After your third year of law school, you have likely read thousands of pages and cases; your eyesight and handwriting have likely taken a hit from all this reading.
If you’re planning to attend law school, this timeline provides an invaluable way of staying organized throughout the process. Use it to determine when to take the LSAT and submit applications, for instance.
1L Year
As a first year law student (known as a 1L), you’re probably both excited and nervous to begin your fall semester. After working hard to reach this point, there may be questions regarding what your daily schedule will look like.
As part of your 1L year, you will need to enroll in several foundational law school classes that cover key subjects. These courses may be predetermined so all students receive a broad introduction to legal issues as well as meet prerequisites for upper level classes. Each week will likely bring hundreds of pages of reading assignment as well as spending countless hours creating and maintaining a study schedule that supports your success during 1L year.
Most 1L classes use the Socratic Method, in which your professor randomly calls on you to answer questions about cases read for class. Although this can be daunting at first, the Socratic Method can also be an excellent way to develop lawyerly thinking skills. Furthermore, during your 1L year you’ll participate in Legal Research and Writing seminars and moot court exercises – all must be accomplished successfully!
Though studying is important, make sure that you set aside enough time for fun activities and socializing with friends. Join a club or activity that will provide a break from studying; additionally take regular mental health days as necessary.
At the end of your first year, you will receive instructions on how to start applying for summer internships and jobs. If you plan to pursue full-time legal practice after graduation, interviewing should begin during fall of your 2L year.
Between your 2L and 3L years, you will likely take several clinic courses that provide opportunities to represent real clients under the supervision of full-time faculty members. At this point, it would also be wise to join either a law journal or apply to take part in one of NYU’s Law Abroad programs in either Buenos Aires or Paris.
2L Year
2L year is usually an exciting milestone in law school life. Once all the uncertainty of 1L year has subsided and you’ve adapted to its system, your grades this year will have an enormous impact on your class rank (which then impacts summer job opportunities and career decisions) as well as offering more choices in selecting courses.
But that doesn’t mean slacking off in your studies – choosing classes to help prepare you to pass the bar exam should remain at the top of your priorities list. That means taking courses covering torts, contracts, property law and constitutional law that are frequently tested on the exam as well as taking legal research and writing courses designed to sharpen skills needed when researching memoranda and briefs for research projects and brief writing.
Outside the classroom, this year is when you will focus on externships and practical experience to enhance your resume and prepare for life after law school. Perhaps a summer clerkship with a judge in your hometown may be possible or a fellowship at a law firm or legal department could provide invaluable opportunities. You must also complete any additional upper-level writing requirements of your law school such as an externship note or independent research project with professor – as well as prepare for fall externship enrollment procedures.
At this stage in your law school career, now is also an excellent time to engage more actively in student groups, campus events and law school activities. Not only will this bolster your social life while networking opportunities arise but it may also make keeping up with a heavy workload more manageable.
3L Year
As your final year in law school approaches, 1Ls are still focused on passing the bar exam, 2Ls are trying to avoid senioritis and 3Ls are eagerly looking forward to graduation day.
Students also use this time of reflection and decision-making to envision their legal careers and the types of classes that will help them thrive on resumes and in job interviews. 3Ls should visit their school’s career services department for advice – and when choosing courses for 3Ls to take, visiting these experts may help make an impactful statement about themselves as an applicant for legal employment.
At their third-year level, law students generally have more freedom in selecting their curriculum in addition to required classes. Many law students focus on classes that will prepare them for a career they hope to pursue; perhaps taking classes on writing memos and legal briefs or opting for seminars on conducting independent legal research are options available to them. Many schools also feature Moot Court exercises where law students combine research skills with writing capabilities in an attempt to win cases before judges.
Students taking law school classes during this time should also prepare themselves for and attempt the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, which most jurisdictions require before students can practice law. As this examination can be one of the more challenging tests taken throughout law school studies, it would be wise to start studying for it early.
Third-year law students should make the most of this year to create an extensive network of fellow lawyers and prospective employers – this will play an essential role in their job search process and may provide invaluable sources of information and support during the transition into practicing law.
As your final year of law school approaches, it can be easy to think that things are getting easier as graduation nears. But it is essential to remain balanced and stay on task because third year grades are just as essential to graduation success as first and second years’ grades; failing a 3L year could damage future interviewers and make finding employment even harder.
4L Year
Law school curriculums can be intensive studies requiring multiple classes and assignments at once. Therefore, it is vital that law students stay on top of their coursework. Most instructors provide a syllabus outlining reading assignments and case briefing requirements; staying informed helps prepare for class discussion as well as to craft outlines. Furthermore, most courses require legal writing assignments which often come due at the end of semester; successful students set aside time every day to read or brief cases and respond.
As soon as your third year begins, final preparation for the bar exam begins in earnest. This may involve engaging in experiential learning opportunities like externships and clinical programs as well as taking and defending the bar exam itself. Your externships and clinical opportunities provide invaluable exposure to real law practice settings – providing invaluable perspective on your future career!
As part of your law school transition, now is also an essential time to check that all your student loan obligations and payments are up-to-date and compliant with their terms. While most federal loans automatically defer when attending law school, private lenders may require additional paperwork and verification from law school as proof.
One of the key tasks in your fourth year should be staying focused on your goals and objectives. Step one should be to select legal fields you would like to practice in; once this decision has been made, research schools that offer specialties relevant to those fields and narrow down your list of potential schools to apply to.
If you plan to attend law school shortly after earning an undergraduate degree, an ideal timeline would be to start researching and applying to law schools during your senior year’s fall term. That should give you enough time to have completed both your applications and any letters of recommendation before sitting the November LSAT test.
