should i take the LSATs in february or June if I am planning on going to law school in the spring at the earliest, fall 08 at the latest?

1/17/2007 8:16:41 PM

Thanks everybody. I am using eattorney and I am trying to beat all the fucking deadlines that people have. It sucks trying to get all your homework done and applying to thirty different jobs.

Thanks for the tip about being courier etc. I doubt that I am at the top of my class, but probably in the top 20%.

1/17/2007 10:07:29 PM

I don't think its good to take a job as a courier or a paralegal while you are in law school. A lot of my classmates have worked in lower level positions at other firms, left for law school on good terms and did not get an interview with their prior employer (and they had the grades/personality).

If the firm is not willing to take you as a clerk, they are not really interested in you for future employment.

1/18/2007 10:07:44 AM

Quote :

"should i take the LSATs in february or June if I am planning on going to law school in the spring at the earliest, fall 08 at the latest?"

the first time i took the LSAT was in june and i only had a few weeks to prepare. subsequently i did not do well. i took it again last february and did much better because i signed up far in advance and took a prep course. if you plan on going to law school in the fall of '08, i'd recommend taking the LSAT in october or september, i forget which month they test in. that way you'll have plenty of time to prepare and you will get your scores back in plenty of time to send to the law schools you are applying to. basically, give yourself ample time to take lots practice tests is the best advice i can give to prepare for it.

1/18/2007 1:29:17 PM

I agree with JennMc on this one as well. There are a lot of better jobs you could be doing elsewhere.

1/18/2007 7:25:15 PM

Question about grades, etc. how often do you see significant grade changes? people in the top 10% dropping lower, or people moving up into the top 10%?

1/20/2007 12:25:47 AM

^ There will generally be some movement in and out of the top 10-20% as some students learn how to better handle the exams, and as other students with good jobs start slacking off a bit. But in general you won't see someone well outside the top of the class move into it, or someone at the top of the class fall well outside of it.

1/20/2007 11:48:19 AM

hey if any of y'all go to Law School at UGa, check up on Dave, Juliet and the twins. They're family friends of Wolfpack2K

http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=457081&page=1

1/20/2007 7:38:25 PM

Anyone go to the law school mixer Saturday?

1/29/2007 5:24:59 PM

i forgot all about it. did you go?

1/29/2007 9:51:18 PM

any helpful tips for on-campus interviews and callback interviews?

2/6/2007 12:53:10 PM

write thank you letters

2/6/2007 1:25:21 PM

oh wow... COMPLETELY forgot that one. Thanks! Handwritten or typed?

2/6/2007 1:37:33 PM

LAW SCHOOL.....what a great life we get to use...


III

2/6/2007 7:54:45 PM

i just picked up some generic thank you notes and handwrote, but whatever works for you.

2/7/2007 9:36:58 AM

how do you guys feel about overseas study abroad programs as a substitute for internships?

I'm thinking about Army JAG as a career, and one of the programs here sends students to France for 5 weeks over the summer with the Dean and others to take classes in human rights and international law. It will end up costing close to 10k, but do you think it'd be a worthy experience and good resume builder?

2/7/2007 9:46:32 AM

^practical experience is the best resume builder. If you are only going for 5 weeks then intern for the remainder of the summer.

2/7/2007 10:29:23 AM

^ what he said. You need legal experience to get your 2L summer job. 10 grand is a little expensive for a France summer program. I believe our Korea program is only $6k. You can also look at other school summer programs to find something more practical to take.

I just got my 2L license today

[Edited on February 7, 2007 at 6:33 PM. Reason : k]

2/7/2007 6:32:05 PM

well the tuition/room/board is 5k, but i figured an extra 5k for flight/travel/sightseeing/shopping would be good.

i think i'm' gonna do it, because it's only 5 weeks long, and i think i can pull an unpaid for the 6 week break before that period through a family friend.

2/7/2007 7:01:00 PM

3Ls, hove offers? interviews? where at? I have an interview this month with Cook County State Atty's office. thats about it for me

2/8/2007 3:43:54 PM

big firm life? seriously, how bad could it be to pull 60-80 hours a week if you're already doing that in school? plus you get paid and perks? pros/cons?

2/14/2007 4:38:27 PM

the hours wouldn't bother me, but a lot of times the big firms are very cut throat with their associates. meaning people will screw you in every way possible to make partner ahead of you.

2/14/2007 5:14:17 PM

its cuthroat, you won't have a life, you will be a bitch until you're fired (because lets face it, making associate or partner is less than 10% chance) and you'll work 80 hours a week for a salary that only equates to half of that for the amount of hours you're putting in. It's a rat race, it's high pressure, and it's dirty. People are generally pissy or glum half the time, and are absolutely burned out from it after just a few months. Most turn to alcohol to be able to cope with it - though coke can be pretty common too.

have fun with it. if its what you want to do, then go for it, and give it your all. it's just not for me - i've heard and seen way too much already to know that it's not what i want to do - not for a career, not for an internship.

2/14/2007 5:32:45 PM

Just wait till the apathy kicks in. Next year you will have no desire to do work. You will realize that there is a life outside of the law and its way better than doing work.

As for firms, it depends on which firm you end up with. There are some that will run their associates to death and others that have a better work environment.

I know of several coke issues with students/lawyers. Ritalin is widely popular, but for studying purposes.



[Edited on February 14, 2007 at 6:15 PM. Reason : k]

2/14/2007 6:06:32 PM

Quote :

"its cuthroat, you won't have a life, you will be a bitch until you're fired (because lets face it, making associate or partner is less than 10% chance) and you'll work 80 hours a week for a salary that only equates to half of that for the amount of hours you're putting in. It's a rat race, it's high pressure, and it's dirty. People are generally pissy or glum half the time, and are absolutely burned out from it after just a few months. Most turn to alcohol to be able to cope with it - though coke can be pretty common too. have fun with it. if its what you want to do, then go for it, and give it your all. it's just not for me - i've heard and seen way too much already to know that it's not what i want to do - not for a career, not for an internship."

Have you ever worked at a big firm? Unless you are going to NYC much of this 80 hour a week talk is a myth. In NYC, where you may work every day of the week, you will be well compensated (160k salary + 35k nondiscretionary bonus your first year).

2/14/2007 10:10:13 PM

big firm life being 1900-2100 billable? i mean, seriously, how bad can that be. maybe i have to see it to really understand how "bad" it is, but is anyone here working "big" firm? 300+?

2/15/2007 12:22:56 AM

Well, interview and try it out this summer. I would maybe talk with Partial about your specific firm choices and their reputations. I believe most firms will rotate you between offices and different practice areas.

2/15/2007 8:41:20 AM

I just got into Campbell today. I'm still waiting on UNC and NCCU. There might be some residency issues because I’ve been living and working in DC for the past year and 1/2. However, I did pay state taxes to NC so I should be fine. Anyways, I’m in senior year-last semester of high school mode. I might even quit my hell hole of a job. Who knows?

2/15/2007 6:52:43 PM

I'm currently in the process of picking my track... i've got it narrowed down between transactions and ADR... i'm leaning heavily towards ADR... anyone else picked this track or anything similar?

2/16/2007 10:54:13 AM

^What law school offers tracks?

2/16/2007 11:42:31 AM

our school has the following tracks:

Business/Transactional
Public Policy
Dispute Resolution (ADR)
General Practice
Virginia Practice
Academic
Honors


(Regent University SoL)

[Edited on February 16, 2007 at 11:51 AM. Reason : but alot of them have tracks]

2/16/2007 11:47:00 AM

I have applied to law school and just got my first acceptance letter back from Appalachian SoL. Anyone go there? Know something about it that the homepage or LSAC page can't tell me?

Also, if a school is not ABA approved (app. SoL just got theirs, but some of the others on my list aren't) what is the deal with taking the bar exam? I heard that you are allowed to take the bar in that school's state and only that state.

2/22/2007 1:57:04 PM

App should probably be your school of last resort, to be completely honest. Everyone I've met that goes there hates it - not because of the school, but because the town- Grundy, VA, is out in the middle of nowhere. Like, it's 20 miles to the nearest wal-mart even. There is absolutely nothing to do there, and the townsfolk are supposedly incredibly weird. My best word of advice is to visit there before you decide to go.


depending on the state of the school that you go to for the non-ABA approved school, you'll either be only allowed to take the bar for that specific state, or, quite possibly, not be allowed to sit for the Bar at all. Ask the school about it - if they're halfway ethical, they'll be up front with you.


what other schools have you applied to?

2/22/2007 4:08:08 PM

^ I think he said it well


III

2/22/2007 4:11:34 PM

now, back to writing this trial brief on a case of first impression

ugh

[Edited on February 22, 2007 at 4:19 PM. Reason : the life of a 1L ]

2/22/2007 4:18:56 PM

My LSAT wasn't stellar, so I am primarily applying to lower tier schools or places where I have some sort of connection to the school. I applied to the following: Elon, Charlotte, NCCU, App., Charleston, John Marshall-Atlanta, Florida Coastal, Barry-Orlando, and Nova Southeastern. App. was my fall back school, and the only other school that I have heard from is John Marshall, and they basically waitlisted me.

I also heard that the people from App. SoL were very weird and 'backwoods'. Definitely going to take a visit before signing off on anything, but just wanted to hear if anyone on here attended.

2/22/2007 4:35:15 PM

my best friend goes to Barry

he loves it. orlando is beautiful, the school is doing great things to improve, and the staff there is really good.

2/22/2007 4:39:49 PM

Quote :

"now, back to writing this trial brief on a case of first impression ugh"

I love cases of first impression!

2/22/2007 7:08:32 PM

Quote :

"does anyone know how selective Army JAG is? I'm seriously considering..."

your GPA needs to be around a 3.4 or 3.5 to be sure of getting in, plus you need to have some good extracurric stuff too. its more competitive than people think. that being said, if you really want to do JAG, they have programs for current law students and if you are accepted you are guaranteed a spot. Also, shoot for the Air Force, it is the nicest branch. They spend their money on their people, not weaponry as much as Army/Navy. You also don't get deployed as much in the Air Force. Good luck.

3/2/2007 2:50:31 PM

well i grew up an Army Brat, and really, that's the only branch i'm considering, but i'll def. take a look at the air force


the 3.4 gpa is gonna be tough from where i stand right now though. not impossible, just unlikely. i'll probably end up with a 2.8-3.0

3/2/2007 3:03:03 PM

yeah, im kinda in the same boat. having military parents will definitely help your cause though.

3/2/2007 5:42:30 PM

I have a friend trying to get into Navy JAG. He will defintely be deployed for a while if accepted.

3/3/2007 5:33:37 PM

[link]http://media.http://www.hlrecord.org/media/storage/paper609/news/2007/04/05/News/Angry.Students.Stage.Bluebook.Burning-2826068.shtml[/link]


I feel their pain.




[Edited on April 13, 2007 at 12:41 PM. Reason : too funny]

4/13/2007 12:25:28 PM

yep so finals are coming up, scheduling is done for next year, and other than that, things are going relatively smoothly.

can't wait to be done with this year

4/13/2007 12:46:42 PM

got into South Carolina and Alabama. Alabama offered me a full ride, South Carolina offered me 13K off, making it 20K for the first year until I could possibly get residency.

I haven't heard from Georgia or Wake yet, perhaps I should have applied to better ranked schools?

4/13/2007 12:54:11 PM

just because you got in doesn't mean you have to go. wake forest is a good school though, i'd wait until i heard from them before i made any decision

4/13/2007 7:32:38 PM

^^ take the full ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Speaking from experience, you don't want any debt coming out, huge advantage. wake and bama aren't that much different.

4/14/2007 2:40:02 AM

I've been thinking about law school a lot lately.

I've got a B.A. in political science, a minor in journalism and an unspectacular 2.98 undergrad GPA.

However, in December, I'll have an M.S. in communication with a 3.5ish GPA.

I think I might want to work for a year or two before I try it out. Maybe I'll just study for the LSAT until then. Who knows?

Any thoughts? I'm assuming the master's degree and grad GPA will help my case. Am I correct? I don't really know what I'm looking for here. Just checking around.

4/14/2007 11:37:20 PM

your LSAT score will be the deciding factor to where you get in. most law schools weigh their acceptance decisions on your LSAT because it is the only way they can "equally" evaluate each candidate. all undergrad schools grade and test differently, so GPA is not really a deciding factor. if you can score in the mid to high 160s on the LSAT, i guarantee your GPA won't even be a factor

4/14/2007 11:50:33 PM

^only within reason. if you are looking at schools in the top 20 you will need a very high lsat to offset a sub 3 gpa.

4/15/2007 12:59:09 AM