Kelvin Akhigbe, a third-year Law student at the University of Leeds, writes about how to crush your time as a Law student. He includes fantastic advice about everything from how and where to revise, how to save money on textbooks, and how to know that you deserve your place on your law course.
I’m Kelvin, a third-year Law student at Leeds. My journey with Zero Gravity began in Year 12 when I was told to apply for a mentor. From there, I was mentored by an Oxford student who helped me with my personal statement and securing university offers for Law. Now that I am going into my final year at Leeds, I’ve collected a lot of advice about studying Law.
Work smarter, not harder.
Studying Law is notoriously hard, and involves a lot of reading. However, you can make your studying go further by working smarter, not harder. What does this mean?
1. Use pre-made notes
Well, there are a plethora of online notes, PDFs, and study guides that you can access online to help simplify complex legal jargon. My best advice is to use pre-made notes and add any existing notes from lectures or seminars on top of those. A website I am grateful for finding in my second year is “STUDOCU”. It has loads of notes from previous law students and helpful tips for modules. I have utilised it in many ways, from finding extra cases to support my legal arguments in essays, to simply understanding how to write a legal problem question.
2. Take all the help you can
Top tip? Attend your support hours at the University if you are struggling to grasp a certain concept. Support hours are extra hours offered by your tutors for their specific modules where you can ask for clarification on topics from lectures, seminars, or tutorials. Support hours are great ways to expand your knowledge and improve your grade attainment.
3. Do NOT buy books
You should not buy any books required for your course - your university will have access to an online library where you can access any articles, pieces of legislation, or books required for your modules. If you prefer to make handwritten notes on books, purchase them second-hand at your freshers' fair or on eBay, for example.
4. Do NOT do all the reading
When preparing for a seminar or tutorial, it is not a must to read every required page – this is the definition of "work smart, not hard." In law school, time management is extremely beneficial, and learning how to effectively consume information is paramount. When given seminar/tutorial content, there will be certain questions that will help tailor your reading for a specific module. Only read the information within a law textbook or article that relates to your specific question because it saves you so much time.
5. Condense your notes
Condensing your notes involves combining your lecture notes, pre-made notes (from STUDOCU or a law student in the year above), and seminar/tutorial notes into one document. This will help when learning content, and if your exams are open books, it will be easy to access. In terms of grappling with case law, I use lawteacher.net and e-law resources to understand the basic information and legal principles of a case. Now, lecturers might say you should stray away from such resources. However, they can help you understand and pinpoint information when reading a case judgment improving your legal argument when writing a legal problem question or essay.
Securing the career.
1. Open-minded attitude = open opportunities
There is a lot of pressure within law school to find a career that suits you. There is definitely no rush, but my advice is to be curious about exploring different routes into law, and learn as much as you can about them. To expand your knowledge about legal careers, utilise your university's career service and law society. These two resources will be your best bet for networking and gaining access to information on how to bolster your CV, gain an internship, or succeed in an interview.
2. A LinkedIn stalk can be surprisingly useful
I highly recommend that you create a LinkedIn profile as this will allow you to network with students who are already in the career you aspire to achieve. A great tip when looking to network with a student or a recent graduate is to look at their experience section. Ask yourself: What did this graduate from this university do to gain this training contract, mini-pupillage, or paralegal role, for example? Take note of their experience and start to research how you can apply for such opportunities. This is a way of working smart and being ahead of the curve.
3. It’s about more than just the degree
I highly encourage you to take on extracurricular activities with your law school or at the university in general – it is both life-changing and allows you to improve your employability as a student. Let us also not forget the Zero Gravity career mentor service and law opportunities offered on the platform. Please use them!
Dealing with Imposter Syndrome:
I remember reflecting on my first-year experience of studying law and found I compared myself to other students. All I have to say is that remember that you are intelligent, you deserve to be on that course and be proud of your achievements so far. Law can be challenging but take it easy and always ask for help – there is no shame in asking! Your lecturers and personal tutors are there to help you become the best law student possible.
I hope my advice was beneficial! Just remember to enjoy studying law as it is dynamic and encourages you to be curious in your thoughts and questions.
Cheers Kelvin - what a great rundown on powering up your Law studies. Looking for work experience or graduate job opportunities within the legal sector? Be sure to hit up the opportunities on the Zero Gravity platform, or take Kelvin's excellent advice and apply for a Law career mentor here.
