One Thing I Wish Law Students Knew: Your Relationship With Your Teachers Matters More Than You Think

Among the many things law students are advised to take seriously, their relationship with teachers is often treated as an afterthought. Grades, internships, moots, publications and certificates are visible, measurable, and easier to pursue. A good relationship with a teacher is less visible, but it can carry unusual weight in both academic and professional life.

Such a relationship is built gradually through attendance, engagement, responsiveness, sincerity and seriousness of conduct. A teacher remembers the student who reads before class, asks considered questions, submits work with care, seeks feedback with maturity, and improves over time. The object is simple: to be known as someone who takes the discipline seriously.

For students who later apply for an LL.M. abroad, this becomes particularly important. Reputed universities assess whether a candidate can withstand a demanding academic environment involving sustained reading, independent thought, analytical writing and intellectual discipline. Academic performance naturally matters. A transcript that suggests that a student has barely scraped through undergraduate law school makes it harder to persuade a serious university that the candidate is ready for advanced legal study.

Grades, however, rarely tell the whole story. A letter of recommendation supplies the context that a transcript cannot. It can speak to a student’s academic temperament, classroom engagement, research ability, writing style, intellectual curiosity and suitability for higher study. A professor who has taught the student in more than one subject, seen their written work, or interacted with them through a moot, seminar, clinic, society or research assignment is far better placed to write with specificity. A teacher who knows and trusts the student may also be more comfortable receiving brief pointers about the universities being targeted, the themes of the statement of purpose, and the parts of the profile that require emphasis. The recommendation remains the teacher’s independent assessment; the pointers only help situate it within the broader application.

Many students realise this too late. They approach teachers only for attendance, marks, signatures or urgent recommendations. They stop engaging after a semester ends, do not share academic progress, and return years later expecting warmth, detail and immediacy from a relationship they never maintained. Academic trust does not mature on demand.

The professional consequence of such relationships is equally important. In law, reputation travels through people as much as through formal documents. A teacher who has observed a student over time may remember their habits of mind: whether they were careful with language, respected deadlines, took correction, showed intellectual honesty, and displayed promise beyond examination performance.

These impressions often survive long after law school ends. Teachers remain connected to former students across the Bar, Bench, academia, government, policy, corporations and public institutions. Their professional and personal networks frequently ask them whom to consult, brief, trust and recommend. In such moments, a former student’s relationship with a teacher can become a source of credibility.

For a young lawyer, especially one hoping to build an independent practice, that credibility can matter deeply. A polished CV may introduce a person. A teacher’s confidence can humanise that introduction. It tells the recipient that someone who has seen the young lawyer’s formation is willing to vouch for their seriousness and reliability. Where first opportunities are difficult to secure, that kind of trust can open doors that formal applications cannot.

The relationship has to be real to have value. It must rest on consistency, respect, intellectual honesty and follow-through. A student who appears only when something is required is making a request, not building a relationship.

Law students should therefore treat their relationship with teachers as part of their professional formation. The classroom is also where a student’s seriousness is witnessed. Being remembered well by one’s teacher may become one of the most important investments a law student makes.