, 2011
• Paul Horwitz, More Advice to 1Ls, PrawfsBlawg, Aug. 18, 2008
• Amy Jarmon, Ten Tips for Preparing for Your 1L Year, Law School Academic Support Blog, May 19, 2011
• Orin Kerr, Advice for 1Ls: What If You Don't Know the Answer [when you're called on in class]?, Volokh Conspiracy, Aug. 26, 2008
• David Linhart, Letter to Brand New BU Law 1Ls, In Their Own Words: BU Law Student Blogs, April 10, 2011
• Dan Markel, Summer Reading Lists for Rising 1Ls PrawfsBlawg (a law professor blog), June 3, 2011 (read the comments, too)
• Daniel Solove, Advice for First Year Law Students: Practice Writing!, Concurring Opinions, Aug. 19, 2008
• Dean Spade, For Those Considering Law School ("a little summary of some of the things I often tell people who come to me because they are considering law school and want to know if it is a good route to making transformative change," blog post, Oct. 26, 2010)
• Ivy Swenson, Starting Law School this Fall? Advice for Pre-1Ls, Lawyerist, Aug. 7, 2010
• Lesley Wexler, Once and Future 1Ls, PrawfsBlawg, Aug. 18, 2008
• What I Learned in Law School - 1L Year, Woman of the Law, May 17, 2005

Do you like to hear advice rather than read it? Consider these podcast interviews from the CALI Pre-Law Blog:

• Advice for 1L's from Prof. Douglas McFarland, Aug. 16, 2006
• Preparing to Study Torts, by Prof. Ron Eades, Aug. 10, 2006
• Study Advice from Professors for Incoming 1L's, Aug. 10, 2006

If you'd like to read books, not just blog posts, see Suggested Reading List for Prospective & Current Law Students on the Law Library's website.