You read case law at the speed of light. You write three-hour exams in your sleep. So why is 2L known as the year they work you to death?

Academics
There's a knack to taking law school courses, and by the time your second year rolls around, you'll finally feel like you know what you're doing. "Expect that the material will begin to come a little more easily," says Sam Pollack, a 2L at Boston University. But the important thing about your second-year classes isn't whether they're easy or hard, it's the fact that you pick them yourself. After a year of being force-fed civil procedure, torts, and contracts, the opportunity to choose classes that inspire you is a welcome change.

Douglas Sondgeroth, a 2L at Boston College, finds his second-year classes "more difficult, but definitely more interesting and rewarding," in part because they allow students to "explore their own interests and focus on specific issues that a general first-year course cannot consider."

If your law school allows you to cross-register for courses in other parts of the university, take advantage of it. A course in business, government, or a foreign language adds perspective to your legal education and gives you the opportunity to meet graduate students in other disciplines.

Extracurriculars
For resumé-building types, year two is all about journals. While many schools still have only one journal, usually called the "Law Review," student-edited journals are proliferating, and you may have an array to choose from. At some universities, only the flagship journal (e.g., Harvard Law Review) holds an entrance competition, but at most, high grades or winning writing competitions are necessary hurdles for any journal work. These competitions, or "write-ons," usually take up a week at the end of 1L spring; expect a lengthy project that tests your legal writing and editing skills.

No matter how you get it, a position on the editorial board of a legal periodical is a useful credential throughout your career. The prestige comes with a price tag, however: Anywhere from 10 to 40 hours of your week will be consumed in evaluating manuscript submissions, editing the accepted articles, and tediously checking the accuracy of hundreds of footnotes. If you are intrigued by legal scholarship, the challenge can be fun. For some students, though, it's just another obligation. "Be careful what journal you work for, if you work for [one]," cautions a New York University 2L who is less than fascinated by cite-checking. "It can be a big time-suck and is not very rewarding."

Upper-class moot court is another extracurricular option that can impress potential employers; it's a step closer to the real work lawyers do. Most schools field mock trial teams who argue fictitious cases in nationwide tournaments. Many also offer intramural appellate competitions, where teams of students prepare and argue simulated Supreme Court cases. These activities are excellent training if you intend to go into litigation.

If you're looking for the most practical experience of all, clinicals offer upper-class students the chance to work on cases for actual clients. "If your school offers clinical programs or externships, don't hold them off until your third year," urges Seth Eichenholtz, a 2L at Syracuse University.

Clinical work may involve anything from assisting in the composition of a friend-of-the-court brief to single-handedly arguing an eviction trial in front of a jury. Although handling a divorce case for a battered woman or helping to research a death-penalty appeal can be emotionally exhausting, it's likely to be the most satisfying achievement of your law school career. (Read about some current cases law school litigators are working on in Student Litigators: Three Court Fights to Watch.)

Recruiting
Deep down, the professors know it: Until 2Ls have their summer offers, no one is paying much attention in class. That's one reason law schools keep moving the fall recruiting season back; at some, like New York's Brooklyn Law School, on-campus interviewing begins as early as August.

Recruiting exposes the naked elitism of the legal profession. Top firms may refuse to interview students whose GPAs are below a certain cutoff, and they adjust that cutoff based on the name of the school. For example, a firm might grant interviews to students at second-tier schools only if they have GPAs of 3.7 or above and are members of the law review; to students at top-20 schools only if they have a 3.3 or above; and to any interested student who attends Yale, Stanford, or Harvard. Some firms shun certain schools altogether. But never be shy about contacting a firm that doesn’t recruit at your school; you have nothing to lose but one copy of your resume.

Signing up for on-campus interviews is usually easy; all you have to do is submit a resume. If there are many options available, choosing firms can be challenging. The number of firms recruiting at each school varies, but most students interview with anywhere from 10 to 30. The pressure to choose wisely is high; 2L summer jobs usually turn into offers for full-time postgraduate work, and many firms hire only those students who have worked for them in the summer. Talk to as many 3Ls as possible about their experiences at various firms, and do as much independent research as you can.

Interviewing can be surreal and all-consuming. Brief on-campus interviews force you to present yourself in sound bites to a succession of suits. If you make callback interviews at a big firm, you'll probably be treated like a maharajah by rich and powerful partners. But don’t let the lobster and champagne banquets distract you from the task at hand: Judge the firm, not its marketing department. (For tips on landing the job you want, check out Interviewing 101.)

"Really look within yourself to see what your true goals are," advises Malinda Dickenson, a 2L at the University of San Diego, who is pursuing a career in environmental law. "That way, every step you take can lead you in the direction you want to be going."

Clerkships
Clerkships (one or two years of researching and writing opinions for a judge) provide an inside look at litigation you can't get anywhere else, as well as a lifelong resume boost. Federal circuit judges interview as early as October of your second year, and district and state judges follow close behind. Unfortunately, law schools outside the top 10 don't always do enough to encourage their students to clerk. If your school doesn't produce many clerks, that may be because few of its graduates apply. If you want a clerkship, go for it.

Part 3 | The home stretch: How to make the most of your last year in school.