- Reputation is everything and it starts in law school.
- Friends matter.
- Interests other than law keep you sane.
- Dealing with jerky classmates is great practice for dealing with jerky lawyers.
- Dealing with demanding professors is great training for dealing with demanding partners and judges.
- Brown bagging your lunch is a great way to maximize both your time an budget.
- Wine doesn’t have to be expensive to be decent.
- Alumni matter. I wouldn’t be where I am if two law school alumni hadn’t offered me a clerkship an a internship. Alums, especially from small schools, can and should give more than money.
- Even the best plans fail. The night before my criminal law final and during the middle of first semester exams, I got the noro virus and thought I was going to die. Ended up in the hospital for the first and thankfully only time in my life. My exams were postponed but I was still far from 100%. I gave the rest of my exams the best I had. I haven’t had the noro virus as an attorney (thankfully) but there have been plenty of days where I’ve given it my best at less than 100%.
- All the coffee in the world does not beat a good night’s sleep.