Law Schools

Why You Shouldn't Be A Law School Gunner

Later in one’s career, people care less about how you did in law school and more about social connections you might have forged in the legal industry, starting in law school.

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As mentioned in a prior article, a law school gunner is a law student who sits at the front of the class, raises their hand all the time, and does everything they can to earn good grades to the detriment of making social connections. It is true that law school grades are very important to law students since those grades are perhaps the single biggest factor in determining where a law student will work after graduating. However, grades are not everything, and being a gunner in law school can hurt your future career ambitions.

Perhaps the main reason why you should not be a law school gunner is that people usually do not like law school gunners. Gunners are usually at the periphery of law school social circles, either because gunners do not have the time to interact with other people or because they are not liked by their classmates. This can make law school an even worse experience than it already is since the friendships forged in law school are one of the best things that come out of three years of legal study.

In any event, social connections with law school classmates might be more important in the long term than the grades a gunner earns in law school. Sure, law school grades play a major impact on a graduate’s first job after law school, but legal careers often extend for decades, and lawyers usually change jobs a number of times throughout their careers. Later in one’s career, people care less about how you did in law school and more about social connections you might have forged in the legal industry, starting in law school.

For instance, many law firm lawyers will need to develop business in order to advance to partnership. The ability to develop business is usually not connected to law school grades, although some people may be impressed with academic credentials earned in law school. Rather, business development is usually centered around the social connections lawyers make during their careers, including in law school. For instance, I routinely receive referrals and other advice that have enriched my career from people with whom I attended law school. If I kept to myself in law school and forged fewer social connections, it might have been more difficult for me to develop business at other law firms and after launching my own practice. Law students should definitely consider the long game when they make decisions about how they should act in law school.

Moreover, some professors may not like law school gunners, and this can impact your chances of receiving recommendations or other benefits from building a connection to professors. Of course, some law school professors like gunners since they may be more likely to brown-nose and be prepared for class. However, gunners can sometimes be annoying to professors. Indeed, gunners are usually more likely to pester professors after class to ask questions that were covered by a lecture. In addition, gunners are probably more likely to dispute grades and approach professors if they did not receive a mark in the class that they did not believe they deserved. Connections with law school professors are only important for some career opportunities, but it is still critical to not peeve professors, and gunners might be more likely to annoy professors.

Being a law school gunner can also alienate classmates when group participation is necessary for classes. Many courses require students to work together and complete group projects. Students are often collectively graded on their efforts on such projects. It makes sense that law school classes would employ this approach since lawyers usually need to work with other attorneys in order complete projects in the real world. If a gunner is alienated from classmates through their grade-grubbing and other antics, this can make it more difficult to complete group projects for class.

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Moreover, students are usually better served when they cooperate informally to succeed in class. Indeed, many law students form study groups in order to fully digest course material, and this phenomenon was famously depicted in the movie “The Paper Chase“ and its television series. This is because individuals have different perspectives about class material, and it might be helpful to share this feedback with a group. Also, study groups can divide up the task of outlining subject matter, and such outlines can help students when it comes time to prepare for final exams. Although some study groups might welcome gunners since these individuals may succeed academically, other study groups might not wish to invite a gunner that has alienated classmates. This might negatively impact the gunner’s ability to succeed academically in law school.

All told, people should avoid being law school gunners because they may be unpleasant to be around and can contribute to the negative social environment that exists at many law schools. However, there are also a number of practical reasons why individuals should not act like traditional gunners since this can make it more difficult to accomplish academic and vocational goals.

Jordan Rothman is a partner of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey law firm. He is also the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a website discussing how he paid off his student loans. You can reach Jordan through email at jordan@rothmanlawyer.com.

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