Law School Strategies for Success

MV5BMTk2NTY2Njg5MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNTc3OTQ2__V1__CR68,0,283,283_SS100_As we officially open the school year, I have been thinking a lot about what are the secrets to success in law school.  I understand that Dean Rofes spoke at Orientation about the sausage races at Miller Park.  (I personally always root for the Chorizo Sausage!)  Law school may sometimes feel a bit like a race, or, to think more classically about Aesop’s fables, like the story of the Tortoise and the Hare.  In that story, the tortoise ultimately wins the race using slow and steady steps to the finish line.

What does slow and steady have to do with law school?  Be steady by being methodical.  Read and brief cases before every class.  Be steady by outlining every night when you get home from class.  An hour of outlining nightly will save you from the panic of trying to cram material at the end of the semester.  Outlining each day also helps you to see where you have questions, so you can ask your professors or study group members to help you unravel those questions.  One of the benefits of a Marquette education is that the faculty are accessible; use that accessibility to your advantage.

Be also like the tortoise by being slow.  The study of law takes time.  It takes time to ponder why a decision was rendered or to think about whether a court’s reasoning is sound.  One of the ASP leaders in my Orientation section said that it takes at least ten minutes to read each page in a casebook.  Good legal reading, like good legal writing, is slow going. 

What tips do others reading this blog have for success in law school?  Share your strategies for success here!

Best wishes for a wonderful school year!

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The Balancing Act

RabideauxWhen discussing my participation as a law student blogger with Professor Jessica Slavin, she suggested readers might find the variety of responsibilities and challenges a part-time student faces interesting.  I balked at the idea of writing about my own attempt at work-life-school  balance.  For starters, it’s been done before.   Further, I want to avoid portraying my burden as heavier than those around me, as everyone is busy and dealing with pressures of their own.  The lawyers, law professors and law students who read this blog are all active people pulled in different directions and I didn’t suspect they would have much sympathy for the schedule I keep.

Then it dawned on me that the challenge of work-life balance is probably one of the few things all the readers of this blog have in common.  Full-time students have different pressures than part-time students, litigators face different challenges than estate planning attorneys, who are all under different professional pressures than Law School faculty or administrators.  However, we all know what it is like be put in a position to prioritize between professional and family or personal obligations.

Additionally, the birth of my son, Callan, in June brought new weight to the “life” side of the balancing act and makes the topic of work-life-school balance particularly timely and relevant for me.  I’ve always known time to be precious, but the stakes are indeed higher with a child in the house.  Perhaps it is my Catholic guilt, but the weeknights in the classroom or on the road for work, and the all-weekend study sessions now feel a bit like time I’ve stolen from my family.

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Marquette Law Student Theresa Fallon Serving as ABA Law Student Division Liaison for the Dispute Resolution Section

I recently learned that Theresa Fallon, a 2L, was appointed by the ABA to serve as Liaison to the Section on Dispute Resolution for 2009-2010.  You can see a list naming Theresa and the other liaison appointees here.  Student liaisons to ABA entities such as the Dispute Resolution Section work to “serve as a line of communication between [their] respective entit[ies], Law Student Division, Division Circuits, and local law schools,” according to the front page of the Liaison website.

The competition for the liaison positions is tough, and it is an honor for Theresa to have been chosen.  In this position, Theresa will attend the section’s meetings and get to know its leadership, helping it to understand and serve the needs of law students.  She will also attend meetings for the ABA Law Student Division in the Seventh Circuit.  The liaison position is a wonderful opportunity for Theresa to make connections, serve the profession, and represent Marquette University Law School in national legal circles.

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