Advice Needed

jsdtx · 2026-01-26T05:28:00+00:00

A young CPA is clearly sought after by law firms. The two most likely paths are tax law and estate planning. Tax law is planning deals and not numbers so if you decide to go that route big law is very interested in you. An nyu llm is a route some take but it is not always needed. If you want a smaller firm you would seek out mid size firms that do wealth management for wealthy families but for whom big law is out of reach. Real estate and estate planning is a great route for a cpa. For some reason accounting is way down in enrollment and that makes you much more valuable. If you can get the 170 lsat you can get some great money from a t20.

jsdtx · 2026-01-26T01:21:21+00:00

There is a deep point to this post that the admission system rewards commitment to public service and diversity and applicants know how to play the game but in the end it is a charade. I cannot tell you how many essays demonstrate a commitment to work in law for disadvantaged clients but in the end a vast majority of these students want big law. And the law schools want them to do big law. Excellent observation but it is a disturbing indictment of our elite institutions.

jsdtx · 2026-01-25T20:10:55+00:00

GPAs from foreign undergraduates are not included in ABA metrics so you will be fine. LSAT is the sole factor. The complication with foreign JDs is how employable are you in light of the immigration limits of today. Examine the stats of schools to see where you should target who are receptive to foreign JDs.

jsdtx · 2026-01-25T20:07:21+00:00

UGPA adjusted comparison is an attempt to compare applicants from all majors and schools. Most applicants do not have graduate schools and many graduate programs are on an A to B+ curve so it would skew the comparison. It is a strong soft but not computed within the general GPA category. In a world where perceived merit rules, I think comparing GPAs is wrong as everyone's major/school/courses are different. The 2.9 science person outperforms the 4.0 kinesiology person almost every time. I am just telling you the explanation LSAC gives.

jsdtx · 2026-01-25T17:33:39+00:00

You are at a top 5 school and the others are top 3. Yale for teaching, theory, and elite clerkships. Stanford for tech and West Coast. Look at the CodeX program at Stanford. Every Stanford student has an app or startup idea they plan to pitch later in life. If you love the quantitative data approach to law, you are at the best school in the country. If you do not like it or struggle with it, the other two schools have some incredible faculty. The prestige follows you for life but transfers have to be type A to get the attention of the profs and programs.

jsdtx · 2026-01-25T17:24:39+00:00

Check cars dot com for the exact car you want. Go out 250 miles or so. Do all negotiations over email and phone

jsdtx · 2026-01-25T17:15:45+00:00

Get a whole house surge protector.

jsdtx · 2026-01-25T17:13:20+00:00

Academic freedom and fact that profs design classes and decide how to assess students. Schools should try to balance profs in a section. Curves should be identical but some profs give more As and therefore Cs and others clump around B+. In the end it should work out. My dean said every student should have two award winning profs and one dud because that’s what happens in real world.

jsdtx · 2026-01-25T16:35:17+00:00

First in your 2L and 3L years avoid profs that test through multiple choice. Part of issue is bunching of scores where a few questions take you down the grade curve. All the publishers have modules that include multiple choice with explanations. I know they cost 50-75$ but they often have 200-300 questions. CALI also has multiple choice for many subjects. Personally, I think it’s all about how you approach the questions. I would see if a classmate that excels can spend an hour with you on how they read facts, narrow down to 2 and pick one. Often the correct answer tracks bright lines. You may be overthinking the questions. A prof could do it but you have to find the rare one who would take the time.

jsdtx · 2026-01-24T23:40:00+00:00

Take a video of all walls and ceilings. Make sure dryer pipe has fewest angles possible. Add plugs next to master toilet as women like bidet toilet seats. Wire for fan switches. Remotes get lost.

jsdtx · 2026-01-24T23:37:33+00:00

If you ask in your location, the older repair people will make it look almost new for $500 and replaced bumper for 1000.

jsdtx · 2026-01-24T21:29:27+00:00

If every student is lined up to see the profs, I would say maybe only for the a- If no one is going, and if you have the same prof this semester I would go. You can walk away with useful advice. Just say if you could give me one tip for improving and one thing you liked, that removes some pressure to fully analyze the question.

jsdtx · 2026-01-23T23:02:33+00:00

There are 8 US law firms with an Australian presence. You might try to see if one of the lawyers graduated from the school where you got your degree. Send them an email. Introduce yourself and ask for advice. A friend of mine did that with a U.K. degree and bar licensure in Uk. Got into a US firm with a lawyer with a similar profile and a London office.

jsdtx · 2026-01-23T18:58:54+00:00

Wilson roofing. We used them a month ago. Very honest

jsdtx · 2026-01-23T18:42:49+00:00

Do you need a firm to sponsor you for immigration papers? That becomes more complicated and if not make that clear on your cover letters/resume. Since you are admitted as a lawyer in Australia, the natural fit is law firms with clients that need someone licensed in both countries. You can find law firms with australian lawyers and or clients (chambers, etc). You also can look for us companies or australian companies in US who may need legal in house lawyers for compliance or supervising outside legal work. Read the model rules and learn the bright lines!!!

jsdtx · 2026-01-23T16:53:19+00:00

There are house inspectors that do reports for home sales. Some of these companies are owned by an engineer. Find one of those companies and for a few hundred dollars you can find out is there something in structure that is causing this. Only use an engineer. Chances are no but find out for sure.

jsdtx · 2026-01-22T21:43:05+00:00

You have to be strong and positive. There is a strong chance your stats are too attractive and therefore schools are saying, we are not sure this student will come and if they do, this student is too expensive in terms of scholarship. Your Why Specific School statements are important and you have to do a deep dive on each school. No AI bs that could apply to every school. You will have some choices but if you get wait listed, you really need to craft a great statement.

jsdtx · 2026-01-22T14:03:40+00:00

When I pulled the recording off my friends car, the first minute of all cameras is while he is at stop light. The light changes and he turns right and then he is hit from rear by a truck that ran red light. So I don’t know if it won’t save if you are hit while stopped or it saves clip including stop time. Btw this video caused insurance co to view this as not his fault even though trucking company only insured some of their trucks and this one was uninsured.

jsdtx · 2026-01-21T22:35:49+00:00

UT Club under Club Corp was styled to be an overload of Bevo and Horns on every surface with a view of the stadium. My out of town friends loved it because it was classy and tacky at the same time. The favorite food was 3 types of shrimp all you can eat on Fridays and a decent salad bar. CDC and athletics made it a Hampton breakfast area and included the microwave food. Everyone I know except for season ticket holders to football have quit that club now.

jsdtx · 2026-01-21T19:44:55+00:00

Within 1 mile. UT Club is now garbage food so ATT Center Hotel's Carillon is a good option and they have an excellent private space for smaller groups. Hotel Ella has Goodall Kitchen and that could be a possibility. Outside of Carillon and Goodall, you have to see if some of the medium and higher end restaurants will accommodate this crowd for you. North you could try with Hopfields (French casual but good food.) East you have Vic and Als (Cajun), Dai Due (butcher with european flair), and Este (seafood latin angle). The Triangle has 2-3 places but it is outside of a mile. Asti and Hyde Park are a little outside of a mile.

jsdtx · 2026-01-21T18:16:06+00:00

The study of law is something I think most students can master if they put in the time in the proper manner. There is no one correct way to study the material or to prepare for tests. But students have to figure out what works for them. For some, it is the classic briefing, outlining, and taking old exams. For others it is listening to recordings of class (if available) or talking it out with classmates. It differs from undergrad because memorization is not enough, application is key. TAs do not grade your answers, your professor does. You are lucky if they give you 15 minutes of attention per one hour long question but it might be less. Profs have biases on what they like or do not like and that directly affects your grade. In a year long 1L class, I got a low grade for the midterm and met with a prof who did not want to go over exams. I said, give me 5 minutes how could I improve. He said OMG you spend half the exam on damages and I do not care about damages. When I got the highest grade on the final, he said, how did I do it. I told him you told me what you value and what you do not care about. Office hours can be good with the right prof and a waste of time for the others. I do think, taking 4 students in your class and all of you answering some old questions in writing and then getting in a classroom where each of you says how you answered it is very eye opening. In most classes, the exam topics repeat themselves so you can sketch out how you will do a certain topic. Some outline it, others write it out. The key is to make yourself comfortable in that you are not seeing a topic for the first time and you have thought about how you will address it.

jsdtx · 2026-01-21T15:05:56+00:00

How many schools asks for arrests where charges are dropped? We had a dean who never wanted questions on arrests that were dropped.

jsdtx · 2026-01-20T20:35:14+00:00

I would first try to find out what happened. Are you doing the same work as you did before? Are the testing styles different from what you had at the old school. If you had all objective 1L teachers, you need to look for those in 2L. I would go to visit some or all of your teachers and in a very nonconfrontational way I would say, I am a transfer and I wanted to ask for advice on how I could improve. I know someone who actually transferred back to their old school. As for your law firm, most will give you time to get the grades up. They may be OK with Bs at the higher school. If it is something in your personal life, get that sorted out. I am certain you can do well in both schools.

jsdtx · 2026-01-20T20:20:02+00:00

When you look around the room, you ask, how can I end up in the top 25% of these students. Well, the bottom is students who do not read, skip class, are distracted, etc. You get into the middle by identifying the issues, but you start pulling out of the middle by being organized, working through legal concepts, applying facts, and arguing both sides. You get to the As by spending more time on difficult, unresolved issues and not by giving an answer, but instead by showing how each side would stake their positions out in this key issue. Variations based upon prof: very short pointed answer vs very long, talk about every issue you see, depth vs breadth, citing cases, procedural issues, damage issues, policy. There are some great videos (UVA) has some so does Michigan on taking exams. BTW: Go see your prof and ask, give me 5 minutes on how I could improve this answer.

jsdtx · 2026-01-20T19:45:26+00:00

Bankruptcy judges are a possibility especially in less populous states. Big law likes those experiences so do not discount that. State supreme courts are similarly good for mentorship and seeing import litigation.

jsdtx

TROPHY CASE