The Law Lifestyle

  Casebooks are scary in so many different ways. Not only can the actual substance of a casebook be overwhelming, but purchasing them can bring you a lot of stress, too. Should you rent or buy your casebooks? Should you buy the recommended books?  Below are some of my tips for how to approach buying your casebooks. What do you prefer to do? Let me know below!  Buying New I bought all of my casebooks for 1L year because I wasn't sure how I was going to approach reading them, taking notes in them, and highlighting in them. I didn't want to get confused with someone else's highlights or notes while I was attempting to figure out law school, so buying new was my best option. It's no secret that casebooks can be expensive. You could easily spend up to $250 for each casebook, and that unfortunately adds up quickly. However, there are ways you can try to alleviate some of those costs. Shop outside of your school's bookstore for a start. I buy my casebooks on Amazon, where

  New semester, new me! (That's how the saying goes, right?) I think it's really important to set yourself up for success each new semester. Setting goals is just the way to do that. Unfortunately, I didn't set any specific goals last semester, so I'm making sure to write them out this semester so I can start off on the right foot.  My goals for this semester are pretty simple since I will still be online for the majority of it (thank goodness for hybrid classes so I can be on campus one class each week), but that doesn't make those goals any less important. And that sentiment applies to any goals you make this semester, too. Anything you can put your efforts toward that keeps you moving forward is worthwhile.  I've listed my goals for this semester down below so I can tell you why I'm focusing on these goals right now. Let me know what your current goals are down below!  During my 1L spring semester and over the summer, I found it easy to wake up early and

  This post is a little overdue, but, hey, better late than never, right? Even though it is almost the end of October (how did that happen?!), I still thought it would be a good idea to talk about my post-1L summer, especially because it was so different from what I expected due to COVID-19.  I was lucky enough to get an internship over the summer. Plenty of people in my class lost their jobs, internships, and externships due to the uncertainty of the summer, but I'm grateful the courts were using video calls for hearings and docket.  I worked as a judicial intern for a judge, where I spent my summer working on an opinion for a county court appeal while also attending hearings, docket, and, at the end of the summer, two trials. While it wasn't exactly what I had been hoping for while working in the courts, I'm happy that I still had the opportunity to watch lawyers and judges learn to adapt to the new online environment courts, and many other jobs, were forced to enter.  I

  Law school is hard, there's no way around that. But some days are definitely harder than others.  Take it from me, for example: a few weeks ago, everything suddenly felt like too much and I could not deal with it. Every small problem was magnified because I was so stressed out and anxious. After dealing with my anxiety all morning, I spoke too quickly in my opening statement for my Trial Practice class, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. After walking back to my apartment from that class, I set an alarm for ten minutes, cried, and then got set up for my next Zoom class.  Luckily, I haven't had too many of those days in law school (knock on wood!). But, there are plenty of ways to get yourself through those days and weeks.  Socialize Now, this may be a bit harder with COVID, but there are still options, whether that be over Facetime, over Zoom, or in person while socially distancing. Your friends will help you get your mind off the stresses of law school a

Let's be honest: nobody likes working on their resume. It's tedious and technical, and there are so many small details you have to worry about. I've begun building up my legal resume now that I'm a 2L, and I have been working on keeping my resume updated and formatted correctly.  Looking at a resume through a more general lens though leads me to think that there are just a few ways to view your resume: its look and its content. I'll go more in depth as to what those two categories entail, and I've also included an example below to give you a better idea of what a law school resume looks like The Look As shallow as it may be, appearances are a big part of professionalism, and the same idea applies to your resume, too. You want to make sure your resume is clean and easy to read; something cluttered and confusing may lead to your resume being put in the "no" pile before the hiring attorney even reads through it. And don't forget, keep it to one page! 

  I began 2L this week!  I'm not sure if it's completely hit me yet (I've definitely introduced myself as a 1L several times), but this year is already off to a great start. Things are already pretty different from last year, and I'm excited to see where it goes from here.  As the saying goes, 2L is when they work you to death, and after one week, I'm already starting to see how true that is. Today, I thought I'd share what I expected of 2L and what my first week was actually like.  My Schedule To help you have a better idea of what my week is going to look like all semester, let me explain what I'm doing on a weekly basis.  I only go to class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is quite nice. The only class times available to upper-level law students are on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, so having my Fridays to myself (and my externship--more below!) is a nice perk of making it past 1L. I have two classes on Tuesdays with a long break in between