Dear 1L,

You’ll hear of “IRAC.” You’ll learn it stands for the words:
▪️ Issue ▪️ Rule ▪️ Analysis ▪️ Conclusion.

But knowing those words won’t tell you how to write an exam. And law school won’t teach you, either.

There are many ways to write an IRAC essay for an “A,” and you may find others that suit you better.

Dear 1L Writer,

I’m not sure why this trips up new law students, but in US English, put the period or comma INSIDE ending quotation marks, regardless of whether the period or comma appeared in the original, quoted material.

Here are two examples.

Dear 1L,

You’ve been through a lot of challenges in life that were hard.
They tested you.
But you came through.

Remember when you tried to ride a bike for the very first time.
You likely fell.

Dear 1L,

You’re likely hearing about “outlining.”

Various schools of thought exist on when you should start, and the answer may differ for each of you.

Dear 2L,

If you feel “burnt out” & “unmotivated” right now, I am so sorry. I’ve been there, and I know how hard it is.

I hope the below thoughts will help. I’ll keep reading and thinking about ways to help feel engaged again.

Dear 1L,

I was wrong.

You may be a good writer.
You may be an excellent writer.
You may even be a published author.
But you are not a good legal writer yet.
You couldn’t possibly be.

💌 Dear 1L,

There will be some people at the start of law school who try to brag about how much time they spent on the assigned reading before the first class.

🔹 They may say they met with one of your professors already.

🔹 They may mention that they already copied all of a professor’s sample final exams from the library.

Dear 2L,

I don’t like to ask any of you directly about how the job-search is going. I don’t know whether you have an offer and feel good about things, or, like most, feel discouraged and not sure what to do next.

I remember there being a pall over my entire class that 2L fall. There was uneasiness in the air, as we were no longer “all in the same boat,” the way we were when we bonded during early 1L days.

💌 Dear 1L - Student Spotlight

Meet a two-time college dropout who, later in life, refused to let “delayed” mean “denied.”

In the 1990s, {@ALEX BELOW} failed to get a Bachelor’s from the Univ. of New Orleans (UNO), but he worked successfully in business to support his family for the next 20 years. Still, though, he aspired for more. 

✏️ Dear 1L Writer,

If you write “the fact that,” please stop.  Why?

It’s a clunky clause that says nothing.

It’s even worse when coupled with “despite,” as in “despite the fact that.”

Here are some better options.

💌 Dear 1L,

The summer before law school, I started to get nervous. I was excited, too, but as I sensed the magnitude of what was coming, anxiety built inside.

There were SO many unknowns:

What would law school be like?

Would the people be nice? 

📧 Dear 2L,

Facing the broad array of extracurriculars you might pursue this year can be dizzying. How to make sense of them all and find what works best for you?

Here are some thoughts.

_______________________

In college:

Your papers and essays had to be long enough to meet a minimum page or word length (e.g. “must be at least 20 pages”). Essentially, you had to keep writing more words to make your writing long enough, and if you did, you were rewarded.

Your professors also used big, *pedagogical* words and abstract phraseology to teach you.

Dear 2L,

I don’t know how often I’ll write to you specifically this way, but I do know this:  You are my original gang.

▫️ I started posting last fall. You started law school.

▫️ I felt out of my league—an imposter.  You had your moments, too.

▫️ I tried to figure out this thing called LinkedIn. You did that about law school.

💌 Dear 1L,

One thing you can do before law school begins is this: Prepare your family and friends.

You’re going to be a little off-grid this fall.

A bit preoccupied.

Especially at the beginning.