The first year of law school probably flew by for you, and we hope that you are ready for round two. The second year of law school is significantly more challenging than the first. This guide will help you to understand what you should be doing during your second year of law school.
Apply for Vacation Schemes
Many firms open their applications for vacation schemes in late September and early October. Submitting quality applications takes a long time, and for this reason, it is important to make the use of your time before you even start your second year. The last thing you want is to be applying for vacation schemes while navigating through new and challenging second year modules.
It would help if you always aimed to submit quality applications and to prioritise quality over the quantity of your applications. Allow yourself enough time to write applications and plan around university and vacation scheme deadlines. Make sure you get to know the firms that you are applying to by either speaking to representatives at your university’s law fair, researching firms or networking with solicitors and trainees.
Keep Studying
Think about what you did well and what you did not do so well in your first year of law school. Try to build upon your strengths while also acknowledging and working on your weaknesses. If you do that, hopefully, you will be able to achieve the highest grades that you can.
Another way to improve your grades is to speak to your tutors and professors. Ask them lots of questions about assignments, about areas of law that you are not so good at, and about what they are looking for when they are grading assignments. Their answers will give you an insight into how to improve and achieve better grades.
Extra-curricular Activities
Do not forget to take time off from studying and enjoy your university experience. Taking part in extra-curricular will also help you succeed in your career.
Continue participating in sports teams or university societies. If you did not sign up for any in your first year, it is not too late, to sign up for your second year. Try to find some volunteering work in a field that you are interested in.
Taking part in extra-curricular activities and volunteering will allow you to meet a lot of new people. It will give you a chance to network with people and learn something new about the legal profession and other professions. Most applications will usually have questions about extra-curricular activities.
Work Experience
You can try and get a job during your second year, during the holidays, or summer. It does not have to be legal experience; a non-law job is also a good work experience. You will gain many transferrable skills that you can highlight in your training contract or vacation scheme applications. It will also allow you to network with other professionals.
