How to Think About Law School (eBook)

A Handbook for Undergraduates and their Parents

Michael R. Dillon (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2013
150 Seiten
R&L Education (Verlag)
978-1-4758-0247-4 (ISBN)

Infos

This Handbook provides a comprehensive guide for college students and high school seniors considering law school. It teaches how to build an undergraduate resume, how to gather information about law school and legal careers, how to prepare for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and how to navigate the pitfalls of the law school application process. It also leads students through the law school curriculum, the central importance of the first year (1L), the roles played by Law Review, clinical programs, Moot Court, Mock Trial, interviewing, networking, summer associate positions and clerkships. Finally, it concludes with seven lessons to carry from law school into legal practice. This Handbook arises from the author's two careers---one as a university professor and pre-law advisor, the other as a magna cum laude law school graduate and a successful practicing attorney. Along the way it conveys the author's love of the law and admiration for the role of law in the United States. -Adopts a broader and longer perspective than any of its competitors, beginning with freshman year, and covering each year as an undergraduate, through law school admissions, the three years of law school, and into the beginnings of legal practice.-Provides useful, concrete and practical information including, lists of Dos and Don'ts, a Four Year Checklist, information about key resources, a step-by-step explanation of the law school application process, as well as a formula for selecting ';competitive', ';safe' and ';reach' law schools.-Presents detailed information about the law school curriculum each year, the importance of Law Review, clinical programs, Moot Court, interviewing skills, and summer associate positions.-Addresses current downsides to the practice of law in a more open way than any of its competitors, including the exhorbitant cost of law school, the difficulty repaying law school debt, the lack of opening legal positions in the wake of 2008, the high levels of job dissatisfaction in the profession, the stresses practice places upon a personal live. -Concludes with seven lessons to carry from law school into the practice of law.

Autor

Michael R. Dillon Ph.D. J.D., is currently Chair and Professor of Political Science as well as Coordinator of the Pre-Law Program at La Salle University in Philadelphia. He previously practiced law for twenty-two years in the Litigation Section of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, one of the largest law firms in the United States.

Inhalt

Preface---About this Handbook1. Pre-Law Undergraduates - Majors, Majors Everywhere1.1. Follow Your Passion I1.2. No One Right or Wrong Choice of Majors 1.3. Dual Majors Are Not Necessarily Better 1.4. Follow Your Passion II1.5. Save Your Successes1.6. It’s OK to Decide “No”2. Your Mission Freshman and Sophomore Years2.1. GPA Foundations 2.2. A Myriad of Options 2.3. It’s Not on TV2.4. Ask, Interview, Shadow and Visit2.5. Pre-Law Programs and Advisors2.6. Disciplinary Disclosures2.7. Question 1 – How much will it cost and how do I pay for it?2.8. Question 2 – Why such high levels of lawyer dissatisfaction? 3. The Time Table Junior Year 3.1. Counting Backward3.2. The Friday Before Thanksgiving3.3. Test Prep, Test Prep and More Test Prep3.4. Timing of the LSAT 3.5. LSAC Accounts3.6. Letters of Recommendation3.7. Resumes3.8. Personal Statements 3.0. Waiting for a Year or Two4. The LSAT Examination4.1. Prep Courses – Do I Need One4.2. Test Day – It’s Not as Short as You Think4.3. The Nature of the Questions 4.4. How Much Preparation is Enough?4.5. But, Can’t I Take it Again?4.6. What to Know About The Scores 4.7. The Night After the Test5. Choosing a Law School – “Know Thyself5.1. What Not To Do5.2. Areas of Emphasis 5.3. Law School Rankings5.4. Web-sites to Know5.5. All the Same But Different5.6. Careers Can Change6. How Do I Pay for It?6.1. Don’t Count on Scholarships6.2. Tuition, Books, Living Expenses Equal?6.3. Like Buying Your First House6.4. Interest Rates on Loans6.5. Your Debt Limits How and Where You Can Practice7. Application Process7.1. LSAC Account7.2. LSAT Score7.3. Undergraduate Transcript(s)7.4. Personal Statement7.5. Letters of Recommendation7.6. Resumes7.7. Early Decision7.8. Addendum Do’s and Don’ts 7.9. Disclosures Advertent and Inadvertent 7.10.How Many Applications? 7.11.First, Second, Third Tiers 7.12.Forget Rankings Most of the Time 7.13.The “Wait” List 8. Acceptance – The Holy Grail 8.1. I Can Breathe Now8.2. Visiting Schools - Stay the Day8.3. What Is My Long Term Goal?8.4. Where Can I Flourish?8.5. The Summer Before Law School8.6. Proposal for a Legal Reading Plan8.7. Proposal for a Non-Legal Reading Plan9. The First Year – There Are No Second Chances 9.1. Transition and Success – Starting Fast9.2. Curriculum and Briefing 9.3. The Reading Load9.4. Socratic Method9.5. Study Groups or Not9.6. “Thinking Like a Lawyer”9.7. Outlines – Do Your Own9.8. Examinations9.9. Law Review9.10.Second Year Interviews9.11.Clerkships9.12.Summer After First Year10. The Second Year 10.1. The Curriculum 10.2. Law Review10.3. Interviewing for Summer Associates10.4. Clinical Programs10.5. Moot Court and Mock Trial10.6. Elective Courses - Winnowing Down Your Options10.7. Competitive, Confident and Cordial10.8. Summer After Second Year - Summer Partners11. The Third Year11.1. Waste of Time? The Unnecessary Year?11.2. Electives - Has Your Passion Changed?11.3. Still Building Resumes11.4. Networking and Faculty Support11.5. Employment within 150 Mile Radius11.6. Remember: Your Debt May Limit Your Job Prospects11.7. Summer After Third Year - You Are Not Bar Exam Ready11.8. Your Are Also Not Practice Ready12. Lessons To Carry With You12.1. Learning Every Day12.2. Continue to Pursue Your Passion12.3. Thinking Problems Through and Tracking the Details12.4. Respect, Civility and People12.5. A Profession, Not Merely a Job12.6. Doing “Good” while Doing Well12.7. Stress, Success, Failure and FamilyAppendicesA. A Four Year Undergraduate Check ListB. Letter of Recommendation Form for FacultyC. A Successful Law School Application StrategyD. Additional Readings and ResourcesAfterword

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 21.2.2013
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Beruf / Finanzen / Recht / Wirtschaft ► Bewerbung / Karriere
• Themenwelt: Kinder- / Jugendbuch ► Sachbücher ► Geschichte / Politik
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften
• Themenwelt: Recht / Steuern ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• Themenwelt: Recht / Steuern ► EU / Internationales Recht
• Themenwelt: Recht / Steuern ► Privatrecht / Bürgerliches Recht ► Berufs-/Gebührenrecht
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik ► Erwachsenenbildung
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
• Themenwelt: Wirtschaft
• Schlagworte: Student Resources
• ISBN-10: 1-4758-0247-1 / 1475802471
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4758-0247-4 / 9781475802474