Survive Law - A Field Guide to First Year

A FIELD GUIDE TO FIRST YEAR Presented by Survive Law

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Picture this. You’re a wide-eyed law student, equipped only with a legal dictionary, incorruptible idealism and ideas about law school drip-fed to you through pop-culture. You wonder what it’ll be like: Will you fashionably defy expectations, Legally Blonde style? Will you become entangled in a murder plot with your ambitious colleagues, à la How to Get Away with Murder?

Law school may fall short of Hollywood’s suspense and drama, but the academic struggles are all real.

The judgments are long, the law is highly technical, and the Latin peppered throughout certainly doesn’t help.

While this Guide doesn’t teach you Latin, it offers insights from law students past and present on how to ace your studies and make the most of your university experience. Despite the trials and tribulations of law school, you will find inspiration and support in your teachers and fellow law students.

We’re proud to present our Field Guide to First Year!

Good luck, survivors.

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CONTENTS 4

6

8

The life cycle of a law student

So, you’re about to start a law degree

Myths about law school

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14

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How to study: Tips and tricks for acing law school

Things we wish we knew in first year

How a law degree is like a relationship

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22

Tips for reluctant first-time mooters

Conversation with a lawyer: How Melissa Chen survived law school

Why you should get a law mentor, stat!

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What your combined degree says about you

Stayin’ alive throughout a law degree

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By Gina

THE LIFE CYCLE OF A LAW STUDENT YOU’RE OFF TO LAW SCHOOL! Bachelor of Laws I / Juris Doctor I You’ve received an offer to study law.

Congrats, you’re going to be a lawyer!

You dream about a world where you’re jetting between glass offices with marble walls as you save the world with one “I object!” at a time. You start peppering uti possidetis and ipso facto into your conversations because why not? You’re a law student now, you’re allowed to.

PLODDING ALONG...

It’s not only about finding the ratio decidendi now. The textbooks are a bit thicker, the cases are a bit more challenging and you now have to remember the old common law position, the current legal rule, the exception to the rule, the exception to the exception AND the dissenting judgment.

Watch as your friends in single Bachelor degrees graduate, relax on weekends, and start earning a full-time salary. You know, adult stuff? Then there’s you: your caffeine addiction intensifies, you crash

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law firm presentations on campus for free lunch and turn down weekend plans with friends citing the need to study, even though you know you’ll end up watching a whole season of The O.C..

PENULTIMATE YEAR...

Bachelor of Laws IV / Juris Doctor II Penultimate year, also known to some as clerkship year, in which aspiring commercial lawyers learn as much as they can about securitisation and legal innovation.

At this point, you’ve asked yourself one too many times why you’re studying law.

Read. Have a little existential crisis. Rinse and repeat. Live by pacta sunt servanda, die by pacta sunt servanda.

GRADUATION! THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL Bachelor of Laws V / Juris Doctor III Remember the days when you actually cared about what you wore to uni?

Neither. Despite seeming like a never ending thousand year slog, you sit in your graduation ceremony wondering what you’ve learnt over the past five years apart from the fact that:

PRACTICAL LEGAL TRAINING You may have left law school, but you never stop learning. It’s time to do your Practical Legal Training that’ll apply all that theory you learnt – however cursorily when cramming for exams – in practical day-to-day contexts. You can actually start your PLT before graduating if you’ve done all the Priestley 11 and have no more than two electives remaining.

The sooner the better, so you can get to...

1. You can’t live without coffee; 2. L aw school has heaped you with crippling debt; and 3. Y ou can now ‘like’ and share law memes on social media.

You turn the tassel to the left side of your cap, shake your Dean’s hand, receive your glorified piece of paper and snatch those 300 likes on Instagram. You’re officially one degree hotter.

ADMISSION All those years at law school have finally paid off: you write your name in the sacred Supreme Court book!

You’re officially inducted into the legal profession.

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By Angela

SO, YOU’RE ABOUT TO START A LAW DEGREE MILK ORIENTATION WEEK FOR EVERYTHING IT’S WORTH Orientation week (also known as O-Week or Welcome Week) is your chance to not only collect as much free merch and stationery as possible, but to explore the range of services and student societies your university has to offer. Visit as many societies as possible – even ones that don’t cater to your interests just yet, because university is the perfect time for experimentation. The law faculty might also hold an orientation seminar where you can meet your peers, and mentoring sessions where you pair up with an older buddy who’ll take you through the ins and outs of studying at law school. Hot tip: most people disapprove of ATAR talk. Try to keep that to a minimum!

referred to in an exam or used as inspiration for structuring your own summaries. The Question & Answer books are immensely helpful for exam revision as they contain practice problems, sample answers and examiners’ comments.

DON’T LEAVE THAT READING TO THE LAST MINUTE! Law isn’t something you can wing (although it doesn’t stop us from trying). Staying on top of your readings is often easier said than done. If you’re short on time, read the cases that have been singled out in your unit of study as important and then revisit the other cases later.

DON’T BE A HERMIT

THERE’S A LOT OF READING Your first stop for second-hand textbooks will be StudentVIP. Alternatively, ask your law student association if they have an equity textbook scheme or a textbook marketplace. Make sure to begin your hunt for textbooks a few weeks in advance of the semester because you’ll be surprised at how quickly they disappear. Try not to rely too much on borrowing core textbooks from the library as people can recall them, especially around assignment or exam period.

If you really want to go above and beyond with your understanding, LexisNexis sells a range of handy study resources. Their Glance Cards distil principles and cases into punchy dot points that can be quickly

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There are three main benefits to getting involved in a student association, whether law or beyond.

Firstly, it’s the easiest way to develop an extracurricular passion project, whether it be editing a publication, planning a social event, convening a competition or organising a social justice panel. Secondly, working in a team environment is a great way to make friends easily. Some of the people you’ll meet through societies will become a support network throughout your university experience.

The importance of having friends to rely on cannot be understated in a degree such as law. Thirdly, societies give you the opportunity to meet a variety of people. Some of them are awesome. Some of them are difficult.

With experience, you’ll learn how to manage relationships.

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By Eric

MYTHS ABOUT LAW SCHOOL “ONLY GRADES MATTER”

“LAW SCHOOL IS CUTTHROAT”

There’s no question that a detailed knowledge of the law is vital to practice. It also undoubtedly takes a lot of persistence to master a course. As a rule of thumb, though, remember that marks are neither representative of your intelligence nor your competence and potential as a lawyer. A number of factors influence your performance, such as your marker and even how you feel on the day of the exam. Many subjects also assess a small part of the law, the remainder of which you have the opportunity to master in practice.

Closed-book exams at certain institutions, ruthless marking standards, and the prospect of studying alongside one of the smartest people in the state can create immense pressure to perform well and intense self-criticism when you don’t. Law school differs from high school in at least one fundamental respect: study is largely self-motivated. Unfortunately, it’s no myth that law school is tough.

In the context of job applications, Minter Ellison partner, Kristy Edser, says that work experience, teamwork skills, innovative thinking, personal values and a commitment to causes are all equally important as an academic record. These are demonstrated through leadership, mooting and skills competitions, volunteering and hackathons. Client-centric environments are especially interested in well-rounded candidates.

Verdict:

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FA LSE

The only way to survive it is to make friends. You’ll find your tribe through law society social events, competitions, subcommittees, orientation seminars and even lectures. Your friends will be your emotional crutches, proofreaders, assignment soundboards, proxy notetakers, tea-spillers and comrades throughout this gruelling degree.

Verdict:

TRUE

“CLERKSHIPS ARE THE BE-ALL AND END-ALL”

“THERE ARE TOO MANY LAW GRADUATES. YOU WON’T FIND A JOB!”

The notion of a clerkship may not mean much to a first year. However, students in their penultimate year place enormous emphasis on “clerkship season”, when law students all around the country apply to (mostly commercial) firms, attend networking events and endure multiple rounds of interviews to score an internship and eventually, fingers crossed, a graduate role. I understand their raging popularity.

The glamour of corporate drinks and glass offices imbue commercial law with prestige. And corporate sponsorship for law camp and law ball subtly ingrain the names of these firms into our minds from our very first year of law school.

The supposed oversupply of law graduates is a a stubborn myth. The contention is that 15,000 law graduates flood the market annually when the legal profession is numbered at just 66,000 solicitors. Neville Carter, CEO of the College of Law, Australia and New Zealand’s largest provider of practical legal training, dismissed this as “a conclusion fuelled by myth”. In 2015, 7,650 students graduated law school, approximately 85% of them acquiring professional qualifications. Carter also argued that “many law graduates are finding gainful employment in areas beyond conventional law practice”.

Clerkships offer valuable experience and insight into the corporate lifestyle, but it is not the be-all and end-all. There are alternate pathways into your desired firm, such as a graduate intake or lateral entry after one or two years of practice.

Beyond corporate law, the critical thinking and problem solving acumen honed throughout the degree can be applied elsewhere, such as government, the courts, non-profit, social justice, NewLaw, management consulting, media and academia.

Verdict:

It’d be difficult to prove that supply hasn’t increased at all. There are now 38 law schools in Australia, compared to 10 prior to 1990. But the glut is, at best, exaggerated.

The influx of employment took some adjusting, but Carter maintains that employers “grew to accommodate them”.

Verdict:

FALSE

FA LSE

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By Eric

HOW TO STUDY: TIPS AND TRICKS FOR ACING LAW SCHOOL Everyone approaches studying in their own unique way. You’re by no means expected to reinvent the wheel or conform to what everyone else is doing when you get to law school. Rather, the density and complexity of the material, and the way in which it is presented - often through lectures, tutorials and seminars - might require you to tweak your style ever so slightly. Don’t panic! It takes a great deal of time and patience to figure out what works best for you. Make sure you’re clued in on how the material will be assessed, as this will dictate the information you should focus on when reading.

WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF LAW SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTS? Problems questions are the primary form of assessment at law school. You’ll be presented with a factual scenario which could raise various legal issues or causes of action. Paying close attention to the facts of cases you’ve learnt over the semester will help you identify the issues, determine the relevant rule, as derived from case law and/or statute, apply it, and then come to a conclusion as to a party’s prospects of success if they were to pursue that action. The first letter of each of those words, in that order, altogether form ‘IRAC’, which should be your go-to formula for approaching problems.

You may be asked to write an essay which critically evaluates the law.

When it comes to essays and problem questions, the best responses point out the similarities and differences between the given scenario and the cases; even small factual differences can impact the outcome of the problem.

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Often, the conclusion you come to isn’t as important as how you got to it. To that end, you should consider and dispute counterarguments to help strengthen your line of reasoning.

Survive Law’s ‘Critical Analysis Checklist’ distils the key considerations for writing convincing assignments, and we highly recommend you give that a read!

You may even be asked to present to the class on a particular topic, or you may be assessed on the quantity and quality of your class participation.

This reflects the importance of oral communication skills to legal practice, who are often required to convey information not only concisely, but persuasively, whether in discussing a matter with colleagues or submitting arguments to a judge at court. For tips on how to ace tutorial participation, check out Survive Law’s ‘Class Participation: In It to Win It’ and ‘The Shy Student’s Guide to Class Participation’.

HOW DO I TAKE NOTES IN LECTURES AND TUTORIALS? Some people prefer to type their notes, and others prefer to handwrite them.

Either method has its merits. One benefit of handwriting notes is better retention: a study conducted by the University of California found that those who wrote notes by hand had to paraphrase their notes, leading to improved retention, while those who typed their notes tended to type every word, learn by verbatim and scored lower on retention level. Most of your exams will also be handwritten, so putting pen to paper during semester helps to build stamina. The difficulty of keeping up with a speedy lecturer might encourage you to take down only the most salient ideas. If you prefer to type for speed and formatting ease, make sure to handwrite practice answers under exam conditions.

SCAFFOLDING AND SUPERSUMMARISING

“Even the most complex issues in law can be broken down into colours, diagrams, and a few scattered words. All the more incentive to mix up your study routine.”

Ramisa

(Mind) Mapping Your Way Through Law School

You’ve attended lectures, done the readings, and applied your knowledge in weekly tutorial discussions. With so many cases and concepts to process, don’t be dejected if everything is still unclear to you. Consider condensing your notes into a ‘scaffold’ which breaks topics down into a series of flow charts or questions that guide you step-by-step through answering a question. This can give you a holistic understanding of how topics interconnect and a formula for answering problem questions. You can and should be as creative as possible with your scaffolds: keep in mind that the brain processes images and videos 60,000 times faster than text!

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By Eric

HOW TO STUDY: TIPS AND TRICKS FOR ACING LAW SCHOOL ...continued

HOW DO I PREPARE FOR EXAMS?

“The trick is to know when to stop with preparation – when you stop consolidating and condensing and tabbing your notes, and start reading, summarising into one page flowcharts or summaries, and finally doing practise exams.

Generally, the final week or two before the exam should be spent summarising notes and completing practice papers.”

Wenee Yap

Advice From Your Tutor: Law Exam Preparation and Technique

The main way to prepare for an exam is to practice. You can do this by thoroughly preparing for tutorials throughout the semester, which will save you from a lot of stress later on. If you have time, write the answer out in full. If you’re time-poor, sketch a brief outline of how you would answer the question. This enables you to test whether your flow of logic is correct, or if you’ve actually missed an obvious issue. Problem questions are deceptively easy when, in the tutorial, the issues and discussion points flow seamlessly one after the other and you’re lulled into thinking: “Oh, I knew that!”. Study vacation (the week with no classes, scheduled before the exam block) is your opportunity to complete past papers and miscellaneous sample problems, such as those included in LexisNexis Question and Answer Guides.

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ARE OPEN-BOOK EXAMS EASIER THAN CLOSED-BOOK EXAMS? In open-book exams, you can take certain materials into the exam room with them, such as an annotated unity of study outline, your summaries and/or textbook, whereas in closed-book exams, you’re equipped only with your memory.

It’s a misconception that open-book exams are easier than closed-book exams.

Do not spend less time preparing for them! The problems in open-book exams usually test a deeper understanding with the material, and involve more familiarity with the factual context of the cases - not just the principle derived from the case, but how judges arrived at it. They examine contentious issues where the decision on a point of law is either very narrow or unsettled, and could be open to change if decided today.

WHAT DO I DO IN THE EXAM ROOM? Once you get the panic out of your system, read the question carefully. Twice.

Underline key phrases that suggest certain issues or evoke the facts of particular cases. Then plan your response in the form of bullet points outlining what your issues will be, supported by cases, with a conclusion. Plan again if need be. This should not take longer than 5-10 minutes.

Write your answer, applying the law to the facts, not repeating them. Use headings.

Highlight your authorities. And if you’re short on time by the very end, write in bullet points: it’s better to have something down on paper than nothing at all.

CONCLUSION While law is intense, make sure that it doesn’t totally consume your life. Make an effort to switch off and refocus. Your brain will thank you for it, and your studies will improve.

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THINGS WE WISH WE KNEW IN FIRST YEAR

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“ Making friends is a real

lifesaver: you can conjointly feel the law school pain and create mad synergies when in the same subjects.

Christina

“ Great grades are important,

but so is professional experience - if you have to apply to every single barrister in the city to get some practical experience, get off your ass and get it done, son!

Christina

“ Get involved with your student

association: Starting law school can be daunting. To get used to the hunger games law school consider joining your law student society. They provide social events to meet other first years, give you access to experiences and jobs, and can also give you tips on where to eat, party, and other university life hacks.

Isabel

“ Embrace being a Law student:

Change your Facebook language to Legalese. Commit to binge watching suits, how to get away with murder, and Westwing. Buy your law student hoodie before class starts. Get ready to spend the next five years giving free legal advice at family gatherings.

Try and enjoy law school. It seems like forever but it’s over before you know it.

Isabel

“ I found that a lot of students

in my classes were set on being top tier solicitors and partners, yet most law students move into government roles, the court system and judiciary, law reform, humanitarian roles, education, corporate roles such as HR and compliance, in house counsel for major companies such as Apple or Westpac, or other nontraditional legal careers.

Nikki

“ I wish I knew that everyone is

overwhelmed and you’re not the only person who feels lost. Don’t be intimidated by those who act as though they know everything - everyone’s on the same boat.

Don’t get caught up in the supposedly ‘competitive’ nature of law school and help others as much as you can. Kindness costs nothing, and you’ll make some amazing friends from it.

Chloe

“ When you’re juggling work

and study commitments, keeping on top of your notes and keeping an eye on assignment due dates will help immensely.

It’s also important to remember that the sooner you ask for something, the more likely you’ll get it. Just found out you’ve got a massive assignment due in six weeks? Ask work for the weekend before the due date.

Nick

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By Eric

HOW A LAW DEGREE IS LIKE A RELATIONSHIP If anyone ever tells you that you wouldn’t be so lonely if you didn’t spend so much time studying, tell them that you’re already taken by your law degree. told you that you wouldn’t be so lonely if you didn’t spend so much time studying? Tell them that you’re already taken by your law degree. Here’s how they’re like relationships.

THE HONEYMOON PERIOD In your first year of law school, everything feels novel. Remember first year law when everything felt novel? With your doe-eyed high school idealism, you might aspire to a career in human rights made you confident about a career in human rights à la Amal Clooney and Geoffrey Robertson QC? But then inevitably firms try to entice you with lucrative corporate salaries and older students warned you about the soul-crushing journey ahead.

This is no different to a new relationship. You see everything through rose-tinted glasses, before you start to notice your partner’s quirks and flaws. Yet, you stick it out together because you can’t imagine life without them.

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COMMUNICATION IS KEY

THERE’S ALCOHOL - LOTS OF IT

Verbal and written communication skills are essential to success in law and in a relationship. Over the course of both, you become seasoned at spotting issues, discussing them thoroughly and coming to a solution.

Just as you wine and dine with your partner, you might go out with your mates post-exam for celebratory (or consolatory) drinks. It’s not uncommon for law students to skip a lecture or two towards the end of the semester to hit up the campus bar, or to take their mind off a disappointing mark with a drink. Not to mention that the law society organises parties all year round with massive bar tabs.

IT’S EXPENSIVE AF

YOU DON’T GIVE UP WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH

Don’t get me started on the 60k HECS debt and exorbitant summer school tuition fees. Textbooks, coffee, alcohol, printing and binding notes, stationery, campus eats – it all adds up. Likewise, food outings with your S.O., gifts, trips together – keeping your partner satisfied can also be costly (despite all the stuff you hear about love being priceless).

Law degrees and relationships have highs and lows.

Both involve a constant process of growth! They take time: you need to nurture them and appreciate them for who or what they are. Make sure to tell your law degree how much you love them; you never know how much time you have left. Literally, because you’ll stuff up your degree progression at some point without even realising.

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By Claudia

TIPS FOR RELUCTANT FIRST-TIME MOOTERS For the charismatic and quick-witted among us, mooting is a chance to let your inner Harvey Spector shine. For the rest of us, mooting is a necessary evil. Although I am part of the second category, I will attempt to impart some hard-earned knowledge in the form of 5 simple tips:

1

EYE CONTACT

It’s natural to want to hide behind your script. A judge in a first-year moot won’t expect you to have memorised the entire thing, but they may deduct marks if you’re reading off the page every time they look at you – mooting is a dialogue between you and the judge. The best way to avoid this is just to practice reading it aloud until you can’t stand the sound of it anymore.

Refer to your page in intervals to make sure you’re staying on track, but don’t rely on it entirely

2

HAVE CONFIDENCE IN WHAT YOU ARE SAYING

One of the comments I’ve received was: “your responses to questions were good, but you said them as though they weren’t good.” While you’ll obviously feel more comfortable sticking to the law, present your riskier arguments with confidence.

It’s part of the craft of law to make even the weakest argument sound persuasive in court. Performance is a large part of this. Even if the facts are unfavourable to your client, speaking with an air of uncertainty will only make your listeners sceptical of your argument. Essentially, fake it till you make it.

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3

PACING

Good pacing makes for a happy judge.

Speaking too fast is one of the most common mistakes new mooters make.

It’s better for a speech to be slightly over the time limit than on time but totally rushed. Judges are people too: to engage with your arguments, they need time to actually listen to and process the points you are making. Pausing after a particularly strong point will flag its importance to a judge.

4

PRACTICE WITH FRIENDS

Before you moot you should have a rough idea of what questions the judge may ask you. Read your speech to a friend and get them to pick out any contentious points of law or logical flaws you may have missed. Even better, ask them to think from the perspective of the opposing counsel. This way you can prepare solid responses and avoid potential mindblanks on the day.

5

WATCH OUT FOR CASUAL LANGUAGE

Questions can throw you off even the most well-prepared speaker. They can make you go from speaking eloquently to laughing nervously in a matter of seconds. Make sure to address the judge as “Your Honour” and maintain a formal tone.

For example: “yes, Your Honour,” rather than “okay, sweet.” Or: “I respectfully disagree” rather than “nah I don’t think so” (believe me, it happens). This can feel super weird since most ‘judges’ are just older students in casual clothing.

Also, your opponents are your “learned friends,” not “they” or “the opposition”.

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CONVERSATION WITH A LAWYER:

HOW MELISSA CHEN SURVIVED LAW SCHOOL

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF I finished high school in 2008, but deferred my position in an Arts/Law degree at the University of Sydney so that I could participate in the Royal Australian Navy Gap Year program. I finished my Arts degree in 2012 and my law degree in 2015, achieving Honours and the University Medal in Law. It took me six years to finish what is ordinarily a five year degree, a conscious decision that I made to lessen my stress levels and to fit in a combination of part time legal work, internships, volunteer positions and extra-curricular activities.

In 2016 I undertook the graduate lawyer program at Fitzroy Legal Centre in Melbourne while completing the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice through the College of Law. I was admitted as a solicitor in December 2016, and commenced my first full time lawyer job as a criminal lawyer at the Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission in Darwin in January`2017.

Throughout 2017 and 2018 I worked in both the adult and youth jurisdictions in the Northern Territory, was a lecturer in Transnational Law at Charles Darwin University, and volunteered at the Darwin Community Legal Service.

In July 2019 I will leave my role at Legal Aid and commence the New Entry Officer Course at HMAS Creswell in Jervis Bay, in order to become a Legal Officer in the Royal Australian Navy.

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Although my role as a lawyer is rewarding, it can also be quite stressful and overwhelming. I try to have a life outside of work to keep sane, and to feel happy. I love baking, reading, shopping at the markets and taking my 4wd out on adventures to camping spots, waterfalls and bush walks, which are luckily quite numerous and breathtaking in the Northern Territory.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STUDY AND PRACTICE LAW? I had no intention of ever being a lawyer when I decided to study law. Like many, I had the marks to get into law and thought it would be a good complement to my Arts degree. I loved languages and travelling and thought it would be cool to be a diplomat or something like that.

It didn’t take me too long to realise that I found my Government and International Relations major somewhat tiresome and wishy-washy, whereas I could find joy in the practical applications of legal concepts.

Volunteering at several community legal centres was extremely valuable to me in confirming that I wanted to practice law so I could have direct contact with clients and try to empower and help them to the best of my abilities.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR FIRST-YEAR SELF? If only I could go back and tell my younger self to put down the bottle of No-Doz tablets and try to live a more balanced life!

My first six months of university were by far my most challenging. I was obsessed with the idea that, because I had taken a gap year, I had forgotten how to study and all the other students would be at an advantage.

I decided that I would just focus on study, not do any part time work and not sign up to any extracurricular activities so that I would have even more time to study.

Needless to say, I was miserable. Because study was the only thing going on in my life, I put way too much reliance on my marks as a way to obtain happiness, which meant that I felt good when I received a good mark, but horrible when I received a mark that did not meet my expectations. Through many years of trial and error I have come to realise that my academic results are the best when I am happy, and I am happy when I have been exercising, eating well, and seeing family and friends.

HOW CAN STUDENTS UTILISE THEIR SUPPORT NETWORKS THROUGHOUT THEIR DEGREE AND HOW CAN THEY CREATE NEW ONES AT LAW SCHOOL? In my view it is good to have support networks both inside (friends from class or university societies) and outside (friends from school or work etc and family) of law school.

These support networks can be of assistance in different ways.

Outside support networks keep us sane and grounded. They are separate to the law school bubble and help us to escape, even if momentarily, from the worries and concerns of being a law student.

Inside support networks are also helpful because they understand completely the law school experience and can be a source of motivation. Forming study groups and sharing notes can also make exam time less stressful.

Students should also never feel afraid or embarrassed to access counselling and psychological services at university. There are some things that only a professional will be able

to help you with. Also, if you have had a bad or unhelpful experience with a counsellor, resist the temptation to write off those services in the future. Sometimes it takes a few attempts to find a professional who suits your personality and needs.

HOW DOES ONE MAINTAIN A BALANCED LIFESTYLE THROUGHOUT A LAW DEGREE? This is easier said than done. Ultimately you are the one who controls how much time you devote to certain activities, including study.

I didn’t follow a strict timetable of activities when I was at university, but I did have a rough idea of which times I would like to study and which times I would be working or volunteering.

It is useful to keep in mind that more hours of study do not necessarily equate to better marks, particularly if your study is ineffective. It is easier to feel motivated and optimistic when you are in a positive mindset, and this usually is obtained through maintaining balance and living a healthy life.

Trying to balance work with a healthy lifestyle is an ongoing battle, so students shouldn’t feel bad if they go through periods where the balance is totally off kilter.

WHAT ARE IMPORTANT THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND IF YOU RECEIVE A DISAPPOINTING RESULT? It can feel devastating to receive a poor result, especially if you have put in a lot of effort and tried really hard to do well. In the scheme of life we all know that a single mark does not make a difference to what we want to do with our future, but that is little comfort in the ensuing days or weeks.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that you can use your experience as a way to improve for the future. It takes courage to look critically at your own work, to acknowledge negative feedback and to change the way you study and write, rather than simply burying a bad mark in the bottom of your bag. Don’t feel afraid to ask your lecturer or tutor for further advice (the worst that can happen is that they say no, or ignore your request). Don’t give up, and keep at it – law school is a marathon, not a sprint.

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By Christina

WHY YOU SHOULD GET A LAW MENTOR, STAT!

WHY SHOULD I GET A MENTOR? A great mentor is like a 6-in-one multicooker: they’re a career advisor, networking coach, opportunity creator, proofreader and confidant. Building a solid network is an essential part of your professional journey. A mentor can save you a serious amount of time and energy while giving you a competitive edge.

WHERE CAN I GET A MENTOR? Your university’s Law Student Society (LSS) is sure to have a mentoring program with senior year students in your course. If you’re lucky, your LSS may pair you with an industry mentor.

Further, your state regulatory body (for Victorians, see Legal Institute of Victoria) may offer a program that pairs you with a professional. Out for Australia also have a professional mentoring program for LGBTIQ identifying students. Be sure to note any deadlines for these opportunities: for instance, the LIV only runs a program once a year and you must apply at the commencement of each calendar year.

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In addition, take advantage of your personal network - your best friend’s aunty may be the law mentor you’re looking for! Be bold and ask around. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

SO NOW I HAVE A MENTOR, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? Think of your mentor as a trusted advisor – someone you can be honest with and gain insight from. But remember, it’s a professional relationship. If you were a mentor, would you recommend a mentee if they were a blubbering mess? Probably not. This is why it’s integral to make sure you act and look professional and ensure you don’t confuse the role of a mentor with a counsellor. Additionally, remember that your mentor is busy and giving you the benefit of their time: use your initiative to organise meetings and follow up with them after.

WHAT SHOULD I DO ON THE FIRST MEETING? As a first point of call, this author suggests sending your newfound mentor your CV and a summary of your background, so that they can quickly and easily gain an understanding of you.

Every good mentoring relationship should have defined goals, so make some short term goals: one month, three months, six months and a year which you can then discuss, work on and track together.

Let the mentor set the time and location so you get a sense of what they prefer – they may be a daytime coffee person or a night time wine bar type. You can suggest the next location once you’ve scoped them out. Offer to pay, and if they pay, offer to pay next time (and ensure you keep to your promise). After the meeting, make sure you thank your mentor through email or text for their time and valuable insights.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IN BETWEEN MEETINGS? Mentors love hearing about your journey, so update them on your progress if they’ve connected you with another professional or have proofed an application. You can also anything that you think would be of interest to them. See a professional industry article that would interest your mentor? Send it. Know your mentor is going on holiday to Japan at the end of the year? Send an article on ‘Must eats Tokyo’ that pops up in your feed. Listen to a great podcast or inspirational TEDtalk?

Shoot it through. In doing this,you create value for your mentor and make the relationship a two‑way street.

HOW ELSE CAN A MENTOR HELP ME? A mentor is all about trying to assist you with opportunities. If your mentor is a barrister: ask if you can sit in on a court day. If your mentor works at a Community Legal Centre: ask if there are any volunteering opportunities. If your mentor works at a firm: ask if there are any paralegal roles. Again, you must drive the relationship with your mentor. Professionals are busy and although they have your interests at heart, they have a million other competing interests swirling in their head. Being direct about what you are looking for creates a win-win situation that is easy for you and your mentor to achieve. At the end of the day, the worst they can say is no.

That being said, there is tact required when asking about these opportunities. Don’t turn up to a meeting with your mentor and ask point blank whether they have any opportunities going: this will feel very transactional and may

be off putting to the mentor. Rather, aim for the first half of the meeting to be focused on relationship building, then weave questions about opportunities into the latter half of the meeting.

This writer has had mentors look over their CV, cover letter, applications and even assignments – again, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. But, approach with caution, ask whether your mentor would be open to it, and give them plenty of turnaround time.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF A MENTOR ORGANISES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME? Most mentors share their network with caution.

So if they set you up with someone, it means they trust you to set a good example, as both your reputations are on the line. As a result, smash the basics out of the park – arrive early, dress well (and appropriately), turn your phone on silent and come prepared. Send a follow up to your mentor and their contact with a thank you email or text. Satisfying these basics will increase the chance of your mentor connecting you with others in future.

WHAT IF I DON’T CLICK WITH MY MENTOR? First, give it at least two to three meetings to discern whether you and your mentor are a good match. Sometimes people have bad days or take time to come out of their shell, so give them a chance. But if you don’t think you’ll click, ask your mentor if there’s anyone in their network they could connect you with.

This way, you create a win for you and your mentor, wherein they’ve helped you and you’ve gained another potential mentor. If you’re in a defined program, you can contact the program coordinators and express your concerns about the match. Chances are they may be able to re-match you.

WHEN DOES THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP END? Every mentor should serve a different purpose.

Define goals and a time frame with your mentor. But you should definitely keep in touch with your mentor after your agreed time period.

Add them on LinkedIn, for instance, or initiate the occasional coffee catch up.

Ultimately. being a mentee is a very rewarding and educational experience. Drive the relationship, have fun and someday pass on the good vibes by being a mentor in the future.

Happy mentoring!

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By Kevin

WHAT YOUR COMBINED DEGREE SAYS ABOUT YOU Maybe you’ve heard that it doesn’t matter what a law degree is paired with: each combination has unique strengths and weaknesses and, as such, you should just pick whatever interests you. With the pessimism and judgmental tendencies of a jaded law student, I’ve distilled each combo into a stereotype which, like horoscopes, you should take with a grain of salt.

Despite our differences, we all share is the belief that a law degree makes us more employable in our other degree. But according to Turnbull, you obviously shouldn’t be doing a law degree if you don’t plan on doing law, right?

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ARCHITECTURE/LAW

ARTS/LAW

This is probably the most unsung degree pairing.

While everyone whinges about how many pages they have to skim, an Architecture/Law student would offer to build them a bridge so they can get over it – with brilliant structural integrity to boot. You’re tasked with constructing models of Olympic pools, parks and recreational centres, and formulating architectural manifestos. In a degree that’s somehow even more wildly subjective than Law, being nitpicked on the dimensions and textures of your paper, combining with Architecture tells me you’re a pretty resilient person.

“Employability? I major in medieval religious festivals.”

I’m Arts/Law so let me speak from personal experience.

I thought the amount of writing and research I do in Arts would complement Law. Instead, I’m drowning in even more theory and I’m marked against two different standards: while flowery language is rewarded in Arts, it’s not exactly desirable in Law. Arts has also gotten me used to skimming readings 30 minutes before a tutorial, but then I realise you can’t exactly do that in Law.

COMMERCE/LAW

MEDIA/LAW

Nobody:

If you call your social media presence a brand, and you carefully curate your Instagram grid, captions and stories, you’re definitely a media student. You’ll appreciate that privacy, intellectual property (sexy law!) and legal restrictions on media have made it one of the fastest-growing areas of legal regulation. So, you can practice without earning the ire of your LLBless media friends were you to snag their media jobs with your flashy Law degree.

Com/Law kids: “LinkedIn. Corporate cocktails on FLEEK. Should I pursue Law or Finance? Mergers & Acquisitions. FedCon is due on Thursday but I’m literally flying out to D.C. for a case comp on Wednesday night...

‘The Big Issue’? My only ‘Big Issue’ is passing Corporate Finance II. Is it flirting if we viewed each other’s LinkedIn profiles? That corporate HUSTLE never ends. Hang on, let me Insta story my elevator ride up to the 20th floor so everyone knows I work in the CBD. Catch me in the office ‘til 2 am.”

Never stopping for a breath, Commerce/Law students see themselves as ruthless sharks that relish the smell and taste of human blood. The common quarter-life crisis is whether you aspire to six-figure salaries and inhumane working hours in business, or six-figure salaries and inhumane working hours in corporate law.

SCIENCE/LAW

“Hey, wanna go get drinks after class?”

“Nah sorry, got lab.”

“How about next week?”

ECONOMICS/LAW

“My life is so hard.”

You have no easy subjects, apparently. At least most Arts students get the occasional WAM booster here and there. As a result, Eco/Law students tend to flock together in the solidarity of having two soul-crushing degrees. Not only are you able to break into business, politics, policy and economics, you also get the benefit of piquing people’s interests by telling them you “model” and then seeing their expressions dim when you clarify that you mean the economic variety.

“Quiz.”

Alright, we get it. In a world that fetishises “disruption”, “innovation” and “coding” (*cough* glorified typing), you’re probably still more employable than the rest of us. Unlike everyone else who happily left Mathematics behind in high school, you rightly realised that scientific logic actually helps with legal reasoning. Your combo is desired far and wide, from policy and consulting, to the whole spectrum of careers open to science graduates.

Just stop making the rest of us look bad. I’m sure most of you are down to earth... I’ve just never met any of you because you’ve got 25 contact hours a day.

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By Gina

STAYIN’ ALIVE THROUGHOUT A LAW DEGREE University can feel like a never ending cycle of studying and trying to excel. A combined law degree is no easy feat – five, sometimes even six years of full-time university is a long time when other degrees are usually three or four years. At first, everything radiates novelty, you’re (hopefully) studying something that interests you, you have three months of summer vacation, learning is self-directed and you don’t have class 9 to 3 Monday to Friday. But at the halfway mark of your degree, you may find yourself in a law school slump. The challenge is to maintain enthusiasm or even muster the stamina to finish it off. Here’s what you can do if that happens.

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REMIND YOURSELF WHY YOU CHOSE THIS DEGREE IN THE FIRST PLACE Ploughing through subject after subject and fighting off one assignment after the other can be draining. Reflect on why you chose to study law.

Were you glued to the trials and tribulations of the fearless Atticus Finch in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’?

Did you want to be a boss lady like Amal Clooney, spending summers on Lake Como and fighting human rights abuses in the International Court of Justice? Or was it because if Elle Woods could do it, you could too? (What, like it’s hard?) Whatever it was - a brush with the law when you were younger, popular culture or a person – return to it.

Even if you thought law was the natural progression after performing well in high school, there’s surely a reason why you’ve persisted. It might be pride, or the one concept in Contracts you found interesting, or you spoke to a really cool barrister who moonlights as a film director.

Remember that there are many ways to make a law subject enjoyable!

SET GOALS Set goals if you feel like you’re lacking direction in your degree. You could set short-term goals, from finishing your readings or planning your research essay by the end of the week, or dedicating Saturday to catching up on Evidence. Completing these goals give you a sense of achievement that can replenish your motivation. You could also set long-term goals, like maintaining a consistent study pattern and attending all your lectures.

Make sure to evaluate your goals: “If I couldn’t tick a task off this time around, should I adjust my expectations or shift the goalpost to make it more attainable, but still challenging?”

TALK TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN THE FIELD Speak to different people – older students, lawyers, academics or just anyone doing cool things with their law degree. Studying such a theoretical subject where your head is most likely buried under a casebook or s 1318 of the Corporations Act means that it’s easy to feel disconnected from the personal side of the law – the people behind it all.

Attend networking events in subject areas of the law that interest you, email that lawyer you met a while ago at a careers fair and ask if you could pick their brain over a coffee – they might even become your mentor. Hearing about others’ career paths inspires me and reminds me that there is a life beyond law school.

TAKE A BREAK OR LIGHTEN YOUR WORK AND STUDY LOAD Consider whether you have too much on your plate. Working three days per week, taking a four-unit study load, with mooting competitions and society activity on the side whilst socialising regularly can lead to burnout. Eventually, studying and going to work can begin to feel like a chore. If you’re heading in this direction, lighten your work or study load. Doing one less subject or working one less day is beneficial in the long run if it improves your health and happiness.

DON’T DWELL ON BAD MARKS A law degree is hard. Even if you’re intelligent, you have to put in work in order to do well.

Transitioning from the smaller, insular high school environment where you may have been the top of your grade to law school where you’re just one of many smart people in your cohort can make you doubt whether you can stand out. Hearing people exchange marks after getting back their assignment can make you feel even worse – how did you work so hard yet only get a 65 whilst Brian over there started the night before and got a 78?

It happens. So what if Brian started the night before and got a 78? It’s just one assignment, and you’re probably learning a lot more than Brian did from the assignment. Assignments are about honing your research, analytical and writing skills.

So get as much feedback as you can; consider points of improvement. A bad mark does not define your law school experience nor how well you know the law.

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