I’m starting tips for law students who’ll be in their first “lawyer” jobs at firms in 2025.

—As you may know, I was an associate at a top law firm for the first 10 years after law school.

—Then I took a job working as in-house counsel at The Hershey Company, where I spent 2-3 years before returning to BigLaw as a Counsel for 7 more years before “retiring” 😉 in 2016.

Perhaps you know the Vampire Weekend song?

Well, here’s why you should give a BIG f*ck:

⬇️

During my first year on LinkedIn, I posted a recommendation that you use the Oxford Comma—always—when writing in the legal context.

The results were unexpected—both good and bad.

Here’s a recap:

🔹 The OFFER (for those who missed)

As you may recall, my offer was to mail a signed copy of my ‘Dear 1L’ book to 3 incoming law students. I shared both on LinkedIn and in 2 Facebook (FB) groups:

(I’ve also got a FREE gift 🎁 offer for you,
so make sure to see the end of the post.)

First, here’s why the 900 number means so much to me:

—This is my first self-published and self-marketed book
—I've spent ZERO on advertising or outside marketing support
—No law professor has assigned the book to their class yet

They carried me through the hardest parts of the process, and I am forever grateful.

N.B. There are many others who I have or will thank separately, but the below all post regularly on LinkedIn and merit your follow.

🔹 John Espirian— follow for all things LinkedIn & personal branding

🔹 Jordana Confino— follow for an unending source of positivity;

Unfortunately, most 1Ls do it the wrong way.

They:

—read the question,
—try to figure out the answer, and
—write an essay to justify that answer.

Instead, the better way is to do this:

Dear 1L,

I thought of you as I woke today.
A still-dark scene on my window bay.
Forever it took for the sun to arise,
And away it did go then, long before 5.
So while, on exams, you’ve a one-track eye,
Please do this ONE thing for me.
Here is the why:

❤️‍🩹 Up to 40% of you will graduate with mental health problems.

🔹 The very first weekend at the new firm, there was a mandatory, 3-day, all-attorney retreat at some resort that was 3-4 hours away from home.

I was still nursing.

—My heart was still beating as one with my new baby.

—on an empty campus,
—away from family,
—eating dining hall food.

But for many, that’s the plan.

—Home is hours away.
—Exams are not far away.
—There are only so many hours in a day.

And so, students stay.

Aunt Minnie is surely going to ask you,
“What kind of lawyer are you going to be?”

And Uncle Ted is sure to prod,
“Where do you plan to work after law school?”

He may even say something like, “I bet you’re going to be at the top of your class; you were always so smart.”

I took the hats out and put them on my desk so I wouldn’t forget.

One hat was pink, pale pink;
the other blue, denim blue.
And no, I was not going koo-koo.

Each hat had a letter on it—P in pink for the plaintiff, and D for the defendant in blue.

Every year, the EXACT SAME mistakes trip folks up.

Here are the 8 biggest culprits.

Avoid them to stay ahead of the curve.

**

👉 See carousel.

-legal assistants,
-law school applicants,
-law school students, and
-full-fledged lawyers of all levels.

I’ve identified the top 10 most common errors.

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♥️❤️ Dear 1L,

This is where ALL 1Ls waste a ton of time.

—They read the hypo & the research cases.
—They predict which side of the issue should “win.”
—Then they write a memo to bolster their own prediction.

And then it comes.
It always comes.

Perhaps the schools worry that students will become distracted from their studies or get discouraged if they see other students post about landing jobs or winning awards.

 🔴 Law students:

I get those valid concerns, but I hope they will not discourage YOU from missing out on LinkedIn.