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Former Head of Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University, & Admissions Officer, Brown University
Reviewed: 6/13/24
Law school is challenging for many reasons, from the teaching methods, long, complex readings, and the time commitment. This article will answer the question: how hard is law school?
Law school is different from any experience you might’ve had up until now. It can be very demanding but expansive–making you a well-rounded intellectual.
This article will cover how law school differs from what you’ve experienced and how to prepare for these differences.
Law school is harder than college or university because of the heavy course load, high-stress environment, and difficult course material. However, completing law school is not impossible; over 40,000 law students make it to graduation each year.
So, if you’re wondering how hard law school is, the answer is very.
Regardless of which law school you end up attending, the initial hardship you’ll likely feel in your first year of law school will come down to the different types of learning strategies you experience in law school. So, yes, it’s hard to become an attorney, but here’s why:
The Case Method is “a participatory, discussion-based way of learning where students gain skills in critical thinking, communication, and group dynamics.'' Initialized by Harvard Law In 1870, the case method has since been the preferred method of teaching law over a lecture format.
Instead of listening to stuffy lectures, the case method is an interactive learning experience that engages students with prior cases and court opinions. This way, students can acquire a more holistic understanding of the reasoning used to determine specific verdicts.
The Case Method challenges students to use an inductive method of inquiry that takes case specificities and draws out the general implications. Further, the case method closely resembles the approach many lawyers take to their work, so it prepares students well.
The legacy of Socrates hitting the streets and relentlessly pestering the citizens of Athens about virtue and wisdom lives on in law school. The Socratic Method is a teaching style where the professor will repeatedly ask a student to defend their reasoning until it withstands the professor’s counterpositions or is dismantled.
This experience is jarring. If you are unprepared to defend your line of reasoning against an onslaught of attacks, you’ll be exposed for it. While it can be tough, the Socratic Method pushes students to harness critical thinking skills that are necessary to succeed in law.
It also forces students not just to read the course material but also to interact with it. This means that law students will be in dialogue with the written material, forming thoughts, opinions, and rebuttals of the subject matter to then express in the classroom.
The Socratic method, in practice, looks like a law professor calling on students at random to offer an answer or opinion to a case the class read. From there, the professor probes the students to expand their answers a few times in hopes of exercising their intellect and critical thinking skills.
Many students remember the anxiety of being called to engage in the Socratic method. To avoid the discomfort of arguing a half-baked line of reasoning in your class, it’s crucial that you do your assigned readings with diligence. Often students struggle to cope with this facet of law school but learn how to engage later on.
Throughout your education, there’s likely only been a few classes where one final exam decides your entire grade, if any. Although you might have taken some exams that are greater than 50% of your final grade, first-year law school classes typically have a final exam that makes up the majority (or all) of your final grade.
The stress of having one exam determines a student's success in a class is something many students aren’t used to. Even though you’ve taken the LSAT at this point, which is a similarly important single exam, having multiple of these final exams in one semester that is cumulative of all the studying you’ve done throughout the term can be taxing.
One of the hardest parts of law school is the competition and the subsequent grade curve. In law school, you’re competing against your peers. Competing for top grades, prestigious internships, positions in clubs and societies relevant to legal work, and more.
The competition is steep. However, the level of competitiveness within the law student culture varies depending on the school. If you’re attending an unranked, lower-tier law school, the competition is more fierce than if you study at a top-ranking law school.
Name recognition for law graduates goes a long way, and if you don’t have the luxury of a law degree from a top institution, then you’re going to need to be at the top of your class to land big jobs.
Lower-ranked law school students also face the difficult task of beating the grading curve. The law school grading curve is on a standard distribution curve. This means that you won't be recognized for doing marginally better than your classmates. The curve places your grade closer to the mean. You’d be indistinguishable from your classmates.
Instead, you’d need to excel and blow your classmates out of the water to be recognized as a top student. This grading curve informs the cut-throat, competitive nature of law schools and is all the more prevalent when you’re not guaranteed a legal position after graduation through school recognition.
To ease your chances of getting into law school, speak with one of our law school application experts.
There are many differences between undergraduate studies and law school. There are some disciplines you could study as an undergrad that might somewhat prepare you for law school. However, professors and administrators know it’s a new experience for nearly all students; you won’t be alone in your imminent confusion!
Here are a few ways undergrad and law school differ, including the question of how hard it is to become a lawyer:
Identifying the average amount of time an undergraduate needs to commit to studying is difficult. As an undergrad, there are a few points throughout the semester (mid and end-term) where the work usually ramps up significantly, so it isn’t always easy to give an accurate time commitment. However, law school work is more consistent throughout the term.
First-year law students should expect to commit an average of 30-40+ hours of studying per week (some advocating for more), with around 30-60 pages of reading per class each week. At the very least, some say that you should study for twice the amount of class time you have per semester.
If you have 3½ hours of each class per week, you should at least study 7 hours a week for each class. If you have five classes, which is the typical number of classes for full-time law students, then you should be studying 35 hours a week on top of class time.
The more consistent workload segues into the next point; there’s no chance of succeeding in law school and cramming material during the night before the exam. As an undergraduate, time management was an invaluable skill for success. However, law school requires a more diligent commitment to managing your time.
Honing into time management tips and tricks as a law student will significantly increase your chance of success. Also, keep in mind that law classes typically have one final assessment at the end of the year spanning the entire course content; slipping up for even a week might hurt you for the final assessment.
In our webinar for pre-law students, Marcelius, an expert admissions counselor, advises students to start early in all their academic endeavours to keep from getting overwhelmed.
“I think the first thing that's really important is really being prepared and starting as early as you possibly can. Law school is difficult, law school is tough, so you want to be prepared, and also you want to make the choices that align with your goals and ambitions… That way, when you actually go into and start law school, you're going to be not just prepared but you're going to be equipped to be as successful as possible.”
As an undergrad, you might’ve taken courses that required little attention, where you could shrink into the back of the lecture hall unnoticed and still produce an average (or above average) performance. It’s not like that in law school.
With the chosen methods of teaching and grading in law school, students must actively participate in class and master the course material week after week to survive in law school.
Once professors grade your assignments in law school, they factor them into the set grading curve for the class. This means that your final grade is dependent on how well you did with your classmates. Each school has different preferences for the severity of their grading curves, but this is an unavoidable reality in every law school.
The employment rate for law school graduates differs based on the school. This can be due to name recognition, however, the increased competitiveness of a law school’s grading curve attracts attention from law firms.
Is it hard to be an attorney? Yes, it is! And with your own prep, you can set yourself up for success before entering the classroom.
So, how competitive is law school? It’s very competitive. However, below we’ll cover how to get ready for it!
Whether you’re attending law school in the coming Fall or finishing up your last year of undergraduate studies, it’s not too early to set some time aside and prep for law school. It’d be worthwhile to review some of the basic elements of law school described earlier in this article.
Understanding the Socratic Method and the Case Method can best help you prepare for law school. Watching videos to familiarize yourself with the Socratic Method will help you prepare to engage with your professors in a meaningful, productive manner. Similarly, getting to know the Case Method can help you better utilize your study time in law school.
Researching the mandated first-year law classes and the professors who typically teach these classes can put you in a position to succeed. In addition to looking at your school website, there are many platforms that house testimonials from students. This should give you some insight into how to prepare for your classes.
Law school is no joke. If you’re unsure about whether you’re ready for the demands of law school or even if you want to attend law school at all, we can help. Our quiz, designed by experts, evaluates your skills, goals, and interests. Find out if you’d make a good lawyer down below!
Studying law, for most, is worth the stress. It’s understandable if you’re doubtful, but the difficulty of law school shouldn’t deter you if you’re passionate and committed. Below are some FAQs to help you become a lawyer.
Law school is challenging because it requires discipline. Successful students must manage the heavy workload, navigate dense materials, and challenge themselves intellectually.
Legal internships are typically very competitive, particularly at prestigious law firms or sought-after practice areas, where many applicants compete for a limited number of positions. A strong academic background, relevant experience, and a thoughtfully crafted application are essential to standing out.
Yes, studying law is well worth the challenge as it provides graduates with ample career prospects in the legal field. There’s a reason why it’s one of the most popular disciplines in the world.
The best way to practice for law school tests is by taking practice exams. Additionally, creating a study schedule and sticking to it and ensure you feel prepared before test day.
You should start preparing for law school ideally two years before you enroll. This allows you to research schools, prepare stellar grades, and create a proper study schedule.
Law school is widely recognized as challenging for most pre-law undergraduates, regardless of their chosen major. Students face heavy workloads, extensive reading assignments, intricate legal concepts, and high-stakes exams, all compounded by the intense preparation required for the LSAT before admission.
Upon graduating from law school, many look back on their hardship through a legal education as a reason why they’re proficient as a lawyer. So how hard is law school? Law school is hard for one main reason; it works. The critical thinking skills acquired in law school are necessary for success as a lawyer.
