Law students are often encouraged to publish research papers and articles as a way of strengthening their profile. At the same time, there are many other activities competing for a student’s time, such as internships, moot courts, networking, competitions, and developing practical legal skills.
Given the limited time available during law school, I often wonder how students should prioritize these opportunities. While research and writing are undoubtedly valuable skills, I am unsure whether investing significant time in publications has the same impact on internships and placements as practical experience.
how would you recommend approaching research publications during law school? When do publications genuinely add value to a student’s profile, and when should students prioritize practical experience or other opportunities instead?
To start with, while the importance of publications might feel a bit exaggerated, however, it does carry a weightage when you apply for internships or jobs in the later period. Having a publication in a legal field that you are looking forward to intern in or get placed at gives you a certain leverage in the pool of students applying for the same position. Firstly, drafting articles and getting them published really does improve your researching and drafting skills. Secondly, having publications at credible platforms improves your standing in front of a recruiter. For example, if you want to intern at a firm or chamber that thoroughly works in arbitration matters, having a publication in the same arena give you an edge and improves your chances to be hired as an intern.
Most importantly, any extracurricular activities including publications that you undertake as a law student never goes to waste because the experience and learning always stays with you. So, while practical experience through internships is of utmost importance, gaining theoretical knowledge always goes hand in hand. So, you should always try to write papers/articles and get them published.