I confess, I was terrified.

For me, there were two camps when it came to Con Law. In one, were the PoliSci/U.S. Gov. majors. And their friends: the read-the-newspaper-every day types. They assembled in the library lounge to read each day—the library’s hard-copy subscriptions. They then gabbed about politics. I stayed away.

I was out of my league.

Dear 1L,

I have been trying to think of more ways you might change things up this spring, should you be disappointed with fall grades.

Here are two to consider.

1. Here you tried taking class notes by hand? Here’s why it might work better for you than that laptop note-taking.

Dear 1L,

How are you feeling about Con Law?

I confess, I was terrified.

For me, there were two camps when it came to Con Law.

In one, were the PoliSci/U.S. Gov. majors. And their friends: the read-the-newspaper-every day types.

Dear 1L,

I hope you are ok. Everyone is in some state of reeling, it seems, this weekend.

My message is that you did nothing wrong. It is just the brutal curve. 90% or more of you will not be in the top. You are, in no way, alone.

I do not fully understand why law schools grade this way, but that debate is for another day.

I am writing to you from Day 3 of quarantine. My oldest daughter (age 22) tested positive for covid early Christmas morning. Hoping it is a mild case and that we don’t all get it.

IN any event, I hope that your holiday has been covid-free, and that you have had time to recover and enjoy some fun. Here is a start to some job-search information, as you think about things this week.

My message is that you did nothing wrong. It is just the brutal curve. 90% or more of you will not be in the top. You are, in no way, alone.

I do not fully understand why law schools grade this way, but that debate is for another day.

Today: It is frustrating, for sure.

I am writing to explain something simple you can do to make your resumes appear more professional. I also supply an addendum to an earlier post.

RESUME TIP

I believe that all, or most, law school career offices advise you to include your LinkedIn address with your name and contact info atop your resume.

Also, we are in limbo this week. It is still a holiday week, but Christmas is over, there is no schedule to any day, and January starts this weekend. So we are “supposed” to be relaxing, but the specter of everything that we have to do looms.

How does one self-evaluate, or know how one should be feeling at all?

Dear 1L,

I am writing to you from Day 3 of quarantine. My oldest daughter (age 22) tested positive for covid early Christmas morning. Hoping it is a mild case and that we don’t all get it.

IN any event, I hope that your holiday has been covid-free, and that you have had time to recover and enjoy some fun. Here is a start to some job-search information, as you think about things this week.

Dear 1L,

Congratulations!!! It is hard to believe—1L fall is in the books! What a tremendous accomplishment.

You have finished the hardest part of law school. I promise it will never be as daunting or scary again. So so proud of you.

I hope you can indulge in sleep and have lots of “do nothing” and “fun” time.

1L TIP TODAY – Finals

Just the thought of finals so soon sparks panic. How can this be? 1L -literally- just started. And what is this “IRAC” thing we’re supposed to do? I mean, I know (now) what it stands for, but how do I do it?

*Maybe this story will help. (Title is, ‘I will never tell.’)

Dear 1L,

I wanted to share a short-cut that helped me learn, memorize, and save time during final days/hours of exam prep. I hope it can help you.

Sometimes, when a final (or bar) exam was just days away, I was still trying to (re-)master a lot of concepts and then memorize rules. I just didn’t have it in me to take practice tests. So I didn’t try.

Thank you so much, Jolene Blackbourn, Esq., for having me as a guest on your podcast!

For anyone curious about what I do / what it means to be a “law school coach,” I will post a link to the recording in the comments.

Jolene Blackbourn, Esq.

⭐How do you learn how to write like a lawyer?

Dear 1L:

You have asked for the IRAC Essay method I used for writing answers on law school/bar exams. There are many ways to write an IRAC essay to earn an A, and you may find others that suit you better. But here is how I approached exams. I hope it will be helpful.

1. I got an overview of the exam as a whole.