1. Reputation is everything and it starts in law school.
2. Friends matter.
3. Interests other than law keep you sane.
4. Dealing with jerky classmates is great practice for dealing with jerky lawyers.
5. Dealing with demanding professors is great training for dealing with demanding partners and judges.
6. Brown bagging your lunch is a great way to maximize both your time an budget.
7. Wine doesn’t have to be expensive to be decent.
8. Alumni matter. I wouldn’t be where I am if two law school alumni hadn’t offered me a clerkship an a internship. Alums, especially from small schools, can and should give more than money.
9. Even the best plans fail. The night before my criminal law final and during the middle of first semester exams, I got the noro virus and thought I was going to die. Ended up in the hospital for the first and thankfully only time in my life. My exams were postponed but I was still far from 100%. I gave the rest of my exams the best I had. I haven’t had the noro virus as an attorney (thankfully) but there have been plenty of days where I’ve given it my best at less than 100%.
10. All the coffee in the world does not beat a good night’s sleep.