What Makes A Good Letter Of Reference For A Law School Application

As it is Law School application time, many have asked me what makes up a good reference letter and some have even asked me to write one for them.  Here are a few tips regarding selecting the proper person. 

In general, the more letters you have the better but all letters should be relevant and come from someone that knows you and can speak to why you would succeed in law school. 

The best letters come from your old college professors that can speak to your intellect and your ability to do well in law school.  The professor should of course know you and be familiar with your work and this usually means that you had the professor for a semester or you have performed research for the professor.  An unhelpful or non relevant letter from a professor would come from a professor who is a friend of your parents who you have never met.  This type of letter is useless and will not get you very far.  Similarly, if you know a professor but have never been in his/her class, the recommendation will only serve as a character reference and this is generally not what the admission’s office is looking for.  What they are looking for is a letter that will demonstrate you will do well in law school and this letter must be from a person who is in a position to give a reliable opinion about this.

Another good letter is a letter that comes from a lawyer that knows you and can speak to your scholarly potential.  This is especially the case if the person will be able to illustrate why you will do well in law school.  Another great source is a past or current employer especially if the employer can write about your analytical skills, problem solving ability or scholarly ability. 

When I went to law school,  each of my letters was selected to cover off an area that I thought would interest the admission’s committee.  Namely, one came from someone that attended Harvard, another came from a Judge that could speak to my scholarly ability and the others came from professors that I had for law school classes in my first year.  Each was strategically selected and the selection worked well for me. 

That worked for me and it could also work for you. Give who you want to select some careful thought as the people who are deciding whether or not to admit you will certainly review who you have selected.

10 Things You Should Be Doing if You Are Sitting for the Bar Exam in July?

Congratulations to all of you who have completed law school!  As many of you are preparing for graduation you may also be thinking about the pending bar examination.  Here are 10 things you should consider and do to ensure success.

1. Sign up for a bar preparation course like Barbri.  There are many good bar preparation courses but I can attest that Barbri is fantastic.  While self study may work for the LSAT or other exams, the bar exam is different.  Invest the money and take a prep course.
2. Attend the Twitter Chat hosted by The Student Appeal Journal.  The Twitter chat will occur on Thursday May 24th, 8PM EST.   Get details here!
3. Relax and do not study until after graduation. I did not pick up a book until May 27th and given you will intensely study for the next 2 months virtually every day, you should relax so that you are energized.
4. Follow your study plan. Barbri and other organizations will give you a study plan that outlines exactly what you are supposed to accomplish each day.  Do not fall behind as you will have more and more added on to your schedule each day. 
5. The bar exam is a marathon and not a sprint and you cannot cram for it.  There is just too much material that you have to learn.
6. Understand the big picture and understand exactly what the exam is made up of.  The bar is made up of various pieces and you have to understand the composition of the exam so that you can allocate time accordingly.
7. The key to success is on the bar exam is doing as many practice questions as you can.   The Bar preparation organization should give you more practice multiple choice and essay questions than you could ever do. All you have to do to guarantee success is complete the questions.
8. Make sure you do the practice questions under timed conditions. Time management is a key to success and you may as well get used to the time restrictions.  See my post on time management and do not borrow time from exam questions.
9. Do not stress yourself out as you will likely pass. See my blog post that shows there is almost a 90% chance you will pass on your first attempt.
10. Take study breaks during the process.  You should try to take a day off every few weeks.  You will find the schedule extremely hectic but a day here and there will help you energize.

Best of Luck!

New York’s New Pro Bono Requirement – What Is All The Fuss About?

Generally speaking, in order to become a lawyer in New York you must get a law degree (3 years), pass the bar exam, pass a professional responsibility exam and pass a character assessment test.  Going forward the 10,000 or so prospective lawyers who meet all of these requirements will also be required to perform 50 hours of pro bono legal services before they can become lawyers.

This has caused a stir among some who say that this is among other things “indentured servitude.”  Another wrote, “I feel really bad for law students that graduate these days. And having brand new attorneys forced to be the ones to handle most pro bono smells like bad policy considering they have little to no experience and will invariably do a bad job of it.”

I am not sure what all of the fuss is about and I think a mandatory pro bono requirement is a fantastic idea!  A few points on this topic.

First, 50 hours is the amount of time you will spend during your first week of employment.  We are talking one week of work spread out over your law school career and the year after it.  The requirement is certainly not locking you into some long drawn out act of service.  It is 50 hours not 50 weeks or years.  In many countries, you must article (practical training) for next to no money before becoming a lawyer and this requirement is often 2 years.  Come on it is 50 hours helping those who need the help. 

Second, the requirement will not impact the majority of students as they already fulfill the requirement in law school.  I went to a law school (Harvard) that has a 50 hour pro bono requirement in order to graduate and this policy is not uncommon in law schools.  At the end of the year, Harvard published the actual average number of hours per student and it far exceeded the 50 hours.  Moreover, the requirement can often be met by clinical work performed or any volunteer work done while in school. 

Third, the more practical experience that one gets while in law school the better.  In some cases, fulfilling this requirement will be done by meeting with clients, drafting legal documents and perhaps even arguing cases before administrative tribunals. I met my pro bono requirement by working in an immigration asylum & employment law clinic and I was able to do all of the items listed above.

Finally, what is wrong with giving lawyers a taste of what it is like to give back to the community?  Also, as lawyer help others for free, isn’t there another benefit where the at times negative view of lawyers can be reversed?  This idea of giving back is already emphasized and encouraged in our professional responsibility requirements so why not formalize this a bit for new lawyers. As discussed above, this will not have an impact on most but will give those who would never have considered pro bono work an opportunity to see what helping someone else out without getting paid feels like.

As far as I am concerned, it is just another requirement to become a lawyer the same way that sitting for the MPRE, getting a character assessment or taking certain courses are requirements.  Not sure why anyone would be against this.  I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

How to Prepare For The Bar Exam & When You Should Start Studying

With the law school year closing out many students in their third year are starting to think (or worry) about the bar exam.  Here is a brief introduction and a few things to consider.

What Is The Bar Exam All About?

In most States, the Bar examination is a 2 day exam that you take between approximately 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. each day.  (It is a 3 day exam in California)  One day of the exam is made up of a test called the Multi-State Bar Exam (MBE) and this part of the exam is made up of 200 multiple choice questions.  Everyone in all States takes the MBE on the same day and the exam covers 6 topic areas only (Contracts, Constitutional Law, Property, Evidence, Torts & Criminal Law).  The other day of the bar exam is a State day where generally State law is tested.  Each State makes up their own State exam and the exam will fall either on the day before or the day after the MBE depending on which State you are in. The State exam will usually be made up of essay questions but may also contain multiple choice and/or a practical memo writing section. 

In the United States, you must be certified (sit for a bar exam) to practice law in every State that you wish to practice in.  Generally speaking, this means that if your best friend was arrested in New Jersey for an offence, you could not represent him in court if you were certified to practice law in New York.  There are exceptions to this rule but this is generally the case.  As such, you will have to complete an application for each State you want to practice in.  You should pay particular attention to the application deadlines and any other instructions that you are given.  For example, some States, like New York, require a handwriting sample and a school certification to be sent in with your application.  At least one student that I know of that went to Harvard did not send material that the New York Bar Examiners required, and the person found out at the beginning of July that he/she was not eligible to sit for the bar exam at the end of July.  Do not let this happen to you.

How Should You Prepare?

The first step to passing the Bar exam is to sign up for a preparation course such as Barbri.  I took a Barbri course and it played a pivotal role in me passing the bar exam.  Barbri and other organizations have decades of experience with Bar Examinations and as such are experts.  During the course, they will hold lectures, give you practice essay questions, give you practice multiple choice questions and grade sample exams.  This is not the time to self-study as you will be at a significant disadvantage if you do.  If you can afford it (cost is around $2500) sign up today!  If you sign up with a reputable large bar preparation course, it is not necessary to take supplemental courses or to do any other studying outside of this course.  They will teach you everything you need to know. 

When Should You Start To Prepare For The Bar Exam?

It is not necessary to start studying for the bar until after you graduate.  Some get very nervous and start in March or April but this is not needed.  (actually, I think it is a bad idea as you need to take it easy so that you are refreshed for intense studying to come)    For those who just cannot wait, Barbri sends advance study material to students in April.   They do however clearly state that it is not necessary to start studying until after you graduate.  Once you start your preparation course lectures and really get into studying you will really appreciate the few weeks of a break between your finals and your graduation date.  Barbri will teach you everything you need to know during the two months prior to the exam.  Trust me on this one. 

Should You Be Worried?

No. See my post “Do Not Worry About Whether You Will Pass The Bar Exam Because There is Almost a 90% Chance That You will Pass It On Your First Attempt.”  The key to passing is consistent studying.

A Great Way To Market Yourself If You Are Looking For Or Will Ever Look For A Job

A few days ago I received an email from a first year law student, Justin, and he posed a very interesting question.  His email read;

“What is your personal opinion of law students having their own resume-styled website? I tried to do some research and could not find many that existed. Having an undergrad degree in Graphic Design, I've built my own. What do you think?”

Well my personal opinion is that setting up your own personal webpage to market yourself is an excellent idea! This idea extends far beyond law students and is an excellent thing to do for anyone including students in other disciplines, lawyers, and also any other professionals. This is a great idea for anyone that is or will be looking for a job and/or anyone that could benefit from positive marketing.

Here is Justin’s Site: www.justinhwalters.com

Justin is exactly the type of innovative law student that our profession needs and the idea of creating your own website to showcase yourself is something that I wish I had thought of.  Also, it is always a good idea to use part of your prior life (in Justin’s case marketing and graphic design) to make some money or compliment a new legal or professional life. 

       A few comments about this exceptional marketing tool.

Why Is Setting Up A Personal Website A Good Idea?

I started to write this section myself but then remembered that Justin had already done an excellent job summarizing on his website why setting up your own website is a good idea.  As such, I will copy his words which echo my exact thoughts.

“I believe there is a need for students to have their own websites with their resumes, portfolios, and contact information.  I believe it is beneficial for professional students, especially those studying law, to be able to place a personal website address on their business card or in the signature of their email.  Having a website can be appealing to prospective employers because it shows you are independent, creative and ready to advance into a more professional role.”

I will only add one additional point and that is that the webpage puts all of the relevant information that an employer wants (short bio, resume, writing sample, skills) in one place and makes it all easily accessible.  Given that employers spend very little time assessing candidates you want to make your information as easy to access as possible and A simple webpage accomplishes this. 

What Does It Take To Get Set Up?

I am not a web designer but am confident that with a bit of determination I could create a page like the page that Justin has created. Wordpress is the web design tool of choice but if you do not want to use that there are many other options available with templates that will get you started.  In terms of hosting the website, that costs around $5 a month (a more complex website would be maybe $8 a month because it has more space) and you will pay around $10 a year for domain name. (You should try and nab your own name – just think of where Barack Obama would be if he had not purchased his domain name www.barackobama.com years ago).   

It literally takes a few hours to set everything up and install a simple website and if you prefer not to do it yourself you can always hire Justin.  Justin can design a website just like his own for you (and I must say it is a very professional looking website) and his fees are extremely reasonable.  You can contact Justin through his website - www.justinhwalters.com.  As for the upkeep, if someone can operate Facebook, they can operate a Wordpress blog as it is really user friendly.

The Lowdown

In this economy you cannot afford to be at a disadvantage and it is important to ensure that you are constantly improving, marketing and selling your brand.  This should start early in your career and creating a website is a great networking and marketing tool.   Creating your own personal website also forces you to give some thought to what important things you want to showcase to the world and may encourage you to constantly reevaluate key aspects to showcase.

Here is an excellent example that demonstrates that proper networking and marketing goes a long way. In this case, Justin sent me his website a few days ago and as a direct result of his marketing and networking efforts, I am likely going to hire him to work on my new law firm website - www.legalservicesincorporated.com. I currently use a template (yes, I know it looks like a template) but will hire Justin to create something that is closer to my own style. How is that for marketing efforts quickly finding a job!  I am also certain that some of you reading this blog will contact him to work on your websites.  This is only one example of how innovation and marketing yourself in the new cyber world can increase your chances of success and put money in your pocket.

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the website idea and again please feel free to contact Justin if you need help with your website. His contact information is all on his website.  Here it is again. www.justinhwalters.com

Judge Throws Out Law Students' Lawsuit Over Misleading Job Statistics and Says Students Should Have Know What They Were Paying $150,000 For

A few weeks ago I wrote an article titled Were Law Students Snookered By Law School Job Statistics (click here to access) and I concluded that while law schools should report accurate data, a student could not reasonably argue that they went to law school because of the one page of a law school’s website that said they would get a job right after graduation. 

Apparently a New York Supreme Court Judge agrees.  Last week, the Judge tossed out the first of many lawsuits brought by students who claimed they were snookered by misleading job statistics.  The significant part of the court decision is reposted here.

The court does not view these post-graduate employment statistics to be misleading in a material way for a reasonable consumer acting reasonably. By anyone's definition, reasonable consumers -- college graduates -- seriously considering law schools are a sophisticated subset of education consumers, capable of sifting through data and weighing alternatives before making a decision regarding their post-college options, such as applying for professional school. These reasonable consumers have available to them any number of sources of information to review when making their decisions.

The Judge’s argument is in essence that because potential law students are “sophisticated” and have many sources of information available at their fingertips they knew or should know that employment and salary statistics provided by the law school should not be the sole basis for their decision. 

Sound familiar?  It should as here is what I wrote and posted a few weeks before the decision.

That being said, I also think students have a responsibility to perform some research about the job market such that they are comfortable with a decision to become a lawyer.  A simple internet search will (and would have) shed some light on the fact that not every lawyer is making a six digit salary and that finding a job as a lawyer (especially in this economy) is difficult.  In addition, the law school application process is extensive and it strikes me that at some point during that six month to year process (LSAT, application, acceptance, summer) that a student has an affirmative responsibility to investigate the job prospects a bit more than relying on the webpage of a private law school. 

I for one am happy the lawsuit was thrown out and I hope that the cases in other States follow the same path. Law schools should report meaningful job statistics but suing a private institution because you were "misled" by a statistic on a webpage is not the answer in my opinion. Not everything should be a lawsuit and this entire situation is an example of the world looking in and seeing the legal profession (law schools, students, lawyers) behaving badly.  

To be clear, this is not the fault of students but I do not think that lawsuits are the answer here.  As such, I feel the case being thrown out for EXACTLY the reasons stated in the decision is exactly what should have happened.  I recognize that this opinion is not shared by everyone and would welcome feedback and commentary so that both sides are adequately represented.

Do Not Worry About Whether You Will Pass The Bar Exam Because There is Almost a 90% Chance That You Will Pass It On Your First Attempt

If you are a first time writer, there is a very good chance that you will pass the Bar exam on your first attempt so you should not stress yourself out.  The FACT is that almost 90% of first time writers in most States pass the bar on their first attempt so if you are not used to being in the bottom 10%, there is no reason for you to believe that you will be in the bottom 10% when you sit for the bar exam.  Unlike law school, the Bar exams set a minimum standard and the examiners have not set a special number of people they expect to pass. As such, if you meet that standard you will pass. The key to passing of course is studying and doing practice questions.  If you study, you most likely will not have anything to worry about and if you did not study, you can always take the exam again in the next sitting.

A complete list of statistics regarding pass rates for 2009 in all States can be found at http://www.ncbex.org/assets/media_files/Statistics/2009Stats110111.pdf and you can see from this table that approximately 88% of first time writers from ABA approved law schools (the 200 or so law schools in the U.S.) passed the bar exam on the first try.  In order to find this though, you must go to page 17 of this table and look at a chart called, “First-Time Exam Takers and Repeaters from ABA-Approved Law Schools.”

This table illustrates though that pass rates for Bar examinations are somewhat confusing so you should understand what you are reading.  First, the pass rates are broken down in a number of different ways.  The overall pass rate is not a very good indicator as it includes people who are second time takers and in some States the pass rate includes foreign trained lawyers.  Both of these latter categories score very poorly on the bar exam and bring the overall pass statistic down.  For example, for the 2009 bar examination in July, the overall pass rate for New York was 72%.  When you look at the detail though, you will see that for first time takers from law schools in the United States, the pass rate was 88%.  During that same period, those who repeated the exam in July only achieved a pass rate of 35%.  Similarly, those who sat for the Bar examination in New York from Law Schools outside of United States had a pass rate of 34%.  All of these combined make up the 72% pass rate.

As you can see, first time takers from law schools in the U.S. do very well on the bar exam.  In some States, the pass rate for first time takers is over 90% (and for some it is 100%) and these high pass rates are the norm.  As indicated, second time takers and foreign lawyers really bring down the State averages so it is best to look at statistics from the category to which you belong. 

That being said, do not let the high pass rates fool you. You must study for the bar!  I know of two people from Harvard Law School that failed the New York Bar examination on their first attempt.  When I spoke with these individuals they indicated that they had only done a small number of the practice essay and multiple-choice questions where I did hundreds.  The key to passing the Bar is preparation and generally this preparation should start with a Bar Preparation course.

Should You “Paralegal” Before Law School?

          Many prospective law students wonder whether or not there are advantages associated with taking a job as a paralegal prior to law school.  In fact, this question came up last week when I sat on a panel with two other lawyers and a law student at Harvard University where a college student was thinking about spending a year after college working as a paralegal.  The panel members had mixed responses and here is a flavor of the discussion.  First, this post only addresses the specific question of whether or not you should work as a paralegal in order to increase your chances of getting into law school.  A job as a paralegal is a very respectable job and this post does not address whether or not you should select that as a career. 

Will a Job as a Paralegal Make Your Law School Application More Competitive?

          There was general consensus that a job as a paralegal is not going to make your law school application any more competitive.  In fact some felt that you may be at a slight disadvantage as many associate the role of a paralegal with administrative tasks.  If you really want to make your law school application more competitive, you might be better served to take a year prior to law school pursuing something that you are interested in so that you can passionately describe an interesting chapter of your life to the admissions committee.  If being a paralegal fits this description then that is fine too but describing your year as a paralegal will at best show a general interest in law and it is not certain that you will be able to talk about your experience in a way that will impress most lawyers or admission committee members.

Will you get Great Experience that Will Help Your Application?

          One college student at the panel discussion also wondered whether a paralegal job would provide him with valuable “legal” experience.  Generally, the consensus was that it would not.  This is especially the case if you are a paralegal in a large firm where the administrative tasks will far outweigh any substantive experience.  Some panel members did note though that they had jobs in the not-for-profit sector where paralegals gained valuable experience and performed tasks similar to tasks that lawyers perform.   I have also seen this in smaller companies where the paralegal was able to perform substantive tasks.

Will Being A Paralegal Help You Get A Job as A Lawyer?

          Generally the consensus was that taking a job as a paralegal prior to law school would not help you find a legal related job.  The results here could differ if you perform substantive tasks.  In addition one important thing to note is that many are under the mistaken impression that if you work as a paralegal in a large firm that they will hire you after law school.  While this is possible, I know many people who worked as paralegals at large firms and were not picked up by that firm during the recruitment process.  Even if you are hired, it will definitely be because you had great grades and were an attractive candidate.  I personally do not feel that being a paralegal adds much to make you an attractive candidate but opinions may differ here.  Also, I do know people who worked as paralegals for large firms and are now employed there. Again though, these students had excellent grades and were probably offered positions at other top firms.  That is, I doubt they got the job because they were a paralegal at the firm.  Also again, I know many more people who were not ever offered a job at the firm where they worked as a paralegal.  

What are Some of the Advantages?

          The key advantage associated with being a paralegal is that you get an up front look at what being a lawyer is like.  (mind you it will not show you what law school is like & for me a great part of being a lawyer was the law school experience)  A preview of the life of a lawyer can be particularly helpful if you are a “big law” paralegal because it may give you insight as to whether you want to commit to the big law life. (long hours, unpredictability, etc.)   I am not sure that this is a good enough reason to work as a paralegal though as you could get a good insight by speaking to people or perhaps doing an internship during law school.  Moreover, as a paralegal you may be exposed to one narrow area of law that may turn you off law altogether.  Lawyers often end up in numerous fields and this one glimpse may not be enough to make an informed decision regarding a career. 

Advice

          There are two pieces of advice here.  First, if you take time off after college (75% of Harvard Law School’s last entering class took a year off), focus on something that you have a passion for and something that you want to do.  This will make you happy and will also make for excellent material for your application.  With many good students applying to top schools, the schools are often looking at that time off to determine what the student is made of.  I am not sure that being a paralegal does a great deal to put you ahead of the person that say went to a third world country to feed the starving or build schools.   Second, if you do want to work as a paralegal prior to going to law school, sit down and talk to some lawyers who worked as paralegals prior to going to law school.  You should also speak to several current paralegals to see what they like and dislike about their jobs. 

          To conclude, I will repeat that being a paralegal is a very respectable job but if the question is will it help you get into law school or get a legal job, my answer is no.

This summary is one of many that are offered in the new book, Law School Lowdown (Barron's Publishing).  You can order the new book written by Harvard Law School graduate, Ian E. Scott, by clicking here.  

http://www.amazon.com/Law-School-Lowdown-Secrets-Application/dp/143800317X

How To Publish While in Law School Voted Top Post!

           If you have not already, check out my latest publication in the Lawyerist!  The article summarizes the benefits of publishing while in law school and gives you some practical tips on how to make an effective submission.  See why last week it was the Top Post!  
          View the entire article: www.How To Publish While In Law School.com
          Please feel free to like, tweet and/or share the page.

Do Not Borrow Time From Subsequent Exam Questions As You May Not Be Able To Repay The Loan

Another key to law school success is time management on exams.  This is yet another area where person after person will offer the same advice but in the heat of an exam, many reject it.  Here is the key piece of advice yet again.  At the beginning of an exam, take note of how much each question is worth and divide your time accordingly.  Once you have done this, DO NOT BORROW TIME FROM OTHER QUESTIONS.   While it is hard to do, you should get into the habit of noting the time and once you have reached the time on a question, you should stop (even in mid sentence – ok, you can finish your sentence) and move on to the next question. 

There are a few good reasons for this strategy.  First, you have likely picked up the majority of the points you will gain on the question you are laboring over and the time you will spend will likely not yield many more points.  Second, if you do not move on from a question you are stuck on, you may not finish the exam and a blank exam question means a low grade.  Third, the subsequent questions on the exam may be easy. When I sat for the NY bar, the last question on the exam was a very simple corporations question.  If I had borrowed time from the first few more difficult questions though, I would have missed easy points on that last question.   At the end of the day, a point is a point and I will gladly take an easy one that takes me one minute rather than 10 minutes.  Finally, you can always go back to a question if you have time.  This is a far better strategy and the break from the question may even give you alternate ways to approach the question. 

This bit of advice was one of the first that my first law school professor, Linda Feldman, gave the class for our first law school exam.  Regrettably many did not listen to her.  The exam was made up of two questions and each of them was equally weighted.  Go figure the first question was tough and I could have spent the full exam period trying to nail down the question.  Instead though, I stopped writing after half of the time and moved on to the second question.  The second question was almost identical to a question that the class had gone over during a review of an old exam and it was easy to pick up easy points. I ended up with an A on the exam but many of my fellow classmates left the exam barely touching the second question. 

For February bar exam takers, keep this key piece of advice in mind. It will serve you well.

Why You Should Publish In Law School & Tips For Successful Law Journal Submissions

Check out my new publication in the Lawyerist See article that describes what editors are looking for & what makes and effective submission!  For the full article, click here.  Please feel free to "like", "tweet", and/or "share"!

Sitting for the Bar in July? How Many Bar Exams Should You Sit For?

As you may know, as a general rule, you are required to sit for a bar exam in every State you wish to practice in.  While in law school, the question often comes up of how many exams you should sit for on your first attempt.  In my opinion, you should try to take Bar Examinations from 2 States right after you graduate from Law School. There are a few good reasons for this. 

First, the best time to take a Bar Examination is immediately after you finish law school as you will have retained a significant amount of core knowledge and this knowledge will dissipate over time.  This knowledge makes it easier to pass the bar exam and you are best positioned to do this right after law school.

Second, when you study for one State’s Bar Examination, you may not have to do much additional work to pass another State’s exam.  A few things to keep in mind here. First, most bar exams consist of two days – one day will be made up of a local State day and one will be the Multi-State Bar Exam (MBE), and the MBE is the same exam for every State.   Your score on each day is added together and each State will determine whether you have passed or failed.  If you sit for two bar exams (one in your primary State and one in another State) most if not all States will allow the MBE score to be transferred to the State if it is taken concurrently with your primary State.  Most States however will not permit you to take the MBE one year for one State and then have it count towards the Bar Examination in a different year or session.  For example, New York used to permit candidates to count their MBE score from a prior year towards a current session and as such, in the past the candidate would only have had to sit for the local New York portion of the exam. (1 day as the person would not have to sit for the MBE).  Starting in 2011 though, New York only allows candidates to transfer MBE scores from another State if the exam in the other State was taken in the concurrent session.  Many other States have similar rules.  To clarify, if you sit for two bar exams, you would sit for the exam for three days instead of two.  This extra day can help you avoid sitting for the grueling 200 multiple choice MBE in another year.

Another good reason to sit for two bar exams is that many State exams do not contain much State specific information.  For example, the New Jersey bar exam tests only 7 subject areas and six of those areas are covered on the MBE.  (and the other will likely be covered by your primary State)  As such, the only additional work you will have to do for that exam is sit for the exam.  I sat for the NJ bar when I sat for the NY bar and I did not do ANY additional studying.  (ohhh..and I passed).  Other States are similar and even States where you do have to learn State specific material, it will almost certainly be in areas such as Corporations, Wills and Criminal Law.  As such, you will already have a foundation related to these courses from the work you will do to prepare for the primary State.

Another reason to sit for two bar examinations is that you are more marketable.  Even if you have a job, your situation may change and you may be looking for one in the future.  Being certified in many States not only shows initiative but could give you a practical advantage if a job requires certification in that State.

Lots of good reasons to consider sitting for two bar exams in July.

Should You Accept a "Cold Offer" from a Law Firm?

The legal job market is tough and for many turning down a full-time job offer from a large law is something that is not considered.  The question arises though of whether or not you should accept an offer even if you get a clear signal that the firm does not really want you.  My answer is no but the decision will be guided by how badly you want the job.  So how does this happen?

In the legal field, there are many organizations that track and publish statistics regarding how many summer associates are brought into the firm after their 2L year and how many are offered full-time jobs after they graduate.  As many large firms want to maintain their statistic of offering 100% of their summer students jobs in order to attract the best students, they will at times give students a “cold offer.”  A cold offer is something like this.

“John, your performance during the summer has not really been that great and we do not see that you have much of a future with the firm. That being said, we are going to make you an offer. You should really consider whether this place is the place for you and we strongly encourage you to do some soul searching before you accept the offer. Perhaps a large firm is not for you.”

This is of course a "strong" cold offer and there are variations of them.  My personal opinion is that a cold offer is not a good thing and I would recommend turning it down unless you are desperate.  If you do accept the offer, the firm is under no obligation to keep you after you start and you will be a “marked” person who will be the first to be let go if there is ever downsizing.  Moreover, as your performance is already in question, you could be terminated with cause shortly after you start.  Also, in the United States employment is “at will” which means an employer can terminate you even without cause.  The ultimate decision is of course yours but these factors are something to consider.  Also remember that if the firm does not want you, someone else will.  Let your pride guide you and go somewhere where you are wanted.

Study Groups - Should You Search for a "Smart" Person?

After my last post about what to avoid when looking for people to join your study group, a few people wrote to me and asked which positive qualities they should look for.  In particular, people asked about whether or not they should be looking for “smart” people so that they can perhaps take in some of that raw intelligence.  A few comments. 

               Regarding the selection of someone “smart”, remember that the people who are the most vocal in class are not necessarily the people who do the best on exams.  More often than not, you will find that the person that receives the highest grade in your class is a person that has not said a word all semester.  As such, do not discount someone because they do not speak in class as they may be exactly who you are looking for.  My study group and I were silent throughout all of first year (except when called on) and we all did very well on our exams.

               Another thing to consider regarding finding “smart people” is that some people that did very well in their undergraduate studies may not grasp law school very well.  As such, it is tough to really know who is “smart” from who is not and you will really have to go with your gut.  I am not sure that the search for smart is that worthwhile but perhaps something to consider.

Regarding personality traits, finding the right mix of traits is tough and this is especially the case in your first year when you do not really know people well (or at all).  You obviously want to avoid the obnoxious people who will monopolize the entire session with their inane ideas.  To get a good handle on this, perhaps just have an informal study session to kind of “test drive” the person.  Also, you should look for people that are conscientious and will come to the sessions prepared and ready to contribute.  Finally, you also want people that you get along with to make the pain of intense studying a bit more pleasant.  This last characteristic is extremely important as you will have to be able to coexist with this group for a long period of time.  I remember many long nights in my first year and it was nice to spend them with people that I genuinely liked.  As I mentioned in my last post, my first year study group and I still all regularly stay in touch and I am sure we will be life long friends who shared a very positive bonding experience.   Good luck with your search.

The Three C’s of Law School Success: go to Class, go to Class, go to Class

The most important advice I can give you about doing well in your first year of law school is to go to each and every class.  Several people who were not doing well after the first term asked me for advice on how they could improve their grades and invariably they were people who did not feel that going to class was that important.  I cannot tell you how many times I heard, “He just repeats what is in the textbook” or “I go to most classes”.  Going to half of the classes will get you half the grade and if you do not mind a B- or C, then do not bother going to class. 

This advice is applicable for all years in law school but especially the first year.  Even in my third year of law school, I would read and brief a case and be surprised when I would attend class and find that I missed a significant point.  In addition, often when I read cases and then subsequently went to a class, I found that I may not have paid as much attention to the part of the opinion that the professor found most interesting.  If a professor finds a particular aspect of an opinion fascinating, you can bet that this aspect is what is going to show up on the exam. 

For example, in some cases the professor may find the dissent (when there is a panel of Judges who vote and the Judge who loses writes about why he disagrees with the majority opinion) the most interesting part of the case and you may have just skimmed this to focus on what the winners said. This is just one example but rest assured that almost all professors gear exams towards what was covered in class which is what they found most important.

In addition, when you do not go to class or when you know that you will not go to class, you do not prepare.  The briefs that you prepare to deal with the Socratic method of teaching go a long way towards increasing your exam scores.  If you know that you are not going to go to class, you may not prepare a brief at all.  Even if you do prepare something knowing that you will not go to class, it will not be as thorough as if you thought that you might be called on to answer questions.  While the Socratic method might be a bit of a pain, the good thing about it is that it keeps you up to date so that studying for the final exam is easier and with this advance preparation your studying will be more effective.

Finally, there is one more important reason to attend class.  In law school, in order to study for law school exams, almost all students make what is called an outline.  An outline integrates the key points from your class notes, your briefs and the professor’s syllabus.  It is an invaluable tool and if you do not have class notes, making an outline becomes difficult or impossible.

What Do I Need to Do to Transfer to Another Law School? - Part 4 of 4

Who is Eligible?

In order to apply for a transfer to another law school, you must go through the same application process that you went through to initially apply to law school.  There are some minor differences but for the most part the process is the same.  For most schools, you can use the LSAC process and fill out the transfer application (which is very similar to the original law school application) online.  You will require everything that you needed to apply to law school including a resume, a personal statement, letters of reference, transcripts and the completed application.  You must also provide your LSAT score but the schools will not place much, if any, weight on it.  The most significant factor that the schools will consider are your grades from your first year of law school.  Like everything else, the higher the better.

While most schools will want a complete picture, some are only interested in your first year grades.  For example, at New York University (NYU), the personal statement that they request is quite short and it does not have to talk about anything specific. Moreover, they do not require (or want) any letters of reference.  To contrast, Harvard, Yale and Columbia all require a comprehensive application complete with letters of reference, a resume and two page personal statements.

How Do Schools Select Who They Want?

In order to transfer to a top school, you will need top grades.  Harvard accepts around 25 transfer students a year and boasts that many transfer students could have been admitted if they applied there for their first year or are students that were waitlisted when they applied to Harvard in their first year.  You may know, Harvard’s entering class has a GPA very close to an A average and a LSAT score in the top 2%.  Yale only admits around 10 transfer students and the competition is very stiff.  In fact, many of the transfer students that were admitted to Harvard the year I was accepted were not accepted as transfer students to Yale.  (I did not apply to Yale so I will never know) 

As a rough guide, you should be in the top 10% of your class if you are applying to a top school.  This is by no means a cut-off and the number could change if you have some other compelling characteristics or you are transferring from a highly or lowly ranked school. The higher the ranking of your school, the lower your grades can be.  For example, if you are transferring from Columbia to Harvard, you could likely get away with an A- average (top 30%).  If you are transferring from Brooklyn Law School (ranked in the sixties), you will generally have to be in the top 5% of your class with other significant accomplishments. 

In addition to top grades, most of the transfer students at Harvard had a second Masters or Doctoral degrees or some other significant accomplishment.  Also,  law schools will look at other symbols of excellence such as success in Journals or Moot Court Competitions.  Moreover, work as a research or teaching assistant and participation in student groups during law school demonstrates that you can juggle classes along with other activities.  All of these accomplishments will help your application but the main thing the admitting school will look at is good old high grades.

Are There Disadvantages Associated With Transferring to A Different Law School? – Part 3 of 4.

           There are several factors that one should consider when deciding whether or not to transfer if your desire to transfer is based on an attempt to upgrade schools.  A higher rank does not always mean better and here are few things to consider.

You Will Lose Many of the Important Connections You Made in Your First Year

As noted in my last blog post, there is a substantial risk that you will lose some or all of the important connections that you will make in your first year.  This includes both students and professors.  Moreover, strong bonds have already been formed at the school you will go to and it may be hard to establish similar connections.

You May be Considered an Outsider at Your New School

As a transfer student, you will always be considered one step below the people that started at that school from the beginning.  This is particularly the case if you come from a lower ranked school. 

For example, one day after class, a Professor at Harvard took some students for drinks.  When he found out I was a transfer student and that I came from Brooklyn Law School (ranked in the 60s), he asked me if the other transfer students looked down on me because I came from a second tier school.  (Most of the transfer students came from other first tier schools ranked between 15 and 30).  If he thought that other transfer students would look down on me, you can imagine what he thought (or what some other students at Harvard thought/think) about transfers.  This is not a reason not to transfer but it is something to consider.  I became accustomed to the facial expressions of other students and professors when I told them I transferred.  In fact, after my second year, I intentionally did not mention I was a transfer student unless explicitly asked.

Your Grades May Fall & You May Not Be Eligible For Latin Honor Awards

People who get into top schools know how to take exams very well.  As such, you will find that the ability to get great grades when you transfer is more difficult. This of course depends on which school you are coming from as there is stiff competition in many top tier schools.  Generally speaking, if you transfer your grades will decrease and you will not be at the top of the class.  This is especially the case if you are transferring from a second tier school.  Do not get me wrong, it is quite possible to do very well at the new school and some end up in the top 10% or top 30%.  That being said, most transfer students were in the top 1-5% of their class in the school they transferred from and some were ranked number one.  As such, I am not talking about a significant drop in grades but a moderate drop.  For some, this is a big deal and you should consider whether it is important to you to be at the top of the pack or within the top 20%.  Do not be fooled into thinking that because you were a superstar at your old school, you will be one at the school you transfer to.

You should also investigate whether or not you will be eligible for Latin Awards when you graduate and exactly how any class ranking will apply to you.  Latin Awards are the Summa (top 1%), Magna (top 10%), Cumme Laude (next 30%).  Some schools do not permit transfer students to be eligible for Latin and other awards because they did not spend all three years at the Law School.  Moreover, very few schools, if any, will permit the high grades that you obtained at your first Law School to count in any calculation.  Depending on the law school, the Latin awards or class ranking will be very important and it may not be obvious to employers that you were ineligible.  Instead, all that they will see is that you were not in the top 40% and did not receive any awards. While ranking is not as important at a top school like Harvard or Yale, if you are transferring to a school that is say number 20 or 30, falling within the top rank levels of your class will be very important.

You May Move to Being A Small Fish in a Big Pond if You Transfer

Depending on the size of your school, as a top student you really stand out.  For example, after my first semester when I scored over a 4.0 GPA, the Dean of Student Affairs at Brooklyn Law School called me into her office to discuss my progress.  She was very pleasant and told me that she would do everything in her power to assist me.  Also, as a top student, I was offered a scholarship in my second year and it was very clear to me that the eyes of the administration were focused on me.

            When I transferred to Harvard, I was one of a class of 550 (plus another 100 LLM students) and I was clearly an outsider.  I had moved from a big fish in a small pond to a small fish in an ocean.  This was not just based on grades but also on the size of Brooklyn Law School and their ability to focus individual attention on top students.  Moreover, many students at Harvard were very well connected (sons of Judges and Senators) so standing out was even more difficult.

While none of the above mentioned items should stop you from transferring, you should consider them to assess whether a transfer is right for you.  The final post in this series will deal with what you have to do to transfer.

How Much of Jump in Rankings Is Needed to Make A Transfer Worth While? – Part 2 of 4

 Can I Transfer to an Ivy League School After My First Year?

If you get great grades in your first year of law school, you could be eligible to transfer to Harvard, Yale or another top school and this is an option you should keep in mind as your first year comes to an end.  A dream of attending an Ivy League school is well within reach if you do exceptionally well in your first year.  I am living proof! The school you want to transfer to will base their decision primarily on your grades and other achievement in your first year and your LSAT score and College grades will generally not matter.

How Big Does A Jump in Rankings Have To Be To Make A Transfer Worth It?

 

Many students wonder whether or not they should transfer schools based on a small jump in rankings.  I know one student who transferred from a school ranked around 70 in New York City to a school ranked around 60 that was also in New York City.  This move made absolutely no sense to me.  I met him during the summer at Brooklyn Law School (the school he transferred to) and he was not the sharpest knife in the drawer and this was evident by more than just his school change. 

The point of this story is that you should only change schools if the jump you are going to make is going to put you in a substantially better place than you are.  I could have easily transferred to Fordham law school (which is ranked in the 30s) from Brooklyn (ranked in the 60s) but I did not even apply because I did not believe that this type of move was worth it.

The key if you decide to transfer is to make sure that the jump is significant.  As s general guide, you should jump at least 35 points in the rankings and higher if you can.  Also, the move should move you from one tier to another or from a first tier school to a top 5 school.  I know students who moved from Brooklyn law school to schools ranked 20-30 and they had a tough time during the on campus interview process and did not substantially benefit from the transfer.

Are There Disadvantages Associated With Transferring?

While rankings are important, you should not change schools for a slight improvement in ranking.  This is primarily because some of the disadvantages of transferring will outweigh any minor benefit.  For example, when you start law school, you will be assigned to a section along with around 80 other students.  Everyone in your section will have the same classes and you will get to know them quite well.  You will all be going through the exact same experience and as a result you will form quite strong bonds and networks. These bonds and networks may result in lifelong friendships, business contacts and even marriage.  Do not underestimate the importance of these connections.  If you transfer, there is a substantial risk that you will lose some or all of these connections.  Moreover, strong bonds have already been formed at the school you will go to and it may be hard to establish similar connections.  Additional negative aspects of transferring to another law school will be discussed in a future post.