Here’s a trap almost every ambitious law student falls into: trying to do moots and publications and a full internship calendar and keep grades up, all at once, all the time, and doing all of them at 60%. You can’t do everything well simultaneously, and pretending you can leads to burnout and mediocre results across the board. The skill isn’t doing it all; it’s prioritising well. Let me help you decide what to focus on, based on your goals and where you are.
Quick answer
For most students, internships are the highest-priority CV-builder, because they build real skills, networks and job pathways, so they should usually anchor your plan. Moots are valuable for advocacy, research and drafting skills (especially useful for litigation and disputes interests, and generally CV-positive). Publications matter most for academic, research and policy paths, and less for others. Prioritise based on your goals: don’t do all three at full intensity, pick your focus each year and do it well.
What each actually builds
- Internships: real legal skills, professional exposure, networks, references, and direct pathways to jobs/PPOs. For most career paths, this is the strongest builder, which is why it usually anchors the plan.
- Moots: research, drafting, oral advocacy and teamwork skills, plus CV credibility. Especially valuable if you lean toward litigation/disputes, and generally worthwhile, but time-intensive.
- Publications: research and writing depth, and credibility for academic, research and policy paths. Genuinely valuable there; less decisive for, say, transactional corporate roles (though a good publication never hurts).
How to prioritise by goal
Let your direction tilt the balance:
- Leaning corporate/firm? Prioritise strong, relevant internships; do a moot or two for skills/CV; publications are a nice-to-have, not a must.
- Leaning litigation/disputes? Internships in chambers plus mooting are a powerful combination — both build the advocacy and drafting muscles you’ll use.
- Leaning policy/academia/research? Publications and research rise in importance, alongside relevant internships.
- Genuinely unsure? Anchor on internships (they build broad skills and help you find direction), add a moot for versatile skills, and publish only if a topic genuinely grabs you.
How to prioritise by year
Also sequence, don’t stack.
- Early years: internships for exposure, maybe your first moot, keep it light and exploratory.
- Middle years: deepen internships in your direction; a serious moot if it fits your path; a publication if you have a real topic.
- Later years: targeted, converting internships take priority as placements loom; wind down time-heavy activities that don’t serve your goal. The point is to focus each year rather than run all three flat-out every year.
YLCC ACTION STEP: For this year, choose one primary focus, usually internships, and one secondary focus that you’ll pursue seriously, such as a moot, a publication, or a leadership role. Let everything else remain secondary. Write those priorities down. The simple act of choosing, instead of trying to excel at everything at once, is what protects both your results and your sanity.
PLEASE DON’T DO THIS: Please don’t try to max out moots, publications and internships simultaneously to build the “perfect” CV, you’ll spread thin and do all of them at mediocre quality, which impresses no one. And please don’t do a moot or a publication only because it “looks good” while ignoring your actual goals; a focused profile beats a padded, incoherent one.
FAQs
- Are moots or internships more important? For most paths, internships are the higher priority, but moots are very valuable, especially for litigation/disputes. Prioritise internships, and add moots for skills and CV.
- Do publications matter for law students? They matter most for academic, research and policy paths and are a nice-to-have (not decisive) for many others. A good one never hurts.
- Can’t I just do all three? Not all at full intensity without spreading thin. Pick a primary focus each year and do it well, with one secondary done properly.
- What should I prioritise if I’m unsure of my path? Anchor on internships (they build broad skills and reveal direction), add a moot for versatile skills, and publish only if a topic genuinely grabs you.
- How do I decide each year? Choose one primary focus and one proper secondary, and let the third be light, based on your goals and year. Focus beats doing everything at 60%.
Thank you for reading!
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