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Ok so I passed 1L and joined everything and struggled (lots) and feel like there isn’t enough info out there about this: here is a thread for those starting law school!! (1/)
(2/) everyone, and I mean everyone, feels like the most behind and confused and inadequate person in the room. But EVERYONE in my classes passed. You are there for the degree and you BELONG! ESPECIALLY if you see no other people like you. Your community needs you,
(3/) the law school community needs you, your professors need your perspective, etc. we all have something to offer. On that note, don’t be that guy that asks about grades. Don’t be that guy that won’t share notes or help out others. Build your network for your career AND
(4/) for your mental health. It is an extremely isolating time for many people. Be the person that reaches out and helps. That shares outlines (if you are comfortable). Humanize the insane process of reading cases from England from 300 years ago. You GOT THIS.
(5/) You will feel like you DON’T have it all under control very often. This is part of the process as well. It is painful and exhausting, so make sure that your friends/family are close and take the time to just be with them when you can.
(6/) Mental health issues and alcoholism or other addictions are extremely common in the law profession, and also ignored. Always put your health first and reach out to your school’s services if you need help. DM me if you need additional resources.
(7/) People warmed me not to join too much my first year, but that’s what I do, so I ignored them. If you find yourself not loving the classes, that is OK. Join a club or org you are passionate about and volunteer. This work reminded me why I am studying law and saved me.
(8/) *warned! If you are a person who doesn’t have many financial resources, try to be a Barbri or Themis rep. You table for them and help them sell bar courses, and they give you a free bar course (otherwise it costs thousands)
(9/) The bar is another way that this career excludes Black people (historically), and anyone who is poor. Please reach out if you are struggling to pay for the LSAT or Bar prep. I would love to brainstorm solutions. We are going to FIX that in due time.
(10/) Most people take out graduate loans from the federal government for law school. I am no expert, but I recommend attending a “cheap” school near where you want to work. As someone currently doing that, the “little” debt I have seems worth it.
(11/) Once you find clubs or orgs that interest you, latch on to an upperclassman (or 4) to mentor you. Having someone to answer your panicked questions that has similar goals has also saved me this year! (S/o @hsimimlama @neeenerweener @PenMeiAlyv and MORE)
(12/) Thinking about finals as your only grade your first semester sounds scarier than it is (I SWEAR!) The key is to wait until you understand what matters in each case, and beginning to outline as soon as you can.
(13/) Law school exams are entirely fact pattern driven. That is, you are not tested on the cases you just read the whole semester. You are given sets of facts and your job is to pick out as many legal issues as you can, and discuss in essays
(14/) how each side would argue, and what the court would likely rule (if you can predict that). Logically, I think the way we teach law students can be streamlined to be more functional, but this is the tradition.
(15/) Everyone’s greatest fear is cold calling. To be honest, if you read the reading due that day, you will usually be fine (though some professors are more lethal). And more honesty; sometimes cold calls were the only reason I stayed awake. 
(16/) Outlining is really tough sometimes. I may have struggled with that the most. But if your school has an outline bank (ask older students), you will probably be able to find your professor and what their typical questions look like. Summarize RULES of cases!
(17/) But do your own outlines, buy Quimbee if you have the resources (helps brief cases for you), and work your ass off with your new friends. It’s a tough year but you will come out having grown and learned about yourself and the law.
(18/) Always ask questions you have, and ALWAYS take practice exams before finals. Each professor asks different types of questions, and they usually post their older exams. Just outlining a possible answer will help you prep.
(19/) This is in no way an exhaustive list; feel free to reach out to me with more questions and concerns. Proud of you for being here and excited to see more lil lawyers-to-be yelling about societal inequalities and our disfunctional system at every level and turn
(20/20) PS: decent housing is a human right, asylum is a human right, let people legally migrate to this country, BLM, trans lives matter, abolish prisons and cops, we have the resources to eradicate homelessness and more and if you don’t agree, kindly fuck off!
