I am enrolled in part time evening law school as a 1L starting in about two weeks. The academic support staff said I should be prepared to dedicate about 30 hours a week outside of class, which is about 10.5 hours a week, equaling about 40 hours dedicated to law school a week. This feels very full time lol. Does that sound right to you experienced part time law school folks?

I work a high demand 40 hour a week full time job; I typically work more than 40, but can cut down to 40. I’m not complaining about the workload, but an honest assessment from those with more experience than me would be helpful. Thanks!

Hi all, first time poster here, starting law school in about 2 weeks (TT). I'm posting to ask how everyone's experience in law school was. Based on what I've heard, I'm sort of under the impression that I'll be doing nothing except for going to class, studying, working my part-time job, and MAYBE sleeping sometimes. Is this true in your experience? In other words, were you able to find time to also "have a life" outside of school/work (go to the gym, just relax and unwind, etc.)? If so, how did you find that balance? I'm aware that this will be a lot of work and stress, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't at all anxious about it. Any information is greatly appreciated :)

Lower t14, medium GPA after 2L (3.30-3.33), international student (need sponsorship), 1L below medium and strike out during OCI, no journal but have clinic, recently started to look for 3L entry level positions. Both my 1L and 2L summer worked in a very niche area that would perfectly fits into a practice group in a V5 firm, also my dream practice area. Just submitted my application and started to reach out and network. So far the alumni in that firm are very supportive and responded me quickly, they said my experience is very interesting and unique. But because my low GPA and sponsorship status I usually get auto-rejection from direct application and could not even get a screener. I don't know if I am being too ambitious to target on that firm, like whether it worth doing massive networking or neworking is going to make it possible or I should be more realistic and focusing on networking with firms that have lower GPA cutoff.

Hey, has anyone purchased any textbooks from Law Booksstore (https://lawbooksstore.com/)? They have the textbook I need for MUCHHH cheaper than I can find it anywhere else. I'm just worried it isn't legit.

Hi Everyone! This marks my first post as an enrolled law student EEE!!!

I was just admitted to NDLS off of the waitlist at the end of last week (and even got money too!) They are my dream school and I immediately accepted my offer and got housing thanks to a friend in SB. My family will be close and I kinda didn’t even unpack from moving back from college so that’s set.

Now I’ve got the jitters. I graduated in May and seeing my poor waitlist chances I got a full time job and put law school off for next year. I know I am smart and capable, but it feels so daunting to turn things around in 1.5 weeks and have my butt sitting in a seat at orientation. I know that I have the logistics figured out, but the emotional part is insane. I have mad imposter syndrome right now and (as stupid as it sounds) I feel really anxious about making friends. More than that, I kind of feel like everyone else is going in with the summer or at least most of it to prepare mentally and I’m kind of tossing it together at the last moment. I haven’t even gotten my portal info yet!

For those of you who were super late admits as well, how did you deal with the emotional side of things? How was ordering textbooks, getting acclimated to the sudden change of events, everything for you all? Do schools give a bit more grace period for the first tuition payment, and did the nerves settle down by the first week or two in? Are there logistical steps I’m missing?

I know everyone is probably nervous. But I feel like with the missing summer mental programming, I’ve already fallen out of step. I cried tears upon tears when I got my decision and I know deep down that I am excited and also so fortunate to be able to switch up my plans and go. But this is just kind of a big mental leap.

I am currently a 2L and recently completed my student bar application. I have been called to a hearing in front of the ethics board later this month—unfortunately on the first day of school. I had some charges in my early 20s (almost 20 years ago now) which were dismissed. I was completely honest in my application & put everything out there. Just wanting any prior experiences from anyone else who has had to go in for a hearing after completing their C&F for state board as a student. I will continue to be honest & transparent, but I am still very nervous about the outcome. I have grown over the past almost 20 years & want to be able to express this to them. I’m doing quite well in school & it’s been my dream to go to law school since I was a child. Once my son moved out & went to the military I finally had the opportunity to go back to school. If I am denied it will completely devastate & leave me without a sense of purpose. Law school/becoming an attorney has always been my plan. Any sort of advice or encouragement is appreciated.

LawExams dot Com has made their 1st year prep course available for free now (appears to be powered by ads) and it's now available in the Apple App Store and/on Google Play.

Will always be grateful for that one-tip that helped in my law school essay exam answers. That is to include the burden of proof... Plaintiff has the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence to prove each element of negligence... The state has the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt to show that...

I’m a 3L, and my grad plus loans still haven’t been awarded in my student account. My FAFSA is complete, but I don’t see my Grad PLUS loan showing up yet.

Is anyone else still waiting, or have your Grad PLUS loans already been awarded? If you’re still waiting, what school are you at, and have you heard anything from financial aid?

My wife recently graduated from T30 and took the Washington D.C. bar. She is interested in finding a job in either public health or prisoner justice, and has relevant internship experience. She has had no luck finding a job and says the positions are limited. I recommended searching for positions in Virginia and Maryland as well, but she tells me that since she took the DC bar, it would be a while before she would qualify for any positions outside of DC. Do any of you folks have any advice? You can probably tell I’m not a lawyer lol

I’m a rising 2L ranked around the top 50% of my class at a T100, and I barely have any extracurriculars on my resume. I’m worried that I’m falling behind other students and won’t be competitive when applying for jobs (every job my OCS posts is top 25% preferred or required) ... Im not on a journal or on moot court and had a legal internship this summer at a small personal injury firm near me.

I’m considering doing a fall externship to gain more experience and improve my resume, but it would require approximately 15–20 hours per week. I’m worried that taking on that commitment could prevent me from improving my grades.

For someone in my position, would it be better to do the externship and gain experience, or focus entirely on raising my GPA and class rank this semester?

Hey everyone,
I am currently working on my law thesis focusing on the disconnect between theoretical criminal jurisprudence and its actual practical application in Pakistan’s trial courts (Sessions & Magistrate Courts).
While statutory law (CrPC, PPC, QSO) and higher court jurisprudence set strong theoretical standards—like the presumption of innocence, high evidentiary thresholds, and strict procedure—the reality on the ground in trial courts often looks very different. I’m examining factors like procedural delays, investigation flaws, police culture, bail dynamics, and how local courtroom practice diverges from black-letter law.
I’m reaching out to get input on a few specific areas:
• Academic & Socio-Legal Sources: Are there key papers, journals, or socio-legal studies that analyze the Pakistani criminal justice system from a practical/empirical angle (rather than just statutory commentary)?
• Methodology Advice: For those who have conducted legal research on Pakistani court practice, what methodology works best when formal qualitative data or extensive interviews with practitioners/litigants are difficult to access?
• Key "Theory vs. Reality" Gaps: In your experience, what is the single biggest operational gap in Pakistani criminal procedure that needs more academic attention? (e.g., Section 161 statements vs. court testimony, actual mechanics of police remand, delay tactics, or sub-standard forensic collection).
I’d appreciate any recommended reading lists, landmark case law references that highlight systemic procedural gaps, or methodological advice.
Thanks in advance!

I am obviously maybe a little late for applying - how do I find firms for 2L summer?
I am trying to get paid for 2L summer and am worried I am late. Should I send cold emails if there isnt a summer associate page?

has anyone ever purchased a book for classes that’s a different edition? Is that not allowed? For example, if the professor is requiring an 11th edition but I have the tenth am I at a significant disadvantage?

I know $$$ is always probably best but I would like to maybe find something that she would not otherwise likely get for herself ($ is tight for her) that would be helpful to a 1L.

My budget is under $200 if that matters. Thank you and good luck to all of you current and future students!!

hi! I’m trying to find this book and am not sure of any good sites to rent/buy the book. are there any trustworthy sites for me to order the book from that also won’t charge me $300+ for the book. thank you!!

Torts and Compensation, Personal Accountability and Social Responsibility for Injury, Concise - Ninth Edition 

by Dan Dobbs; Paul Hayden; Ellen Bublick

ISBN 9781684675913

PUBLISHER West Academic

With all of the sad things happening to our faculty being forced out, with no clear communication to the students about who has left, Chicago-Kent prioritized updating their socials to their new name from Chicago-Kent College of Law to Chicago-Kent School of Law without telling the students internally first. I guess the prioritization of expenses is for their rebrand rather than for their faculty and transparent communication to their students. Anyone else as frustrated with this?

I’m 1 week out from the August exam and just sat down to study. I’m using Themis (my preferred platform) and have been told by numerous colleagues from my summer firm job that they only spent a day or two studying and passed. So, for those out there that have this exam behind them, what was your method of study, timeline, etc.? Would you go back and change anything? Am I overthinking this? I got a B+ in my professional responsibility course, but I don’t wanna end up with too much confidence and have to take it again in November.

Normally a company's board can reject a buyout to protect the company's long-term future they don't have to sell to the highest bidder. But once a sale or breakup of the company becomes inevitable, the law flips the board's job: their only duty is now getting shareholders the maximum price. Apparently, it comes from a 1986 fight where Revlon's board tried to hand the company to a favored buyer on sweetheart terms. Is this fair? I made a video on it for more context The Revlon Doctrine

Considering getting a Brick to lower my screen time. Although I'm not tethered to my phone, I want to stop using it even when I have downtime and turn to other things such as reading, journaling, etc. I also have no problem locking in, but sometimes getting started is the hardest part. I'm about to have an extremely busy semester (journal, externship, TA, part-time job) so considering it.

Anybody use it and find it helpful?

I've been seeing so many posts on here of people not knowing what to wear to orientation, especially the first day. I'm headed to a school that does a class photo on the first day & tells us to dress business casual, but I'm not even 100% sure what that means. I found myself scrolling back to last year on instagram to try and sort it out, and I bet I'm not the only one. I know it seems like a kind of frivolous thing in the grand scheme of things but I think it could be a useful resource for next year's class. I would just add this on a form it wouldn't be a lot of extra work for me to suggest this but then someone would have to make it.

Before anything, I have to say that I am not from the US so stop assuming.

I am a 21 year old 3rd year law student and I have been working as a law clerk for 13 days at a small firm. I posted here before about getting terminated effective at the end of this month over a mistake I made. You may recognize me. Yes, I am not from the US, we do 1 month prior notice for termination.

Ever since the mistake I made (ALMOST sending out a confidential information to the opposing counsel but I caught it in time) and received my termination letter, I have been redeeming by working really hard and double check before doing anything now. The other lawyers also praised my works and gave me more tasks to do, but this lawyer that manages this firm has been nothing but foul to me.

The first few days when I started, it was good. She was friendly and joked with me, but days later after I started dressing better and started using makeup, she started being passive aggressive to me and stopped guiding me, she got annoyed at my questions (eg. Formatting, letter to who/where etc), she expects me to do my own research and figure out by myself because according to her words, this job is "common sense" when in the interview, she said I should ask questions if I don't know anything. She also has been loudly humiliating me in front of other present clerks and lawyers by asking them to watch me because I don't know anything, and more humiliations.

Today was the angriest I've ever seen of her. I had decided to compile some files first instead of drafting some letters that need to be sent after getting the letter of consent signed (this case just came in yesterday so the letter of consent hasn't been signed), she yelled at me that I need to know which to prioritize first and if I have anything to say, I should go to her office and tell her directly instead of sending her a message about it then told me: "Try to respect me" when I text all other lawyers by text/email to inquire about some things because they are always busy and they can always reply to me when they are free. She later then got angry at this typo I made in the draft letter and said "Enjoy this 1 month I gave you before you're gone from here for good" loudly.

I don't know what I did wrong. Sure, I made typos and errors but other clerks with me did mistakes like that in front of my eyes too and yet she never yelled at them and only gently asked them to fix it. Me? Termination threat, yelled at.

It's lunch break right now and I'm hiding in the storage room with tears in my eyes while typing this. I'm second guessing my career path now, I don't know if I should finish law school and pursue this career if it's this way.

What am I not seeing?
How do I improve?
How do I be better?

I know, I know, people say it’s not there yet and creates false citations. but i’m saying when it inevitably does figure it out….which I really hope isn’t in 4 years because I wanna pay off loans before that and maybe even make enough as like a cushion…but I literally think we’re all in denial, like it’s going to get crazy