What we wish we knew at law school
We ask emerging and senior practitioners about their law school experiences. And how current students can make the most of the experience.
Uni is back for 2020. With that comes the pressures of study, work and life. Law school can seem like a endless mountain to climb.
So we asked a few of our friends what they wish they knew and law school and the advice they have for current students.
We deliberately went to senior and emerging practitioners to share a experiences of a wide variety of people because no path into the law and through the profession is the same.
At the bottom of this article we have compiled a collection of articles from people like the Hon John Chaney SC and others about their advice for young lawyers.
Also, we did a shoutout on Facebook and LinkedIn to practitioners about their advice for students — it is a GOLD MINE from some of the best lawyers we know with decades of experience.
Check it out on Facebook and LinkedIn here.
Adam Ebell
Senior State Prosecutor, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
What do you know now you wish you knew in law school?
I wish someone had told me that if you want to be a lawyer, that you will get there eventually.
Some of us got a job before offers day; some of us got a job on offers day.
Many of us (myself included) got a job months after offers day.
Not everyone has the same path. I am sure this has changed, but back when I was in law school I wish there had been a bit more information out there about non-large law firm career opportunities.
A lot of people in law school thought there were only eight law firms in Perth (and all of them were based in QV1 or Central Park).
What did you find challenging about studying law and how did you overcome it?
Studying law can be, at times, pretty dry.
What kept me going was getting involved in competitions (like mooting) and picking units that were genuinely interesting to me. Sure, I ended up with a lot of the “alternative” subjects, but I was never going to be a corporate lawyer.
Don’t pick units for other people; pick them for yourself.
What would you have done differently at law school?
If you have even a passing interest in practicing law post-graduation (noting that many genuinely do not), then get as much experience as you can beyond the classroom and within the profession.
Do your research and embrace opportunities to work with barristers, CLCs and government organisations.
It helps add some bulk to your resume, but (just as importantly) focuses your mind on where your interests may lie.
Lawyers, Adam is chairing our Rottnest Advocacy Weekend in 2020. Find out more here.
Lea Hiltenkamp
Lawyer, Glen McLeod Legal
What do you know now you wish you knew in law school?
Whilst marks are not completely ignored by future employers, they were also not the focus of a single interview that I did.
I was very glad that throughout my studies I got involved in volunteering opportunities in the field that I was interested in working in, planning and environment law. Questions about volunteer experience as well as my overseas studies formed about 70% of the questions I was asked in interviews.
Ultimately, the skills which I learned in my volunteering positions such as research, letter writing and basic matter management proved much more useful when I started working than any detailed knowledge from a particular unit at uni.
What did you find challenging about studying law and how did you overcome it?
I went to uni directly after finishing Year 12 and then continued straight on into the Juris Doctor once I had completed my undergraduate degree.
The change in pace from undergraduate to postgraduate studies definitely caught me off guard and I was feeling burnt out after my first year of the JD.
I felt like I had been studying non-stop for far too long!
I made the decision to move and study overseas for a semester and then work in Germany and Switzerland for half a year to gain more practical legal skills.
I am so glad that I made this decision as it not only helped me gather my energy and motivation to push on with the last two years of the JD, but was also an experience that helped me figure out more what I wanted to do with my law degree.
What would you have done differently at law school?
I can narrow this down to five points. I wish that I:
- Hadn’t bought all the textbooks on the book list in first year (they’re online and in the library!);
- Had prepared for each and every tutorial as I got so much more out of them when I did;
- Had decided to drop down to three units a semester earlier than I did. It stretched out my degree by a year, but it was a much more manageable workload and allowed me to volunteer at the same time;
- Attended more social events as some of the best people in my life now are those who I met in my last year of law school; and,
- Hadn’t stressed so much about clerkship applications for the top tier law firms as the legal profession in Perth is much bigger than that (I now work at a boutique firm and love it).
Dayna Lazarides
Policy Officer, Department of Treasury
What do you know now you wish you knew in law school?
I wish that while I was in law school, I knew of the unconventional jobs and pathways to practise, and the opportunities that graduates had to get there (i.e working in government lawyer roles, community legal centres, suburban law firms).
While I understood that graduates went into different roles, my cohort only really spoke about clerkships and clerkship applications — a pathway that is traditionally for those interested in pursuing a career in corporate law at a larger firms.
What did you find challenging about studying law and how did you overcome it?
Sometimes weight distributions of exams and assignments (30 per cent assignments during semester and 70 per cent exams) meant that you worked really hard all semester on an assignment, and then tired uni students have to fairly frantically prepare and study for the exams, which can be the make or break for your unit grade.
I overcame this by trying to prepare early, and by focusing on my goals.
What would you have done differently at law school?
If I had my time over again, I would have tried to get some legal experience or exposure earlier on during law school, and prepared exam notes throughout the semester.
Catriona Macleod
Director, Cullen Macleod Lawyers
What do you know now you wish you knew in law school?
That the people you meet and get to know will always be your best resource and support throughout your legal career, and at law school.
They will help you deal with the pressures of a legal career, and will make you look like you know what you are talking about, when you don’t have a clue.
Nothing beats phoning a friend, not even Google.
So get to know as many people as possible, from students, to lecturers to people in the profession, but do it genuinely. Build genuine relationships.
Law is all about people and relationships, focus on them.
What did you find challenging about studying law and how did you overcome it?
The stress and time pressures.
I intentionally helped create a study group of people cleverer than me who all had great senses of humour, so we split up the work, and had fun at the same time, while getting good results
Sabrina Maine
Lawyer, Pilbara Community Legal Service
What do you know now you wish you knew in law school?
You’re not the only one that doesn’t know what they are doing.
I felt like I was lost and behind the pack when I left law school because I didn’t do many clerkships or internships and it felt like everyone else knew what they were doing but the truth is no one did.
It’s okay to not know what you are doing because you’ll figure it out.
I was lucky enough to have fantastic mentors throughout Piddington PLT and now in my work and they are always helping me.
If I could go back and talk to the me in law school I would tell her “don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it” and “you’ll figure it out eventually”.
What did you find challenging about studying law and how did you overcome it?
I found it really hard to keep motivated. I constantly struggled with procrastination.
I found that it was easier for me to get my head into gear and focus when I was with a friend.
It can’t be people that derail you and chat away, it needs to be like-minded people who will actually sit and focus on the task at hand.
What would you have done differently at law school?
I would have gotten more involved in the competitions. Murdoch had lots of events going on like Client Interviews, Mediation and Advocacy competitions. I only competed in a couple of events and now I see just how useful those competitions can be. If you can get involved in practical activities do it.
Nick Malone
Associate, Pragma Lawyers; Convenor, The Piddington Society
What do you know now you wish you knew in law school?
Mistakes happen and having good people around you will allow you to learn from them without feeling like your career is over before it has even started!
What did you find challenging about studying law and how did you overcome it?
Balancing competing interests between doing well at uni, having fun, making friends and finding a job.
In the end it’s about what is important in each moment and ensuring you devote your energies to where they are required to allow you to be your best.
What would you have done differently at law school?
Not a lot I had a great time!
Any other advice for law students?
Be yourself. There is going to be a firm, community legal centre or government role for you.
For some it may not be in the law at all but that’s okay too, we have plenty of transferable skills to make someone successful in anything they do.
Sally Oliver
Lawyer, Aboriginal Legal Service WA
What do you know now you wish you knew in law school?
I wish I had known how much I would come to love the practice of law.
I started law school when I was 17 years old (as a December child). I did not know what career I wanted and, as a result, why I had to read such dense case law and textbooks.
I did not appreciate what you could do with law.
After three years in community legal centres, I have come to learn that all areas of law (but mainly criminal law, civil law, administrative law, family law, tenancy law, immigration law) can be practised in a way to help protect and empower the most vulnerable members of society.
What did you find challenging about studying law and how did you overcome it?
I found feelings of isolation challenging. I felt alone and was struggling under the weight of the study.
But I was not alone. I think many people in law school can come to feel a little isolated and a little bit of the imposter syndrome.
It helped for me to hang out with friends I could bounce frustrations off and puzzle through things with.
Having hobbies and things that brought me joy outside of law school were also helpful in giving me space.
It also helped to hold my family close and to know no matter what happened I had them.
What would you have done differently at law school?
I would have tried to enjoy the ride more, knowing how happy I would be in the future with my chosen profession.
I felt pretty anxious the whole time and uncertain why I chosen this path.
Now I am safe in the knowledge I am exactly where I want to be.
And I wish I could go back and let myself know that it was fine to try different areas, it was fine to feel uncertain because ultimately this would be the profession I would come to love.
Nicholas van Hattem
Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers; President, Law Society of Western Australia; Director, Piddington PLT
Welcome to — or back! — law school. I hope you find your time challenging, fulfilling and rewarding.
My first advice is: take your time. We hope this will become a lifelong pursuit. It is certainly a marathon, not a sprint.
To the greatest extent you can, try to factor in some time to get involved with the broader legal community. Getting involved with the law students’ society, The Law Society, The Piddington Society and community legal centres, are all good ways to start to do this.
Please also keep some time to yourself to relax and also reflect on what you are learning. Lawyers are notoriously terrible at doing that.
I did a combined law and arts degree. I loved them both. In arts I studied philosophy, psychology, English and the entirely non-vocational (and wonderful) Italian.
Doing a law degree is important, but it is not for everyone. If you struggle, ask for help. The most wonderful thing in the law is the capacity of people around you to assist you.
Go to those tutorials, meet your cohort and help each other.
As a student, I would recommend seeking as many opportunities as you can to develop emotional intelligence and people skills. We are seeing increasing automation in our profession — but there will always be roles for people who can synthesise complicated information and explain it to a person in a clear and empathetic way.
You will have challenges this year, and throughout the years you spend pursuing a career in law. It is important to be reminded of the reality that legal practice is not for everyone, and that’s ok.
It’s also ok to take a break when things get hard and reflect on whether this is a pathway you want to pursue.
If those reflections convince you that this is how you wish to spend your life, please know that there are many people in our profession who would like to help you.
Further reading from our friends:
The seven most important things a young lawyer should know
The Hon John Chaney SC — Chair, The Piddington Society; former judge, Supreme Court of Western Australia and District Court of Western Australia; and, former President, State Administration Tribunal.
After 42 years of practice, from being a junior solicitor to partnership, as a barrister and then a judge I was always learning new things — even in my final weeks and months at the Supreme Court.
At every stage of my career I have wondered if I am up to this.
10 lessons I learned as a law grad
Grace Ritter — lawyer, FourLion Legal
Lawyers have a reputation for perfectionism, often fostered in the highly competitive environment of law school. And I get it — in law school, spending an extra hour polishing off your paragraph structure to make sure it was perfect could be the difference between an HD and kissing that all-important goal GPA goodbye.
But perfectionism can be a significant barrier to productivity.
“It’s not possible to prioritise work above your health”
Melita Medcalf — Solicitor in Charge of Legal Aid WA’s Pilbara office
I have witnessed too many passionate advocates become affected by burnout and compassion fatigue to remain silent.
Three things I wish I’d known when I started law school
Kate Offer — Assistant Professor, University of Western Australia
There are very few truly wrong decisions in life. Everything you do or try is a source of information; information about what is ultimately best for your ‘right life’.
It’s really easy to stress about taking a wrong turn but the things you do, the relationships you have and the jobs you try that do or don’t work out are all wonderful pieces of intelligence that help steer you in the right direction.
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