I’m spending the weekend in a final push on the book:

going through the last round of comments from the final proofreader.

A surreal feeling suddenly came over me on this early June morning, and I thought I’d share.

🔹 I was hired fresh out of college and had no experience. There were 6 of us, plus a paralegal manager, and she was the only one with prior experience.

We were 4 toddlers strapped across the back seat that day—two to a seatbelt, in the 1972 carpool, as then was the way.

I must have had my mother tell me the story of that morning a million times. It became a bedtime ritual.

I don’t care: whatever your class rank, your post-law-school-job plan, or the numbers in your GPA. If you’re prone to anxiety & depression like me, the specter of law school ending may seem NOT A-OK.

As I’ve written about before, my anxiety got so debilitating during my 3L spring that I ended up lying flat on my back at home.

Dear 1L, Justice Elena Kagan apparently didn’t rush to “write home about” her 1L fall grades, either. She only received two, according to reports, and they came as a shock:

a B in Crim;
a B- in Torts.

Some 2Ls sign up for every committee.
They do a journal and moot court.
They attend every social event.
They even work part-time.
They have no free time.

Don’t be like that.

You’ll start to give up “me” time.
You’ll stay up too late at night.

Dear 2L,

They really didn’t give you much of a break this summer, did they?

Since right after exams, you’ve had:
- the write-on,
- your first “legal” job,
- early recruiting,
- OCI, and
- whatever you’ve had going on in your personal life.

It’s official trademark status for Dear 1L!

I don’t quite know yet where I’m taking any of this, but it makes me feel proud to be building something that’s helping so many people.

Your support has meant the world to me. Thank you. Writing to you has brought me great joy.

Dear Rising 2L,

Until now, you likely have not experienced many, if any, formal job interviews with BigLaw lawyers. Here’s what to expect and 5 suggestions to help prepare.

IN ADVANCE

Dear Rising 2L: If you use your 1L memo or brief as a writing sample for job applications, you have some work to do. Here are 7 key steps:

1️⃣ Incorporate the final corrections and edits from your TA & professor.

Dear Rising 2L: It’s best to include a short, concise cover memo with the writing sample you send to prospective employers.

Why? Because it’s a golden opportunity to set the stage and to start “making friends” with your Reader.

Dear Rising 2L,

👉 You know LinkedIn is the first place any prospective employer will look you up. (And they will look you up.)

You’ve got early OCI* coming up (*on-campus interviews).

Don’t make it hard for law firms to find you.

Dear Rising 2L:  Please see this video I made just for you.

Dear Rising 2L,

I have a tendency to do something bad that caused me to bomb a job interview. It’s a weakness of mine, and I didn’t keep it in check. If you have this same tendency, don’t let it ruin your interviews.

***

Dear Rising 2L, This legal resume tip explains how to make all your date entries line up perfectly, flush with the right margin.

Instead, I know, you’ve been tabbing and spacing over, trying to get it “just right” so your dates look straight.

Well, they don’t.