Things I learned during my judiciary preparation

In this article, I will be sharing some of the tips and tricks I wish I knew back when I was in law school. Knowing them would have definitely made things easier for me especially during my judiciary preparation.

These tips are obvious and that is what makes them so forgettable.

But trust me, no matter what post you read or video you watch, it always comes down to these few things and if you actually follow them, I can guarantee that you will find success in the legal field.

Bare acts

Obvious, right?

But no one actually understands how important bare acts are. They provide you with the legal text in the barest form, like no explanation, only the intent of legislators. For exams or litigation, these are going to be your best friend. You have to memorise them, fall in love with them.

You don’t have to buy fancy law dukkis or notes, just start by bare acts. Read each line again and again, it may be boring but that what is going to reward you in the long run.

Your college notes

Dear reader, I am sincerely telling you to write and maintain your legal notes in law school.

I can’t stress how important your lecture notes are in the long run. Those case laws that your professor might mention are not only useful for your end sem but also, your mains examination, job interviews, etc.

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For instance, I consider myself quite eloquent so I thought job interviews are going to be an easy ride but boy was I wrong. When in this one interview, where I was grilled by a panel of lawyers who specialised in Environmental Law, I prayed that I could recall those case laws from class.

So that is why I would suggest maintaining your class notes and revising them after coming back from college at least once.

Reading material

A major chunk of law colleges provide some sort of a semester curricular or course plan where the professors provide a list of reading material that they would be referring during class.

You can go through it and select a few of the resources and refer them to make notes. And trust me these are the same resources that are going to be used whether you study in India or abroad. For example, the resource I used for International Law was a book by Professor Malcolm Shaw and that is the book i.e., used internationally by law students.

Extracurricular activities

Whether it is public or private college, there are going to be multiple activities that are going to happen – take part in them. Get a certificate. People may tell you that certificates have become redundant but they have not. They are not only going to enhance your profile but also allow you learn new skills.

If your college doesn’t conduct any activities, find online platforms where you can find information on ongoing competitions.

Your professors

Making connections is important irrespective of the field you are in but it becomes especially important for law students. No matter how outstanding you are at your studies or how bad you are at them, if you sincerely connect with your professor(s), they are going to guide you. Then whether it is finding the right path or recommendation letter, etc.

Concluding thoughts

I could write a longer article where I could share another set of things that you can do to make your legal future a little less stressful but those are not going to be useful unless you follow the above mentioned.

The most important thing about success, in any field, is diligence. You have to build good habits and those habits will guide you in making things easier.