5 Qualities that Make a Great Law Student

Law Preview/Last Updated: January 7, 2020

There are many qualities that make a great law student. Chances are, you already exhibit some of these (considering how hard it was to get into law school). The qualities of a great law student are the same qualities of a great lawyer. Honing in on these skills throughout law school will get you to graduation and ultimately prepare you for a successful legal career.

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You Are Dedicated

Attending law school is a serious commitment. It will affect your relationships, take up all of your time and change your day-to-day life. That’s why it’s important to stay dedicated. Law school is competitive. There will be students who will do anything they can to get ahead of you.

Remembering to stay dedicated no matter how hard, exhausting and boring it may get is an important part of law school success. Dedication and perseverance will help you stay ahead of the curve and ultimately affect your career as a lawyer.

You Have Excellent Communication Skills

Being a lawyer involves constant communication. Whether it’s oral, written or listening, you will be doing a lot of it. Your note-taking and outlining skills will be what get you through each year of law school — not to mention class papers and legal documents. Your public speaking skills will also be tested time and time again as a law student.

Building excellent communication and public speaking skills is an essential part of your success as a future lawyer. It’s also important to be able to write clearly and persuasively.

You Are Analytical

In law school, you will do a lot of reading. Having the ability to dilute that reading into manageable, digestible information will be integral throughout law school. But it’s not just about analyzing the reading. Being a lawyer relies heavily on analytics and logic.

You will be forced to look at a situation from every angle and you will be tasked with finding a realistic solution to that problem. As you go through each semester of law school, your analytical and logical skills will sharpen. Eventually preparing you to become an excellent problem solver.

You Know How to Manage Your Time

This is probably one of the most important items on this list. Once you start law school, your life will be inundated with reading assignments, outlines, you name it. Our best piece of advice is to do your best to create a solid routine.

You will most likely never feel like you have enough time to finish an assignment. It’s best you know this now. That’s why it’s important to prioritize each item on your To-Do list. Keep a planner, find your favorite study spot and stick to your routine.

You Are Creative

Creativity might not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of law school, but think again. Being a good law student (and lawyer) means being a creative problem solver.

Going to law school will force you to think outside the box and look at every possible outcome to a difficult problem. Embrace your curiosity as a law student. It will help you stand out from your classmates and will highlight your strengths to your professors

Start 1L With the Tools & Knowledge Needed to Succeed

There are a lot of great things that come with being a law student, but the first year isn’t one of them. In fact, the first year is the hardest year of law school, and the most important.

First-year grades impact everything from academic honors to future career opportunities. That’s why we created Law Preview, the only course built to teach incoming law students the skills they need to conquer law school from day one.

Here’s what you’ll learn by taking a live or live stream course:

An overview of core 1L material
Proven exam taking strategies
Note-taking and outlining best practices
Academic success skills, and more

Learn how to become a top law student before day one with Law Preview.

David A., Harvard Law School

“I filled out the [course] evaluation fairly completely. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my answers. One thing might be a bit misleading; my answer to your question ‘Did Law Preview meet your expectations?’. The best answer available was ‘Yes. completely’ which I selected. In reality, Law Preview exceeded my expectations. My expectation was that Law Preview would give me an overview of each 1st-year law class so I will be able to absorb each case knowing where the endpoint will be. While it certainly did that, I did not expect it to be so entertaining. The faculty last week were all extraordinary teachers. Several could have been stand up comedians… So, while there was no place to put it on the evaluation, Law Preview did more than just meet my expectations. My only complaint is that I am going to spend the next nine months frustrated, since I know what great teaching is. Thanks for a great week.”

David A., Harvard Law School

Mia S., Howard University School of Law

“At Howard, we do not know our class rank until the end of the year. However, I have received my first semester grades. I got 2 As and a B. Thus, I have an A average!! Law Preview should be required of all law students entering their first year of law school. Why it is not, I have no idea. I simply cannot imagine what I would have done without the formidable introduction to law school and support that Law Preview has given me. I think that law school is difficult even if you have the benefits of an introduction such as Law Preview. I have a pretty non-traditional background for a law student and future lawyer. I spent most of my life as a performing artist (actress and singer). Thus, I was really worried that I would be at a disadvantage in my first year. But Law Preview gave me the confidence and tools to be successful. My grades are evidence of that. Moreover, I would like to commend your ability to bring such an impressive roster of instructors to the program. I particularly enjoyed my Torts professor from Yale. He was marvelous. He left me with such a deep impression of the importance of keeping my moral compass in order as I navigate this profession. Thank you!”

Mia S., Howard University School of Law

Anonymous, University of Indiana-Bloomington School of Law

“Law Preview was critical in giving me the strategic advantages that allowed me to excel during the 1L year. Many of my colleagues did not realize the correct pacing and preparation schedule until it was far too late. I appreciated Don’s realistic and blunt advice about the difficulties you will face during the first year. Law school is about hard work and proper preparation, and Law Preview made this unambiguously clear through the Strategies for Academic Success sessions, as well as the experience of preparing for the mini-courses at Law Preview. . . . Last, and maybe most important, I left Law Preview excited to start school. When the year began I was able to step through the doors with the confidence of having an explicit and detailed plan about what was going to happen. Carrying through with the Law Preview schedule allowed me to go into exams confident, relatively stress-free, and somewhat rested. While this was not a particularly “fun” experience to go through finals, I know that my experience was far better than most. [Ranked top 1% after first year].”

Anonymous, University of Indiana-Bloomington School of Law

Anonymous, Michigan State University-Detroit College of Law (transferred to William & Mary Law School)

“I wanted to follow up with you about a phone conversation we had a few months ago about my transfer options from Michigan State Law. I’ve been accepted at Tulane and William and Mary, and waitlisted at Georgetown–my final GPA from 1L was 3.8. I’m leaning toward William and Mary, and I wanted to thank you for the invaluable advice and confidence you gave me. I hardly anticipated the personal attention I received, but I am very grateful for it! Please feel free to include this as a testimonial in any of your company’s promotional materials: Law Preview rocks!”

Anonymous, Michigan State University-Detroit College of Law (transferred to William & Mary Law School)

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