In this article, I’m not commenting on law schools and curriculum. People who engage with education are infinitely more qualified to do so. This article addresses what I think a (future) practitioner of the law should focus on in law school.
Knowledge -
Several students approach law school with focus and dedication which is admirable and self-limiting. There seems to be an intense desire to increase GPA and ranking at the cost of a more holistic education which will hold a practitioner in good stead.
The law is your specialisation -
The law allows you to positively impact society irrespective of your chosen field: Whether in academia, private practice, or as in house counsel, working with the law will help you meaningfully engage with larger society if you have developed the mindset and skills to do so. Illustratively, a ‘corporate’ transaction is a mandate for the lawyer but a milestone for the client and necessarily impacts all workers at the companies concerned. You must teach yourself to understand the linkages between your work and all the people who are automatically impacted by that work.
To do this you cannot be a ‘super specialist’. You cannot focus on one area of the law to the exclusion of all others. Your knowledge must span the body of the law – a lawyer is a specialist; divide that specialisation to your detriment.
Read -
Recognise that your habits of reading the law developed in college will apply through your life as a practitioner. For myself, I had the greatest fun working on projects. I’d start reading based on the topic of my project and end up following random, unrelated, threads of the law and jurisprudence. This didn't do much for my projects - my academic record is mediocre at kindest - but I use the skills and understanding that I developed up to date. The most important parts of gaining ‘knowledge’ are knowing that you don’t know and knowing where to look to fill the gaps.
Apply skills -
College teaches you to develop skills that you should apply.
Marathons and races -
After college ends you are not on an internship – even long-term internships end – and practice is a marathon. To prepare, consider consistent, long term, internships so that in the limited time available you engage deeply with your work and understand the rigour and discipline required of a practitioner. If you can sign articles or engage as a clerk so much the better.
Impulse control is important. In college, the act and the consequence follow in short order: You appear for an exam and get your grade. For a practitioner adverse consequences are immediate and rewards are reaped in the medium term. Accept this and leverage it.
Research –
Learn to research well. Technology must be leveraged for better research but is not a substitute for human intelligence. That said, remember that in the centuries over which the law and jurisprudence have developed: Someone has considered this or an analogous issue before you. Learn from that so that the solution you offer is holistic, workable, and tailored.
Most importantly, learn ‘why’ the law says what it does. Jurisprudence is much ignored to the detriment of a practitioner and the law.
Don’t forget to unwind and have fun -
If you do not take advantage of the flexibility that student life offers and enjoy (sleeping in class and attempting to remain unseen by faculty requires dexterity!) you're missing the most important learning that college has to offer.
(The writer is the Managing Partner of Bharucha & Partners (B&P), a full-service law firm.)
