by Ken Alexander

Created on: May 11, 2008

I went to law school some 25 years ago and finished in the top 10% of my class and passed the bar exam on the first try. I started in a night law school that was not even accredited in my state, and after i year, I finished in a law school that was not ABA accredited. the advantage to this is that I had no high school diploma or college and was able to attend (not true in California today where you need 2 years of college or a college equivalency exam).

As for law school I don't think it matters where you go to school, except if you can afford an ABA school, or have a big law firm awaiting you, go ABA. You end up having to learn the law on your own anyway and according to your drive and determination you can do it. I went to full time law school my final two years and ran a business with employees throughout so it can be done.

I guess I succeeded in school. I did it by listening to the teachers, doing the home work and in short doing everything they said to do as they said to do it. I used commercial course outlines to supplement. I didn't keep a personal course outline and although I took notes in class I rarely referred to them. I learned mainly by repetition and saturation, not memorizing. The key is to understand the principles, and be able to identify what's important. If you do it that way you'll be able to regurgetate what has almost has become a part of you.

A lot they teach in school is irrelevant to practicing, like the history and precedent cases that formed the existing law. However, by knowing the progression you are better able to understand the issues and the law in that area. Always keep an overview of the subject and how it relates to society's attempt to control itself. Its actually very interesting.

I never really had a hard time with it. I disciplined my time so that I could devote that portion of time to law school and nothing else. On the other hand when I was doing other things I forgot the law and focused on them. One problem is I had massive insecurity about succeeding. I always thought the other guy knew more than I did. I never went into any exam thinking I knew anything. There's a lot of ego involved ie. the professors want to trick you with hidden issues that may be important to them but which there is little coverage in class. Don't assume anything. You can't out-guess them but if you pay close attention you can find out what they want from you in an exam and you then try to give them what they want.

After practicing law for 20 years

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>