Preparing to Enter the Profession: 1000 Days to Practice

Laying the Groundwork from Day One

The day that you are admitted to law school is the day that you start preparing to enter the profession of law.   You can prepare well or you can prepare haphazardly.   Law school gives you about 1000 days to prepare and to practice - you can and should use the time wisely.  

            During law school, you will have the time and the expert guidance to learn to read the law critically and efficiently.   Law school is when you will have daily opportunities to test and to get feedback on your developing skills in analyzing and applying the law; as you work with classroom hypotheticals, participate in study group discussions, and practice with exam questions, you are preparing for your future work solving legal problems.    During the 1000 days of law school, you should find out what learning and studying techniques work best for you, and you should begin to learn how to manage time and stress.   Law school gives you many chances to practice your writing, in formats that will be directly useful when you are in practice and in formats that will be directly useful when you take the bar exam.  

            If your preparation for the practice of law gets off to a good start during law school, you will be more prepared for the final hurdle.   Bar experts agree on what it takes to pass the bar:

1.   Life-planning skills so you will not be hindered by lack of time, money, and support.

2.   Learning and study skills acquired and practiced over time.

3.   Critical reading, legal analysis, legal application skills developed over time.

4.   Methods and ability to manage mood, attitude, and stress levels.

5.   Knowledge and understanding, including memorization, of enough substantive law.

6. Practice with enough feedback so you will be confident in your ability to handle the format of each kind of exam question.

Bar Exam Tests Your Knowledge and Skills

Even with a good start on the basic skills and substantive law during law school, most experts advise that it will take about 600 hours of additional focused study to pass the bar examination in the jurisdiction where you want to practice.   While law school is designed to prepare you for the practice of law, the bar examination is designed to test whether you have acquired the basic knowledge and skills to become a practicing attorney.   Fortunately, the knowledge, skills, and methods that will help you succeed in law school are related to those that will help you pass the bar and form the basis for the successful practice of law.

Links to Readings and Resources

            Following are links to various resources for successful law school preparation for practice.   These are designed to be helpful to newly admitted students as well as to students who are currently in law school.

Reading Before Law School
Reading During Law School
Resources for Law School Success

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