“10-6-2023: Total failure.
There are too many law school books already.
Some winners. Most losers. And I have no desire to add my book to the losers’ list.”

Today, that book has officially crossed 2,000 copies sold on Amazon.

Remember the court scene in “A Few Good Men”?

Tom Cruise says, “I object,” and the court overrules.

But Demi Moore isn’t satisfied. She just has to get up and say: “I strenuously object.”

My heart races.
My stomach sinks.
My breath hastens, and SNAP:

I suddenly become drenched, head to toe.

My genes are 99% Irish, too.

So a surge of adrenaline makes the the blood pump up into my face and turn me into the most conspicuously nervous-looking red tomato 🍅.

Yet I see people use it regularly.

I now want you to put it in the trash. 🗑️

Instead, try “Even though.”

It is shorter and so much smoother.

Examples—

And it’s from someone I’d never even heard of before (Brittany S. Stevens, an author of a series on law school success).

She gave 📕 Dear 1L 📕 this 5-star review on Amazon!

My favorite parts:

👉 “This is not a book you read once and shelve. It’s a trusted supplement students can return to throughout 1L and beyond.”

Just as you’re starting to hit your stride—thinking you might actually “get” how to do this whole law school thing—

WHAM ❗️—the brief smacks you in the face and you feel totally inadequate again.

Please know: it is not just you.

Writing a legal brief for the very first time is enough to bring even an experienced legal analyst to their knees.

Dear Pre-L:

If you start law school in the fall, please don’t get blindsided by early recruiting. Do these 4 things:

🔷 1: Invest time in deep soul-searching about what you want to do with your JD.

Research the types of jobs lawyers do;
find out how different lawyers actually spend their time;

 —Chris Schandevel

(describing a brief in which “MOO” was used to define an agreement (“Memorandum of ?”))

Dear Legal Writer:

📌 CUT “the weird acronyms and initialisms.” (Make sure to read the comments below the post, too!)

That is both good and bad.

Good is that:
—No one criticizes me.
—No one dictates my schedule.
—No one tells me what work to do.

Bad is that:
—I criticize myself more than any boss would.
—I do better when I have a schedule.
—What work should I do???

I haven’t seen this before.

Apparently, too, several schools had some type of OCI (on-campus recruiting) program last week, and students now have call backs coming up soon.

So I pulled together my best interview tips from “Dear 1L” ch 15 and added a few more.

“Evergreen” is a term you might recognize from the plant world:
—it refers to trees that remain green through winter.

But “evergreen” writing means writing that surpasses its immediate purpose and audience, keeping its usefulness over time.

🔸 My first was 1996 (NY). Debilitating back spasms made it too painful for me to sit for the in‑person bar-prep courses (which were the only game in town then).

So I studied alone at my parents’ house.

Even my firm mattress felt too mushy, so I studied, ate, and slept on a comforter on the floor.

Lesson for you in your law-firm interviews: Beware of the associate lunch.

Growing up, I had learned to downplay my accomplishments.
To be humble.
To be liked.

The lesson was “taught” to me the hard way
— by those kids in the “cool” cliques.

Here are 5 key shifts to make:

1️⃣ I am writing to impress —> I am writing to communicate

2️⃣ I need to be trained —> I will train myself

3️⃣ I aim to write acceptably —> I aim to write exceptionally

👉 This is a fantastic article
(and a quick read)—-it will help you!!

Note the emphasis on LISTENING during the oral argument.

For those with my “Dear 1L” book, don’t forget to review “Interlude No. 6” at p. 259 for my oral-argument advice.