How many times have you heard the saying you cannot survive law school alone? How many times have you heard you better choose your friends and circles in law school? How many times have you asked yourself whether or not you could surpass the journey to becoming a lawyer all by yourself?
The study and practice of law, more often than not, are portrayed in movies, books, and series as a venture usually reserved for the bright and brilliant minds of a fictional and realistic world. Oftentimes, we see young and dashing men donning a crisp white office barong or a neatly ironed suit who appear in hearings and corporate meetings. We often admire the brilliant quips and positions of women lawyers who provide us with progressive insights whenever we need to be educated on a legal matter. We are made to believe that the mastery of the law lies in the brilliance of a law student alone.
We are made to believe that the success of lawyers and law students is mainly because of their own personal doing. We are made to believe that the grandeur of law is mainly because of a law student’s or a lawyer’s very own volition.
However, we all know that this is not entirely true. We all know the facts behind it all,
Law school is never meant to be tackled alone. It is experience and time that has taught us that in law school, we need friends and colleagues to survive. In law school, we need to remember that our friends will eventually be the support group we need in order to survive.
Take a look back at your first day in law school. You meet some familiar faces from your undergraduate programs. You meet some schoolmates along the way. You meet some people hailing from the same province where you come from. You meet some common acquaintances you know by their faces but not by their names.
But for the most part, you meet new people in law school. You become good friends with people who you think vibe with you the best. You become colleagues with some law students who share the same passion. You become a member of a group that connects from time to time and has the same wavelengths with respect to the study of law, extra-curricular activities, and other relative matters related to the pursuit of the dream to become a lawyer.
Law school is consistent imagery of people working hand in hand in order to contribute to each other’s dream of becoming a lawyer. Apt is the cliché that “no one survives law school alone.” Reasonable professors always say that a law student needs input from other persons.
For example, is it reasonable to read 100 plus cases alone for just one meeting? No. What one should do is create a group wherein each individual will be tasked to read, understand, and summarize substantively the assigned case so that each member of the group will have a more concise text of the same. Accordingly, study groups for study night outs are also important because as mentioned, a law student’s mind is limited to what he or she perceives. If such a law student already believes that the one on top of his or her head is the right answer, then it is hard to convince them otherwise.
This is where a certain group of friends also pursuing law studies should enter. Because of their respective knowledge combined, they will all be able to create a sensible and more meaningful conclusion to what the legal query is all about. They will be able to reasonably understand different aspects of the legal problem, be able to provide several possible answers, and practice the analytical skills of the future members of the Court.
But aside from all these benefits which would arise if and when a law student finds the perfect peer group, such a circle of friends will eventually turn into something bigger.
It is said that the first year in law school is one of the most important stages in a law student’s life. Academically speaking, the same period pertains to a general understanding of how the law works, how stressful of a place law school is, and how the adjustment period for all law students could feel like an eternity or two. But aside from this, it can be said that the said year level is important because it is the first time that one is able to know and befriend certain people who will eventually play big roles in the study itself.
Law school support groups are the heart and core of law students. Whenever a law student does not understand a legal concept, he or she turns into his or her group of friends for clarifications and answers. This group serves as the rock of certain law students. They remind you of what topics are to be discussed, give you notes whenever you need them, and serve as the voices at the back of your head whenever you forget a legal concept that you and your group discussed some time ago.
Indeed, law school groups are necessary in order to stay afloat. However, those who have certain groups in law school believe that those which were mentioned are tips of an iceberg waiting to be expounded. For them, law school support groups are more than just intellectual besties. For them, law school support groups stand for something better.
In law school, your friends serve as your moral compass. In times of distress, law school friends are there for you always because they know first and foremost what it feels like to be in such a position. They may have gone through the same feeling and that they do not want you to hit rock-bottom. So, they stand by your side and comfort you with the fact that everything is going to be okay.
In law school, your friends serve as your inspiration. There will always be times wherein you will be proud of your friends because they actively participated in a graded recitation and eventually aced it. You will be proud of them because they nabbed one of the highest scores in your respective exams. There will be times wherein you will be proud of your good friends because they continue to do their parts and move forward in their journey to become lawyers. And in doing so, they do not forget to treat you as their family and also help you achieve your dreams too.
Law school is and will always be about teamwork, helping each other reach the top, and reminding your friends and colleagues that you are not alone in your fight to become a member of the legal profession.
And to those who might be reading this, may this serve as a reminder that you must always be thankful for your support group. Thank your friends who study out with you. Thank your blockmates who send you notes. Thank the people around you who are making the study of law bearable. A little gratitude won’t hurt.
Look at where you are right now and recall the days you were just starting. It is different as to how it is presented—and it is all because of your good friends and colleagues in your circle or support group.
Never consider your friends and colleagues as competitions. These friends and colleagues are the main keys in order for you to achieve the great goal of becoming a lawyer. You will realize in the long run, these friends will show how much your potential is and how good you are with respect to the study of law.
Always remember to thank a friend or a group of friends in your journey to becoming a lawyer. Treasure them. Always consider them as friends or family. They lift you up when you need them, they are with you all the way.
They are and they will always be the support you need.
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