As a memory expert, I get a lot of people who email me and say, “I’m studying law, but the overwhelm is destroying me!”
If you’re preparing for law school, you might have also heard people sharing their horror stories.
In reality, law school isn’t that difficult.
At least, it doesn’t have to be.
I’ve helped many people pass the bar exam.
Some of the tips I give them are just common sense.
Others are more strategic and tactical.
Either way, stick with me. On this page, I’m going to help you overcome each and every concern under the sun.
That way, you’ll enjoy the benefits of a law degree without breaking a sweat.
Ready?
Let’s dive in.
Why Does Studying Law Have Such a Daunting Reputation?
During my years as both university student and professor, stories about the competitiveness of law school circulated endlessly.
Many times my friend and eventual lawyer, Brennan Mitchell, told me about how other students would tear pages out of legal textbooks and journals.
These days, this problem has been resolved in many cases thanks to online books and databases. So you’re already ahead of the game.
Beyond the competitiveness, people also face a lot of tests, especially the bar exam.
There’s a lot of reading along the way, and some people are slow readers. And according to one study, factors like program size, student motivation, prior academic achievement and even an increasing trend toward specialization in the law scare a lot of people away from studying law.
This finding is alarming because in order to pass the bar exam, law students need a broader range of knowledge. Studying with too narrow of a focus can lead you into trouble, and limited future opportunities as a result.
Although these issues are all very real, none of them have to discourage you from enjoying incredible success at law school.
5 Reasons to Go to Law School in Spite of Your Fear
Of all the reasons to go to law school, simply overcoming your fear has to be at the top of the list.
Although some people ultimately prefer to go through life with a naive mind that caves under pressure, that doesn’t have to be you. Merely by following your dreams, you can enjoy develop mental strength. So lean into your fears and soon you’ll discover that you have more personal genius than you realized.
With this important point in mind, here are other important reasons to go to law school.
One: Law Is A Gateway To Many Careers
Some people think that you have to be a lawyer just because you went to law school. For example, you can become:
- A legal consultant in a variety of fields
- A human resources specialist
- A legal research and/or writer
- A compliance officer
- A government administrator
- A lobbyist
- A real estate expert who helps with legal issues
- A nonprofit organization director
- A tax advisor
- A policy analyst
- A family business advisor
And that’s just to list a few possible careers available to you after completing law school.
Two: Intellectual Stimulation
The complexity of many legal concepts will provide you with tremendous brain exercise and mental stimulation.
On a day-by-day basis, you’ll engage in many types of thinking as well. This will exercise your critical thinking faculties, leading to an incredibly sharp mental experience.
Three: A Strong Social Network
The law is about how the members of a society interact. You’ll be an incredibly important member of your community.
And the connections you will make start in law school. In fact, as David S. Matthew pointed out in his testimonial after completing the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass, he found this program through a friend. Later, they were able to bond over both their experiences with memory and with studying the law.
Plus, you’ll be continually meeting all kinds of people with highly resilient minds. This continual exposure will help keep your own mind sharp, not to mention provide you with countless opportunities that only networking with top performers can provide.
Four: Financial Stability
Many lawyers have amassed tremendous wealth while practicing law. That’s because the law is potentially a tremendously lucrative career.
Money might not be your soul concern, but it’s there if you want to pursue it. And let’s call a spade a spade: even if you’re an advocate or want to work as a public servant, having money is one of the best ways to enable yourself to help others.
Five: Upholding The Truth
Above all, being involved in the law is exciting because you get to be involved in protecting the truth.
So if you like carefully defining your principles, asking philosophical questions and being involved in helping others move beyond cliches and stereotypes, the law is for you.
3 Memory Hacks to Make Your Law School Experience Easier
Now that you’ve seen several of the key reasons why it’s absolutely worth your time to learn the law, let’s look at some powerful memory hacks that will make each and every step much easier for you.
As we go through these memory techniques, keep in mind that you don’t have to use them all to learn faster. But it certainly will help if you combine them all.
One: Boost Your Reading Skills
No doubt about it. Studying the law involves a lot of reading. But you can easily improve your reading skills by:
- Learning effective note taking
- Not skimming or scanning incorrectly (here’s how to skim correctly, something you don’t want to do very much when it comes to matters of law)
- Work on developing your reading comprehension
- Read with specific goals, such as prepping for the LSAT
- Avoid “speed reading” gimmicks and learn the truth about how to read faster
Two: Master The Art of Memory
It’s true. Memory is an art. But it’s also a science.
In order to get really good at it quickly, there are a number of core memory techniques to learn and use. These are:
- The Memory Palace Technique
- The Pegword Method
- The Major System (which should include the PAO System for best results)
- Spaced Repetition
For best results, be sure to weave these powerful strategies together with optimal ways to use flashcards and software programs like Anki.
If you really want to go for gold, learn the Leitner and Zettelkasten memory tactics as well.
Three: Summarize Like A Learning Sumo
So many people starve themselves of forming long term memories because they try to juggle everything in their heads.
Sure, this can work.
But if you really want to hold information in your mind, you need to interact with it.
Writing summaries is one of the best memory techniques for doing this quickly. If you lean towards the visual side, you can also add mind mapping.
The key is to percolate what you’re learning through your mind and memory in your own words.
The Benefits Of A Law Degree Are Immense
Do some people find law school intense?
Yes, but you don’t have to.
And if you’d like more help when it comes to learning faster and remembering more, get my FREE Memory Improvement course now:
It will help you rapidly memorize any legal term you have to deal with, including long passages related to case law and precedents.
The trick is to just get started.
There’s nothing to be gained by allowing your fears to hold you back or knock you down.
I’m so proud of my memory students and how they’ve passed the bar.
Each of them shared one thing in common beyond their interest in the law: they took action and got their memory issues sorted.
You can take care of it as well and completely ace law school.
Remember: learning is an exciting adventure, and studying the law is just the beginning of an amazing journey that will provide you with incredible fulfilment throughout your life.
Make it happen!
