HOW TO SHOW UP AND SHINE IN LAW SCHOOL WITH GRATITUDE, GRIT, AND GRACE

A practical primer for students entering the intimidating first year of law school.

With intimacy and vulnerability, Glimp, an accomplished graduate of Columbia Law School, shares not only her own experiences—from receiving her acceptance letter and her first failed test to taking the bar with a cracked tooth in hand—but also her practices of gratitude, mindfulness, and meditation to help “1Ls” succeed. These tools go beyond simple insights into the Socratic method or exam strategies, though those are here, too. The author provides tips for developing a Super PAC (or “Personal Affirmation Committee”) of family members, friends, upperclassmen, and mentors to help maximize support and make important connections that will serve future lawyers well past their first year in school. Glimp identifies common pitfalls like negatively comparing oneself to peers, the mediocrity of complacency, and the myth of multitasking. She details specific language and tactics that POCs and other marginalized individuals can use to combat implicit bias, microaggressions, and systemic discrimination, and she suggests pragmatic ways to confront inequality and to self-advocate. Each chapter includes a “Solo Sidebar” with questions that encourage self-examination (“What excites you the most about starting law school?”) along with mindfulness exercises that focus on stretching, breathing, and other self-soothing techniques. A resource on law school that emphasizes gratitude and touts the importance of self-care as much as academic fastidiousness might seem a little New Age-y at first, but its straightforward practicality and easy-to-implement advice keep things grounded. Glimp never sugarcoats how difficult law school can be and shares accessible strategies to deal with fear and anxiety. The advice on how to “show up and shine” often focuses on basic (and easy to neglect) areas like diet, exercise, and good sleep hygiene. The text is well supported by citations and provides recommendations for further reading. Though this guide is a resource aimed at first-year law students, there is much here that would be a boon for anyone entering an intensive academic program.

Constructive counsel for future counselors that should be part of every law student’s brief.