Thread by @JonahPerlin

Dear New #1Ls,

You are probably taking a course called #LegalWriting, Legal Practice, or Legal Analysis.

You may be thinking "I know how to write" or "I can sneak by this one" or "I'll just focus on other classes."

On day 1, I was like you.

Pro Tip: Don't be me.

🧵👇👇👇

1/ So much of #1L year is learning to "think like a lawyer."

This course (full disclosure: I teach it at @GeorgetownLaw) introduces you how to write, read, analyze, research, and act like a lawyer (and some thinking too).

Do those skills sound important? They are.

2/ It is essential to know what the law "says" and how the law got to where it did. But in law school and in practice if you cannot communicate that analysis in a way that legal readers (or other legal audience) expects all that hard work is wasted.

3/ In this class you will learn some specific genres of legal writing (e.g., predictive memo and persuasive brief) but what you are really learning is *how* to tackle any new genre of legal communication based on common building blocks and techniques. (HT: @krgpryal)

4/ In the real world and in law school, you will be judged consistently not only on your understanding of the law, but also on how you convey that understanding and apply that law to new sets of fact.

Now is the time to start building those skills.

5/ More than that, having a *process* for accomplishing these tasks is a superpower. But it is not built overnight nor is it one size fits all.

Build that process for yourself now.

Try things. See what works when the stakes are low so you can shine when the stakes are high.

6/ As @iraglass explains, “All...who do creative work,...get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap... It is only by going through a volume of work that you...close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions."

This class helps close that gap.

7/ In the beginning you may feel like you are not only "not getting" legal writing but that your ability to write more generally suffers.

Do not despair. This is normal.

As we learn new skills our brain is not always able to perform our old skills at the same level.

8/ Remember why you came to law school and what you want to do when you finish. Remember that you are an absolute beginner but you won't always be.

Every pilot needs to land her first plane. Every law student needs to write her first memo.

Its a process. Embrace it.