Dean Shares 6 Tips for Incoming Law Students (Perspective)

Editor’s Note: The author is the president of the D.C. Bar. This column is part of a two-part series in which a dean and a law student from the University of the District of Columbia School of Law offer advice for incoming students.

The first few months of law school can be challenging as students adjust to a new environment, a tremendous amount of reading, and the Socratic method. Over the past eight years, I have worked with hundreds of students at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and through the voluntary bar associations. These are a few of the insights that I share with them to ease their mind and give them a head start in the legal profession.

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Use all of the resources at your disposal: read all of your assignments, meet with your professors, form study groups with your classmates, talk to students who have taken the class before, meet with your deans at the first sign of trouble, and attend bar association educational programs. All of these resources will assist you in learning the law and how it relates to current legal and social issues.

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Practice self-care: create and adhere to a physical exercise routine (walking, running, biking, weight lifting, tennis, anything you like to do that gets you moving) and a mental health routine (regularly connect with family and friends, see a mental health counselor, meditate, and/or pray). This will reduce your stress significantly and enable you to focus on your studies.

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Choose one (or two at the most) bar association to join and actively participate in its activities. Working hard to contribute to the mission of the organization will be noticed by the board and members and will help with building your professional reputation and network.

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Live frugally, especially during law school. The best advice I received on student loans came from my Dean of Students at GWU Law School. Dean Alfreda Robinson said: “If you live like a lawyer when you are a law student, you will live like a law student when you are a lawyer.”

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Be vigilant about meeting the character and fitness requirements to practice law: pay your bills on time, get treatment for any mental illness, adhere to speed limits and avoid moving violations, and do not drink and drive. In short, review the character and fitness requirements for the jurisdiction in which you hope to practice, and behave accordingly.

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Anytime you are overwhelmed by life and/or school, ask your Dean of Students for help! S/he has knowledge of numerous free resources that will ease your stress.