PRE-LAW

Dear 1L® Academy—Rising 1L Summer Prep Course

Dear Rising 1L, Hello, welcome, and major kudos to you on getting into law school. This was a particularly tough cycle! So I have way too much to say, but I know that if I could sit down and talk with you today, I’d be warning you about two things right away, so here goes—

1️⃣  A tutor can’t help you on your 1L fall memo.

The first thing that surprises 1Ls every year is that most law schools have honor codes that prohibit you from getting outside help on your 1L legal writing assignments once they are assigned. That means a tutor can’t help you structure, edit, or polish the big fall memo that will count for almost all of your grade.

Therefore, your best—and only—chance to practice writing a 1L memo and get individualized feedback on your writing needs to come before law school starts. I’ve seen too many strong students get a disappointing grade on their 1L memo either because they weren’t ready for how hard it would be or because they had to learn everything for the very first time under time pressure. I don’t want that for you.

In the Dear 1L® Academy—Rising 1L Summer Prep Course, you’ll get individual feedback on your writing and the chance to practice writing a full legal memo like the one you’ll be asked to do in the fall. That way, when it’s time for the real 1L memo, you’ll have a model, and it won’t be the first time you’re doing one.

2️⃣ Law firms are looking at candidates before law school starts.

Here’s the other surprise I wish someone would tell every incoming 1L: some law firms are already looking at future 2L summer associates before classes even start, or they will be very early in your first semester. Some law firms even gave 1Ls offers last fall based on LSAT scores, personal statements, or undergrad GPA. That means your résumé, LinkedIn profile, and early networking choices may start mattering much sooner than you think.

Once law school begins, your days will fill up with reading, briefing cases, outlining, and just trying to stay afloat. It will be incredibly hard to carve out calm, focused time to reflect on what kind of legal work you might want to do, much less to thoughtfully update your resume and start networking.

The summer before law school is a rare quiet window. It’s the perfect time to work on your résumé, learn about different practice areas, and begin building relationships with attorneys and law students in a low-pressure way. A few intentional steps now can make the whole recruiting process feel less mysterious and much less scary later.

That’s why I created the Dear 1L® Academy—Rising 1L Summer Prep Course.

I designed the course to help you with both of these things at once: learning the basics of legal writing and getting yourself ready for the 1L recruiting world. I wanted a space where incoming law students could practice, ask questions, and make mistakes before the curve and honor code kicked in.

This is not a giant anonymous course. It’s a small, supportive program where you’ll get to know me and your cohort, and where your individual work on your writing and your career plans will get my personalized attention.

How the program works

The Rising 1L Summer Prep Course is a 6-week hybrid cohort/individual program. We’ll meet as a group each week, and then I’ll meet with you one-on-one to talk through your writing and your questions.

Each week, you can expect:

• One 60-minute live group session over Zoom (and recordings if you can’t attend live)

• About 1–4 hours of structured homework

• One 30-minute individual phone meeting with me for feedback and questions

You’ll be learning alongside other incoming 1Ls, but our one-on-one meetings will be focused completely on you—your drafts, your résumé, and what you’re worried or curious about.

What we’ll cover together

Over the six weeks, we’ll walk through the core skills that will serve you from your very first week of law school all the way through exams and recruiting. We’ll take things step by step, and you’ll have concrete assignments to practice each skill.

Topics include:

• Ten rules for clear legal writing

• How to read and brief a court case

• How to write an exam essay in IRAC

• How to write the 1L fall memo in CREAC

• Legal résumés and early career decisions

• Networking and using LinkedIn as a future lawyer

Each week you’ll complete short, targeted writing assignments—case briefs, parts of a memo, and exam-style answer essays. I’ll review those with you individually so you can see exactly what’s working and what needs adjusting.

Dates, schedule, and cost

The 2026 Rising 1L Summer Prep Course will meet on six Thursdays at 12:00 noon Eastern:

• June 4

• June 11

• June 18

• June 25

• July 9

• July 16

All group sessions will be recorded and made available if you need to miss a day or re-watch something.

The cost for the full 6-week hybrid program (group sessions, weekly homework, and weekly individual feedback meetings) is 1,800 dollars. My goal is for you to walk into law school feeling steadier, more prepared, and less alone. I hope you will join me.