The Importance of First-Year Law School Grades
Published: Mar 31, 2009
Perhaps unfairly, first-year grades can be even more important than your grades in later years. Judgments about your skills can be made quickly, mostly because employers have little else to go on. Think of this: in February, March and April of your first year, you'll already be interviewing for your summer job or internship. The only thing that your prospective employers will have to review is your pre-law school record and your first semester grades. And you'll be applying for your post-second year summer job -- the one that can really make a difference in your career -- as early as September of your second year. The only measure these prospective employers will have is your first-year grades.In addition to being just plain hard, therefore, your first year is also the most influential and pressure-loaded of your legal career. You can, of course, bring up your grade point average over the next two years and still land a lucrative and rewarding job. But in terms of early work experience, how well you manage your first year can make a big difference.