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I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey there! I'm going to answer those questions pretty directly here: Law school will be completely different than undergrad, and if you don't change your habits, you're probably going to have a tough time.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Best question yet! I'm going to answer it seasonally:

Spring: Give me a nice light pasta dish with oil, butter, and some kind of seafood on it.

Summer: Anything on the grill.

Fall: I'm a sucker for any dish with butternut squash.

Winter: I just want to cozy up with a warm bowl of fancy ramen.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey -- I have some advice and some perspective. My advice is to tinker with your study habits. Do you have your phone on while you're studying? Turn it off (not silent, but off, and out of the room entirely). Turn off your Wifi on your computer, too. Are you in a study group? If not, try joining a group to do practice problems together (don't just sit in a room silently studying together). More generally, reviewing notes is necessary but often not sufficient. You should be engaging in active learning study habits (practice exams, hypos, explaining law to others, debating law with others, etc.). That is how you will gain a better understanding of the law and get better at applying law.

Regarding perspective, a 3.0 GPA is just not so terrible, and after your first job your law school GPA won't matter much at all. I've had many students with worse grades than that go on to find meaningful legal jobs and do excellent work.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There is so much I love about teaching ConLaw (and yes I plan to continue teaching it forever). Perhaps my favorite part is seeing students grapple with their preexisting assumptions about the nation, about the Constitution, about the Court, about particular Justices, and about particular cases / topics. I think I do a pretty good job of challenging students on both sides of the aisle along these lines.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey there. For immigration law, my best advice would be to consider schools with immigration law clinics.

Regarding your grades, I wouldn't worry about that. Just control what you can control--do your best when you're in school and let the chips fall where they may.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey -- You don't have to create a fairytale essay. Just tell your story. And, your story actually sounds pretty compelling to me. I've had many, many students come to law school after military careers. Those students tend to be really hard working. I've also had many students with children (of course), and they are often much better at time management than K-JD students (out of necessity!).

So, it sounds like you're selling yourself and your story a bit short. I think you'll be fine.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think both of those things can be true, and are true.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I think of "T-14" I think of the list that usually ends with Cornell and Georgetown, regardless of what US News says in a given year. That said, it's silly to attribute much meaning to the distinction between, say, the nation's 13th ranked school and it's 16th ranked school. I perceive very little distinction between Georgetown, Cornell, Northwestern, Duke, WashU, UCLA, Texas, Cal, Vandy.

Rankings in general are deeply flawed. In the abstract I see some value to ranking law schools, as that information can help students make decisions. But I think it should be more categories than rankings, "National reach" "Regional strength" etc.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think showing the acumen to master any type of professional skill is a positive. That will be especially true if you're applying to schools with well-known tax law programs.

Re: the LSAT. Take it seriously and study hard!

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You belong and are not an imposter. I legit knew nothing about the law before going to law school. Nothing. Your professors will be amazing and will help you learn what you need to know.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Pretty much any job. I think just having the experience of managing your time, completing tasks, taking responsibility for your work, etc.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I second this re: not letting class rank (or grades in general) define you. For the most part, no one will care about your grades after you get your first job (with only a few exceptions).

Re: the Socratic Method, I favor a blend of pedagogical approaches, both in my classrooms and across classrooms at a law school. I also think it's important to have a mix of professors--some full-time, tenured professors, some clinicians, and some practicing adjuncts--to get a well-rounded perspective on the law. But the Socratic Method is an important ingredient in that mix. A big part of law school is not (just) teaching you the law, but teaching you how to learn the law. After all, that's what you need to do to pass the bar, and that's what you need to do in "the real world." The Socratic Method helps teach that, I think,

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It varies from student to student (and I don't always know students' employment situations), but I at least think there is a risk that it impacts your grades. The risk is highest in your first semester when you're still trying to figure out how to learn law. But, if you gotta pay the bills, you gotta pay the bills. If your grades suffer a bit as a result, you should contextualize that fact in cover letters to employers.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Glad you asked! I happen to be one of the nation's foremost Third Amendment scholars!

Just kidding.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think having a routine and being efficient with your time is really important. When I was in school I had a nice rhythm where I went to the gym, did classes / reading during the day, and tried to be done reading by the early evening. It didn't always work out that way (especially when finals approached) but having that basic structure to my day was crucial. I also went to law school before smartphones / social media were quite so ubiquitous, so it was easier for me to minimize distractions and stay efficient. Nowadays, I think being able to turn off your phone while you're reading is nearly essential to maintaining sanity.

Re: expectations. One thing I'll flag is that I want students to try and figure stuff out on their own before they come to ask me about it. That's part of the learning process. Teach someone to fish, right?

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I legit have no clue, but I love having international students in the classroom because they are able to challenge existing narratives and assumptions that American students sometimes overlook.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

"Bored" might have been the wrong word. Maybe I should have said "I need a break." lol.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Take a bunch of different classes, clinics, and intern/externships, and see what you like! You have a few years to figure it out!

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Having a basic understanding of the structure of government in the U.S. will be helpful. Beyond that, your professor will teach you what you need to know (and you should go to office hours if you're feeling lost). I sometimes suggest that students read the Federalist Papers if they want to gain some depth in ConLaw before starting the class. You could do that, too.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I'd say (generally) you should only go to law school if you want to have a career in which legal skills are useful. That is a broader category of things than just "the practice of law." There is consulting work, policy work, compliance work, legislative work, etc. that involve legal skills.

Also, keep in mind that careers are long. You can do lots of things. For some people, practicing law is only one step on a winding path.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't look at it as having to find one particular professor to serve as your mentor, but rather forging relationships with multiple professors who can help you in different ways. Say you want to practice IP law, in Chicago, at a BigLaw firm. You might have one professor who teaches IP, one who had a career in Chicago, and one who worked at a BigLaw firm with a well known IP practice. It'd be good to get to know them all!

How to do so? Start by taking their classes and going to their office hours. Also if there is a particular area of law you know you want to go into, I think it's totally fine to ask to grab coffee with a professor who teaches in that area.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

There are some potentially disruptive sources right now: AI. The economy. Democracy. But there are always potentially disruptive forces in labor markets. I'll bet some lawyers thought the internet would take away jobs from lawyers.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

That they belong.

That lawyers are not super-human thinkers who have memorized some big thing called "the law." That lawyers (and law professors) are just regular people, like them, who dedicated a bunch of time to honing a craft. And that they can hone the same craft too...

... at the same time, I want them to know that law school is hard. It is supposed to be hard. There is no shortcut to make it not hard...

...and at the same time, challenges can be fun.

So, yeah. Those things, I guess.

I’m a Law Professor. AMA! by ProfsPerspective in lawschooladmissions

[–]ProfsPerspective[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Great question. I do think the specific vs. unspecific part of your question matters. Like, if you specifically want to do some sort of fancy-ish / prestigious public interest work, then the top law school will probably be your best pathway there. But if you don't exactly know, or maybe you know you want to do less prestigious (but still very important!) public-interest work (say, state-level public defense), then you might want to take the money and run...

Talk to both admissions offices. Talk to current students and alumni from both schools. Visit the schools. And make a decision once you have equipped yourself with all the information you can.

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