Law?
 

Just wondering who else here was a lawyer, in law school now, or planning on applying?

I'm at the end of my 1L year at the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida (in Gainesville). Sooooo excited - I got an offer about a month ago to be a summer associate at Foley & Lardner in Orlando! They ROCK - awesome friendly people. They work hard, but they see their families too. Great work/life balance. The firm is huge - 1900 attorneys nationwide - but only about 40 in Orlando, so they still have that close-knit, "small firm" feel.

I graduated from SUNY Buffalo School of Law in 2000. Since then, I've been working as the General Manager of a place called the Legal Grind in Santa Monica. I won't go into too much detail here...too much explaining to do, but you can look us up on the net. I love my job!

I am going to be starting a new job in a few weeks, but I love the Legal Grind so much that I am going to keep freelancing there. In a few years, I'm going to open up one of my own!

I was one of those odd ducks that went to law school with no intention of actually practicing law. Luckily, a JD is one of the most versatile degrees around. I really couldn't be happier with how things have turned out for me!

i'm only a sophomore in college right now, majoring in political science/international business but I plan to go to law school after I graduate.

I either want to go back home to chicago for law school, DePaul, Loyola, or John Marshall or head to DC and try my luck somehwere there... we'll see ;) I've worked as an intern/clerk at the State's Attorney's office in downtown Chicago during the summers - that was fun, hasn't made me want to switch my major yet :D

I'm a lowly little 1L in nyc, at NYLS because my undergrad gpa kind of sucked (2.97). But, if all goes well, which it is, I'm probably transferring out to Cardozo or Fordham next fall. As you probably guessed, music is my thing and I'm hoping to land a spot in EMI's legal dept next semester and *pray* Skadden Arps for the summer. I hear ya greeklawgirl about having no major intention to actually practice law. i'm most likely going to try and be a CEO of my own label but figure this degree will do two things for me. 1st, help me from getting screwed by other "legal professionals" and second, ALWAYS be able to support my family. I don't know many lawyers that starve, especially down here, so it seemed like a smart choice. Besides, i'm gearing towards the Tech/IP thing as soon as I can take electives, and with the way the MP3 technology is changing copyright law, I'll probably never have trouble finding clients.;)

I will be writing my LSATs in february 2002 and will be applying UBC and UVic Law Schools.

Wow, Congrats on the Offer G&R , I will be applying to law schools next yr, kinda nervous about it though.How many law schools are you all applying to(the ones that are applying soon)
DGPhoney~

I only applied to one law school (UF) - so thank goodness I got in! :D I was fairly confident though, because I knew what "math" I needed (LSAT and GPA) to make it. Plus I went here for undergrad and worked at the alumni association, so I had some "friends in high places" writing me recommendation letters.

But oh wow, did my heart pound when I got that letter in the mail, with "ADMISSIONS - CONFIDENTIAL" stamped on the envelope. I opened it up, saw the word "Congratulations" and then I just yelled and then started crying, I was so happy, I couldn't read anymore because my eyes wouldn't focus. My brother was in the next room and he heard me and came running in. He thought I had gotten rejected! He started giving me a hug and saying "I'm sorry!" I finally managed to get some words out and waved the letter at him. Then we both ran outside - our parents were working in the yard, screaming at them. Scared the crap out of my Dad, he almost dropped a shovel on Mom's foot. Missed her by a couple inches.

I wouldnt mind being one of those odd ducks and pursue law school. However, I'm not sure how realistic it is, but its certinally one life goal of mine. One of my cousins goes to William&Mary Law School and has mentioned the sort of competition.

I just finished my apps and mailed them Monday. I'm applying to Tulane (1st choice), Loyola New Orleans and LSU (cheap but I don't wanna be here anymore - I hate this place)

Speaking of the "math" it takes to get in, what is/was everyone's GPA/LSAT range? I feel like my LSAT is really low at 160, because I barely studied for it. I figured "I can't do logic games so I"ll just worry about the rest of the test"

i had a 2.97/157, got rejected from 3 (Columbia, NYU, GTown) , waitlisted at 4 (GW, Cardozo, Albany, Rutgers Newark) and into 4. (NYLS, St.John's, Syracuse, Catholic) So, with a 160, and a gpa of let's say 3.0, you're probably an in at 80 percent of the schools in this country, and msot likely competitive at half of the top 30 or 40. You're probably an in at Tulane with a 160 if your gpa is good.

My husband's cousin is 3L at NYLS and was just featured in the ABA magazine about 2nd career law students. Her name is Michelle Hall.

I want to go to law school, but I am taking time off. Cant go right away cuz the GPA sucked. Im not that far from U of Buffalo (all family cept mom is there and I live like an hour so I just might commute if i get in), so im applying there, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Albany, Wisconsin and maybe Michigan State

I'm considering going to law school. I'm a marketing major right now so I'd love to do corporate law. If I get in, I'd love to go to UF's law school. But, I still have another year before taking the LSAT.
BTW, what exactly is on the LSAT?

I'm a political Science major-Pre Law...

I want to go to Notre Dame, but it's a long way off.
:)

I'm hoping that my GPA will be around a 3.8 by the time I graduate. Its a 3.79 right now. Its enough to get in, but at Tulane, I'll need some serious scholarships. Tuition there is 30K/year.

I was hoping to get a 165, but I just didn't put in all the work I needed to get that score. :( Oh well, my own fault

Hey Maria! I know where that is-- on Lincoln right? That sounds like so much fun!

:)
Amy

Yes! That's exactly where it is! Tomorrow is my last day there, but I'll be popping in there on a regular basis.

If you're ever in the area, drop by and tell them you're a friend of mine. If Jeff is feeling charitable, you'll get a free latte and croissant out of the deal. :D

Hey -- what is the legal grind? Is there a web page? Whatever it is, it sounds really cool. :)

Check it out at www.legalgrind.com!

for applying to law school is the LSAT more important or is it your GPA? I thought you had to have almost a 4.0 to get in anywhere
How many law schools are there? I know for vet school we had the Mcat then switched to the GRE-both were stupid tests that don't reflect a darn thing in my opinion. Is the LSAT the same way?

I had a solid LSAT (164) but just decent grades (about a 3.3). I would have had more like a 3.6 or so but I REALLY REALLY REEEEEAAAAAAALLLLLLLLYYYYYYYY screwed up about 2 semesters. (long story ;))

Most law schools have some kind of point system that they assign to you based on your GPA and LSAT. UF admits 1/2 the class based soley on that. If you're above one cutoff, you're automatically in - they won't even read the rest of your application to decide (might for scholarships though - so still gotta work hard on it!). If you're below another cutoff, you're automatically rejected, you are the weakest link, GoodBye! Only if you're in the middle do they look at your essay, resume, recommendation letters, etc. UF does NOT do interviews of applicants. I would suspect that other state university law schools use similar systems.

To me, all the LSAT tested was the ability to analyze problems quickly and the ability to gather information from reading quickly. I do see some relevance to law school, because you need to be able to do both of these things, but generally, the test doesn't prove anything. The LSAT is definetly more important than gpa. I know a kid who had a 2.5, but had a 171 on his test and got into Georgetown. There are somewhere around 200 U.S. law schools, plus something like 20 in Canada.

Greeklawgirl, that is the coolest thing I have ever seen! Do they want to open a Legal Grind office in Chicago?!

LOL, I have been getting so many messages since I put the address up! PM me and I will give you the skinny.

I luv this thread!!!!:)

My Law Prof. was the John Houseman of my day but he was real ( Paper Chase) loved that show!

Doc and i were out drinking together the nite before a test in local watering hole, god I had to take a break!

Next morning at test time he kicked out 6 no neck jocks and told them they fluncked test as they were out drinking and not studying. Well one said Tom was out drinking with you! Doc said and we were discussing the law!

He also said if B S was good in Law I would have an A +. Got a C both Sem!

Finally found him or at least an addres from Erik Conard, a TEKE who I know and have written him!

Well enuff kids! :D

Oh, why not come to Kansas City, I have some Brothers Who are legal flegals! Would love to have a law office of GCers!:D

Doesn't that make people mad. I know with the SAT, Mcat, GRE etc..... if you do well but have a low GPA then that's ok but god forbid it is the other way around. I am terrible at standardized tests but great at studying and making good grades. The fact that I was hammered at my vet. school interview about my crappy GRE score for at least 1/2 the interview and my good GPA was never brought up made me to say the least pissed off. I basically told the 2 Drs that The GRE meant nothing in my opinion. Just b/c a person can take an 6-8 hr test does not mean they are going to be able to have the study skills and time management to pass 21 hrs per semester of vet. school. I am surprised they let me in after making that comment. I would probably do horrible on the LSAT as I am a slow reader but I can read something one time and have it pretty much memorized and understood (that is probably why I did so horrible is I would never finish one of those darn tests-always had to pick"C" at the last minute for about 1/3 of the questions). Does anyone else feel the same way about these tests???

I couldnt agree with you more. I think standardized tests are the absolute worst. IMHO I wish we had a better approach in our educational system in which how we evaulate our ability. Why cant these people in education come up with more of an out of the box approach. Especially when you have kids or even young adults that learn in different ways. Plus people use different sides of their brain too. I just think that kids shouldnt be discriminated or labeled because they cant perform when given a standardized test. At least one that doesnt account for the kids that are challenged because of it because of the format or the approach. I'm convinced that standardized tests are just part of the problem of our great bureaucracy.

i think i'm the minority in this one - but i do extremely well on standardized tests - and while i don't think they say all that much on how you could cut it in grad/law/med school - they do show whether you can analyze a problem and determine a solution. I read so much as a child, and that has helped so much with my reading speed and comprehension, it's good to know that that might help when i'm taking the lsat :D

While I'm not a fan of standardized test, I do think they have their place. Grading scales and the difficulty level of schools vary wildly in the US. In high school, I had a friend with a 23 on her ACT but because my school district wouldn't weight honors classes, and she didn't take any, she had a 3.93 or something. The valedictorian with a 4.0 had a 32, and she took 4 years of all gifted, honors and AP classes. A small difference in GPA (the girl with the 3.93 had 2 Bs for all her classes, the other girl had none) was equalized by a nearly 10 point difference on the ACT.

Standardized tests are meant to serve as an equalizer for the different educational systems, and methods of weighting grades. They are not an absolute measure of Just like in my previous example, 2 grades made the difference between the girls in class rank. However, their tests showed much differently. Yes, I know that some people don't test well, but I know both of these girls well an personally - the Valedictorian is super-amazing-smart AND works hard and the other girl, while not "dumb" is hardworking, but is not very intuitive or a critical thinker. The test is an innate ability to think critically and work under pressure. The GPA should be a measure of how much work the person is doing. Both are important.

I guess I am still a bit tiffed even though i have been out of college for almost 5 years. Two of my frineds from High school had 1400's to 1500's on the SAT but were almost failing out of A&M. Our senior year b/c of their high SAT score (both had ok grades I think they were in top 10 to 25%, I was in the top 5%)
they were both being swooned over by colleges and given merit scholarships. I received no scholarships b/c my SAT score was too low. I worked my a$$ off for 4 years made 1 B and did not get a scholarship while these 2 people took an 8 hr test and received at least 1 to multiple scholarships plus offers from several schools to attend out of state. It does not make any sense to me at all. As far as working under pressure and the ability to think critically-I do very well at this in my profession. As an emergency veterinarian it is sometimes seconds between life or death and not only do I do a great job (I don't usually toot my own horn but I am proud of what I have become) but love to work under pressure. If memory serves correctly the most difficult portion of the tests for me is the english part (I have never enjoyed english, love science and math) and most of those words on the standardized tests will never be in my vocabulary and I have yet to meet a person that uses them in daily life. So if you ask me to analyze a poem or anything that has to do with literature-it is not going to happen. I guess I don't agree with these tests deciding my future or anyone elses. The 2 people I mentioned above did graduate from A&M -though barely:rolleyes: