Many of you have just begun your first year of law school. There are many resources that claim to be able to help you through 1L, but as a fellow law student, I know that the last thing you need is more reading. The following inexhaustible list of resources is light reading that will help you with this challenging (but rewarding!) first year:
Websites:
http://www.wikihow.com/Survive-Your-First-Year-of-Law-School-(USA)
- Although directed at American law students, the advice herein is spot on.
http://legalcareers.about.com/od/educationandtraining/a/lawschoolprep.htm
http://lawiscool.com/
- Lawiscool is the largest law school website in Canada. They also have a database of CANS/summaries.
Books:
So, You Want to be a Lawyer, Eh? by Adam Letourneau
- A Canadian resource that will give you advice about everything related to a law career — from applying to law school to finding an articling position.
Law School Labyrinth: A Guide to Making the Most of Your Legal Education by Steven R. Sedberry, Esq.
- How to navigate the maze that is law school. Directed mostly towards American law school students, but much of the information is still pertinent.
Law School Bound:Everything you need to get into law school in Canada and the U.S.! by John Richardson
Available here: www.lawschoolbound.com
- Although mainly a pre-law resource, Richardson has several chapters dealing with excelling in law school and life as a law student.
Reference Books:
Black’s Law Dictionary
- The essential resource for law students and lawyers alike
Dictionnaire de Droit Québécois et Canadien par Hubert Reid
- For those students studying Quebec civil law
Tips
You may not have to buy your books from the bookstore. Buy the book used from an upper year student (sometime a slight difference in edition does not matter) or look online at Amazon.ca and Chapter/Indigo (you can save 20-30 percent per book).
A final note: Everyone I spoke to (and I mean everyone) told me that my first year of law school would be the worse and that it would get better from there. As a second year student, I think they may have been right after all. In first year, you may not know what you should be doing or how you should be studying, and there may be some floundering on your part. But take heart – it only gets better. The hardest part of law school is getting in. You got in. You’ll be okay.
