Dear 1L, I hate the saying, “Look left; look right;

and 3 years from now,
only 1 of you will be here.”

Old law-school deans apparently used to say that to 1Ls on their first day of law school.

Maybe they thought it would incentivize students to work hard from Day 1, but boy doesn’t that quote miss the boat—

Here’s what I want you to think about instead:

Look left; look right;
30 years from now,
1 will be your boss,
1 will be your client,
and BOTH may be your very good friends.

So you can’t afford to be short-sighted.

Law school’s only 3 years, but you’ve got a 30+ year career ahead in this profession.

And it is 100% a profession in which success stems from WHO you know and what they think of you—NOT who you “beat out.”

So let’s start off this 1L year on a positive note:

—You are all in this together.
—This is not high school: cliques are OUT.
—Please be genuinely kind to every person you see.

I say, “3 cheers for ALL to get their degree!”

💌 Amanda

#Dear1L