How To Be The Top Law Student In Your Class

How To Be The Top Law Student In Your Class

Many students are competitive and want to graduate at the top of their law school class. However, becoming a top law school student takes time, effort, responsibility, and some common sense. To help you get to the top of your law school class, we’ve assembled a list of our favorite pieces of advice. These recommendations all come from former law students turned attorneys and should help you achieve a top spot amongst classmates.

How To Be The Top Law Student In Your Class

Attend Office Hours Regularly

Office hours are one of the most powerful yet underutilized resources in law school. They are free, designed to improve academic performance, and can help to develop a more personal relationship with your professors. Despite this, it’s common for only a handful of students to attend office hours on a regular basis. Take some time at the end of every week and jot down some concepts to discuss with your professors. Remember, your professors are the ones teaching the class and writing the final exam.

Figure Out What Works For You

Your first couple of months in law school somewhat resemble a marketplace. Merchants all claim to be selling what they believe to be the best product that will solve any issue you have in law school. Similarly, you’ll likely encounter students exclaiming that they heard “this or that” to be the best way to accomplish something. “I heard this is the best time to start outlining.” “I spoke to a 3L, and they said you don’t need to read the cases for that class.” “I read that this supplement is the key to doing well on that professor’s final exam.”

Forget all of that noise and focus on what works for you as an individual. Everyone is unique and learns in different ways. That means what works wonders for one person may not have the same impact on another person. Developing your own way of doing things is important to your personal success in law school. 

Utilize Practice Questions

It’s one thing to know the law, but it’s another thing entirely to apply the law in a hypothetical situation. The best and most effective way to do this is by taking practice tests and experimenting with practice questions. Many times, students wait until final exams to begin practicing questions and taking exams. Sadly, this can be too late in the game for many students to achieve top marks on the final exam. Supplements, old exams, online question banks – these are all great resources for practicing in preparation for the final exam.

Don’t Fall Behind

Falling behind in law school is a dangerous and often fatal mistake that students make. After a while, they find themselves lost in class and without a clue as to what the professor is discussing. Telling yourself to “read it over the weekend” or “read it later for the final” rarely works out favorably. Instead, do your best to keep up with the course material according to the syllabus issued by your professor. You’ll be more conscious in class, be able to take higher quality notes, and develop better questions for office hours.

Treat Yourself Well

Part of being a highly ranked student in your law school class has nothing to do directly with academics. Rather, it’s connected with how you take care of yourself. Academic performance and self-care go hand-in-hand. The better you feel, the better you learn, and the better you perform. So, take some time and go to the gym, socialize with friends, go out to dinner, or get a massage. Your body and mind will thank you.

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