To succeed in law school is not shown only in a reflection of good grades. All students want to do well yet the truth is law school for the most part will only teach you the theory and basics; however, there are many other attributes and opportunities available to students to aid their success:

1. Networking: Build connections with peers and industry professionals.
2. Work: Gain practical skills earlier. This doesn’t have to be strictly legal any jobs that involve interpersonal, administration or communication skills can be valuable.
3. Do legal work experience: Experience the reality of working in a law firm.
4. Build a social media presence: A social media presence doesn’t mean that you need to create an Instagram or Facebook account. LinkedIn is a great way to build a professional network and will allow you to connect and message those already in the profession.
5. Gain Microcreditionals: Microcreditionals generally involve low to no costs and are a great way to build up the resumé and broaden your skillset. Tafe and Forage are excellent service providers to get you started.
6. Ask Questions: Everyone in the legal profession have started in the same position as you have. Asking questions is a great way to show initiative, ambition and develop an understanding as to what to expect in the industry.
7. Practice: Any skill gets better with practice. Practical sites like Forage are a good way to practice what you are learning in your studies with scenario questions and to enhance your skills.
8. Maintain relations with teachers and peers: Your teachers and peers are valuable resources to keep in touch with and can help you adjust into the profession. Further, it is not uncommon to recommend clients to other legal professions if the services they require is not your specialisation.
9. Keep an Open Mind: Don’t go into law school or the profession thinking you know everything… you don’t. Much like your teachers will have different opinions on how to do things so will your colleagues. There is no such thing necessarily as the ‘correct’ way to do something and don’t close off if your idea is wrong or if someone has an idea which is better. Learn from each other… even a veteran legal professional can still learn a trick or two.
10. Read: Students tend to get sick of reading, after spending most of their semester going through case law and textbook… BUT reading helps you absorb knowledge and learn, not to mention it is a crucial part of legal profession. Think about all the contracts and agreements you will need to look through! Spend 10 minutes a day reading anything, and brainstorm how would you improve it? Would you have done something differently? Are there any grammar mistakes?

Author: Lara-Jane Mackie