Before On Campus Interviews (OCI) for law-firm recruiting heat up, invest some time networking with lawyers on this platform.

It may seem a daunting task. Here are some tips.

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🔷 TIP 1: MAKE A PLAN.

As with most things, you’ll have greater success if you plan in advance.

Today, just thinking about it as I wake, dread starts. Sadness seeps in.

How is Father’s Day for you this year?

I hope the day is only filled with joy, and I obviously say a heartfelt happy day to all the wonderful dads who are reading this.

But if today is a tough one for you, or bittersweet—

or even if it means a dreaded call to one who is estranged—

Dear 1L,

Before you send in your resume, hold yours up to light.

Then assess. For OUR eyes, what’s the sight?

Is it just one wall of text?

Is there white space, for rest?

✏️  Is there any white space at all???

Dear 1L,

Please stop writing “they” when referring to “company.”

If you question that, below is a short explanation, along with a question for those across the pond:

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In the U.S. English, and legal English, that I’ve always know:

Dear 1L,

If you write “prior to” instead of “before,” I am curious.  Why?

I promise that using “prior to” does not make your writing better.

Nor does it make you sound more intelligent or well-read. In any event, sounding that way should be a given. It will not impress your reader, and it should NOT be one of your goals for persuasive legal writing.

🔹 Dear 1L - Summer Spotlight 🔹

This week, I introduce rising 2L, Ali Slader.

Ali shares that she grew up on Cherokee reservation lands, amid the most meager of means.

Hers was a violent home of unspeakable abuse, in which Ali was “sister” to six brothers and the only “daughter” of an 8th-grade-educated father.

She describes the entire civil-litigation discovery process, step-by-step. It is fantastic.

If you have any inclination toward litigation, her posts should be a great resource for you. They also are helpful for new associates.

I am forwarding the third in the series, but all are very much worth reading.

Dear 1L,

When I look at drafts of your writing, I strike almost every “since.”

I substitute “because.”  Here’s why.

🔷 “SINCE” confuses the Reader.

“Since” means many things. 

🔹 Dear 1L - Summer Spotlight: 🔹This week, I introduce rising 2L, AnnaLisa Hamann.

AnnaLisa’s 1L story started with exciting news. We all know that the 1L academic year takes roughly 9 months. Sound like a familiar length of time?

That’s right: Baby John Woods Hamann (DOB May 9, 2022) was cooking the entire, wild ride.

Dear 1L,

Just listen. Listen to lawyers’ stories. LinkedIn’s a virtual open door to legions of them. Everyone likes to talk about themselves. For you, this means:

 ⭐️ June is a month of opportunity!  ⭐️ 

July will get busy again with lawyers’ vacations and your OCI. Seize this day!

Dear 1L,

When finalizing your writing samples for this summer’s law-firm recruiting (aka, OCI, or On Campus Interviewing), please aim for as near perfect as possible.

As a still-recovering perfectionist, I am hesitant to recommend that anyone strive for perfection in anything. I know the perils of such pursuits well.

Dear 1L,

I said start with cites.

Why’d I start where I hate?

For the time it’s a ticking,

Have you looked at the date?

Move on next to writing,

Dear 1L - Summer Spotlight:

I’m starting a second series. It aims to connect law students and lawyers. But first,

🔷 PREFACE: Do you follow Alex Su? You should.

Here, on Tik Tok, he’s brilliant. He’s also a master people connector whom I admire greatly. He inspires this post.

Dear 1L,

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I feel so happy inside for all of you. 1L is a mammoth milestone in the life of every lawyer. You’ll take your 1L with you forever. We all have.

So, in a way, I say welcome to the club.

Sure, there’s graduation and the bar; those will come later.

Dear 1L,

I’m working on an end-of-exams congratulations letter,

but I know you have a big legal writing competition first.

Below are some initial thoughts for you.

🔹 First, don’t panic or get defeated. You’re going to receive a huge competition packet, and you’ll run out of printer toner making a hard copy.