I knew it would happen eventually, but wow, it still sucked.

Last evening, as I played the otherwise terrible day back in my mind, the review was the thing that really stuck in my craw.

Then a real friend came through for me.

And I emphasize “real.”

The JDs coming from law school do not know how to write.

🔹 Yes, law schools are too academic + unfocused on the practical skills needed.

🔹 But legal-writing professors face a mounting challenge:

The students coming out of college do not know how to write, either (at least not anywhere near as well as they used to).

Some 2Ls try to do everything under the sun.

-They do every affinity and interest group.
-They do law review and moot court.
-They assume roles on committees.
-They attend each social event.
-They even work part-time.

--> They have no free time.

(Old law-school deans apparently used say that on the first day of law school.)

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

⬇️

Look left; look right;
30 years from now,
1 will be your boss,

Dear 1L,

You will do better this year if you decide how the important parts of each day go in advance.

Most 1Ls choose to play things by ear.
They let external factors dictate their days.

It starts with what time they wake up.

🔹 When you wrote in college, you got rewarded for writing MORE.

—You had to write papers LONG enough to meet a page or word MINimum.

E.g., “must be at least twenty-five pages.”

🔹 But in law school, you get rewarded for writing LESS.

Hello! I hope your summer has been going well and that you’re getting excited for law school to start.

Most people also feel some anxiety, and as orientation approaches, the fear of uncertainty can come on pretty strong.

I am going to try to alleviate some of that for you by sharing helpful info and tools you can use throughout the year.

1️⃣ Remember #Dear1L?

Yeah, that was the hashtag I started and grew to 2,810 followers.

—I started #DearLegalWriter, too. That one I grew to 1,722 followers.

Then LinkedIn said ❌ to hashtags.*

👉 Lesson: Be careful building on rented land.

Three years ago, I started a pinboard to help me stay motivated.

It hangs on the wall next to where I write.

On it, I’ve collected 10 mottos.

1: Don’t compare yourself to other people. You do YOU.
2: People think about you FAR less than you believe.

I’ve been in your position 3 times:

Every time, it was sheer hell.

The volume of material was prohibitive.
Unprecedented.
Abnormal, even.

And ohhhh, soooo painfully boring. 🥱

But yesterday, this happened: [see photo]

I truly am both humbled and honored.

I have always looked up to Ross and been in such reverence of his life work.

—Ross’s book, Point Made, is nothing short of extraordinary. I learn something new from it every time I read.

It was Sept 2021–

very much still in the pandemic.

My initial posts were titled, “1L TIP TODAY,” and while they did not do too well, they started me on a weekly posting schedule.

Gradually, more and more 1Ls caught on.

A most unexpected eventuality:

My book’s just hit #1 in the “Law” category!

Now, I’m not so naive.
Nothing’s guaranteed,
The rank is just for one day.

My book came out on Amazon, but I’m panicked that no one will focus on it,

—> which will cause Amazon to bury it in their search results.

I’m just me here.
—I have no publisher or big team,
—I fear that I’m running out of steam.

But I REALLY believe the book will help so many new law students.

I can’t stop thinking about this statistic:

▪️ Studies say 95% of 1Ls predict they’ll make the top half of their class.

While I love the optimism, unfortunately, the math doesn’t add: it’s statistically impossible.

Fortunately, though, there is a statistic you CAN control: