10 Incredibly Life-Relevant Things You Will Learn In Law School

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1. Respect

Not many make it to law school and those who do make it obviously have a modicum of intelligence. You owe it to your own intellect to recognize that the pretty boy next to you is a fully functioning, thinking individual. Respect your peer’s intelligence and some of it may rub off on you.

2. Tenacity

Otherwise known as stubbornness, resolve but most importantly known as perseverance. You need this mate; you need truckloads of this! Studying for a law degree can take the life out of the best student, and there will be days and nights (mostly drunken for some) when you will irrationally curse the law, the “system”, your tutors and so on. However, know that law school isn’t for the faint hearted: if you cannot pick yourself up after a bad grade and plough through the rest of the coursework, then maybe it’s best you move onto something less challenging. That said, no degree is easy.

3. The Need for Thick Skin

When you enter university, irrespective of your course, you will be considered an adult for all intents and purposes, capable of taking care of yourself. Gone are the days when you could run to Mum (or best friend/sister/boyfriend/cat) about every single unpleasant thing that someone said to you. This is not to say that you will not or should not have a support system; it is more the matter of being able to bounce back with your dignity intact when a fellow student or lecturer says something rude with respect to your work. Which brings me to my next point…

4. Humility

If you’re wrong, you’re wrong. Argue your point by all means, but when your argument stops making sense to you, please accede that you were wrong and shut up! Contrarily, if you are right and briefly win the tutor’s attention with your oh-so-smart point, there’s no need to be obnoxious about it. Whatever it is, always remember that true humility stems from strength of character.

5. Confidence

Very few can perfect that combination of humility and confidence, and it is imperative that you, as a future lawyer, do so. Confidence really is what will pull you through each seemingly pathetic assignment, each embarrassing presentation, and each hopeless mock trial. Oh, and girls? When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you own the world!

6. Punctuality

If you cannot make it on time, do not bother attending your lectures at all. Arriving late shows that you are unreliable, lax and just plain disrespectful. Genuine reasons, of course, don’t count here.

7. Integrity

For God’s sake don’t cheat! Or worse, plagiarize! No, it isn’t cool (what is wrong with you?!) and it certainly isn’t legal. Do have some amount of respect for the profession you’re going to pursue! Remember that even if you do get away with it, you are going to have to face yourself every minute of every day. And trust me wholeheartedly when I say that the worst feeling there ever is, is to be at odds with yourself.

8. Commitment

Whether it’s the endless property law essay or the interesting, psychotic criminals; you chose to study law. You need to preserve that fire that you had while applying for a legal education.

9. Get A Life

You have a life outside your academics! If you need that third bottle of beer, you need it! But this isn’t limited to just going out every night! Look for opportunities outside studying and partying! Volunteer or become a part of a society. Do one thing every month that makes you feel like you’re living a good life.

10. Find Perfection In Your Imperfect Self

Sometimes inculcating the points mentioned above may seem a bit much. All of us, even the beautiful person who can argue like a boss, comes first in everything and looks like he walked out of a Hugo Boss advert; is prone to slip ups, embarrassment and epic fails. But that doesn’t make you a bad lawyer. It makes you a human lawyer! And we need those more than we need Harvey Specter wannabes. Everyone need Harvey’s swag though!

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