http://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_students/events_competitions/wec.html

Quick Tip 1: Can't decide what to write about? Check this site for potentially award winning topics. 

Quick Tip 2: When your friend wants to help you but has no idea how, assign her this task: Give her the topics you wrote about, or plan to write about, and tell her to check this site every month. 

Break Tasks into Chunks and Assign a Time Frame
“I want to be a patent attorney,” is not a goal that will get you through the week’s reading. “Do Torts,” is not defined enough either. Set small well-defined goals such as, “Read and brief three cases in the next hour,” “Add to and revise my CivPro outline from 4 to 5:30PM.” 

Be Reflective and Realistic
Pay attention to how long it takes to brief a case and set a time that allows you to be successful.  If it takes 20 minutes to brief a case, do not set a goal of an hour to brief five cases. Know how long it takes and schedule accordingly.

It is a huge mistake (and one law students often make) to devote 40 hours a week to accomplishing assignments and then try to complete the assignments in 40 hours.  The work drives the time. The time does not drive the work.  Time the tasks: Reading 50 pages takes ____ minutes. Briefing a short case takes ____ minutes. Updating an outline weekly takes ____ minutes.  Determine the time needed, then allot the time. Bonus: Confidence increases because goals are consistently reached.

Create a Schedule
Create an organized and efficient schedule.  Setting goals is abstract. Setting a schedule is concrete. Use the syllabus to determine what needs to be done, break it down into small chunks, set a realistic time to accomplish each chunk, and map out a schedule that lists the task and time allotted for each chunk.

A visual schedule is essential, especially for 1L’s.  As skills improve and briefing/reading/outlining takes less time, readjust the time allotted.  As you complete each task, cross it out and note the time. You are monitoring progress and gaining satisfaction from completing a task.

Always build in extra time.  First, it guards against falling behind.  Falling behind is never an option because it leads to a rapid decline in performance. There will be cases that are tougher to brief and take extra time. Plus, there will be unavoidable distractions. Pad the schedule to accommodate these inevitable events. Second, padding the schedule gives you periodic mood boosts because you will accomplish goals with time to spare. Use the extra time for a longer break or a few multiple choice practice questions to help you get ahead of the pack.

Successful law students are great time managers. Manage your time by breaking down tasks into smaller chunks and creating a realistic schedule that is modified as skills improve. 

• Law students who walk in late once are noticed and forgiven.
• Law students who walk in late twice are labeled “possibly unreliable.” Would you refer a friend or client to a “possibly unreliable” lawyer? Keep in mind that classmates and professors are the greatest referral source after graduation.
• Law students who habitually walk in late are labeled “rude and unreliable.” They earn a reputation that reaches not only those in the classroom, but also law students and professors with whom the in-class witnesses communicate.  Classmates and professors will not only withhold referrals for these future lawyers, they will steer potential clients away from them.

Be on time! It’s easy. 

Law school is filled with students who breezed through high school and barely lifted a finger in undergrad. Yet in law school, they quickly become horrified to discover that law school learning is nothing like any learning done before. It may take until the middle of the second year to figure out how to do it well, and until the middle of the last year to master it. 

There are several reasons why law school does not come easily, even for accelerated learners. First, the class is filled with similarly exceptionally intelligent and capable students, so the amount and difficulty of material is drastically amplified to meet everyone’s capabilities. Second, the law is tough to learn. It combines a new language with complicated analysis and an enormous volume of material.  The time it takes to read and synthesize the material, attend class, and complete assignments will overwhelm students if they lack the ability to tackle it efficiently. Also, although professors teach, it is up to students to learn. No one holds students' hands through law school.  Academic success programs may teach how to IRAC, but they will not diagnose or solve problems when students don’t get it – and everyone has times when they don’t get it.

What Can You Do to Figure it Out?

You have the ability to learn anything that law school throws at you. The fact that you got into law school means that you have the ability to get out with a Juris Doctorate. 

If you feel like you are failing at law school, check out the Ally program for individualized help. If you are struggling in only one class or topic, you are most likely merely tangled. Being tangled means that there is a knot somewhere in your learning that is preventing the flow of information. Untangle the knot, and you will solve the problem.

A Difficult Class: Strategies to Untangle the Knot

If you are trapped in the forest, dazed and walking in circles, rise above the forest to map it out.

• Read the assigned book’s Table of Contents to understand the framework.
• In the library, locate the In a Nutshell by Thomson West that applies to the class.  It is a small, manageable book that you can read to get an overview. If you anticipate a future class will be a bear, read the Nutshell on the break before the semester begins.
• Also in the library, check out an Emanuel Law Outline by Aspen Publishing.  This is a great resource that allows you to read in varying levels of detail. Start by reading the basic outline of the class to see what the forest looks like before parachuting in.
• Borrow audio CD’s to pop in your car or load on your computer and listen to an accomplished professor explain the class in his words (which are hopefully more easily understood that your professor’s words). This is a great option for auditory learners.

A Difficult Topic: Strategies to Untangle the Knot

            Usually, when you can’t figure out an essential concept such as Battle of the Forms, or the Commerce Clause, you are merely missing an element of the concept because you don’t have the necessary information. Given that information, the knot is easy to untangle.

• Again, check out an Emanuel Law Outline by Aspen Publishing. This time, read the section that goes more in depth about the topic. Emanuel books are excellent tools meant to clarify the concepts that your professors or casebooks fail to clearly present.
• Check out the Examples and Explanations series by Aspen Publishers to gain an understanding of how the concept works in action. Often the best way to grasp a difficult concept is to see it applied to real situations.

The key to remember is DON’T WAIT! Law school classes and concepts build upon other classes and concepts. The longer you wait to untangle knots, the more knots you will have to untangle. With the time consuming load of study, if you wait too long, you will run the risk of not having enough time to figure it out before the exam.

Do not wait for someone to rescue you. Despite the fact that you are spending over $100,000 for law school to teach you the law, they will not crack your head open and pour it in. Your law school tells you what you need to learn, describes it, and then leaves it up to you to learn it. If you can prove to them that you learned it, the school gives you a golden ticket to sit for the Bar Exam. You are paying for the golden ticket, not for professors to teach you the law.

1. Turn off the sound on your computer. If you leave the sound on and click on a page with background music, quickly turn off the sound and look around just like everyone else
2. Don’t crack a smile unless the professor says something he intends to be humorous.  When a friend IM’s something hilarious and you cannot hold back a smile, your professor will ask, “Mr. Smith, what do you think is so funny?” Have a charming answer ready such as, “I just noticed that you are wearing the same shirt my father wears every time he (plays golf with his brother) (speaks in church) (takes my mom out to dinner).” Then apologize for the distraction.
3. Wear pants that sit high enough, and a shirt that is low enough so that the people sitting behind you don’t label you “The Plumber” for the remainder of your law career.
4. Stay awake. Someone will nod off and everyone will watch as he struggles to keep his head up, dipping, rising, dipping, rising. The professor will notice too, although she may not bring attention to it.
5. Don’t rest a phone in your lap.  Professors know when students are reading texts. People don’t normally spend so much time staring at their crotch…normal people anyway.
6. Arrive early and have your notes organized before class begins. Walking in after the professor begins class invites a potentially embarrassing interrogation. If you are pulling up notes or shuffling papers when the professor starts class, she will probably tell you to brief the first case and you won’t have it in front of you.
7. Don’t brag. Be confident but humble. As soon as you announce that you’ve mastered supplemental jurisdiction, the professor will throw you an incomprehensible scenario to analyze.
8. Practice pronunciation. Legal language is tricky, especially the words derived from French and Latin. As a first semester 1L, students who are unfamiliar with stare decisis surround you, but by the second semester, you should know how to pronounce common terms such as certiorari, prima facie, voir dire, and chattel. Don’t be the guy who says “per stripes” in Property.

The wonderful thing about embarrassing moments in law school is that everyone has at least one. As you are suffering through your moment, resist the urge to sweat or shake. Do not cry. If you cry from embarrassment, you’ll be embarrassed about crying. Shake it off. Tomorrow will be someone else’s turn. Endure embarrassment with grace to exude confidence and keep everyone at ease.

Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you. —Mary Lou Retton

How To Stay Positive

1. Stay in touch with positivity. Visit places that remind you to stay positive – including websites such as Positively Positive and Happy News. Download a mobile app with daily affirmations or inspirational quotes. Do not subscribe to sites that consistently spew negativity, even for the sake of humor and sarcasm. Putting a funny twist on negative law school news is still negativity.

• What hornbooks and study aids does the professor recommend?
• What pet peeves are listed?
• What makes the professor happy?

Pay close attention to the professor’s likes and dislikes and follow his penchants carefully. 

The syllabus is the guide to setting up your outline.
Some professors march through the class text in order, from beginning to end. Some wander through the book out of order and sprinkle in other reading to present the subject matter in a different way than the text’s author intended. The assigned reading listed in the syllabus tells you the order in which the material will be presented. From this information, you should set up an outline.

Studies consistently reveal that students who create their own outlines, rather than copy others’ outlines, are more successful in law school. It is the process of creating the outline that clarifies and solidifies the information.

AWR
Your second year of law school is the year you choose your topic for the Advanced Writing Requirement (AWR). This upper-division writing requirement is mandated by the ABA. The writing must be completed by your fifth semester, but many schools allow you to complete your AWR during your second year.

The earlier you complete your AWR the better because you want to get it published.  Getting your AWR published is your ultimate goal because published papers make a job-hunting law grad look much better.  To get published, choose your topic wisely. Write about a topic that is current. Create a new twist so that you get noticed. If you say something about a current topic that no one else has said before, your paper will not only be published once, but other outlets may pick it up to republish or link to it. Keep in mind that you have to stand by what you write. Don’t advocate against a policy that a firm you want to work for practices.

Set up an organizational system for your AWR research and start collecting the research. As you read and collect information, your topic and twist will become more defined.

Network
Join your local bar association. Student membership costs $0 to $30. Register with bar association legal divisions that interest you so that you will receive alerts regarding special events and trainings within your areas of focus. Some bar associations charge an extra fee to become a member of a division, but the cost is low for students. Attend everything that interests you and fits in your schedule, especially those that are popular with attorneys.  Ask the bar association staff which CLE’s are most popular. The more attorneys in the room, the more connections you will make. Bar associations give great discounts to students. You may pay $10 for a three-hour session and lunch will be provided.  Ten dollars to learn about a topic of your choice and to network with attorneys who share your interest is a fantastic deal.

Once you target your dream law offices and mentoring attorneys, attend events where those attorneys gather. Award dinners can be pricey but if you are there to network with attorneys who can further your career, the price is worth it. Volunteer for the same organizations they do. Don’t be a stalker. Don’t suddenly shop at the same grocery store, work out at the same gym, and go to the same church, but definitely place yourself in a position to make yourself known.

When you arrive at a networking event, you have to work the room. Read How to Work a Roomful of Lawyers so that you maximize every networking opportunity.

Network online by joining LinkedIn.  Create a profile that serves as an online résumé. Clean up and boost your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Remove anything that puts your professionalism in question and add groups and likes to accurately represent your professional goals. 

1. Go alone (or act alone)
Walking up to a stranger to say, “Hi, I’m David and I’m a law student at WBU,” is awkward.  “Meet and mingle” sounds cheery, but it can be very uncomfortable. That is why people attend networking events in pairs. If you bring someone with you, you have a person to talk with all night long. But then why go?

The point of attending networking events is to meet new people and to get to know acquaintances better. Making connections in the legal world is vitally important to your success. If you bring a friend and stay glued to his hip all night, you defeat the purpose of being there. Be bold and go alone.