If you did not get the grades you’d hoped for, there is nothing wrong with you, and you are not some sort of screw up.

—> What happened is you got screwed by the curve.

I do not fully understand why law schools grade this way, or why the curve at one law school can be so dramatically different from that at another.

“What on earth is that?” you ask.

Well, I’m going to tell you!

👉 The rule’s inspired by a famous court scene in the 1992 film, “A Few Good Men.”

Tom Cruise plays a young Navy lawyer and sits first chair at a trial, while Demi Moore plays his lieutenant commander in second chair.

So here goes. ⤵️

I’m fifty-five, female, and married to Matt for twenty-six years (he’s a lawyer, too). We live in a suburb of Philadelphia and have three daughters in their 20s, including one who is a 3L now.

I grew up in a suburb of NYC. My father was a lawyer and my mother, an English teacher. (Yes, I know; go figure.)

-those who get assigned to you; and
-those who notice & find you.

🔹 The first type isn’t too hard to find.

In fact, your school or firm may even give you one without your asking.

I’ve had many like that.

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.

I am feeling a bit wistful as we approach the TWO-full-years mark since I started writing this series to you on LinkedIn.

In honor of the anniversary, I thought we’d mix things up to see how well you’ve really been paying attention. 🙂

Here’s a little quiz based on a selection of my letters from 2024.

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:

Use fewer “to be” verbs.

Here’s what I mean:

⬇️

There are 2 kinds of verbs:

1-ACTION verbs
2-TO BE verbs (also called, “state-of-being” verbs).

(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;

It could list:

—the firm’s style preferences,
—each partners’ pet peeves, and
—common mistakes to watch for and avoid.

If I had a law firm, I would require all associates to edit their own drafts using the checklist and to fix, correct, and polish the drafts BEFORE they hand them in.

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.