A comprehensive guide to navigating 1L.
To all the 1Ls, welcome to Jackman! As upper-years, we understand the value of mentorship—having ourselves benefitted from the wisdom of generations before.
So, for the sake of passing it forward, I’ve compiled a list of advice from upper-years.
Preparing for recruit
You may have come to law school with only one humble goal: land a cushy summer job. You may not even be picky between New York or one of the Seven Sisters.
The CDO is here to support you in your career ambitions. So, when you’re tossing and turning late at night, thoughts of your 1L summer keeping you up, it is completely appropriate to email Theresa Chan.
Don’t forget to set up your LinkedIn, where every lawyer is part of the top 25 lawyers in Canada (also a great platform for stalking your ex when they’ve blocked you on all other platforms).
Call to the Bars
Don’t be fooled by the fact that Call to the Bar nights take place outside of the law school. They are designed to be prime networking opportunities. In fact, they’re basically one big coffee chat.
Before the big day, go through e.legal, search through LinkedIn, and compile a list of your targets. On the day of, arrive at the time SLS has indicated (punctuality is a virtue) and work your magic on those upper years who will be wowed by your initiative.
Pro tip: for real insider information, buy everyone shots.
Dating
Law school can get lonely—really lonely. While friends are great extras, you need someone to hold you close and to spend late nights with you at Bora Laskin.
After conducting an in-depth study, I’ve found that Hinge, Grindr, Tinder, Bumble, and the like just aren’t good enough. People are too dumb, and they don’t understand the plight of a law student. So logically, law students should date other law students.
Now, the jury’s still out on which year is the best to date.
3Ls make for great mentors and, even better, they’ll be out of here soon (take that as you will). But all they do is talk about how “it all works out in the end”—so self-righteous.
2Ls are easier to find than 3Ls (who are either out of the country on exchange or simply because 3L is well-earned vacation time). You will find 2Ls in herds near the CDO. Beware, they may bite.
Dating a fellow 1L is a dangerous game, not for the weak hearted. You may end up with your soulmate or, more likely, someone you’ll have to avoid for the next 3 years.
Extracurriculars
The most frequent question upper-years get is—which extracurricular activities do you recommend? (transl. Which of these pesky resume boosters will land me straight on Bay Street?)
It really does depend—each club has something unique to offer. To be on the safe side, join everything. SLS to make lofty promises that not even the dean can fulfill; a journal to read articles no one else will; and an intramurals team so you can tell recruiters you “work well in a team” (transl. I swear under my breath when someone misses the net).
And if they won’t accept your exec application, you can always be a general member!
Exam Prep
You haven’t started practice exams yet? That is deeply worrying—stop reading UV and start trying to figure out where the Court of Equity is.
The totally real upper-years giving you this advice are confident that, equipped with this advice, you will crush 1L. Never forget: other people are your resources.