Law school is awesome. In a typical class you may find yourself sitting next to a future barrister, partner of a top firm or justice of the High Court. You may even find yourself sitting next to your future significant other. Most law students are great to hang out with beyond the four walls of a law lecture. But sometimes you may fall victim to a fake law school friend...
This happened to me last semester. She seemed really friendly and asked me about an assessment I’d done. I didn’t give it much thought. It wasn’t until much later that I discovered that this student had used the information I gave her to appeal her own assessment in that course. She never even mentioned this to me, so it got me thinking about other fake law school friends I may have fallen for…
The Exam Friend
The first type of fake law school friend that comes to mind is the one that is always (conveniently) your best friend around exam and assessment time. They conjure up this illusion that they’re a victim of misfortune and desperately need your notes or help. After all of their constant flattery you feel a bit like their super hero. But once those assessments are done you don’t hear a peep from them again until the next round of exams or assignments begins.
The Promisor
The second type of fake law school friend contracts with you at the beginning of the semester that they will share their notes with you if you share yours. You’re more than happy to comply so you accept their offer. Exams begin to loom and you still haven’t seen those torts notes. You manage to contact your ‘friend’ who informs you that they “can’t find” or that they’ve “lost” those notes. You begin to contemplate whether promissory estoppel will help you force them make good on their promise…
Knowing your Friends
It wasn’t too long ago that a friend of mine needed some help with an assignment. I read her paper and provided my suggestions, and she thanked me for going the extra mile to help her out. She said that no other law student had helped her out like I did, but I really didn’t see it as a big deal.
Law degrees are tough and we should help out our fellow law students where possible. By all means, keep an eye out for those who have a habit of only “needing” you during assessment times, but if it doesn’t hurt to help out, then go for it. You’ll be surprised how kind karma can be if you lend a helping hand every now and then… (And likewise, those fake law school friends will get what’s coming to them in due time).
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