Two Keys to Success

When I was in school I found that success had little to do with intelligence or magic study techniques. The students who did well had two keys to success:
 

• One, they were disciplined.
• Two, they were good at organizing the mass of information they were taught.

The purpose of this book is to give you a technique for key number two—a system for organizing and processing at the information you get in your classes. I call this the Legal Concept Management (LCM) system.


If you follow the LCM techniques as I describe them, you will do well in law school. But that's a big "if," because the LCM approach requires a lot of work—as I mentioned, the other key to success is discipline, which you must provide. Either you're willing to work hard in law school or not. And if you're not, 1 can't do much for you. But if you want good grades, if you want to get the most out of law school, and if you're willing to work diligently, then this book can be of great help.

Why Bother?

You might ask yourself at this point: Why bother to do well in law school? You think: "I'm going to a good school. As long as I pass, I'll land a job. No problem." Well, sad to say, the world has changed from the days when your mothers and fathers went to law school. "Take-over" fever has become "take-cover" fever, and the number of plush jobs in classy firms has fallen in direct proportion to the clients who have gone under or cut back on operating expenses. While the number of students applying to law school seems to have stabilized, firms are being much more selective in their hiring and what was unheard of as recently as ten years ago are now firing attorneys who don't live up to their expected potential.

The short answer to the question "Why bother?" then is this: To get the job or clerkship you want.

By "job you want," however, I don't necessarily mean the most lucrative type of legal position. People choose law for reasons other than money, such as its potential for improving society, as a stepping stone to public office, or as a mentally stimulating way to spend the workday. If these are your goals, it is no less important to do well in school. Why? Because the most important, most interesting, and most rewarding legal jobs—whether they pay well or not—are avidly sought after by graduates.

For instance, the Manhattan district attorney's office typically receives dozens of applications for each opening in the office. And that position pays about one-third the going rate in Wall Street firms. Similar competition is common at the Legal Aid Society and other public interest groups. If you aren't attending a prestige law school, you will need to push a little harder than those students who are. I do not believe that these prestige schools produce better lawyers than other schools. But law firms in the process of hiring attorneys and judges hiring clerks often have a different view, and you may find a decided prejudice against graduates from non-prestige schools unless you can demonstrate through your individual academic performance that you are a potentially outstanding attorney. Such self-interest isn't the only reason for doing well, however. In school, you are working pro se, as the legal expression goes—working for yourself only. In no time at all, though, you'll be representing clients who need your help. The attorney-client relationship is one of great trust. For these clients you are bound morally (and legally) to do all you can to solve their problems within the bounds of the law. You cannot represent clients half-heartedly; when their property, liberty, and even lives are at stake, you must make every effort on their behalf. Get accustomed to this attitude of hard work and diligence now; after all, you're only a few years away from becoming an attorney.