What to Do the Summer Before Law School (to Actually Be Ready for 1L)
Congratulations, you got into law school! After the long grind of applications, you finally have a decision made and a summer ahead. And almost immediately, the advice starts pouring in: read these prep books, start outlining, learn to brief cases, get ahead on the reading.
Most of that advice misunderstands what the summer before law school is actually for. You're not going to meaningfully get ahead academically — law school teaches its own methods, and trying to pre-learn them usually just builds bad habits you'll have to unlearn. What the summer is genuinely good for is something different. Here's how to use it well.
Rest. Seriously. This is the most important and most ignored piece of advice. Law school, especially 1L year, is mentally and emotionally demanding in a way that surprises most people. You will not have another break like this summer for a long time. The single best thing you can do is arrive rested, recharged, and mentally fresh. Burning yourself out pre-studying in June so you can be exhausted in September is exactly backward. Take the trip. See the people. Do the things you won't have time for once classes start.
Get your life logistics handled. The students who struggle most in the first few weeks of 1L are often the ones still dealing with life logistics — finding housing, sorting out finances, figuring out commutes, handling moves. Get the practical stuff settled over the summer so that when classes start, you can focus entirely on the (substantial) academic adjustment. Housing, budget, financial aid, health insurance, a reliable routine — handle it now.
Sort out your finances and understand your loans. If you're taking on student loans, understand exactly what you're borrowing, at what interest rate, and what your repayment will eventually look like. Build a realistic budget for the school year. Financial stress is a major drag on academic performance, and going in with a clear-eyed financial plan removes a source of anxiety. This is also a good time to look for any scholarships, fellowships, or work opportunities you may have missed.
Don't pre-read casebooks. Do read about how law school works. Reading casebooks ahead of time is mostly wasted effort. But reading about the law school experience itself — how the Socratic method works, what to expect from cold calls, how exams differ from college, what outlining actually is — can reduce the disorientation of the first few weeks. A book or two about how to approach law school as a system is far more useful than trying to pre-learn contracts.
Strengthen your reading and writing stamina. Law school involves a lot of dense reading and a lot of precise writing. If you've been out of school for a while, or even if you haven't, gently rebuilding your capacity to read carefully for sustained periods and write clearly is genuinely useful. You don't need to read legal material specifically — reading challenging nonfiction and writing regularly keeps those muscles warm.
Connect with future classmates — lightly. Many incoming classes have group chats or social events over the summer. A little of this is good — it's nice to know a few faces before orientation. But don't let it become a source of anxiety or premature competition. Some incoming students use these channels to flex about their prep or stoke each other's stress. Engage to the extent it's friendly and helpful; disengage when it becomes a comparison contest.
Learn what kind of law actually interests you — without pressure. You don't need to have your career figured out. But casually exploring different areas of law — through reading, podcasts, conversations with lawyers, or just paying attention to what catches your interest — can help you walk into 1L with a bit more sense of direction. Keep it low-pressure. Many people's interests change completely during law school.
Set up sustainable habits. The routines you build in the first weeks of law school tend to stick. Use the summer to establish habits that will serve you: a consistent sleep schedule, regular exercise, a system for staying organized. Arriving with good habits already in place makes the academic adjustment much easier than trying to build them while drowning in reading.
Take care of relationships. Law school will absorb a lot of your time and attention. Spend the summer investing in the relationships that matter to you — family, friends, partners. Have the conversations about what the next three years will look like and how you'll stay connected. The people in your life are your support system, and going into a demanding program with strong relationships behind you makes a real difference.
What you really need to know going in. Law school is a marathon, and 1L is the hardest stretch. The students who do best are usually not the ones who pre-studied the most — they're the ones who arrived rested, organized, financially settled, and mentally prepared for a genuinely new kind of learning. The Socratic method, the curve, the exam structure, the pace — these will be an adjustment no matter what. Pre-studying contracts won't change that. Arriving as your best, most prepared self will.
Enjoy the summer. You earned it, and you'll be glad you did.
Moore Consulting Services works with pre-law students nationwide all the way through the admissions process — and we're always glad to help admitted students think through what comes next. Reach out anytime.