Law School Advice.

[Wild Bill]

Nice work, Hammer. Good luck with the bar.

 

[mick2]

digging up an old thread, heading up to Tampa tomorrow for the Florida Bar Exam. If anyone is near the grotto and wants to light a candle for me, I could use all the help I can get

side note - UF Law 17', will be rooting hard for Zaire to get the starting nod, but Felipe Franks looks to be the real deal, and a friggin huge dude too.

 

[greyhammer90]

digging up an old thread, heading up to Tampa tomorrow for the Florida Bar Exam. If anyone is near the grotto and wants to light a candle for me, I could use all the help I can get

side note - UF Law 17', will be rooting hard for Zaire to get the starting nod, but Felipe Franks looks to be the real deal, and a friggin huge dude too.

I'll be thinking of you man. Hope you have a noneventful testing day. Plan something fun to do in Tampa after the test is over. Go to nice restaurant or get drunk with friends afterwards.

If it makes you feel any better, I've taken two bar exams now and am convinced that Kaplan/Barbri use harder exam questions in their practice tests than what usually show up in the real thing. Remember to IRAC and to pace your time between questions correctly. Good luck!

 

[mick2]

I'll be thinking of you man. Hope you have a noneventful testing day. Plan something fun to do in Tampa after the test is over. Go to nice restaurant or get drunk with friends afterwards.

If it makes you feel any better, I've taken two bar exams now and am convinced that Kaplan/Barbri use harder exam questions in their practice tests than what usually show up in the real thing. Remember to IRAC and to pace your time between questions correctly. Good luck!

Thank you. Yes, some of those barbri questions were ridiculously difficult. Hoping I did enough, not sure if anyone feels completely comfortable/confident heading into one of these. Nothing to it but to do it now.

 

[tussin]

If it makes you feel any better, I've taken two bar exams now and am convinced that Kaplan/Barbri use harder exam questions in their practice tests than what usually show up in the real thing. Remember to IRAC and to pace your time between questions correctly. Good luck!

I'm convinced that most standardized test companies do this. When I took the GMAT, the Manhattan GMAT tests were MUCH harder than the actual thing. Taking the practice tests became counter-productive.

 

[AlaskanIrish]

I'll be thinking of you man. Hope you have a noneventful testing day. Plan something fun to do in Tampa after the test is over. Go to nice restaurant or get drunk with friends afterwards.

If it makes you feel any better, I've taken two bar exams now and am convinced that Kaplan/Barbri use harder exam questions in their practice tests than what usually show up in the real thing. Remember to IRAC and to pace your time between questions correctly. Good luck!

Props, Greyhammer. I'm in total agreement. I've taken the Bar Exam in both AK and PA and score significantly higher on the actual test than I did on Kaplan. IRAC the shit out of the essays--to the point you actually write out "Issue," Rule," "Application," and "Conclusion." Get in the mind of a grader. Just like a great lawyer should make the decision simple for a judge, a great Bar examinee should make decisions simple for the grader. Best of luck!

 

[NorthDakota]

Hey dudes.

It's your boy NoDak here.

Always been very interested in law. Never really saw myself leaving the great state of ND growing up. College I put a much bigger emphasis on my social life and going out than I did on getting a good GPA.

Was bored a couple weeks ago and took an old LSAT from like 2007. Got a 154. Started doing some studying online for like an hour or two a night, and got either a 160 or a 165(it had me take an extra logical reasoning section to simulate the full time of the exam). I was reading online and it looks like it's not uncommon for people to gain 10-20 points from studying/practice.

Decided I'm certainly going to take the actual test in November. Have a fairly narrow group of schools I'd entertain going to. Needs to be close to family. That allows for the New York metropolitan area, Phily, Chicago/South Bend, and Dallas/Fort Worth. I'd also consider DC I guess.

Again, nothing set in stone. On account of that very poor undergrad showing a few years back, it looks like the odds are definitely not in my favor to get in anywhere good without getting a score around 170, and even then, it looks like a coin flip.

Any advice from the JD's regarding this surprisingly fun test?

 

[Wild Bill]

Hey dudes.

It's your boy NoDak here.

Always been very interested in law. Never really saw myself leaving the great state of ND growing up. College I put a much bigger emphasis on my social life and going out than I did on getting a good GPA.

Was bored a couple weeks ago and took an old LSAT from like 2007. Got a 154. Started doing some studying online for like an hour or two a night, and got either a 160 or a 165(it had me take an extra logical reasoning section to simulate the full time of the exam). I was reading online and it looks like it's not uncommon for people to gain 10-20 points from studying/practice.

Decided I'm certainly going to take the actual test in November. Have a fairly narrow group of schools I'd entertain going to. Needs to be close to family. That allows for the New York metropolitan area, Chicago/South Bend, and Dallas/Fort Worth. I'd also consider DC I guess.

Again, nothing set in stone. On account of that very poor undergrad showing a few years back, it looks like the odds are definitely not in my favor to get in anywhere good without getting a score around 170, and even then, it looks like a coin flip.

Any advice from the JD's regarding this surprisingly fun test?

If your baseline is 154, it'll be difficult to "study" your way north of a 170. An increase of ten points is reasonable, though. The best advice I can give you is master the method of the logic games portion, understand the basic strategies of taking the test and take as many practice exams as possible.

 

[Irish YJ]

I just asked my little cousin. He's opposite of you. Had a high GPA, and mediocre at LSAT practice exams.

He said the following....
-Nothing you can really do about low GPA, so put all your focus on improving LSAT. He said you may want to give yourself more time (Nov may be too early) to improve.
-He improved his LSAT by a total 16pts. He said he could have improved it more had he taken it more serious (he's a pretty serious guy, so I was a little surprised by that comment).
-He did a ton of LSAT practice exams, and a lot of brain teaser exercises. He said he started the brain teaser stuff late, and gave him a good boost. He wish he would have done it all along.
-He also shared that enrollments are now down, so it's a little easier at some schools. He said to identify schools now and look at the average GPAs and LSATs so you make a realistic choice.
-He also said that in general, unless you want "status" or are a ringer for a Yale type school, your grades in whatever law school you attend, will be as or more important than the actual school you go to when getting a job. He prefaced that by saying "depending on the field"...
-Not sure what you're interested in, but he said patent and IP are the best money makers.

 

[NOLAIrish]

Hey dudes.

It's your boy NoDak here.

Always been very interested in law. Never really saw myself leaving the great state of ND growing up. College I put a much bigger emphasis on my social life and going out than I did on getting a good GPA.

Was bored a couple weeks ago and took an old LSAT from like 2007. Got a 154. Started doing some studying online for like an hour or two a night, and got either a 160 or a 165(it had me take an extra logical reasoning section to simulate the full time of the exam). I was reading online and it looks like it's not uncommon for people to gain 10-20 points from studying/practice.

Decided I'm certainly going to take the actual test in November. Have a fairly narrow group of schools I'd entertain going to. Needs to be close to family. That allows for the New York metropolitan area, Phily, Chicago/South Bend, and Dallas/Fort Worth. I'd also consider DC I guess.

Again, nothing set in stone. On account of that very poor undergrad showing a few years back, it looks like the odds are definitely not in my favor to get in anywhere good without getting a score around 170, and even then, it looks like a coin flip.

Any advice from the JD's regarding this surprisingly fun test?

If your GPA is in the 2.8-3.2 range, you can still get into very good law schools with an LSAT in the 165-170 range. There’s a website called lawschoolnumbers.com that has grids of reported applicants/acceptances from previous years. Can give you a good idea of where you’d be looking at.

There are also plenty of perfectly solid law schools further down the “tier” list. Honestly, outside of the very top schools, the main difference between schools is just how broad their reach is. As you move down the list, schools become more regional in their placements. That said, with the exception of practices that are very research/interpretation heavy, my general experience is that a person’s innate ability and drive is much more important to his law career than the school he attended.

In terms of preparing for the test - I would do the logic games sections over and over until it becomes second nature and then branch out to the others. That section has the greatest potential for improvement through practice. You can improve on the others, too, but typically it won’t be by as much.

 

[NorthDakota]

Looks like I am topping out around 165 if everything goes well. I have been getting anywhere from 20-24 on reading, 19-23 on reasoning, and 17-22 on the games. Test is tomorrow. Wish me luck fam.

 

[Wild Bill]

Looks like I am topping out around 165 if everything goes well. I have been getting anywhere from 20-24 on reading, 19-23 on reasoning, and 17-22 on the games. Test is tomorrow. Wish me luck fam.

Good luck, man. Stay focused and stay on pace. You'll be fine.

 

[zelezo vlk]

I cannot condone you giving up your soul to be a lawyer, ND

 

[NorthDakota]

Took the test again. Got pretty rattled last time. Was used to having a timer in front of me, so it was an adjustment I was not prepared for/hadn't considered.

This time felt much more confident, had a watch, and was able to handle things much better. Anything less than a 160 and I will be very disappointed. Anything higher than a 165 and I'll be over the moon.

 

[BGIF]

I cannot condone you giving up your soul to be a lawyer, ND

Ahem ... since when have Conservatives had souls?



Good Luck on your test, N.Dak.

 

[mick2]

Took the test again. Got pretty rattled last time. Was used to having a timer in front of me, so it was an adjustment I was not prepared for/hadn't considered.

This time felt much more confident, had a watch, and was able to handle things much better. Anything less than a 160 and I will be very disappointed. Anything higher than a 165 and I'll be over the moon.

Wishing you the best of luck man. Keep us posted. I remember not having a watch either when I took it. And the clock in the classroom wasn't visible from my seat. Definitely had an initial freakout moment. And I always wear a watch! Felt like kind of a dummy.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

Hello fellow attorneys. My wife recently started a dream job and moved from Maryland to Las Vegas. I am wrapping up my job and our life here and moving at the end of June. And yes, taking the July bar

I've been a prosecutor for 4 years and I'm currently job hunting in the Las Vegas area. If any of you all have any contacts or leads out there please DM me.

Would love to stay in public service but I'm open to anything.

 

[Circa]

This is NOT me asking if I should go. Save your fingers if you are about to type a long paragraph telling me that I should not go to law school. I'm going. I understand the job market and I have worked in law firms and understand that I won't be driving to the courthouse in my Ferrari anytime soon.

I was inspired to make this thread by ChiIrish's bar exam thread, so thanks Chi. You should get your reps in the mail shortly.

Since we seem to have a lot of law school graduates on this board, I was just wondering if anyone had any advice about attending a law school. Is there anything that you wish you had done differently while you were there? Any resources or tips that you took awhile to take advantage of that you wish you had earlier? Any type of law that you wish that you had looked into/ considered more while you were in law school? Any and all advice is welcome.

Thanks for any wisdom you can share.

He definitely better be gratefully humbled by your generous donation of time and material...... as we all know these reps are only carefully handed out to the most worthy of posters.
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[NorthDakota]

Still waiting on Loyola and Mason. Cardozo is a fine school, but I suspect the other schools are likely better fits. At least Mason is.

 

[Irish#1]

Hello fellow attorneys. My wife recently started a dream job and moved from Maryland to Las Vegas. I am wrapping up my job and our life here and moving at the end of June. And yes, taking the July bar

I've been a prosecutor for 4 years and I'm currently job hunting in the Las Vegas area. If any of you all have any contacts or leads out there please DM me.

Would love to stay in public service but I'm open to anything.

Since you don't care about money finding a job should be easy!

Good Luck!

 

[Irish#1]

Still waiting on Loyola and Mason. Cardozo is a fine school, but I suspect the other schools are likely better fits. At least Mason is.

Hope you land one you want.

 

[greyhammer90]

Hello fellow attorneys. My wife recently started a dream job and moved from Maryland to Las Vegas. I am wrapping up my job and our life here and moving at the end of June. And yes, taking the July bar

I've been a prosecutor for 4 years and I'm currently job hunting in the Las Vegas area. If any of you all have any contacts or leads out there please DM me.

Would love to stay in public service but I'm open to anything.

Good luck bud.

 

[greyhammer90]

Still waiting on Loyola and Mason. Cardozo is a fine school, but I suspect the other schools are likely better fits. At least Mason is.

I don't know what your financial situation is, but those schools appear to be extremely expensive for non top 30 schools. Any chance you could try a public school and parlay that into in-state tuition?

 

[AlaskanIrish]

Hello fellow attorneys. My wife recently started a dream job and moved from Maryland to Las Vegas. I am wrapping up my job and our life here and moving at the end of June. And yes, taking the July bar

I've been a prosecutor for 4 years and I'm currently job hunting in the Las Vegas area. If any of you all have any contacts or leads out there please DM me.

Would love to stay in public service but I'm open to anything.

Would you be interested in the PD's Office? I have an old law school buddy in Henderson, NV who I'm sure could put you in touch with the right people. Best of luck!

 

[NorthDakota]

I don't know what your financial situation is, but those schools appear to be extremely expensive for non top 30 schools. Any chance you could try a public school and parlay that into in-state tuition?

Cardozo offered a big scholarship to the point it's cheaper than UF or FSU. We shall see with the others.

I'm not above the public school route, I was thinking of throwing my hat in the ring at Minnesota.

 

[gkIrish]

Cardozo offered a big scholarship to the point it's cheaper than UF or FSU. We shall see with the others.

I'm not above the public school route, I was thinking of throwing my hat in the ring at Minnesota.

Make sure you know what the requirements are to keep your scholarship. Some schools stipulate you have to stay in the top 1/3 which is never a given.

 

[NorthDakota]

Make sure you know what the requirements are to keep your scholarship. Some schools stipulate you have to stay in the top 1/3 which is never a given.

Thankfully they offered with ZERO stipulations. My brother in law(Georgetown law) said that is very enticing

 

[Legacy]

Good luck on finding the right fit for you! I imagine you've looked at the schools' bar exam pass rate.

Nearly 7 in 10 Flunked California's February 2019 Bar Exam

 

[NorthDakota]

Good luck on finding the right fit for you! I imagine you've looked at the schools' bar exam pass rate.

Nearly 7 in 10 Flunked California's February 2019 Bar Exam

I was picky. The schools I chose have strong Bar passage rates.

Told my family today. I had previously kept it quiet because if I didnt get into any schools I wanted, I intended to not inform them. I was also worried my dad wouldn't approve.

Called the old man today to fill him in and he couldnt have been more pleased, at least that's how he chose to express himself. I needed the family to support this endeavor so it sounds like your boy is going back to school boys.

 

[gkIrish]

I was picky. The schools I chose have strong Bar passage rates.

Told my family today. I had previously kept it quiet because if I didnt get into any schools I wanted, I intended to not inform them. I was also worried my dad wouldn't approve.

Called the old man today to fill him in and he couldnt have been more pleased, at least that's how he chose to express himself. I needed the family to support this endeavor so it sounds like your boy is going back to school boys.

Congrats!

One point on the bolded...Passage rates are essentially an indication as to how smart the kids are that go to a particular school. Passing the bar is almost 100% about individual preparation and studying in the summer before the bar.