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

Today we are talking about one important facet of your law school experience - learning to argue like a lawyer. From class to court, it's all basically the same. So, what do Lawyers argue about? Some combination of: The Facts The Law Policy In this episode we discuss: Examples of the types of arguments you will find in law school How to argue like a lawyer Why law students struggle with the concep...

Are your resume and cover letter ready to send out? Many law students wait until they're under the gun to craft their job application materials. The truth is you should write your resume now to avoid having to rush and create one when an opportunity presents itself. Not all resumes and cover letters are created equal. Find out what makes a law student resume and cover letter stand out in a sea of...

What is it about the term Legal Writing that makes law students cringe? If you are a first-year law student, you're most likely enrolled in a Legal Research and Writing Class (LRW). This is a class that can strike fear into the heart of some law students. Others approach it with an "I got this" attitude only to be shocked when they realize they actually don't. The same writing skills that scored y...

Are lawyers actually more unhappy than your average professionals, or do they just like to complain a lot?  Studies have shown that 52% of practicing lawyers are dissatisfied in their careers. They suffer from depression rates 3.6 times higher than other professions. The divorce rate is higher among lawyers and especially among female lawyers. Are you doomed to misery as a lawyer? In this episode,...

Welcome back! If you are a 2L or 3L who's stuggled in law school, this episode is for you. Today we're talking about how to overcome a 1L year that was less than stellar and raise your grades for the rest of your tenure in law school. Your GPA as a 1L is important because it's used for on-campus interviews and Law Review, but don't forget that clerkships, internships, and future employers look at...

Welcome back! If you’re a 1L, this is the episode for you. We’re going to talk about the top five things law students consistently screw up their first year, so you can avoid doing any of them. In a nutshell, here they are (and we talk about each one in detail in this episode): 1.     Bad time and life management 2.     Misunderstanding what’s expected on the final exam 3.     Lack of practice 4. ...

Today, we're doing a deep dive into a critically important topic -- time and life management! If you're an overstressed law student or young lawyer, this is a can't miss episode. Here's some of what we cover: Why is work-life balance so hard in today's legal profession? Has technology made things even more difficult? How to focus and get the right things done Why multitasking is a bad idea Why it'...

Today we’re excited to be discussing one of our very favorite topics – Learning! I know you’re shocked that this is a topic we find interesting…but we do. Especially right now, when Alison is living in Mexico trying to learn Spanish and Lee is watching her one-year-old son learn new stuff every day.   We’re pretty convinced that the lessons from learning a language, or learning to walk, apply equa...

Today, we’re talking about a very important topic – how to stay true to yourself and live with integrity as a law student and as a lawyer. Our friend Linda Alvarez gave a great talk on this topic at the most recent Catapult conference , and we’re going to be pulling heavily from her ideas here. For those of you who don’t know her, Linda is an innovative attorney who helps her clients create contra...

Last time, we talked about the basics of OCI, how to bid, and what to expect in the initial interview. Today, we’re discussing the next step in the process – callback interviews.   Topics discussed include: The basics - what's a callback interview, and how is it different from the initial on-campus interview? What are firms looking for in a callback? Advice on scheduling interviews and handling tr...

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast. For the next two episodes, we’re talking about the process of getting a summer associate position at a large law firm – typically referred to as on-campus interviewing or OCI. The details of the process vary somewhat between schools, but the basics are similar across the board.   In this episode, we talk about improving your resume and cover letter,...

In the prior episode, we talked about Mindset and how important it is to work on cultivating a growth mindset. Today, we’re talking about why law school is hard! Not to scare you, but to provide context and alert you to some of the challenges you might face. Forewarned is forearmed. And remember, a challenge – seen the right way – is just an opportunity for growth and learning. In this episode, we...

The goal of this episode is to talk about one of the most important tools you need when starting your legal career – the right mindset. We discuss fixed and growth mindsets and talk about how having the right mindset can really influence your experience and success in law school. We became somewhat obsessed with the book  Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck (a Stanford Professor)...

This goal of this episode is to give you – the new listener – an overview of who Lee and Alison are, how we met and started our various projects, why we went to law school, and what we did there. We also talk about different legal jobs we had, over the summers and full-time. Finally, we give you a very quick rundown of our various businesses, and how we can help – whether you’re a current law stud...