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A. You Are Joining An Honorable Profession
1. Structure of Society
2. Professional Core ValuesB. Your Actions Define You
1. Positive Attitude
2. Civility is the RuleC. Associate Yourself With People You Admire
1. Critical Evaluations
2. Reputation BuildsD. Approach Your Work With Care
E. Take Your Ethics Course Seriously
1. Foundation
2. Discipline
3. Your Professional ReputationF. Handbook Conclusion
ASSOCIATE YOUR CAREER WITH QUALITY In the chaos of law school, it’s easy to forget the most important lesson of all: your reputation as a lawyer starts in law school and follows you everywhere. Your fellow students will be judges and partners in the major law firms in your community. Don’t underestimate the power and resonance of both your good and bad actions in law school.
A. You Are Joining an Honorable Profession
The legal profession traces its beginnings back to Greece and Rome.
1. Structure of Society: Our profession provides shape, body, and resilience to the ordering of human society. Our society’s values are reflected in our legal system and the particular rules of law are how civilized society implements and enforces those values. The law is a moving, changing catalyst to an organized, progressive society.
2. Professional Core Values: To serve the public interest and honor the public trust are your profession’s most important core values.
B. Your Actions Define You
If you act ethically, responsibly, and respectably, you will be regarded as ethical, responsible, and respectable. If you act like an arrogant jerk, you will be regarded as an arrogant jerk.
1. Positive Attitude: Be positive. Treat others with patience and courtesy. Take your work seriously, but maintain a healthy sense of humor. Admit to your mistakes. Everyone makes them. Don’t assume you can hide in the anonymity of the larger world outside law school; the legal community is smaller than it seems.
2. Civility is the Rule: Be respectful with your professors and fellow students and law school administrators. This is equally true in the midst of a vigorous class debate or in the student lounge during a party. Reputations start quickly in your first year of law school. Little things mean a lot and people tend to remember the negative more than the positive.
.C. Associate Yourself With People You Admire
The same principle works in reverse. As others assess you; so may you assess others.
1. Critical Evaluations: Evaluate those you interact with: fellow students, professors, and practitioners. Don’t assume that everything they say and do is right or ethical. You can make those decisions for yourself. Respect people who earn your respect, and question people whose actions are questionable. Don’t let those with power over you dictate your actions.
2. Reputation Builds: Part of defining what kind of student and lawyer you are is establishing your reputation in the law school and legal community at large. Associate yourself with quality students and legal professionals whose values and goals you admire and wish to emulate, and always take the high road.
D. Approach Your Work With Care
Quality professional work is an important building block of a successful career. No matter how big or small the assignment, approach it with professionalism and care. Research thoroughly, analyze carefully, and by all means, turn to experts for help. Keep in mind those people you meet who have experience in a particular field of law. They’ll have lots of tips and advice to make your work easier. Whatever you are doing - consulting with a client, writing a memo, preparing for a deposition, or planning a trial strategy - always keep in mind the best interests of your client and the health of your reputation. These should be your guideposts and will never steer you wrong in you career.
E. Take Your Ethics Course Seriously
Legal Ethics (or Professional Responsibility) is much more than just another class in law school. It is tested separately on the bar exam for an important reason. Even law students must do all they can to instill respect in the legal profession.
1. Foundation: Learning ethics is the foundation of a solid legal career of which you can be proud. Your ethical reputation starts with your first class in law school and first case in the practice of law. You will know your classmates for the rest of your professional life.
2. Discipline is Unpleasant: If you are disciplined by the law school or Bar Association, it will be published and your peers and superiors will know. Adhering to the disciplinary rules is a great way to avoid this embarrassment. Learn and understand the ethical rules and follow them. If this becomes complicated, as it often can, consult someone.
3. Your Professional Reputation: Being a law student and practicing law inevitably involves some frustration and controversy. Law students and lawyers develop a personal professional reputation which others use as a guide in their dealings. The finer your record, the better chance you will have of surviving the arrows that accompany law school and a career in the law.
F. Handbook Conclusion
Well, that’s it. This is not the end-all and be-all of law school prep manuals, but we hope it is a good overview to help 1Ls execute a “strong start.” We welcome any feedback or questions at rigos@rigos.net. Most of all have fun, explore, and enjoy your time in law school. Law school will develop your intellect and transform you from a 1L into an attorney. It is a rite of passage; every lawyer shares this experience. You will look back to these years with a smile and many fond memories. Good luck.
