No. 1L–2026 · The Survival Docket
A clear path through
law school.
Law school asks a lot of you, and not always clearly. This guide lays out what it takes, from the LSAT and applications through coursework, exams, and recruiting. Everything here is free, and you can start wherever you need to.
SUPREME COURT OF ACADEMIA
County of Cold Calls
THE STUDENT,
Petitioner,
v.
LAW SCHOOL,
Respondent.
)
)
)
)
)
SURVIVAL
GUIDE
Per
Curiam
Held: law school is hard, but you can get through it.
The roadmap
How law school unfolds
The path runs from the LSAT to the bar. Here is the shape of it, stage by stage.
-
0Pre-law
LSAT & Apply
Prep, test, personal statement
- Diagnostic, then a study schedule
- Draft & refine the statement
-
11L
The Core
Doctrine + first exams
- Outline every subject
- Master IRAC for finals
-
22L
Recruiting
OCI, journals, networking
- Resume & cover letters ready
- Track applications through OCI
-
33L & Bar
The Finish
Offers, graduation, the bar
- Lock in your post-graduation job
- Graduate and sit for the bar
14
Guides, start to finish
6
Doctrinal outlines
1L to 3L
Every stage covered
Free
No account needed
The curriculum
The fourteen guides
In order, start to finish
I · Admissions & Prep
LSAT Prep
A deep guide to Logical Reasoning, Reading Comp, scoring and percentiles, a study plan, and the best courses.
Strategy, scores & study plan → Mod. 02Application Guide
The timeline, a definitive personal statement and essay guide, ABA school rankings and stats, and where to apply.
Timeline, essays, schools & strategy →II · The Classroom
Studying & Case Briefing
How to read cases, brief them, take notes in class, and study so the semester adds up to a grade.
Read, brief, note & study → Mod. 04Doctrinal Outlines
Full outlines for Civil Procedure, Torts, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, and Constitutional Law, written by students who took the courses.
All six outlines → Mod. 05Law School Exam Guide
How to spot issues, how to structure an answer with IRAC, and a calculator that plans your time for you.
Frameworks + calculator → Mod. 06Legal Writing Guide
How legal analysis is built with CREAC, and how memos, briefs, and email put it to work.
CREAC, memos & briefs → Mod. 07Bluebook Guide
How legal citation works in the 22nd edition, with the anatomy and tables for cases, statutes, and court documents.
Citations + worked examples →III · Career & Recruiting
Summer Internships
How 1L and 2L recruiting works, with a dashboard to keep every OCI application in order.
OCI tracker layout → Mod. 09Networking Guide
Cold email templates and a simple log so you remember who you talked to and when to follow up.
Templates + tracker → Mod. 10Resume Templates
Clean, one-page legal formats that match what firms and clerkships expect, with a template to download.
Download the template → Mod. 11Cover Letter Guide
A paragraph-by-paragraph look at how the four-paragraph legal cover letter is built.
4-paragraph anatomy →IV · Professional Life
Dress Code Guide
What to wear for interviews, the office, and class, with separate guidance for women and men.
Side-by-side visuals → Mod. 13Professional Etiquette
How to handle firm social events and how to email a partner without overthinking it.
Events + email rules → Mod. 14Personal Finance
How to think about paying back student loans and how to budget a summer associate paycheck.
Loans + budgeting →Live preview
Sample doctrinal outline
- Battery — harmful/offensive contact, intent, causation.
- Assault — reasonable apprehension of imminent contact.
- False imprisonment — confinement to a bounded area.
- IIED — extreme & outrageous conduct, severe distress.
Cheatsheet
Bluebook signals, at a glance
| Signal | Tells the reader |
|---|---|
| [none] | Source directly states the proposition. |
| E.g., | One example among others; cite is illustrative. |
| See | Supports, but an inferential step is required. |
| Cf. | Analogous support from a different proposition. |
| But see | Contradicts; source cuts the other way. |
Not sure where to start?
If you are already in law school, open the outlines. If you are still applying, start with the LSAT. Everything here is free.