First-year legal student, informally

ONEL

Think of the number that comes right before "two" in a law school setting.

"First-year legal student, informally" is a straightforward clue where "first-year" hints at the number one and "legal student" refers to someone in law school—often called an L for short (as in 1L, 2L, etc.). Combine one and L to get ONEL, a casual term for a rookie law student. The clue plays on abbreviations common in legal education.