So you’re thinking about law school?
Here’s what nobody tells you
On today’s podcast, I interviewed two budding law students, Ben Knaupe and Brandon Wilhoit, to talk honestly about what law school is actually like.
Because let’s face it: it’s not for everyone.
If you’ve been considering law school for yourself or your kid, we answered some of the burning questions you probably have, from the perspective of students entering their second year of law school:
Why did they choose to go to law school?
How did they choose a school?
What does a normal day in law school look like?
What do they wish they knew before going in?
Why They Chose Law School
Torn between medical school and law school, Ben split his summer between shadowing at a hospital and interning at an estate planning firm.
He enjoyed his estate planning internship for how personal the work is. Working with individual people, not companies, made him excited to build an ongoing relationship with real people.
“You get to hear about all these people’s lives and be an advisor and put them at peace.”
Brandon found his path to law school through public service. His interest in government and law school began in high school with Model UN and a youth government program, which led him to major in political science and history.
After college he met Ben while they were both doing a year of AmeriCorps.
Travelling the country on disaster relief and infrastructure projects showed him firsthand the real impact the law has on communities. His experiences continued to inform his direction, following that with work at a refugee resettlement agency where he saw local, state, and federal law collide in real people’s lives.
“I feel like I had experience taking complex issues and making them easier to understand… And I think with law, that’s exactly what you’re doing.”
Choosing a Law School
After they both landed at Emory University School of Law, their advice for picking a school comes down to two main questions:
Where are students getting placed after graduation?
What are they doing once they get there?
“I don’t think you should base your entire future off of an inkling of what you might like, because the work versus the concept of the law is very different.”
Their primary research tool to find this information was the American Bar Association’s disclosure site (ABA 509), which breaks down a school’s class makeup and where graduates end up working.
Brooke’s Bonus Tip:
Since some schools have a real reputation for certain practice areas, it’s worth researching your target school(s) to learn if certain programs are stronger than others.
Take a look, but don’t let it rule out other paths, since practicing law often looks very different from what you studied.
A Day in the Life of a First-Year Law Student
Prospective law students may not understand just how much of a time investment law school is.
“We were gonna treat this like a job, nine to five, and then once it hits five PM, we’ll be out of the library.”
That lasted about one semester.
A Typical Day:
7:30 — on campus
8:00-9:00 — classes start
Reading and studying between classes until 5:00 pm.
5:30 — home for dinner, a break to “detox”
Then back to reading until 9:00 or 11:00 pm.
Ben estimated around 4-5 hours of reading/day, plus weekend catch-up.
Sunday is a heavier lift, Saturday is more casual, and Friday afternoon is sacred.
“As soon as we get back from class on Friday, we rarely do anything… That’s when the weekend starts.”
After the first semester, Ben and Brandon eased off the intensity when they realized their study habits from undergrad carried over to law school.
“If you had really good practices from undergrad and they work, stick to it. Don’t make it any harder than you have to for yourself.”
How Law School Actually Works
Some mechanics that are foreign to most incoming students:
Outlines:
These are condensed study guides built from your notes, used to prep for exams (open-book or not, depending on your professor).
Don’t start outlining in week one. First, learn the material, then condense around the 3rd or 4th week. Upperclassmen often share their old outlines, but relying on someone else’s reference entirely can cause difficulties since everyone has their own learning style.
IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion):
Used constantly in exams or legal writing, IRAC is the standard framework for working through a legal problem.
Reading Cases:
How you read the case depends on each professor. It takes time to learn what your professor cares about (a stray fact vs. the legal reasoning). This matters just as much as understanding the case itself.
This skill is something every future litigator will recognize: learning a judge’s preferences and habits.
Competition:
Since grades are curved, it can sometimes feel like another student’s success is your loss, but you quickly see that, while competition does exist, the culture is more collaborative than cutthroat, especially with upperclassmen.
Litigation vs. Transactional
Which direction each student leans really depends on their own aptitudes and preferences. Both can be exciting and meaningful.
By the second semester, Ben and Brandon each found a clearer sense of direction.
Brandon discovered a love for oral advocacy and is now pursuing litigation, with a summer internship doing trial work.
Ben’s direction leans transactional, liking the more advisory, preventative role it brings rather than courtroom work.
Brooke’s Tip:
For anyone assuming that transactional work is dry and boring, it can be just as people-driven as litigation, whether you’re dealing with estate planning, family dynamics, or getting to know a client’s business.
Recruiting, Grades, and Clerkships
One of the most eye-opening parts of my conversation with Ben and Brandon was recruitment. Law recruiting has crept earlier and earlier each year. Firms are now opening applications in October/November of the 2L year as opposed to December just two years before.
While you need to pass the bar to get an interview, by the time you’re in that room, you’re on a level playing field with everyone else.
“I’ve hired people in the past that had mediocre grades, but man, I could tell they were hungry and ethical and wanted to work hard.”
The good news is, most people in the profession genuinely want to help newer lawyers get started. So ask for that cup of coffee; be the first to reach out.
“People love curious people.”
Advice for Anyone Considering Law School
If you’re an undergrad weighing whether law school is the choice for you, you should know…
Your major doesn’t matter, unless you want to do intellectual property law, where a hard science or engineering background is genuinely useful.
“If there’s something you’re majoring in that you’re really interested in and you know you want to go to law school... keep doing it. Have fun.”
Work a people-facing job before law school. Law school teaches theory, not practice. So, real-world dealing with people can be more valuable prep than a law firm internship. Work a service job. Sit at the front desk. Choose something that requires you to manage expectations and diffuse frustration.
Know why you’re doing it.
There are a lot of easier ways to make money than practicing law. If your motivation is the paycheck rather than the work itself, law school is going to be a long three years.
Is Law School for You?
Law school is probably right for you if…
"You are intellectually curious." — Brandon
"You are eager to be a student again." — Ben
Law school may not be for you if…
"You're only thinking about the destination and not the journey." — Ben
"You just want to be rich." — Brandon
🎙️ Listen to this episode of Life Is Legal wherever you get your podcasts. If you found it helpful, leave a review, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to know this stuff.
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This post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by state and situation. For advice specific to your circumstances, consult a licensed attorney in your area.
