Law students are a competitive bunch. The heady mix of sleep deprivation, coffee addiction and mind-numbing legalese all contribute to a truly unique set of needs and wants. Here are some of the biggest sources of law student envy…
High-Use Law Books
These mythical objects seem to exist in the library catalogue search results. The 2-hour loan seems no deterrent for their constant lack of availability. Stories abound of students coming back every two hours and re-borrowing these books, so as not to give up control. I’ve even heard a story about how all five copies of a book were stolen from a university library days before a major assignment on the topic was due.
Free Coffee
If you’re a real law student, money spent on coffee represents the single biggest study expense after books and fees. But those privileged few that work, or know someone who works, at the law faculty, have access to free (instant) coffee, much to the ire of the law folk that fork out unconscionable amounts for their caffeine fix.
A Coffee Machine
Even better than having access to free coffee is having your own coffee machine. If you are in possession of one, you’ll easily become the most popular law student on campus.
Desks in the Law Library
This seems to be a universal gripe. The lack of availability of study desks in many law libraries makes students go to incredible lengths to protect their hallowed turf. The good desks seem occupied from opening to closing time; nothing will budge those determined legal eagles, even if they spend the entirety of their library time trawling Facebook and convincing themselves they are studying.
Good Lecture Times
Having just been through the nightmare of enrolment, this writer can attest to the kind of rage that missing out on one’s perfectly pre-planned timetable can cause. Every good class fills up within seconds, leaving laggards with a four-day timetable and seven hour breaks between classes.
The Ability to Pull All-Nighters
This is a particular gripe of heavy sleepers. As a nine-hours-a-night kind of guy, I cannot comprehend how one can possibly spend a whole night getting useful work done while running on sugar and caffeine. Admittedly it’s a bad habit, but one that seems to work for the select few that can successfully pull it off every once in a while.
Previous Subject Notes
In the underground world of the law exists a circulation of perfect study notes that seem to withstand major overhauls in syllabi and course teaching structure. Those out of the loop risk having to do their own readings (unthinkable!) and compile their own notes (abominable!).
(For the Really Nerdy) Hardbound Classical Legal Texts
Upon a recent visit to a barrister’s office, this humble law student witnessed a truly magnificent display of hardbound, gold-leafed (not kidding), law books and reports. Any doubt about career direction vanished as soon as we beheld these books in all their learning glory.
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