Arete means “excellence” in ancient Greek. It stands for the idea of fulfilling a purpose or function, and of living up to your full potential. Accordingly, this publication is part of the Arete Series, which synthesizes the collective knowledge and experience of seasoned professionals of a specific career for the benefit of the next generation.  Whether you are a high school student thinking about your career options, a college student deciding if and when to apply to law school, a law student eager for tips for academic and professional success or a junior associate starting out in a law firm, the information included in this publication is succinct and extremely useful as an excellent baseline for our readers to better understand the path to success in the legal field. It was authored by several lawyers practicing at law firms and a law professor – some of whom graduated from top law schools and have worked in Big Law. Although our contributors provide robust general information derived from their personal experience, we encourage readers to conduct further research on their own to obtain the most up-to-date information

that is available.

We hope that you find this publication helpful and we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.