My Path to Law School

Hello! My name is Ethan Drewes, and I am a 3L student at the University of Wyoming College of Law (the UW CoL). Welcome to the UW CoL’s blog!

 

About Me

I grew up in Colorado and graduated from Skyline High School in 2019. Following high school, I attended the University of Northern Colorado for two years, where I played football and studied business. Then, in 2021, I transferred to the University of Wyoming to continue playing football and to study accounting. I graduated in May of 2023, and I began law school at the UW CoL that fall.

 

Though I followed the traditional path to law school, “K through JD,” I do not consider myself a traditional law student. Originally, I planned to pursue a master’s degree in accounting and travel the road most typical for accounting students: CPA. However, in January of my senior year at UW, I decided last-minute to take the LSAT and try my hand at law school. I took the LSAT once, earned a mediocre score, and applied to the UW CoL shortly thereafter. Despite my troubling LSAT score, I was accepted to the UW CoL, and I have managed to perform well over my first two years. So for those of you who likewise did not achieve the 170 you had hoped for, don’t worry—the LSAT is a terrible metric for law school performance (in my opinion).

 

Following law school, I will spend two years clerking for Chief Justice Lynne Boomgaarden of the Wyoming Supreme Court. After clerking I will work as an associate with Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather in Fort Collins, Colorado. I am still unsure what area of the law in which I would like to specialize, but I am leaning towards estate and tax planning.

 

About the UW CoL

Often, law school is portrayed as a cut-throat, unforgiving environment where students are designed to fail. This likely can be attributed to movies like Legally Blonde or The Paper Chase, which combine the concept of law school with the dramatization required to create a hit film. This portrayal couldn’t be further from an accurate description of the UW CoL.

 

Here, you will not encounter students who sabotage others or professors that expect students to have developed legal knowledge before class. Instead, you will encounter hard-working, generous individuals that seek to contribute to the collective development of our students. Students share with others, and professors help students understand not only the law but its underlying policy and theory. When you come to the UW CoL, you don’t just come for a JD; you come for a well-rounded legal education.

 

Why I Love the UW CoL

Though I love the UW CoL for many reasons, here are my top three:

 

First, the UW CoL offers top-notch experiential learning opportunities. Whether you are interested in criminal law, business law, estate planning, environmental law, family law, or international law, our clinics and student competitions offer opportunities to develop practical skills that relate to your interests. As a person who learns best by “doing,” I find these opportunities highly valuable.

 

Second, like many other UW CoL students and faculty, I love the outdoors. Drive thirty minutes in any direction from Laramie to surround yourself with beautiful landscapes, towering mountains, and diverse wildlife. Further, in the winter, Snowy Range Ski Area is 45 minutes away (and relatively cheap), the Laramie Plains Lakes offer great ice fishing, and you can snowshoe or cross-country ski almost anywhere. For those of you who enjoy the outdoors as much as I do, Laramie is the place for you.

 

Last, and most importantly, my favorite part of the UW CoL is the people. Students and faculty here are caring, kind, and make you feel at home. We are a tight-knit community comprised of excellent individuals. I couldn’t be happier to have ended up at the UW CoL, and I know you will feel the same.

 

(Honorable mention: We do not have class on Fridays)

 

Advice for Incoming Students

For me, the most worrisome aspect of law school was the uncertainty: Who will my classmates be? What should I expect? What is a case brief? What is an outline? Isn’t Iraq a country in the middle east? How does a curved grading system work? Are grades really based on ONE final exam? What is a cold call?

 

As an incoming law student, these questions and concerns are natural. Remember—every law student and every graduate of the 19^th grade was once an incoming 1L. Rest assured, you are not alone.

 

On the other hand, I know being told your worries are “normal” can feel about as helpful as a heater in the desert, so I’ll do my best to provide some guidance. Accordingly, if I could travel back in time, here is how I would advise my 1L self:

 

Hi Ethan. First off, I want you to know that the next three years will be some of the most fulfilling years of your life. You will work hard, learn lots, and make many wonderful connections.

 

In law school, word travels quickly. Don’t let other students’ comments or opinions scare you. Everyone seems to have the “right answer” or the “best way,” when really, no one does. What works for one person may not work for another, and vice versa. Find things that work for you and stick with them.

 

Never let yourself procrastinate. Outline weekly, never skip a reading, and show up early for class. Take copious notes and ask questions often. And as Justice John Fenn of the Wyoming Supreme Court stated, “treat law school like a full-time job.” Building these habits at the outset will optimize your long-term performance.

 

Seek help when you need it. The UW CoL has tons of great resources for struggling students, regardless of whether those struggles are school-related.

 

Set goals and stick to them. Find a place to display those goals where you will see them every day. Doing so will provide a constant reminder of why you are here.

 

Embrace the struggle. Law school is extremely challenging and requires daily sacrifice; if it wasn’t, then everyone would do it. Challenge and sacrifice build character, and character earns respect.

 

Find a good study group. Most of your studies will be alone, which is fine; however, during the “dog days” before finals, it’s nice to have a solid group to study with.

 

Exercise often, eat healthy, and drink lots of water. Taking care of your body will promote energy and focus—two essential ingredients for strong performance in law school. Moreover, maintaining your physical health will help you avoid illness, which means you won’t have to miss class. The more class you miss, the further you fall behind, and catching up is dreadful.

 

Take advantage of networking opportunities. In 20 years, the grade you earned in Civil Procedure won’t matter (sorry, Novo). Alternatively, the people you meet in law school will be friends, coworkers, clients, and referral sources. The legal field is highly reputation-based, and building a strong network in law school is a great way to start your career out strong.

 

Last, and most importantly, hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Though being smart pays, working hard pays better.

 

Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope I have provided some useful insight into the life of a UW CoL student. All-in-all, if you are thinking about applying to the UW CoL, or if you are deciding whether to accept an offer of attendance, don’t think twice. You won’t regret it.