First year was about finding your feet. Second year is where you start actually building, and it’s arguably the most enjoyable year to do it, because the pressure of placements is still far enough away that you can explore freely, but you now know enough to make your efforts count. If you’re feeling a vague “I should be getting serious now” without knowing about what, this is your map. Let’s turn that restlessness into direction.
Quick answer
In your second year, build on the foundation you’ve already created. Take on more substantive internships and start mixing experiences, including litigation, law firms, in-house teams, and research roles. Continue sharpening your core legal skills, participate in a moot or another meaningful extracurricular activity, and use every experience to understand which areas of law genuinely interest you. You do not need to choose a specialisation yet. The goal is to gather enough real-world exposure to make an informed decision when the time comes. Second year is about deliberate exploration, not making a final career choice.
What actually matters in second year
- Pursue better internships and diversify them. Move beyond introductory internships. Explore different environments, including litigation chambers, law firms, in-house legal teams, research organisations, and NGOs. The goal is to understand how each setting works and discover where you fit best.
- Sharpen your core skills. Take your legal research, writing, and drafting beyond the basics. Strong fundamentals will make you far more effective during internships and significantly strengthen your CV.
- Take on a serious extracurricular. If you haven’t already, participate in your first moot court competition or take on a meaningful leadership role in a student society. Both build practical skills, confidence, and credibility.
- Pay attention to your interests. As you intern and study, notice which subjects and tasks genuinely engage you and which leave you uninterested. These patterns will gradually point you towards the right career path.
- Invest in your network. Stay in touch with internship supervisors, connect with seniors and alumni, and build genuine professional relationships. The connections you make now often become opportunities during your placement and job search years.
Turn exposure into direction
The real job of second year is more nuanced than simply doing more. Every internship, subject, and extracurricular activity gives you valuable information about yourself. It shows you what you enjoy, what you’re naturally good at, and what kind of work you can see yourself doing in the future. Don’t just collect experiences. Take time to reflect on them. Did you enjoy the fast-paced arguments in a litigation chamber more than the structured drafting at a law firm? Did research keep you curious and engaged? By the end of second year, you should have a rough but honest sense of the direction you’re leaning. It doesn’t have to be a final decision. Think of it as a working hypothesis that you’ll continue testing through your internships, electives, and experiences in the third and fourth years.
Your second-year action plan
- This year: Do at least one substantive internship in a type you haven’t tried and one more that deepens something you liked.
- Skills: Take your research and writing from “okay” to “genuinely useful” through your internships and deliberate practice.
- Activity: Do one proper moot or take on a real society/committee role.
- Reflection: After each internship, note what you enjoyed and what you didn’t. Start forming your direction hypothesis.
- CV: Keep updating your CV with specific, evidence-based bullets while the work is fresh (see the CV guides).
YLCC ACTION STEP: Plan two different-flavoured internships for this year’s breaks, ideally one you expect to like and one you’re curious about. Then, after each, write three sentences on what it taught you about your own preferences. That reflection is what turns second-year exposure into a real sense of direction.
PLEASE DON’T DO THIS: Please don’t lock yourself into a specialisation in second year based on one internship or a trend, you’re still gathering data, and premature commitment can send you down a path that doesn’t fit. And please don’t collect internships mindlessly without reflecting; five stints you never think about teach you far less than two you actually learn from.
If this is you…
- Didn’t do much in first year: No problem, second year is a perfect time to build momentum. Start with one good internship and a skill focus; you have time.
- Feeling directionless: That’s exactly what this year is for. You find direction by trying things and reflecting, not by thinking hard in the abstract. Go get exposure, and let it teach you.
FAQs
- What should I do in the second year of law school? Do a mix of substantive internships, sharpen your skills, do a moot or serious activity, and reflect on what you enjoy to start forming a direction.
- Should I choose my specialisation in second year? Start forming a working hypothesis about the kind of career that suits you, then keep testing it through future experiences. Don’t commit too early. Better decisions come from repeated exposure, not first impressions.
- How many internships in second year? Often one per break (see the internships-per-year guide), prioritising quality and variety over quantity.
- Is second year too early for moots? No, it’s a great time for your first proper moot, for both the skills and the CV.
- What if I still don’t know what I want? Completely normal in second year. Keep getting varied exposure and reflecting; direction emerges from experience.
Thank you for reading!
If you found this article helpful, explore more resources from YLCC and continue your legal learning journey.
