Morons of the Week: Criss Angel fans


Wow. Just when I thought pro wrestling, the Global Warming Denial Machine, and David Blaine had laid claim to all the gullible people in North America, this knucklehead comes along and usurps the throne. But I can't blame him for making a buck off of the stupidity of others--hell, NASCAR has been doing that for years! My real qualm is with his supporters.

Holy Toledo, he just bit a crowbar in half and levitated in the middle of the street! Amazing! And what's he doing now--oh, my--he's fox-trotting up the side of an office building! How the hell does he do that?? Dude, I think I--yeah...

I'M LIKE TOTALLY MINDFREAKED!!!

The only freaky thing here is that there seems to be a mass following of bafoons who actually buy into this pathetic charade. Newsflash folks, there's nothing Mindfreakish about just plain lying about stuff (trust me, I know--I'm a law student).

The sad reality for these people is that there's a whole lot of mindnumbing and not so much of the mindfreaking going on. This guy wakes up, puts on a black shirt, jewelry and makeup, and stands in front of a camera psyching you out about all this cool shit he's gonna do. The camera stops rolling, he goes home, the editors put in the camera effects, and all of a sudden he's gone from looking like your regular bus station bathroom stall gigolo to Harry fucking Houdini.

The only magical thing about this guy is that he spells his name "Criss" and has yet to get his ass stomped into the intensive care ward. COME ON PEOPLE!!!

The Worst Law School Admission Book I've Read

I just spent $32 so that you don't have to!

A parent of one of my clients told me about a book - "The Law School Admissions Guide: How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Admitted to Law School! Despite your LSAT Score and GPA. Secrets of the Admissions Mystique Revealed." She said it was great (despite the ridiculously long title)

Here was my first clue that something was fishy when the book arrived: There was no author listed on the cover. And no bio of the author anywhere in the book. It's also only 75 pages long. (That's 42 cents a page!)

So today (very exciting) I had a hair appointment and brought along my new book. In the amount of time I waited for my highlights to set, I'd read every word of this book and here are my reasons for saying it's the Worst Law School Admission Book I've Read:

1. Apparently the author's experience with law school admissions is limited to the following:
  • He applied to law school.
  • His close friend applied to law school.
  • He was admitted to law school (although he doesn't say which law schools)
  • He talked to a couple of law school employees.
  • He read the lsac.org website
  • He was a "member of the student recruitment team" at his law school which he describes as "a group of students who assisted with administrative duties in the admissions office."

When I went to his website, I learned that he went to the University of Florida and graduated two whole years ago. I also learned he is related to four other people who are lawyers. Wow. I'm impressed. His website also states that he does application counseling in his down time from being an assistant state attorney.

Why is all of this important? Because law school applicants need to be very careful about where they are getting their advice. There are law school admission consultants and pre-law advisors who are (hopefully!) trained and experienced with helping people apply to law school. But there is a lot of advice out there being shoveled at you (for $32 a pop!) by people who may not be as qualified.

2. I also take issue with the actual advice offered in the book for the following reasons:

  • The entire first chapter merely repeats information otherwise available from the lsac.org website.
  • This book includes ONLY THREE PARAGRAPHS about the PERSONAL STATEMENT. IS he kidding??????? And it's all about how a very generous law school admission director called him after the first edition of his book came out and chastized him for not discussing the importance of mentioning overcoming adversity and hardship.
  • He concentrates a lot on index scores but this is completely meaningless to a law school applicant. Yes, law schools use something called an "index" score which is the calculation used by that school to determine weight on the GPA and LSAT (developed through a complex statistical analysis of who performs well academically and on the bar exam at that particular institution). But even if you can find out your index number at that school, schools are not going to tell you which pile your application will land in as a result (presumptive admit, presumptive deny, committee review). And schools will never ever tell you how they calculate their index. So what good does it do to know your index as this author suggests?
  • There is a chapter on LSAT prep that mentions only three companies and goes so far as to offer a discount to one of the smaller companies that I've never heard of. A good page of this book is advertisement for that company
  • He talks about the importance of "meeting" deadlines. There is absolutely no mention of the rolling admissions process!!!! Nothing about how important it can be to apply early. Nothing about the pros and cons of Early Decision/Early Notification. Nothing.
  • He suggests using a cover letter and fancy paper. PLEASE DON'T DO THIS. It's annoying and silly and unnecessary and egotistical and arrogant. When I got these applications as a law school admission director, I'd roll my eyes. It's just extra paper to photocopy and file and if the law schools wanted this, they would ask you for it.
  • There are three pages on "Who You Know" and how you should invent personal contacts to network for you to the law schools. Please don't do this. He even says that law schools hate this. Why do you want to do something that law schools hate?

3. Is there anything in this book that Ann Levine/ LawSchoolExpert actually agrees with? Yes, believe it or not, and here are those points:

  • The importance of choosing a law school by its location (but this emphasis is outweighed, in my opinion, by the constant reference to "top" law schools)
  • I completely agree with this sentence on page 31: "One of the most common errors students make when applying to law school is the failure to realistically evaluate and make an honest assessment of their chances for admission to a particular school." I agree. This is why a law school admission consultant/pre-law advisor is helpful - he/she can analyze your credentials, strengths and weaknesses and give you an honest assessment.
  • Do not handwrite your application.
  • The law school resume is a different beast than the human resources/employment seeking resume. I liked the idea of including names of significant papers drafted during college.

I detest being negative in advice I give one-on-one or on the blog. And ranting like this (I hope my readers know by now) is uncharacteristic. However, I can't stand someone who I perceive to be taking advantage of law school applicants who are vulnerable to any advice. What is that line from that movie? People are so desperate for leadership that they'll listen to whomever is talking? I need to find that quote and movie.... If you know it, please leave me a comment so I'm not up all night thinking about this.

And enjoy your Labor Day Weekend with a $32 barbeque on me : )

Anatomy of a Nervous Breakdown

.
INT. LAW LIBRARY - DAY

Students are busily going about their days, scooting by endless rows of long, tall shelves of important looking leather-bound books as they head to and from class.

SUZIE, a blonde 1L dolled up in trendy wares, sits alone and anxious at a table amidst the shuffle, her eyes wide and tearing, as she stares helplessly into the screen of her laptop.

SUZIE:
(frantically prodding at the keyboard)
OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGaaaaaaaaahd!!!

SAMMY, a short, skinny, enthusiastic, geeky fellow 1L instantly appears from around the staircase. He's clearly been praying for just this opportunity since orientation... which was only three days ago.

SAMMY:
(rushes to SUZIE's side)
What's wrong Suzie??!

SUZIE:
(still fixed on the screen; now hyperventilating)
I... I can't get my--my... my Torts brief is... G-G-G-GONE!!!

SAMMY:
Oh no, Suzie! Are you sure, let me see if I can--

SUZIE:
(violently slaps SAMMY's hand away)
DON'T TOUCH THAT! (now sobbing and full-on hysterical)

SAMMY:
(hurt, but still hopeful)
Oh, uh, oops. I'm sorry!

(a pause)

While SUZIE throws herself onto her laptop in anguish, SAMMY thinks for a moment, then darts toward the stairwell with astonishing speed and ascends three stairs at a time. Over his shoulder:

Don't worry Suzie!! I'll go get Professor... (trails off)

SUZIE:
(face in hands)
BWWWWWWAAAAAAAAH HUUUH HUUUH HOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!

From a corner table, previously off-screen, a PAIR OF JADED 2Ls has been casually observing the scene. They watch SUZIE sob, and after a few moments:

JADED 2L #1:
Did that just happen?

JADED 2L #2:
Like you fucking care. Let's go to Checkers.

The Summer's Best Law School Admission Advice

Just in time for Labor Day Weekend (and my family excursion to Chicago which will take me away from the blogosphere for a few days in honor of my grandmother's 90th birthday - Happy Birthday, Grandma!), I want to recap the best law school admission advice posted on LawSchoolExpert this summer:

The #1 most important discussion of the summer is how to decide what law schools to apply to and the ways in which rankings are (and are not) helpful. For the best discussion on this crucial topic see links to opinions about US News rankings and lots of people who disagree with the emphasis (mis) placed on law school rankings including:
The rest of the most important LawSchoolExpert advice from Summer 2007 includes:
1. How many law schools should you apply to?

2. Discretion and Professionalism are important as you essentially are applying to become an attorney. Think about how you are communicating with law schools and what image of you is projected out there in the web-wide world as you're applying to law school.

3. Who can you depend on for sound advice about applying to law school? Not just any lawyer is qualified to help with law school applications. Instead, strongly consider hiring a law school admission consultant who is invested in your success and has experience evaluating law school applications.

4. Looking for LSAT tips and advice and/or dealing with a low LSAT score? If you're taking the September LSAT, Re-applying to Law School, or just looking for general LSAT advice then there is a lot of information from this summer that would be of interest to you.

5. Want to know how and when to get started applying to law school? The ideal law school application timeline and the importance of rolling admissions in the law school process will be helpful to you. If you're thinking about waiting to take the December LSAT, there are things you should know about that decision.

Please let me know how I can continue to provide helpful and relevant advice for law school applicants and pre-law students. I love comments and you are also welcome to contact me directly at lawschoolexpert@cox.net
Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Don't ask a lawyer for Law School Admission Advice

People applying to law school often say, "I had a lawyer read my personal statement and he said it's fine."
I finally found a really good post supporting my position that it is an absolutely horrific idea to ask a lawyer for any kind of advice about applying to law school- and no one will be able to say it's self-serving for a law school admission coach to say so. Here it is for your consideration, in a posting intended for an audience of lawyers. I love it! (Lawyers, I hope you take note: the next time a law school applicant asks for a letter of rec or LSAT advice, please refer her to a pre-law specialist.)

More Background on Law School Loan Forgiveness

Thanks so much to Austin at CALI PreLaw Blog for jumping on my bandwagon and publicizing Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs). In today' s post, he gives a great explanation of what LRAPs are and why they are important. Check it out.

Pretend Mom is Looking at your Law School Application

I just found an old but dead-on post from a law school admission office warning people against using e-mail addresses that are not entirely appropriate for law school-law applicant communication. hotbody4u@you-name-it.com is not the name of a law school applicant - and if it is the name of an applicant then that applicant needs another e-mail address expressly for the purpose of communicating with law schools. (But don't go out and grab futureharvardjd@i-am-so-great.com either, now that I think about it)
This relates to my previous posting about googling yourself too - make sure your facebook and myspace pages are at least unoffensive. I'm on facebook (as many of you have learned) and my guess is I'm not the only "adult" (aka law school admission officer) who knows how to do a search.
You are entering a profession and you are about to connect with the people you'll be practicing law alongside. What impression do you want these people to have of you and your abilities?
Start acting accordingly now. Professionalism and maturity go a long way, and so does discretion.
I know I sound like a huge loser for lecturing on this topic, but now is the time to consider these issues. I promise, you'll thank me later.

Moron of the Week: A Self-Portrait

That's right folks, I was nominated (by myself) for the second installment of this prestigious award, and the LS4D Subcommittee (e.g., me) on Moronic Affairs unanimously approved the nomination!

Okay, so maybe that's not really me... but it'd be a lot cooler if it was. Anywho, the Subcommittee (again--me) officially selected me this week, citing the following reasons:

1. Thus far I cannot, for the life of me, get myself to take school seriously this semester, despite the fact that my lifelong career options kind of depend on doing so.

2. I have on several occasions stayed in the library for well over an hour after my classes were done for the day, but didn't once do any work or reading there (unless you consider Google-imaging Halloween costume ideas to be work, in which case we should be friends).

3. Taking naps on the couch from roughly 4pm to 7pm (also in lieu of studying), thus ruining any chance of getting to bed at a reasonable hour when I have to be up by 7:30 the next morning.

4. Actually finding myself saying, during a conversation with a friend, "I really don't think Joey Harrington [Michael Vick's replacement] is going to be that bad. I mean, really, if you look at the schedule, we could even make the playoffs this year..."

5. I have now spent another 20 minutes bumbling aimlessly on this blog, while I have three reading assignments for tomorrow that I haven't even started yet.

I would like to thank all of the morons in my life for helping me to see what it takes achieve this award. But most of all I thank myself--I couldn't have done it without me. We finally did it, baby!

What's Important in Choosing a Law School?

Please check out another great posting on the Location vs. Rankings topic http://www.lukegilman.com/blawg/2007/08/02/how-to-choose-a-law-school-2/

And another great resource http://nancyrapoport.blogspot.com/search/label/rankings

Thanks to everyone who is speaking out on this to educate applicants about what's important to consider in the law school selection process.

Law School Location is Most Important

I just had the pleasure of finding another blogger who agrees about the importance of location in picking a law school: http://rubyredslipper.blogspot.com/2007/07/tips-on-choosing-law-school-1-location.html
I love her comments about the unimportance of rankings in making this decision. It's so important to get the word out that people feel this way and I hope you'll send lots of people to her article on it, and also to my posts about rankings and location.

List of Law Schools with Loan Repayment Programs

A few readers have posted comments about Law School Loan Repayment programs, otherwise known as LRAPS. I can't find a compiled list of these programs and similar resources so I thought I'd attempt to create one based on the ABA LSAC Official Guide and my own google searches.
Here are some great resources on the topic:
1. For information about what an LRAP is and who might qualify, as well as private (non-school) funding sources, check out http://www.finaid.org/loans/forgiveness.phtml
2. For the ABA's work urging law schools to take on these programs (and good data about why the programs are important) check out http://www.abanet.org/poladv/priorities/student_loan.html
3. Definitely check out the Equal Justice Works E-guide to public interest programs at law schools (including the number of grads taking on public interest work) at http://ejwguide.newsweek.com/guide/about.htm?aspxerrorpath=/search.aspx, It looks like you can search by LRAP program for Fall 2008 but that information doesn't appear to be fully updated yet. In either event, this is a fantastic resource - I'm really impressed.
4. Department of Justice LRAP http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/aslrp/poliy.htm
5. Vault. com describes LRAP programs in a general, introductory way at http://www.vault.com/studentloans/articles.jsp?type=3&ch_id=350&article_id=26403919&cat_id=3031&listelement=1
6. For Virginia Lawyers http://www.vsb.org/docs/valawyermagazine/jj01loan.pdf
7. Anyone from -or attending law school in- Maryland http://www.mhec.state.md.us/financialAid/ProgramDescriptions/prog_larp.asp
8. For attorneys in Texas http://www.thecb.texas.gov/Rules/Tac3.cfm?Chapter_ID=21&Subchapter=FF&Print=1
9. A great article about law schools adding LRAP programs http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/lawschools/2004_07_04_indexarch.htm
10. Other states offering LRAP http://www.worksafe.org/images/contentEdit/docs/AB_171_Fact_Sheetl1.pdf
11. District of Columbia Bar Foundation http://www.dcbarfoundation.org/documents/FoundationLRAPGuidelines.1.07.final_000.pdf

Individual Law School LRAP Programs (again, not all inclusive)
1. For the most complete list I can find, go to http://www.yale.edu/visvi/students/gradprof/lawschool/media/LRAP.pdf
2. Stanford Law School's LRAP program actually includes a calculator on its site to figure out what your payments would be http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/tuition/assistance/
3. Yale Law School LRAP application http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/COAP.htm
4. Berkeley http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/10/19_lrap.shtml
5. University of Chicago http://www.law.uchicago.edu/financial/loanforgive.html
6. University of Michigan http://www.law.umich.edu/CurrentStudents/financialaid/debt-management.htm
7. U. Penn http://www.law.upenn.edu/cpp/alumni/publicinterest/pilrap/
8. Loyola Law School http://intranet.lls.edu/publicinterestlaw/pilap/index.html
9. Wake Forest http://law.wfu.edu/x3814.xml
10. Harvard http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2001/05/31_loanforgiveness.php
11. UVA http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/publicserv/loanforgive.htm
12. Iowa http://www.law.uiowa.edu/documents/public_int_loan_forgive.pdf
13. UC Davis http://www.law.ucdavis.edu/news/news.aspx?id=1150
14. Maine http://mainelaw.maine.edu/loanrepay.aspx
15. Notre Dame http://law.nd.edu/LoanAssist/index.html
16. Pepperdine http://law.pepperdine.edu/admissions/financial_aid/loan_forgiveness_programs.html
17. Emory http://www.law.emory.edu/public-interest/loan-repayment-assistance-program.html
18. Brooklyn Law Center http://www.brooklaw.edu/career/publicservice/lrap.php
19. Fordham http://law.fordham.edu/ihtml/fa-2GradStu_LoanForgive.ihtml?id=326
20. Columbia www.law.columbia.edu/current_student/financial_aid/LRAP
21. Colorado http://lawweb.colorado.edu/news/showArticle.jsp?id=18
22. Washington University School of Law http://law.wustl.edu/LRAP/
23. Duke http://www.law.duke.edu/admis/loan.html
24. UGA http://www.law.uga.edu/career/students/LRAP_info.html

And what about those of you with lower LSAT scores? Yes, there are LRAP options for you. Check out:
1. Roger Williams http://law.rwu.edu/news/news/details.aspx?news_id=676
2. Creighton http://law.creighton.edu/index.aspx?p=910
3. Seton Hall http://law.shu.edu/administration/financial_aid/pilrap.htm
4. Tulane http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4200/is_20030818/ai_n10173879
5. William Mitchell http://www.wmitchell.edu/law-school/LRAP.html
6. Rutgers http://law.newark.rutgers.edu/students_lrap.html
7. Pace http://www.law.pace.edu/currentstudents/lrap.html
8. Suffolk http://www.law.suffolk.edu/offices/finaid/lrap.cfm
9. Penn State Dickenson http://www.dsl.psu.edu/finaid/lrap.cfm
10. Hofstra http://law.hofstra.edu/CurrentStudents/FinancialAid/finaid_life.html
11. Vermont http://www.vermontlaw.edu/admissions/index.cfm?doc_id=72
12. Hawaii http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessioncurrent/Bills/HB1821_.htm


I'm sure there are lots more schools, but I'm exhausted from all of this research and I have a few clients who would probably appreciate hearing back from me about their personal statements, etc. If lists like this are helpful, please do let me know and I'll try to block out time to do research and share the results with all of my law school applicant readers.

The Job Search begins

So now that I've finished my first year and my first summer, I can start the interviewing process. The problem, as many of you know, is that to start the interviewing process, you have to be selected for the opportunity to beg for a job.

And it's tough to say the least, especially when every single interviewer's page in the career services database reads something like...

Required:
- Rank: Top 10%
Required:
- Law Review
- Moot Court

Hey, that's great! This on-campus interviewing thing seems like a terrific resource for the 15 people that actually fit these credentials. But for the other 400+ students frantically clawing around for next year's Summer Associate positions, this means lots of time spent writing emails and cover letters that are ignored, resumes that go directly to the trash, and staring at the ceiling imagining what the mother hell you're gonna do when you graduate law school and nobody will hire you.

And hey, new 2L Law Review members: BOO FUCKING HOO for you. So you're camping out in the library on Thursday night, missing a little bit of sleep. You get to brag to recruiters, even to your family. You DON'T however get to loudly "complain" about it in class. Congratulations, you got marvellous grades. The rest of us couln't give a fat tit about it because we're too busy being tortured by images of a future spent enforcing debt collection or doing real estate closings. But hey, check back with me in eight years when you have no one in your social or love life to help you spend the substantial wealth you've amassed.

Bitter? Motherfuckin right! I know it's only August, but SOMEBODY GIVE ME A FUCKING INTERVIEW!!!

Good Things Happenin' at Fordham Law

Among the institutions most actively investigating the connection between faith and legal practice is Fordham Law. Much of these efforts are through Fordham's Institute on Religion, Law & Lawyer's Work, which runs programs in a number of areas, both focused on Catholic thought and more broadly addressing interfaith issues.

The Institute's Executive Director, Amy Uelmen, not only heads up these efforts, but publishes some very important work in the field. Her most recent article is Reconciling Evangelization and Dialogue Through Love of Neighbor, 52 Villanova L. Rev. 303 (2007), investigates the tension between evangelizing for a faith and maintaining a warm dialogue with other faiths, always a thorny issue.

Taking the September LSAT?

Put away everything else and just study for the LSAT. You don't want to have to retake this test in December if you don't have to because there is a huge advantage to completing your applications as early as possible. You have 6 weeks. Now is the time to put away thoughts about your personal statement and schools and everything - preparing properly for the LSAT is the best thing you can do for your law school applications right now. Then, while waiting for your score you can do the personal statement, resume, addenda, etc.
Stay motivated! Don't think about a back-up test in December. Put everything you can into the next six weeks. And for those of you getting frustrated with your practice test scores, remember you still have 6 more weeks to improve. It's not too late to call a tutor and put more time in.
What is my #1 tip for LSAT prep?
Review every answer, even if you got it right. After all, you might've gotten it right by accident!
Good luck and hunker down!

Moron of the Week: Special Inaugural 2-part Edition!!!

Today I'm beginning what will be a new quasi-weekly feature highlighting the asinine. For my first installment, I present to you a couple of easy targets:





We have Michael Vick and Tim Donaghy (not Kobe, but the short cracker next to him). Vick, of course, you know as indicted (and soon to be convicted) canine coliseum promoter/dog killer (and piss-poor quarterback) extraordinaire. Donaghy is an NBA referee who has just pled guilty to fixing point spreads in games he officiated in order to satisfy his mob gambling debts. Aside from the fact that they're both degenerates, they also have one thing in common: trying their best--and succeeding--to throw away a cushy dream career involving no actual work. Well done gentlemen!

However, Vick is by far the biggest moron here. Here's a guy who came from nothing, but was handed the world because of his innate athletic ability. So you get to the NFL, the city and its NFL franchise immediately embraces you, and you're filthy ass rich. Despite the fact that your intelligence level is embarrasingly low, or that you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a football, you are nonetheless loved by all.

The world has been handed to you! All you have to do in return is lift weights, learn plays, and use your brain sometimes.

But then what kind of moron would you be? Instead, you took the road of the embicile. Let's review a few of your escapades:

- Using the alias "Ron Mexico" on an STD test. Way to sneak below the radar there.
- Settling a civil suit brought by some ho-ho to whom you probably gave herpes
- Getting caught with a stolen watch at an airport security checkpoint
- Smoking weed--and being photographed while doing it
- Trying to sneak a water bottle w/ hidden ganja compartment, also through an airport security checkpoint (because clearly a man with a $140 mil contract should risk his reputation by trying to hang onto a $12.99 weed bottle)
- Admitting you stopped trying (excellent leadership decision) in the fourth quarter of a close game
- Shooting the bird at home fans when they rightfully booed horrendous passing performance no. 138
- Standing up the entire U.S. Congress, who had scheduled a special ceremony to honor your charitable contributions--then blaming AirTran, one of your corporate sponsors, for missing the flight
- Being related to your brother Marcus (okay, not technically his fault--but scoldworthy nonetheless)

Not to mention, in six years in the NFL, your QB skills have actually regressed. Yes, you are a spectacular runner with mind-blowing speed. Unfortunately that's about all you are, and an NFL QB must be much more--e.g. passing accuracy, ability to read a defense, good decision-making, and leadership abilities (see Manning, Peyton; McNabb, Donovan; Brady, Tom).

Nevertheless, despite your repeated off-field episodes and your mediocre QB skills, we gave you the benefit of the doubt. We stuck with you. We naively believed you when you said you were working hard, making the right decisions, and that you loved the Falcons and their fans. And now you've gone and been indicted (and at this point, all but convicted) of some pretty reprehensible, senseless, MORONIC stuff. You have officially snatched disgrace from the jaws of beloved stardom.

And as for you, Tim Donaghy, well, you're just a weasel. Vick may be guilty of being extremely dumb, but you connived to wreck the NBA, thereby toying with people's jobs and integrity, in order to line your pockets a little and fuel your gambling habit. You were making six figures, staying in nice hotels with comfy per diems, and shmoozing with star athletes--all for running around and blowing a whistle a few times a week. But that wasn't enough for you, because you're a sleazy slimeball! You are now going to federal prison, where you may or may not share a cell with a certain mentally challenged ex-quarterback.

Justice Moustache salutes you both for proving that people will always find ways to destroy terrific situiations for themselves. Enjoy your stays in the pokey!

12 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Law School Admission Consultant

I just put down the new issue of preLaw magazine, featuring an interview with three people giving admission advice for law school. I have to admit, the article makes me a little mad and I rolled my eyes more than once at the advice being given. At least two of the people interviewed are law school admission consultants and all 4 have written books on the subject.
One person (and I'm not sure whether she has ever evaluated a law school admission file) said if you have under a 3.0 you may want to re-evaluate applying to law school. WHAT? I'm shocked at this advice. Lots of my clients have GPAs under a 3.0 (and closer to a 2.0) and they get into fine law schools. What if people reading this give up on their goals because of this one purported "expert's" comment? That's one of the comments that makes me mad.
#1 So, the first thing to ask a prospective law school admission consultant is: "Do you work with other applicants in my situation, or only applicants applying to "Top 20" schools?" You need to find someone who is excited to work with you and help you through this process, no matter what your goals or where you hope to attend.
Another person, whom I think is one of the great legal minds in our country but not a great law admissions theorist says (loosely): "Get good grades. Do well on the "law boards." And get professors who will write you letters of Rec." Wow. Genius advice ; ) - And I've never heard anyone else call the LSAT the "law boards"....
A lot of the advice in the article seems geared toward the person trying to go to a Top 5 law school, but in reality only 2% of all law school applicants are going to attend these schools. There are 200 law schools in this country for a reason and everyone who graduates and passes the bar is a lawyer. #2 Will the law school admission consultant you work with realize this and place the same importance on each piece of your application that they will on the applicant applying to Harvard?
#3 Also, how much time does the consultant have to work with you?
#4 Is the person also helping people applying to MBA programs? Giving career advice to recent grads? Doing a book tour? Practicing law? How high up will you be on the priority list of this very busy person? I've had clients who started working with two of the individuals interviewed in this article who then stopped and started working with me instead because helping law school applicants is all I do, full time.
#5 How responsive will the law school admission counselor be to your needs?
#6 Does he/she have someone else do editing? Who will actually be picking up the phone and giving you advice?
#7 Do you need to make an appointment or do you feel free to call and have an open discussion whenever you're feeling overwhelmed, confused or down?
#8 How does the person charge? If it's by the hour, is that conducive to you really taking advantage of the individual's expertise and asking every little question that comes up?
#9 How fast will your e-mails and phone messages be answered? How quickly will your essay drafts be turned around?
#10 Does the law school admission advisor give the same advice to everyone - does everyone fill out the same questionnaire or does he/she really take the time to get to know you and give you the advice and timeline that applies to your specific situation?
#11 Is the person willing to give you references of current/former clients with similar goals, credentials, and geographic region?
#12 And, MOST IMPORTANTLY, Has the person actually made law school admission decisions?

Back in the saddle

After three months of actually working a real lawyerly job in nearby Metropolis, I'm now back in the exact same spot I was a year ago. Back to the classrooms, books and cases of legal academia, back to the same apartment in the same humid town, with the same smells that I can now once again detect (since I've been away from this place for so long, certain everyday scents that were previously stored in my smell cache have expired, with the result that today I'm taken back to this time last year when I sat in here awaiting my first day of law school orientation).

However, there is of course one crucial difference from last year--that being the fact that I'm not anxious and uncertain about what's in store. I'm not worried about grades, I'm not concerned about who my classmates are and how they'll receive me. All that stuff has since run its course.

I am, however, concerned about the fact that three summer months of leaving your A/C off apparently renders it incapable of working properly. In the seven hours since I've been back, w/ the air on full blast, the temperature in here has actually risen from 87 to 89. I suspect a conspiracy by the power company. They clearly noticed my dramatic dropoff in kilowatt hours and sabotaged my central heat and air in some sort of spiteful recourse.

Anywho, I'm officially back on the blog circuit, I and have plenty of catching up to do, so I promise not to slack like I did over the summer. Yes, I'm back. It's hot as tits, but here we go, on with year numero deuce!

Fucking great.

How NOT to pick a law school

If you've been reading my blog and/or participating in my recent webinars, you know how I feel about U.S. News and World Report's ranking system and the extent to which it should be taken into account when picking a law school. You also know that the most important thing in choosing a law school is geographic location.
So what is not important to consider in picking a law school? Study Abroad Programs. These programs are marketed to you as potential students - "Come to X Law School and spend your summer in __(Country)___." The little known secret is this: As long as you attend an ABA law school, you can pretty much participate in any other school's summer abroad program. You don't have to go to U. of Miami to go to London - anyone can go.
This is also good to remember when you're making your personal statement relevant for each law school and trying to convince the admission committee how much you want to attend that particular school; a study abroad program is an unconvincing argument.

Take advantage of Rolling Admissions

Your future is ahead of you, and now is the time to grab it. Over the next few weeks, law schools will begin releasing their Fall 2008 applications. Most law schools start accepting applications September 1, and almost every law school operates on a "rolling admissions" system.
What does this mean? Law schools give away seats throughout the year. There are more seats available at the beginning of the cycle when law schools aren't sure they'll be able to fill their class, and there are fewer seats available once the law school has already reviewed thousands of applications. Makes sense, right?
Even if a school says they accept applications through June, it doesn't mean it's a good idea to apply in the spring. They keep their options open to let in that person with the 175 LSAT and 3.9 GPA and stellar record; it's not for the mid-range or reach applicants.
That being said, do you need to apply on the first possible day? No. Should you? No. And here's why:
1. Law school admission officers are off recruiting people to apply to their law school; they aren't spending their time in September reviewing very many files.
2. The office is still getting up to speed on its processes; data clerks are learning, changes are being implemented, LSDAS is trying new things. Let them work out the kinks a bit instead of experimenting on your file.
3. I'd rather see you take a few extra weeks, make sure you're submitting a quality product rather than a rushed one, and get the application submitted in October.
I consider any application submitted by the first week of November to be sufficiently early to take advantage of rolling admissions.
And any application submitted after the first of January is begging to be a wait list candidate....

Law School Resume Tips

In today's posting, Brett of The Frugal Law Student gave one really great resume tip that applies to law school directed resumes, not just employment seeking resumes.

"Give figures and be specific. In your past job descriptions or volunteer section, give specific figures of what you accomplished while holding that position. For example, I used to train third party verifiers for gas and electric companies. Instead of just putting trainer, I put “Trained 15 new employees on how to perform third party verifications.” If your only job experience are part time jobs during college, put down how many hours you worked during a week while going to school full time. This shows employers that you know how to multi task and manage your time."

And here's my tip of the day on this subject: Put Education First. You're applying for a position at an institute of higher education. List your degree(s), honors, activities, etc. from education before listing your employment. There are exceptions to this rule, but in general it applies to everyone who graduated from college within the last 10 years.

The Right Way to Think about Law School Rankings

How important are law school rankings in deciding where to apply and where to attend? My friend Austin at CALI pre-law blog said it perfectly in yesterday's post:

"The US News law school rankings are useful as a shorthand starting point for those of you initially looking into law schools. But you have to do your own research and pick out the data that are important to you based on your personal goals. "

I wholeheartedly agree and I immediately wrote Austin to thank him for sharing this advice with his readers. (And if you've read my book review of Susan Estrich's book and my postings under the Law School Location category, you know the reasons why I feel so strongly about this.) Austin was kind enough to write back with the following insight which I think is very important to share with my clients:

"I have to admit. I probably went to the school I am at right now based on rankings. That's what I heard and read a lot: "Go to the highest ranked school you can."
Well, that may have been a mistake that cost me in terms of the debt that I will be carrying as a result. I'm not sure the job prospects of someone outside of the top 10-15% at an upper 2nd tier school are significantly greater than for those at a lower 2nd tier school. But the scholarship opportunities were for me.
There are just so many other factors to consider. As a pre-law, there is just so much I didn't understand about the legal world!"


Even though I tell this to all of my clients, I think it's even more meaningful from a current law student and I thank Austin so much for allowing me to share his comments with my readers.

Summer Missions

As I have made my way through the summer, it has occurred to me that I have never heard of a law school working on any sort of a summer mission. It seems like that would be a great project for faculty and students. Though it would have to be short due to the need of students to work in the summer, it might still be worthwhile. Has anyone every tried this? How did it work?

Lawsagna has a link to my free webinar too!

Thanks so much to lawsagna for yesterday's posting: Thinking about going to Law School? Check out Law School Expert!
And yes, there's one more chance to sign up for my free webinar entitled "I've taken the LSAT; Now What?" so check out her posting for more details. I hope to "see" you there!

Curious about a Law Firm Job?

For those of you considering practicing law in medium-large size firms, please see some good news (for a change) in Blawg.