Beyond the Library: Why Your Non-Law Hobbies Actually Make You a Better Advocate
If you spend 24 hours a day "homaging" the law, you’re not going to be a brilliant advocate. You’re going to be a very tired, very boring person who has forgotten how to talk to human beings.
If you’re currently hiding under a pile of coursework and wondering if you’ll ever see the sun again, I have some good news. That "distraction" you love, whether it’s screaming at a rugby pitch, trying to master a difficult knit, or playing Dungeons & Dragons until 2 AM, isn’t a waste of time. It’s actually stealth training for your future career.
In the world of mooting and advocacy, the library is only half the battle. The other half is found in the things you do when the books are closed. Let’s look at why your non-law hobbies are the secret sauce for your law student CV.
1. Theatre and Improv: The Courtroom is Your Stage
If you’ve ever stood on a stage, you already know the terror of a forgotten line. That cold sweat is remarkably similar to the one you feel when a judge asks you a question that completely dismantles your second submission.
Advocacy is, at its heart, a performance. You are there to persuade, to command the room, and to guide the judge through your narrative.
Building Courtroom Presence
Theatre teaches you how to use your voice, not just what to say, but how to say it. You learn about projection, pacing, and the power of a well-timed pause. In a moot, a flat, monotone delivery is the fastest way to lose the bench. If you’ve spent time in a drama club, you already know how to "hold the room" and use your body language to project courtroom confidence.
Thinking on Your Feet
Improv is even better. The core rule of improv is "Yes, and...": accepting whatever your partner throws at you and building on it. When a judge interrupts your flow with a curveball, you can’t say "I’ll get to that in ten minutes." You have to pivot instantly. Improv gives you the mental agility to handle judicial interruptions without losing your thread.
The judge isn’t just listening to your words; they are watching your conviction. If you can perform a Shakespearean monologue, you can certainly handle a five-minute submission on the Postal Rule.
2. Strategy Gaming: The Grandmaster’s Gambit
Whether it’s Chess, Warhammer, or a particularly intense game of Settlers of Catan, strategy gaming is essentially a simulation of litigation.
Logical Reasoning and Pattern Recognition
Advocacy is about anticipating the other side's move three steps before they even think of it. Strategy games force you to look at a complex set of rules (sound familiar, law students?) and find the most efficient path to victory. You start to recognise patterns: "If they move that piece, they’re vulnerable on the flank." Translating that to a moot: "If they rely on that specific case, they’ve ignored the statutory exception in Section 3."
Long-Term Strategic Planning
A good advocate doesn’t just focus on the point they are making right now; they are thinking about how it sets up their closing argument. Gaming trains your brain to manage resources, weigh risks against rewards, and stay focused on the end goal while under pressure. It turns your advocacy skills from a list of points into a cohesive, unstoppable strategy.
Winning isn't about having the best pieces; it's about knowing how to use the ones you have. A small, well-placed point of law can topple a massive argument if you time it right.
3. Competitive Sports: Resilience and the "Co-Counsel" Dynamic
Law is a contact sport: at least mentally. It’s competitive, it’s high-pressure, and occasionally, you’re going to get knocked down.
Handling Pressure and Resilience
Competitive sports teach you how to lose. More importantly, they teach you how to lose, get up, and play better in the next half. In your first few moots, you might get shredded by a particularly sharp judge. If you’ve played competitive sports, you know that a bad "first half" isn't the end of the game. You learn to stay calm when the clock is ticking and your heart is racing.
The Teamwork Factor
Unless you’re a sole practitioner in the middle of nowhere, you’ll be working in teams. Team sports build that "co-counsel" dynamic. You learn how to support your teammates when they’re struggling and how to communicate effectively in the heat of the moment. This translates directly to working with a mooting partner or a senior barrister later in your career.
Resilience is a muscle. The more you practise staying calm on the pitch, the easier it is to stay calm when a senior partner is critiquing your research.
4. Creative Arts: The Fine Print and the Fine Art
You might think that knitting a jumper or painting a landscape has nothing to do with the Supreme Court. You’d be wrong.
Patience and Attention to Detail
Have you ever tried to fix a dropped stitch three rows back? It requires a level of focus and meticulousness that would make a tax lawyer weep with joy. The creative arts demand patience. They train you to look at the small details without losing sight of the whole picture. When you’re proofreading a 40-page skeleton argument, that "knitting focus" is exactly what saves you from a career-ending typo.
Preventing Burnout
Law is heavy. If your entire identity is "Law Student," you’re on a fast track to burnout. Engaging the creative side of your brain provides a necessary escape. It allows your subconscious to process complex legal problems while your hands are busy doing something else. Some of the best legal breakthroughs happen when you’re not thinking about the law.
A hobby that has nothing to do with your career is the best way to ensure you actually have a career in ten years. Balance isn't a luxury; it's a requirement.
5. Volunteering: Building the Human Element
Law isn't just about statutes and precedents; it’s about people. Volunteering, whether it's at the CAB, a local charity shop, or a youth club, builds the "soft skills" that law school often forgets to teach.
Empathy and Cultural Competence
An advocate who can’t empathise with their client is a bad advocate. Volunteering exposes you to people from all walks of life, often in their most vulnerable moments. It teaches you how to listen and how to translate complex ideas into something understandable. This is the foundation of excellent client relations.
Issue-Spotting in the Real World
When you volunteer, you aren't looking at a pre-packaged problem question. You’re looking at a messy, real-world situation. Learning to spot what people actually need (rather than just what they say they want) is a massive boost to your practical advocacy skills.
People don't hire a law book; they hire a human being who understands their problem. Volunteering keeps you grounded in the real reason we do this job.
Conclusion: Bridging the Gap
So, the next time someone asks why you’re spending your Saturday at a gaming tournament or a theatre rehearsal instead of the library, tell them you’re "upskilling." Because you are.
Your hobbies make you a multi-dimensional candidate. They give you stories to tell in pupillage interviews and the resilience to survive a tough week in court. But most importantly, they give you a unique perspective that no textbook can provide.
If you’re looking for a way to bridge the gap between your "fun" skills and your "legal" skills, we can help. Our Legal Skills Academy is designed to be a low-pressure, supportive environment where you can take all that confidence you’ve built on the stage or the pitch and apply it to a legal problem.
Remember: your life outside the library is what makes you a winner inside the courtroom.
