The Most Important Study Hack I Learned in Law School

One fact that a law student could never get away with in law school -- running out of time.  It is particularly so when you need to cram for an upcoming exam, time is on fastforward mode so how do you make the most out of it will make or break your chances of graduating.

I wasn't an honor student all throughout my years in law school except during my 'trying to impress the SO phase' in freshman year, so you better take these tips with a grain of salt.

Here is what I did;

I prioritized the law codals because you need to have a basic grasp of the laws and this allows you to zero in on the real issue in the exams questions. Now, I am not for memorization, it rarely works for me but I admit it helped at some point. I remember way back in first year, I was forced to memorize in verbatim the provisions in the Revised Penal Code. To this day, most of the provisions still stuck in my head (thank you Judge P.).

When I still had extra time, then I get to read my text book twice.  I would often read it once or twice before so during exams week, reading it once, or a second time (again) will be a lot easier.  Some people love to use highlighters, but whenever pressed for time, highlighting slows my reading pace. Later on, I ditched my highlighters.

IF I still had extra time left, I browsed my outline or digests. Great, still have time left? I would go over concepts and if I had written an outline, that would be great (I didn't, taking down notes is just such a pain for me)  that you are still not clear about. Then would  review the whole subject in my head just so you know, make a mental map of how the concepts are connected to the greater picture.


The Blogger is a senior law student (on indefinite leave) from Manila, Philippines, a digital marketer and former beauty pageant finalist.  Aside from this blog, she is passionate about content creation  and writes mostly about beauty, travel, dating and fitness --her articles achieving a total of over 1 million views from her featured hubs in HubPages.com. She also manages a number of social media communities on issues concerning environmental conservation, beauty, travel, and personal development.  On her free time, she dabbles as a judge for beauty pageants and manages a beauty & fitness startup and gobble a lots of cakes..  For collaborations, shoot her an email thru gmmurgirl@gmail.com

Career Paths in the Legal Profession

Golden Lady, Bruges Belgium by Emmanuel Huybrechts
from Laval, Canada  [CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

Contemplating on what you can do after graduating from law or after passing the bar exams? Here is a list of possible career options you might wanna look into to further your expertise and get integrated into the legal profession.


Law Firm

For any lawyer worth his salt, most of the people I know who passed the bar or waiting for bar results are already working in a law firms or join private law firms as a junior associate. It is the most common route for new bar passers.  The work is cut out for you as you become part of the legal team of the firm.

It is a career path that requires long hours and lots of room for building your craft as a lawyer.  If you seek this career option, brace yourself but at the end of it - meaning after years of hard work you could look forward to that plum senior partner post.

Corporate lawyer

Many lawyers join the corporate world as part of their in-house legal team and this includes being part of or become the head of the human resource department.  This depends on your background and strong points during or prior to your law studies. If you have a background in labor relations, industrial relations and HR, you might want to join as head of a company's human resource department.

Academician

Some of my friends who are working in private companies also dabble in teaching either at a university or in a law school.  Many find this career path quite rewarding as it allows them to practice their passion for teaching and help mold the minds of the next generation of professionals or lawyers. If you have the heart and the patience to teach, why not?

Your Own Law Firm

If you have friends who are already practicing for a longer time than you, and you are the enterprising among the group, why not ask them to pool resource (money, brains and office space) with you and put up a law firm.

Government

There are many career paths you can follow if you work in the government. Who knows it could bring you to that highest legal post in the land, being a Supreme Court Chief Justice.  With dedication and hard work, going for a government post as lawyer can have it's own rewards and benefits.  You get to serve the Filipino people what is more rewarding than that! Be mindful that working as a lawyer in the government impose restrictions on practicing law.

These are just some of the career options you might want to check out after finishing your law degree. If you can add more information, feel free to post in the comments section below.


This Blogger is a senior law student (on indefinite leave) from Manila, Philippines,  digital marketer and former beauty pageant finalist.  Aside from this blog,  she is passionate about content creation  and writes mostly about beauty, travel, dating and fitness --her articles achieving a total of over 1 million views from her featured hubs in HubPages.com. She also manages a number of social media communities on issues concerning environmental conservation, beauty, travel, and personal development.  On her free time, she dabbles as a judge for beauty pageants and manages a beauty & fitness startup.  For collaborations, shoot her an email thru gmmurgirl@gmail.com