It’s just been two months since my inception into the “law school” and I already feel lost. The title of this blog accurately suggests what I am going through now and I am sure many of you are going through or already have been through this phase in law school.
The most important feature of a law school is cut throat competition (literally!!!) because if you don’t compete you perish. From smallest of opportunities like a mess committee to the biggest like a moot court, law students want everything that adds value to their CV. There is a mad rush to grab everything they get. There are many societies and co curricular activities but one common thing you find in them is that only the so called “bright students” can take part in it. There is no place for average students, in a law school either you raise your standard or you drop out.
Like everyone else I entered my law school with hell lot of dreams only to be dejected. Everything I was good at and proud of before entering the law school seemed futile because everyone I met was better than me in everything I did. I could not moot or debate because I wasn’t good at public speaking, law review- I don’t think I need to explain, I couldn’t even get into cultural committee or sports committee, I had been rejected from all the committees. I felt like a loser and hopeless for the first time in my life and to add on to this I was constantly been thrown out of the class for not reading the cases, in fact even now I have been thrown out of my contracts class!! Things couldn’t get worse than this I just couldn’t cope with the law school environment but I was and I am still determined not to give up because nothing is permanent and nothing is impossible!!! So what if I didn’t get into any of the committees this year? There are so many other things I am good at and I can always do better in things I am already good at. My suggestion to those who are going through the same in law school is try to carve a niche for yourself don’t try to fit into the expectations of a good law student and follow the crowd instead be a trend setter because a CV alone cannot determine your worth!!!!!
Comments
Thanks for sharing this ! Helped me uplift my spirits! :-)"
my dear friend if your not good at all the things yout good at and your not even reading the cases for your class ... whose really to blame .. where exactly si this niche your carving for yourself ...
whiel hte idea of 'specialising' is good .. tis pointless if you dont have a good rounding off ... try everything once ... do what you like twice .. and love is for the third time :D
The best part!
i have represented In Parliamentary Debates for past 2 yrs. and i am in the Panel.. but still, I think you are right in saying that we should carve a niche for ourselves in something we are very good at...
i have represented In Parliamentary Debates for past 2 yrs. and i am in the Panel.. but still, I think you are right in saying that we should carve a niche for ourselves in something we are very good at...
So let me get this straight "buddy" - you're a first year, who's been in law school for all of two months and you're making statements like joining litigation is the right choice? What do you even know about litigation? Or law firms and "minting money"? Have you even earned a rupee in your entire life? Do you know what its like to draft an agreement / plaint and feel the satisfaction a good document gives you? Have you ever been to a High Court? Any court for that matter? Have you ever stood in court for a whole day only for your matter to be adjourned to the next week? Or for that matter, have you ever worked all night to finish an agreement only to realize that the parties have changed the commercials terms to the arrangement?
Look, fair enough, "a CV doesn't determine your worth", I completely agree with you there. But don't go venturing off into territory you have absolutely no clue about.
I never took part in any college committees and never attended a single lecture after my first year, but stick to the message you're trying to convey. Don't go around shooting your mouth off about how litigation is the right way and working in a firm is wrong. Firms do litigation as well, you know - oh, wait, you wouldn't know that, because you really don't know anything, do you? The practice of law is to practice law as a profession - it doesn't mean you HAVE to be a counsel arguing at in court. Even dispensing legal advice on corporate / commercial transactions is practicing law. But you wouldn't know that again, now would you?
Such fixed ideals, a close mind and ridiculous misconceptions! That too in your first year! Best of luck for the rest of your life, you clueless confused child. You - and certainly your clients - would need it.
So let me get this straight "buddy" - you're a first year, who's been in law school for all of two months and you're making statements like joining litigation is the right choice? What do you even know about litigation? Or law firms and "minting money"? Have you even earned a rupee in your entire life? Do you know what its like to draft an agreement / plaint and feel the satisfaction a good document gives you? Have you ever been to a High Court? Any court for that matter? Have you ever stood in court for a whole day only for your matter to be adjourned to the next week? Or for that matter, have you ever worked all night to finish an agreement only to realize that the parties have changed the commercials terms to the arrangement?
Look, fair enough, "a CV doesn't determine your worth", I completely agree with you there. But don't go venturing off into territory you have absolutely no clue about.
I never took part in any college committees and never attended a single lecture after my first year, but stick to the message you're trying to convey. Don't go around shooting your mouth off about how litigation is the right way and working in a firm is wrong. Firms do litigation as well, you know - oh, wait, you wouldn't know that, because you really don't know anything, do you? The practice of law is to practice law as a profession - it doesn't mean you HAVE to be a counsel arguing at in court. Even dispensing legal advice on corporate / commercial transactions is practicing law. But you wouldn't know that again, now would you?
Such fixed ideals, a close mind and ridiculous misconceptions! That too in your first year! Best of luck for the rest of your life, you clueless confused child. You - and certainly your clients - would need it.
I read your post and thought I should warn you about futility of joining the law school rat race. there is not doubt that you should excel and make the best of wonderful opportunity that law school is to pick up skills, but you can do so in your own terms. I have done it myself - won some of the rat races too, but without sacrificing individuality or personal values. first, decide on your mission - what do you want to achieve? what is your mission? then go find the best ways in the world to achieve that, dont just follow what everyone else is doing. research.
here's something I want to share with you, by a man who always stay ahead of all rat races of our times and define standards for generations to come, seth godin:
Run your own race
The rear view mirror is one of the most effective motivational tools ever created.
There's no doubt that many people speed up in the face of competition. We ask, "how'd the rest of the class do?" We listen for someone breathing down our necks. And we discover that competition sometimes brings out our best.
There's a downside, though. Years ago, during my last long-distance swim (across Long Island Sound... cold water, jellyfish, the whole nine yards), the competitiveness was pretty thick. On the boat to the starting line, there were hundreds of swimmers, stretching, bragging, prancing and working themselves up. By the time we hit the water, everyone was swimming someone else's race. The start was an explosion of ego and adrenaline. Twenty minutes later, half the field was exhausted, with three hours left to go.
If you're going to count on the competition to bring out your best work, you've surrendered control over your most important asset. Real achievement comes from racing ahead when no one else sees a path--and holding back when the rush isn't going where you want to go.
If you're dependent on competition then you're counting on the quality of those that show up to determine how well you'll do. Worse, you've signed up for a career of faux death matches as the only way to do your best work.
Self motivation is and always will be the most important form of motivation. Driving with your eyes on the rear view mirror is exhausting. It's easier than ever to measure your performance against others, but if it's not helping you with your mission, stop.
-Ramanuj
And mooting is not about public speaking, its about passion to apply law to every impossible situation where in past law has not been applied correctly. If you are good in applying law. Its enough.
When in 2016, when you will look back, you will find that I have done somany things in a better way than other.