The Law School Toolbox Podcast: Tools for Law Students from 1L to the Bar Exam, and Beyond

Welcome back! Today, let's take a break, and talk about self-care strategies to keep your mojo strong as a law student. Law school is stressful enough on a good day, and, with everything going on in the world, global anxiety is at an all-time high. This combo is leading to a lot of stressed out, anxious law students! If this is you, we've got some strategies and advice to keep things from spinning...

Welcome back. Today, we're talking with Chris J. Henjum, an attorney and social entrepreneur. Chris is the co-founder of Esqyr.com, a public benefit corporation devoted to providing credible, affordable test prep (starting with the bar exam). Chris is also an attorney and analyst with Flaherty & Hood in St. Paul, Minnesota. If you're looking for bar prep options, or want to learn more about social...

Welcome back. Today, we're taking a little bit of a detour to talk about entrepreneurship. Or, maybe it's not such a detour, given the number of lawyers who end up creating solo practices or small firms, or who leave the law entirely to start new businesses! If you are looking to start your own business or create a side hustle, tune in!  In this episode we discuss: Why everyone should think of the...

Welcome back. Today, we're talking with Grover Cleveland, a Seattle lawyer and speaker and the author of the bestselling career advice book for new lawyers, Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: The Essential Guide to Thriving as a New Lawyer. If you're in law school or are starting your legal career in a law firm, tune in!  In this episode we discuss: Grover tells us about the origin of his bestselli...

Welcome back! Today, we're talking with Law School Toolbox tutor (and former law professor) Jason Jones about a very important aspect of law school exam success – using legal rules.  Some of you might be thinking, "Duh, of course, I know how to use legal rules. It's all we talk about in class and I have them all in my outline." But, we see A LOT of exam answers – where students swear they knew the...

Welcome to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today we've got a special episode for you. We are honored to be talking with several volunteer lawyers who sprung into action at airports around the country, helping people caught up in the chaos that ensued after President Trump issued his executive order on immigration. This executive order, issued at the close of business on Friday, January 27th, 2017...

Welcome back! Today we're talking with Okeoma Moronu, a BigLaw mid-level associate and creator of The Happy Lawyer Project.  Are you a law student wondering if you can be happy as a lawyer? Are you a lawyer looking for happiness? It's really not impossible. Tune in for fresh ideas! In this episode we discuss: Can lawyers really be happy?  Advice for young associates deciding what type of law to fo...

Welcome back! Today we're talking about something that's not discussed all that often in law school, which is emotional intelligence. This is an important piece of the puzzle for happiness and success in your law career and in life.  Want to know how to develop these skills? Tune in!  In this episode we discuss: What is emotional intelligence? Why is emotional intelligence important in legal work?...

Welcome back! Today, we're talking about the basics of the bar exam. This episode might send shudders down your spine if you're a 3L looking to take the bar exam next summer, or perhaps you're thinking, "Hey, I'm a 1L. Why should I be worrying about this so early?" Well, the reality is the bar exam is a pretty big deal and is one of the final hurdles to becoming a lawyer. So whether you're taking...

Welcome back! Today, we're talking about making the most of your second semester of law school.  By now, you probably have some or all of your grades back, so this is a good time to take stock of where you are and make any changes necessary to get the most out of your second semester.  In this episode we discuss: Dealing with your first semester grades, whether they're good, bad, or in the middle...

Welcome back! Today we're sharing advice for first-time bar exam takers, to ensure you can take the test once and pass. Even if you're still in law school, and the bar exam is years away, it's never too early to get informed and chart a course for success, so tune in. In this episode we discuss: Mistakes first-time bar takers commonly make How to evaluate what type of bar prep is for you Do you ne...

Welcome back! Today we're talking about how to get great letters of recommendation, whether you need them to apply to law school, get a job or clerkship, or for some other purpose as a law student. Fundamentally, there are two issues at play here. First, who should you ask to write your letters? How can you ensure they're actually enthusiastic? And, two, what information do your letter writers nee...

Welcome back! Today, as finals wind down, we're talking about what you can do over winter break to improve your law school (and legal career) experience. Don't worry, a lot of it is fun! Not just more work - you've done enough for now. Winter break is a time to recuperate, but we do have a few suggestions! In this episode we discuss: Alison and Lee share their winter break experiences The importan...

Welcome back! Today, we're excited to have attorney and author Lainey Feingold here with us. She is a long-time disability rights lawyer and developed a technique called Structured Negotiation that is the subject of her book, "Structured Negotiation: A Winning Alternative to Lawsuits," which was recently published by the ABA. Structure Negotiation has been used with well-known organizations includ...

Welcome back! Today we are talking about a very important topic -- who should go to law school? People have a variety of reasons for going to law school, but the real question is -- should YOU go? We'll help you figure that out. In this episode we discuss: What do lawyers really do? What is law school like? Questions to ask yourself before you apply to law school Ways to learn about the legal prof...

Welcome back! Today we're talking about a difficult reality – what happens when you don't pass the bar exam. Ariel Salzer, one of our bar exam tutors, is here with Lee to share some advice. If you got disappointing bar exam news, we have helpful tips in this podcast to help you regroup and get ready to pass next time. If you're in law school now, you can also find some useful information on how to...

Welcome back! Today we're talking with Dr. Jared Maloff, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Beverly Hills, California, about helping students get testing accommodations for tests such as the LSAT, law school exams, and the California Bar Exam (to name a few). If you're struggling in law school or with the bar exam or know that you have a learning disorder, listen in to find out what accommodation...

Welcome back. Today we're talking about the soft skills you need to develop to be a successful attorney. It shouldn't be shocking to learn that law school doesn't totally prepare you to be a successful lawyer. Sure, you learn useful skills like legal writing and legal analysis, but building a practice (and a book of business) requires other skills. Some law schools are getting better at offering o...

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we're talking about how to figure out what type of law to practice. There are more options than most people realize, and your career happiness and success can ride on these decisions, so it's important to think beyond "litigation or corporate." Ideally, you'll find something that uses your unique skills, interests, and background to set yourse...

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today Lee is leading a panel discussion about what it takes to succeed as a 21st-Century lawyer. In this discussion, we dive into the characteristics of successful lawyers in today's legal workplace and talk about how to gain those skills and traits while still in law school. Many thanks to Thomson Reuters, the sponsor for this episode. You likely in...

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Almost every 1L in the country will take some sort of legal research and writing class. Today, we're discussing the top ten LRW disasters we see again and again, so you can avoid them! Many thanks to Thomson Reuters, the sponsor for this episode. You likely interact with their products every day when you're using useful tools such as WestLaw, TWEN, a...

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast. Today we're running through your mid-semester to-do list to ensure you're where you need to be before it's too late. Mid-semester is the time when reality sets in for most law students. Whatever is going on - midterms, sniffles, boredom - it's time to focus on the end goal and get serious about preparation. Here's what you need to be doing, now. In t...

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast. Today we're talking about how to have a successful law school internship or externship experience. For most law students, these jobs are their first experiences in the legal workplace (or maybe in any professional workplace). Be sure you're behaving like a responsible professional, and you'll set yourself up for success in any internship or externshi...

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast. Today we're talking about making outlines and other study aids, which are important in helping you make sense of everything you're learning in law school. This episode is based on a question we got from a 1L listener, so don't be shy about reaching out with your own questions! Contact details are below. In this episode we discuss: What is an outline...

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast. Today we're talking about grit - that quality that lets you get back up and carry on after you've been knocked down. And, every law student is probably going to get knocked down a time or two! In this episode we discuss: Why is grit important in law school?  The harsh realities of law school Why just being "smart" isn't enough any longer Situations w...