Coffee, Cases, and Cold Calls: My Law School Story

Coffee cup on a plate with a pile of books next to it.

Getting Ready for 1L Year 

Between submitting my deposit and receiving my orientation information, I had an entire summer to figure out what getting ready for law school actually meant. I asked myself: Did I need to prepare for law school? How should I prepare for law school? Or should I walk into law school blindly? Then, I found myself researching “Getting ready for 1L year” and quickly became confused by all the different advice about pre-law school preparation. Some sources recommended simply enjoying the time before starting law school by making travel plans, listening to the latest music and binge TV shows. While others recommended taking a prep course to get a law school experience preview and prepare; as well as chatting with current law students (as a quiet person I did not end up selecting this option), and to apply for scholarships. So, I ended up selecting a mix and match approach that I liked: listening to music, reading books, binge TV shows, working part-time, applying for scholarships, and taking a prep course offered by the University of Arizona Law School. I read and briefed on my first Contracts Law case. The infamous case studied in almost all law schools – Hamer v. Sidway. However, in the end, law school turned out to be a completely new experience regardless of my preparation.

First Year of Law School – 1L 

Every first-year law student took the same core classes: Torts, Contracts, Criminal Law, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Property, and two different legal writing classes. Fall semester was when I learned what law school was really like: a very critical period in a law student’s legal education. I quickly learned why coffee became essential, how many cases I’d need to read, and what the cold call actually felt like. It became apparent how crucial it was to succeed in time management in order to balance coursework and other responsibilities. The grading system was completely different from undergraduate experiences and how important it was to take advantage of each available resource provided to students to pass the courses. Essentially, the first year creates a foundation for your legal education and career development.

For almost all 1L classes are conducted in what is known as the Socratic Method (cold call). Originated in Ancient Greece and often terrorizes students (even if you come prepared to class – especially in Civil Procedure, at least for me). The Socratic method is one of the teaching techniques used by professors that involves randomly calling on students to ask questions about case law, legal principles, and hypothetical scenarios to engage the students in critical thinking analysis. Being cold called on is simply for some students a source of anxiety and pressure since it can be a very scary experience that they have never felt before in undergrad education.

So, how does one prepare for the class knowing at any given moment you can be called on? By realizing that there is no right or wrong answer. If you don’t know the answer, simply say, “I don’t know.” And if you are worried about being embarrassed in front of your classmates (especially in front of those who go above and beyond in preparing for each class), don’t be. Because classmates understand what it is like to go through a cold call, and they never criticize you. There will be days when you had a great cold call, and you feel like “I got this!” then there will always be a bad cold call that you will have to try your best to forget and move on.

Then, it’s time for the midterms, and it gives you a first look at what law school exams are really like. To begin with, more coffee is needed (or an energy drink). You are in between class readings, case briefing, and trying to figure out how to outline. Many midterm exams barely contribute towards the final grade because almost always your final exam is worth 100% of your final grade. Nevertheless, midterm exams could be considered an important aspect of the course where you are able to understand whether you are studying the right way, if your outline is correct, and which topic requires more focus or deeper understanding moving forward. So, take it as one thing off the checklist and utilize it to prepare for finals. Don’t stress too much – it's not worth a large portion of the grade (easier said than done), but I still used midterms as a good opportunity to practice and understand the material more clearly, identify my weak spots, and adjusted my study methods accordingly.

Students taking an exam

It is finals season; they come faster than one can imagine. You will often hear people say to start early to prepare for the finals, and you should. There are tons of reading materials, rules to memorize, and outlines to finish. How I did it? Study guides to understand the material I was still struggling with, office hours, and commercial outlines as a backup (your own outline is what matters the most because it is created in a way your professor teaches and tests the material). First and foremost, take breaks in between, eat, and sleep. Relying simply on coffee and tackling the finals by pulling all-nighters will not work; it will fast track your burnout. Just simply remind yourself to breathe, don’t panic; finals are achievable.

And this was all the first semester of law school. It is an emotional and stressful roller coaster ride, but it is worth it. It could be a nightmare since your social life is mostly extinct, but it is rewarding. You know you put in your hard work even though at times you felt guilty for sleeping instead of studying. Even if you didn’t do well enough as you thought, just be confident in yourself throughout the process, since everyone is figuring it out as they go. It is a challenge that is different for everyone but accomplishable.

Now fall semester is finished, winter vacation is over in a jiffy, yet you are still recovering from the mental exhaustion of the fall semester. But spring semester begins, and you realize that studying is not the only aspect of law school. Now you must think about summer internships, summer jobs, law review, moot court, and SBA, etc. Along with already intense class readings, appellate court memo (and more coffee), a law student gets to experience the stress of looking for internships (a daunting task for someone who is unsure of which field of law they would like to learn more about or whether they are big law or small law firm person). Plus, you are thinking about law reviews and moot court in your already busy schedule and feel more stressed out. Nevertheless, the only way to overcome this challenge is to plan, search which field you feel like belong to (it’s ok if you end not liking it – it'll be one thing off the list after graduation), reach out the career development office and simply ask for help. And this is how the spring semester goes by and you either end up with a summer internship or you end up taking a summer class, both acceptable.

Student Studying

Second Year of Law School – 2L

Finished the 1L and it is summer vacation (which again goes by fast), and second year of law school begins. And you are not as nervous as you were on the first day of the 1L year. Entire 2L is spent focusing on legal studies, continuing to build upon the foundational knowledge, and cold calls become lax but not entirely. One of the core principles of second year law students is to balance their life when they are taking classes and at the same time taking an internship. Clinical opportunities become available to receive hands-on experience in the real legal world. You might be part of a law review or moot court to strengthen your legal writing and arguing skills. In addition to these, a law student begins networking during their second year with some ideas on what law career path you want to pursue after graduation. And this is basically how your second year of law school is going to be like.

Third Year, Bar Exam, and Job Hunt

As someone who just completed her second year, I know that my third year in law school will be what I need to know about the bar exam and job search. The third year is still yet to be explored. But I know that it will be about establishing a professional network, keeping up with academics, extracurriculars, and job hunting. It will add more to this story.

Therefore, law school has been exactly what the title suggests: coffee, cases, and cold calls.

By Supreet Kaur