r/LawSchool

I’m currently a 2L summer associate at a biglaw firm, and I’ve been really struggling for the past several weeks with anxiety about not getting a return offer at the end of the summer.

There’s no real reason why I need to be this worried. I haven’t bitten anyone. I show up every day and try to do my best. I’m at a major office of a V10 firm, which I only mention because it seems like no-offers are slightly more common at satellite offices and at lower ranked firms. And my firm supposedly usually gives return offers to every summer. As the end of the summer approaches, though, I’m finding myself worrying a lot about what if I’m that one unlucky person who just randomly gets no-offered. Maybe people at my firm don’t like me and I’ve failed to notice the signs. Maybe everyone thinks my work product is awful. Maybe this year my firm hired too many summers and someone has to get cut. Who knows?

I’ve spent the last year and a half preparing to begin my legal career at this firm, and I’m scared of how difficult it would be to have that yanked out from under me at this juncture. And Im also afraid of the social stigma, as everyone would probably assume I did something outrageous to get no-offered. Every time I think about the meeting coming up at the end of the summer where I’ll hear if I got an offer or not, I just feel sick.

No one else around me seems particularly worried about this, or if they are, they’re not voicing it. I feel pretty silly thinking I might be the only person who is so worried about something that even I can see is most likely not going to happen. I guess Im just posting this to see if anyone else who’s currently a summer is feeling this way too, or if anyone who was a summer remembers being worried about this and could give any advice.

I am looking at taking out a 20k loan for 1L. I received a full scholarship at a regional school, so this would be for mostly for rent. Is this too much? Is it a good number? Would like your thoughts

EDIT

I am asking more so about going 20k in debt for 1 year. Is that too much ? The loan will cover my cost of living.

Of course I’ll do notes during class, but should I be doing the reading before classes, taking notes on those/briefing, then adding my in class notes, then combining them into an outline or should I do no readings before classes, take extensive class notes, then use my class experience to guide my readings?
I’m ok with bombing some cold calls I don’t care about that

My reasoning is that the professor is the big guy in charge of the material and how we should understand it so shouldn’t I let the classroom be the outer limits of the topics within the readings and supplements?

First post ever on Reddit but I am feeling really lost. I was accepted into a regional school with a scholarship that will cover a bit more than 2/3 of the tuition. My parents will cover the remaining tuition. I currently work in insurance at a wfh job making around $55k. There isn’t much room for growth, I think the most I can earn in my current position is about $60K, but I like that it is wfh, isn’t very stressful, is extremely flexible, and good management. I am enrolled and should be starting 1L this fall but part of me feels like it could be a huge mistake. I’m in my 30s and my partner and I are planning on getting married this year. We want to buy a house within the next 2 years and plan to start a family in the next 3 or so years. Even with the tuition covered, considering the loss of earnings with quitting my job and the other expenses included like books, gas, new clothes, test prep materials etc, law school will still be a huge financial burden. I worry about having to rely completely on my savings, partner, and family for money and I don’t know realistically how I can accomplish the other goals I have with family/marriage/home buying with the mental and financial stress of law school + the time I will need to commit to it. I also worry that once I graduate we’ll immediately want to have kids and I won’t be practicing initially after having kids, especially in the beginning when I’m supposed to be grinding it out in the first few years of practice.

I applied because I love reading, research, and writing, want a career that is stable and mentally stimulating, always wanted to continue my education, think law is interesting, I like the prestige of this career, and want a job where I can help people and have a higher earning potential. Part of me gets excited about being in the classroom again but I worry I will hate the actual practice of law. I am an extremely sensitive person, I’m shy and a bit awkward, and I worry the long hours, need for constant networking, and high responsibility of this career will lead to burn out. I also worry all of the work of law school could lead to a similar salary as the one I am currently making (I live in KY), just with more stress, hours, and responsibility. I want a job that is fulfilling but not one that consumes my entire life. I’ve talked to multiple lawyers who have quit or are begrudgingly still practicing and tell me it was a mistake to go to law school. But I also know a few practicing attorneys who have a love hate relationship with the job and think it was worth doing. It just feels like a huge risk and I guess I am wondering if law school even seems like a good idea with the concerns listed here. Looking for advice from anyone who might have had similar concerns or a similar situation.

hi! i’m an incoming 1l this fall, and i’ve been feeling pretty anxious about both the social aspect of law school and the competitive culture.

one of my biggest concerns is that i’ll likely need to undergo a major surgery at some point, and the recovery is expected to take about six months. during that time, i probably wouldn’t be able to attend classes in person.

i was wondering whether it would be realistic to secure a remote position during my 1l summer and then, if necessary, take remote classes during the fall of my 2l year while recovering. i know every law school has different policies, and since i haven’t started yet, i’m not sure how feasible this is.

if anyone has experience with taking a medical leave, completing a semester remotely, or navigating a similar situation, i’d really appreciate any advice. thank you!

What’s the thoughts on UMass law? I have a full scholarship here and can’t afford the other law schools I got into. Am I doomed because of the ranking?

View Poll

I'm considering not getting physical textbooks, investing in a sort of Remarkable ePaper tablet and using that for my textbooks.

Has anybody tried this? Does it work? If a professor doesn't allow technology in class, would an ePaper reading machine also not be allowed?

This might be a very KJD first generation question but when you all moved for law school, did your family help you move/come with you for a few days? I’m moving 2,000 miles away and my family hasn’t really checked to see when I’m moving or kind of cared to help me move. Which, I'm first generation so I’m used to. But, for some reason this just has me terrified that my family doesn’t understand the magnitude of what I’m doing and like I won’t have much support while in law school and it’s making me feel like I can’t do it. Do I just need to suck it up?

Hey , I am from Kazakhstan, next year i will graduate, my bachelor is in law
Now i am looking for opportunities in eu to get my master and find a stable job
I am still thinking which sphere of law i should choose to find a job there so idk which major i should choose for my master

I'm a non-traditional law student (29M) and took an SA position with a midsized firm in a MCOL area. Everyone from the support staff to the attorneys are extremely approachable and nice. It's just that the office culture is... weird... I asked my classmates at other firms if they're doing any of this and none of them have said yes. They're going to sports games, concerts, lunches/dinners, happy hours, etc etc. One of them is even doing things like attending cooking classes with the other summer associates which I think is really cool.

At my firm, we've been doing TikTok skits—a lot of them. I don't just mean like those normal lawyer/law-student TikToks where they say like, "Come with me on a day in the life of a lawyer/summer-associate at X Firm!" I'm talking actual skits, trends, and TikTok dances. I have never even gone so far as to make a single Instagram post before this and now I'm doing the same dances, skits, and trends that middle schoolers are doing.

For example, the four of us had to get into the office manager's minivan (which was disgusting btw) and DO A MUKBANG inside it. The marketing staff was also extremely strict with the manner in which we did this. They insisted that none of us were allowed to speak at all while recording. The four of us just sat inside her damn minivan shoveling trays of seafood boil into our mouths. The stranger part is that I don't even think the video was uploaded (not yet at least) so what the hell was the point of that?

Another insanely stupid one was where the four of us had to do the "double it or give it to the next person" skit but with cups of coffee. I'm not even sure what the hell was supposed to be achieved by this either because there was no message or even advertisement for the firm (aside from it being posted on their TikTok). We literally just doubled it and gave it to the next person until the fourth summer associate ended up with eight mugs of coffee. The poor girl spilled some on her shirt too because they kept trying to make her somehow hold all eight with just her two hands. She awkwardly stood there inserting one or two fingers into the loop of every single coffee mug in a desperate attempt to hold all eight. It was extremely frustrating watching her attempt this while mouthing "ouch" to herself as some of her fingers touched the hot mugs.

We've been doing a lot of TikTok dances lately and I'm near my last straw, if not at it already. I dread every single day I have to come into work and further ruin my own personal and professional image by doing all these. When I entered our supervising attorney's office to ask her if I could take a step back because I was uncomfortable doing them, she folded her hands together and tilted her head to answer, "None of the other summer associates seem to have a problem with it. They all seem to be having fun actually." I stood there shocked and at an utter loss for words; it was like I'd gone in third-person and could see the look of disbelief on my face, jaw dropped and everything. Not wanting to risk a bad reference or no return offer, I sheepishly stammered, "You know what, I'll give them another shot. I think I'm just cranky because I didn't sleep too well last night." She gave me a dismissive and patronizing smile, swiveled her chair back to facing her monitor, and didn't say a word in response. I walked away feeling nothing but hopelessness and anger.

At first I was worried about not getting a return offer but now I'm wondering if I even want one at a firm like this. Do any of your firms do this sort of thing? I made an appointment with my CSO to talk about this but they're not free for the next two weeks because of OCI. How bad is it if I quit in the middle of a summer associate program? I can't take this anymore.

Hi!

Is there a New England Law Admitted Students Group chat for this Fall!

I wanted to make this post because I see so many people immediately saying, “Get a lawyer.”

You absolutely can if you want to, but don’t think you have to sit around waiting or spend money before doing anything.

Start documenting everything yourself.

I bought a brand new 2026 Ram 2500 last September. Around 150 miles later the problems started.

The truck developed a rough idle that shakes the whole truck. The radio failed and had to be replaced. Sensors were replaced. Part of the wiring harness was replaced. The check engine light came on. The dealer admitted they couldn’t fix the rough idle and told me they were waiting on a software update from Stellantis.
Months later they finally installed the update.
Instead of fixing it, the truck drives even worse now.
The RPMs stay high after letting off the gas, it shifts completely differently, the engine runs rough, and it honestly feels like a different truck than the one I bought.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned through this whole process is this:

-Keep every repair order.
-Write down every date.
-Keep track of every day the truck sits at the dealership.
-Save every email and text message.
-Write down who you spoke with.
-Open a case with the manufacturer yourself.
-Ask for a case number.
-Be polite but don’t let them brush you off.

A lot of people don’t realize you can start this process yourself. Manufacturers have customer care departments for exactly this reason. If things don’t go anywhere or they start giving you the runaround, you can always hire a lemon law attorney later.
Most people wait far too long because they think they have to hire a lawyer first. WHICH IS FALSE

Whether you eventually need one depends on how the manufacturer responds.

I’m sharing this because I wish someone had told me to start documenting everything on day one. It would’ve saved me a lot of headaches.
Has anyone else had Stellantis tell them they were “waiting on a software update” that either didn’t fix the truck or actually made it worse?

I am at a point where frustration and anger is taking over to be honest. Brand new RAM truck and its literally trash which is rare from what I see online. Never thought I would be the one buying the lucky one although I was one of the first people to buy the 2500 Warlock 2026 HD GAS Engine. Should have not done that.

I would love to hear from anyone who took the lemonlaw into their own hands and contacted stelantis. I feel like it’s wasting money hiring a lawyer. He isn’t doing anything and I barely get to talk to him.

I am kind of panicking and I need some advice. I am a summer student at a firm. When the articling students left a month ago one of them gave me an assignment to prepare and lead a small claims trial happening on July 23rd. I have been very very busy this summer and I never have downtime at work so I only just looked at the file. I thought I would be following the lead of a supervising lawyer due to my inexperience (I have never even seen a small claims trial). Turns out, the file is from the transactional team and I’m expected to do the litigation stuff all by myself. I know no procedure. I don’t know how to contact witnesses or prep them for trial. I don’t know how to figure out costs. I don’t even know when it’s appropriate to object. I wish I would have looked at the file a month ago when it was assigned to me. I don’t think I can do this all by myself and I have never even met the transactional lawyer whose file it is. The good news is most of the legwork had already been done by the articling student, but I don’t understand his notes. I am fully panicking and I need reassurance. Is this normal? Do I have enough time with how extremely busy I already am?