Law School Decision Game Book

I just received a copy of The Law School Decision Game: A Playbook for Prospective Lawyers from law school admission consultant Ann Levine.

In her new book, Ann gives some great advice about how to make the decision about whether to go to law school.

Among other topics, she covers:

-how to decide whether law school is right for you
-how much money lawyers actually make
-how to pick a law school
-how to decide which area of law to specialize in
-how to decide whether to go into BigLaw, solo practice, or alternate careers

Among the most important aspects of Ann's book is the fact that she devotes a good deal of space in her book to the fact that many of you will take on significant student loan debt in order to pay your law school tuition.

Ann surveyed more than 300 practicing attorneys about their experiences, both with regard to the practice of law and with regard to current economic realities.

In short, her book is a welcome response to the many recent articles about the current state of the legal profession and will be a much-needed dose of reality to those whose reasons for attending law school stem primarily from John Grisham novels and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Cornell Law School Admissions Dean | Interview

In this LSAT Blog post, I interview Cornell Law School’s dean of admissions, Richard Geiger. Our discussion follows.

1. What's special about Cornell's international law program? What can someone specializing in international law do during their time at Cornell and beyond?

International law has been a signature program at Cornell for a very long time. What makes it special at this point is that it covers not just the curricular elements you would expect from a top law school, but the programmatic and institutional elements as well. For example, even though we’re a relatively small law school, we have formal study abroad relationships with 15 different law schools around the world; we offer summer institutes in Paris and Suzhou, China; and our degree possibilities include two different U.S./French law degrees, a U.S./German law degree, a three-year J.D./ LL.M. in international and comparative law, and a J.D. with a specialization in international legal affairs. We’re also part of a truly wonderful university that has a wide range of international area studies and other programs that are available to our students for course credit, or just for enrichment. All of this means that our students end up with excellent career options in both private and public international law.


2. The FAQ section of your website emphasizes that all applications are read thoroughly. Would you please describe the typical application review process and how much time is devoted to each part of the application?

Our process is aimed at getting to know the answers to two basic questions: (1) is the person likely to thrive academically at our school; and (2) will he or she be the kind of person who will actively engage not only the classroom environment, but everything else that goes on here. To assess these things, we rely on every part of the application. There is no real formula to it because everyone is different. In fact, we shy away from numerical cut-offs and mechanical approaches precisely because we don’t want to miss people for whom the numbers simply aren’t good predictors of success. Remember, we’re a small school and we can’t hide admissions mistakes. This gives us a strong incentive to get it right.


3. Your website makes it seem like professors are accessible to students 24/7. While I'm exaggerating here, are they really that down-to-earth and open to student contact? How do they have the time? Shouldn't they spend their time writing in journals and taking cases to court?

Great question. How is it that our faculty can consistently be rated as top scholars and top teachers, and still have time to engage with our students personally? The short answer is that the faculty/student culture really encourages and supports full engagement. Our faculty are consumed not just with their scholarly activities, but with having a real impact on our students. Plus, don’t forget that many of our students are already very accomplished people who faculty enjoy getting to know as individuals. The long answer will require a visit to our school. Spend a day here while we’re in session and all will be made clear! I promise.


4. Anything else?

Just a couple of things: First, city people are often worried about what it will be like in Ithaca for three years. My response to that is to remember that we’re part of a very large university (19,000 or so) and that Ithaca is a very lively place. But more importantly, remember that the law is essentially an urban profession. The common denominator for most of our graduates is that they end up in a major urban area. So, for most of our students, their time in Ithaca may literally be the only time they’ll be able to experience the wonderful lifestyle that a place like Ithaca offers. Second, most people tell me that once they start to get to know more about Cornell they are amazed at the wide range of possibilities we are able to offer our students even though we’re relatively small and not located in a big city. Of course, once again, a visit is the best way to discover the surprises that Cornell and Ithaca offer.

***

Bio: Richard Geiger is Cornell Law School’s Associate Dean for Enrollment and Communications. He received his law degree from Boston University and after clerking for a federal district court judge, practiced at law firms in Washington, D.C. and Boston. From 2003-2005, he served as Chairman of the Board of the Law School Admission Council.

Photo by 51170735@N02

Logic and Games

* LSAT medians may fall in the future as law school application numbers drop. [The Faculty Lounge]

* Muammar Gaddafi killed as Libyan forces take control. [NYTimes]

* The demographics of Occupy Wall Street. [Gawker]

* San Francisco judge orders circumcision measure off the ballot. [ABA Journal]

* Fun with the iPhone 4s. [Shit That Siri Says]

* Mark Zuckerberg's sister gets into the social media business for herself. [NYTimes]

Law School Admissions Resume Tips

Unlike the LSAT and law school personal statements, I don't happen to be fascinated by the intricacies of the law school application resume.

However, you guys will have to put one together. For this reason, I've compiled a list of the best links I found with law school application resume tips.

Law School Admissions Resume Tips

Resume Writing for Law School Applications

Sample resumes from Anna Ivey's Guide to Law School Admissions (PDF)

Sample Law School Admission Resume (PDF)

Written Supplements to the Law School Application: Resumes and Addenda (PDF)

Resumes for Law School Applications (PDF)

Photo by oliviercharavel

LSAT Logic and Libertarian Seasteading

LSAT Blog reader Jason wrote the following LSAT-style analysis of a real-world situation. Please share your questions for him, and thank him for sharing his analysis, in the comments!

***

I read an article on "libertarian seasteading," oil-rig-like platforms floating in sovereign waters outside the reach of -- and free and secure from -- partisan politics, excessive taxes and politically-inspired moralities.

The argument in favor of seasteading:

-assumes (depends upon/takes for granted) that a practically defenseless "country" is able to remain sovereign for any reasonable amount of time.

-could be strengthened by adding that such libertarian nations plan to fortify, significantly, by hiring private navies to patrol international waters surrounding their "seasteads."

-could be weakened by the fact that piracy on the high seas has been on the rise since the end of the Cold War and subsequent decreased emphasis on naval presence by both the U.S. and Soviet navies.

-could be weakened by the fact that since "seasteads" cannot be entirely self-sufficient, they must be located close enough -- within 50 miles -- to traditional nation-states for service of consumables. That "seasteads" have a tendency to drift more than 50 miles at a given time. That, of course, assumes that the "seasteads" will drift into the direction of the neighboring nation-state's sovereign zone and not away from it. And, that the neighboring states are not libertarian. And, that a temporary trespass of a "seastead" would be treated like a ship entering a nation-state's zone of influence rather than a unique event -- drift of a nation-state towards another. At that point, for example, in the absence of prior custom, would the permanent nation-state's influence supersede the "seastead," or vice versa?

Of course, the possibilities for trap answers (citing a timeline on the drift and distance, etc) and other logical fallacies are endless.

To spice up the answer choices, a "blogger" could be cited as a source. For example, in this case, "Joe Opinion from 'alwaysperfectlycorrect.web' (I felt tempted to write something like 'alwaysright.web,' but that certainly violates LSAC's directive to try and keep things unemotional) says that this is a bad idea because it's just not practical." Or, "It's a terrible idea, a country free from moral obligation will likely be an outpost for prostitution and drugs."

Then we work in an appeal to (non-credible) authority, appeal to emotion, appeal to a certain moral directive. And, of course, improper prediction of inevitability.

(Come to think of it, I haven't seen a "blogger" cited in any of the questions I've yet studied. As my background has been the advertising industry, I love the logic flaws presented in the "Advertisement" prompts.)

And, of course, we could focus the question as the 2-speaker, counterargument style:

CRITIC: "Ultimately, it won't achieve it's goal of lower taxes because the out-of-pocket costs to ensure the safety and security of the 'seastead' essentially amounts to a tax."

In LSAT language, this changes the meaning of a key term.

Logic and Games

* In this interview, a former writer of actual LSAT questions for LSAC explains how he got the job, among other things. [LSAT Blog]

* ABA weighs fines, loss of accreditation for law schools that misreport jobs data. [New York Law Journal]

* Take a break every once in a while. [Harvard Business Review]

* A baby tries to use a magazine like it's an iPad. [YouTube]

* An infographic mocking infographics. [Visual.ly]

December 2011 LSAT Questions / Answers

The December 2011 LSAT might seem far off, but it'll be here before you know it. What would you like to see on the blog between now and then?

Please leave your questions for me (and for each other) in the comments, I'll do my best to answer as many of your questions as possible between now and December.

Also, if you're looking for general advice on improving in Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, or Reading Comprehension, please note that I've already written plenty of blog posts on these topics and have integrated them into my LSAT study schedules.

Quick request: please leave a name rather than posting as "Anonymous." It makes it easier for everyone to respond to specific comments. Thanks!

Photo by lwr

Law School Fee Waiver List

Want to know which law schools offer fee waivers, and how to go about getting them?

I was recently forwarded the following description of a list containing law school fee waiver information (in spreadsheet form).

(Elisabeth also created a list of law school application deadlines.)

Those of you trying to save some money (read: everyone) will likely find it useful:

Aloha y'all!

We recently visited law school websites to collect application fee waiver information for our university's pre-law advising center.

Our Unscientific Process: If we found this information within a couple minutes of searching the law school website, we added it to a Google spreadsheet (law school name, URL, description/policy, and date accessed).

This is not a definitive list, but we hope that it will be helpful to applicants with limited financial resources. Applicants should contact the law schools for the most accurate information.

Please feel free to share what we found - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvlERSqOc_jJdGd4cDBWUUxkQmhuVlVaakdOcExGZEE&hl=en_US

Thanks!

Elisabeth Steele Hutchison
Director of Admissions & Special Projects
University of Hawai'i at Manoa | William S. Richardson School of Law

Please thank Elisabeth in the comments for compiling this useful list!

Photo by aresauburnphotos

LSAT Logic, the Environment, and Vegetarianism

LSAT Blog reader Emily wrote the following LSAT-style analysis of a real-world situation. Please share your questions for her, and thank her for sharing her analysis, in the comments!

***

I based the following on an article titled: Becoming Vegetarian Can Harm The Environment.

The study in question claims that "A switch from beef and milk to highly refined livestock product analogues such as tofu could actually increase the quantity of arable land needed to supply the UK." This statement is not entirely well summarized by the title of the article, "Becoming vegetarian 'can harm the environment". After reading through the clip, the limitations of the study become clear, and the notion that vegetarianism is more detrimental to the environment than eating as an omnivore appears more and more fallacious.

The important question that this article highlights, and that is probably what draws most people to read it after noticing the title, is about whether modern vegetarianism is actually good for the environment or not. Can vegetarianism harm the environment? Despite leading us to believe otherwise, that is not a question that can be answered by this study. Several dubious assumptions are implicitly made in drawing this specific title from the research that is presented.

For one, the study deals exclusively with British interests. Collins claims that eating processed analogues can harm the environment, yet from what we read we see that the research is very particular to qualities of the United Kingdom. The study compares the pro's and con's of raising livestock for meat in Britain, and in importing processed vegetarian alternatives. Given that Britain is an island, the environmental "con" of importing goods is much weightier than it would probably be in most other countries. It is thus misleading to generalize geographically about the environmental costs of importing food.

It is also wrong to generalize based on the idea that meat is produced more responsibly domestically. If Collins is to claim that replacing meat with tofu can be environmentally irresponsible, he should note that if you live in a country where farming practices are poor (unlike the United Kingdom) then the reverse may be true.

But neither of these ideas would really be relevant in the end, because it makes no sense for meat production to shift to less regulated countries when more people become vegetarian. If the British farming industry suffered, it would be because demand was reduced, not because people were buying more imported meat. In addition, there is no explanation for why crops like soybeans would have to be produced abroad rather than at home, were the number of vegetarians to increase in Britain.

Extending this initial claim beyond the borders of Britain shows a myriad of other discrepancies in logic. It would be one thing for the whole population of Britain to become vegetarian. Perhaps more land would be cleared elsewhere for other crops if Britain could not sustain its own tofu industry.

Yet were the logic to be applied on a global scale, the results would be different. There is no clear comparison of how many acres of land it takes to produce a unit of tofu compared to a unit of beef, but it seems unlikely that beef would require less land. Therefore, the claim that replacing meat with meat analogues uses more land in general may be wrong. Additionally, if meat eaters around the world were replaced with vegetarians, there is no evidence here that the net amount of transportation required for food distribution would increase. Presumably food would need to travel from one place to another either way, even if those pathways were sometimes reversed or shifted.

Lastly and most crucially, Collins makes the assumption that transitioning from eating meat to not eating meat means replacing animal products with processed analogues on a 1:1 basis. He does not explain whether the trade-off is made by weight, volume, calorie, etc., but regardless of the conversion factor it is a faulty assumption.

Nowhere in this research, to my knowledge, does it say that residents of the United Kingdom eat an equivalent amount of analogue products to their previous animal consumption when they become vegetarian. Based on the study, the ONLY way that vegetarianism could potentially harm the environment is if people consume products like tofu at a rate equal to or higher than their past meat consumption, and this seems to be the most far-fetched assumption yet made.

The research is presented by Collins in a way that first traps the eye and leads one to think that broader and better substantiated claims are being made in what is about to be discussed. Unfortunately, while the research itself appears sound, it is not the wide-sweeping blow to vegetarianism that some may have hoped for. Interesting study, but extremely difficult to generalize from.

Photo by texhex

Logic and Games

* Is it worth going to law school? Law professor says "yes," former lawyer says "no." [National Jurist, Forbes]

* LSAT Reading Comp "passages are so utterly dull that if a deranged homicidal chicken were to somehow make an appearance therein, even the most astute readers would likely not notice." - former student

* LSAC may start auditing the law schools' reported LSAT scores / GPAs after recent scandals. [TaxProf Blog, Lawyerist]

* Law school grads answer a survey about hunting for their first jobs. [ABA Journal]

* The Winklevoss twins still haven't paid their attorneys, even after getting a $200 million settlement from Facebook. [Gawker]

* How weak DNA evidence railroaded—and then rescued—Amanda Knox. [Ars Technica]

LSAT Diary: Reviewing After Test Day

This installment of LSAT Diaries comes from Kinish, who's serving in the military overseas. He took the October 2011 LSAT.

In this LSAT Diary, he talks about applying the lessons of the military to his LSAT preparation strategies.

If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

Please leave Kinish some encouragement and advice below in the comments!

Kinish's LSAT Diary:

I’ve been meaning to write an LSAT Diary for quite some time now, but for the past six months I’ve been deployed overseas and I seldom have adequate time to read the blog, let alone study for the LSAT. I made it happen, though. Now that I’ve been home for the past few weeks and the October 2011 LSAT is over, I thought I’d provide everyone with a few observations from the perspective of a military officer and law school hopeful.

Obviously, my line of work requires my full attention at unpredictable times and under a wide variety of circumstances that are unique to my line of work. That being said, I decided that I wouldn’t let that stand in the way of pulling off the best LSAT score I can. I can say with conviction that I decided quite a few years ago that I wanted to go to law school in order to one day transfer to the JAG corps and continue serving in the military. I’ve been in uniform for about 12 years now and I can honestly say that I can’t imagine my life as a civilian. The military really suits me and I have yet to wake up in the morning unable to stomach going to work or looking myself in the mirror.

I was a cadet at a military academy before being commissioned as an officer, so I knew in advance what it was going to take to apply myself to preparing for this important test. From my experience both personally and professionally, everyone is capable of achieving their goals if they choose to. Performing to one’s potential requires focus. Exceeding one’s potential requires one to accept a considerable helping of constructive criticism in addition to pure drive.

Success on the LSAT requires that a serious test-taker go even further and self-criticize without resorting to self-deception. Deep down, I know I’m not as smart as everyone else, nor am I especially predisposed to pulling off great marks on standardized tests like the LSAT. But I’m smart enough. Not only that, I’m smart enough to get through law school like everyone else and contribute to the legal profession in my own way. Limiting beliefs have the only effect of dissuading otherwise capable people from carrying out their dreams and ambitions. I’ve met people that pulled off amazing marks on the LSAT yet have avoided filling out applications for admission because they still question their abilities in relation to others. Deep down I always smile because I know I won’t be competing for admission with one of these people.

As all of us wait for the results to pour in, I’d just like to say that no matter what happens, I’m planning to sit the December 2011 LSAT regardless of my result on the October LSAT. Truthfully, even if I was accepted to Harvard, I’d still choose my local university over the Ivy League…This is partly due to the fact that I’m Canadian and our law schools, despite being few in number, are all Tier 1 in the American sense of the term. I’m shooting for law school admission and not academic glory. But the rest of you should! This is my second attempt at the LSAT, and I can say unequivocally that I credit Steve’s LSAT blog with not only my success in rocking the LSAT, but in honing my resolve to pursue my dream. I really feel that the sense of common purpose I derived while following Steve’s blog helped me stay motivated and block out all the distractions that managed to wrangle me away from my preparations.

Expect an update from me in the near future that provides a more detailed account of this particular saga of my life. In the meantime, I recommend that those of you who wrote the exam and feel that you might need to sign up for the upcoming December exam take a page from the military and write a letter to yourself to be opened on Saturday, December 3rd. In the military, we call it an “After Action Report”. You should describe, in your own words, EVERYTHING you can remember about Test Day. What time you woke up, what you ate for breakfast, what the test booklet looked like, the spaciousness of the test room, how you felt you did on each section, etc….Leave no stone unturned! You’ll appreciate it when December 3rd comes and you’re that much more familiar with the process when you enter the test centre. Nerves can seriously affect your performance and it’s in your best interests to alleviate this problem right away!

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Law School Personal Statement Tips and Advice

The Pre-Law Advisor at Elon University, Dr. Nim Batchelor, has graciously agreed to share some of his excellent thoughts on writing a law school personal statement.

Please thank him in the comments!

An Approach to Writing a Personal Statement

By Dr. Nim Batchelor

Elon University, Fall 2010

When I advise students about how to approach writing a personal statement for their law school application, I begin by posing the following question:

Suppose that the law school admissions committee were to invite you for an interview. You walk in and take a seat before the full admissions committee. The chairperson says, “We have studied all of your application materials—your letters of recommendation, your transcripts, and your resume—and we feel that we have a clear sense of the 'paper you'. However, before we make our final decision, we’d like to get to know the 'human you'. Given that we are somewhat short of time, in the next five minutes, please tell us about the 'real' you that we could not appreciate from your other application materials."

What would you say?

Now, suppose that you had several days to compose your response and that you will be allowed to read your response to the committee. What would you include? How would you organize it?

Once this framing question is in place, I encourage my students to proceed in the following way:

1. Think back across your entire life. As you do this you will come across a set of 10-20 episodes, vignettes, or stories that you commonly use to tell others about your life. Sort through them and select four or five that:

1. represent “who you are as a person,”
2. that exemplify a core trait about which you are somewhat proud, or
3. that reveal something deep about yourself.


2. Next, imagine that your life is a novel. You are both the main character and the author of this novel. Episodes from your “life story” are among the things that shape and reveal your character. You have made many choices and those also reveal something about you. Most importantly, if you are actually living your life—rather than just letting it happen to you—there will be motifs, patterns, tendencies, and a direction in your life story.


3. Your application is a signal to the admissions committee that you believe that three years of law school, passing the bar exam, and taking a job in the legal profession is a natural extension of your life's story. But why is it a "natural" extension of your life's story? The central task of a personal statement is to persuade the admissions committee that this is true about your life.


4. [This is where you start your personal statement] You need to select and very briefly recount three episodes from your life. Each story should both reveal and provide substantive evidence for your claim to have a particular set of character traits. In addition, when taken together, these three stories should make it evident that you’re your life story contains a “must go to law school” motif. That is, from reading these three stories, it should be clear that attending law school is the next logical chapter in your life story. [By the way, if you discover—in all honesty—that your life story does not include a “must go to law school motif,” then you ought to schedule a conversation with your prelaw advisor just to verify that applying to law school is your best move. Of course, it might be; but it is worth the conversation.]


5. The conclusion "therefore, you should admit me to your law school" should remain implicit. However, if you have chosen well, it should be an obvious implication of your essay.


I remind students that this essay needs to be the best writing that they have ever produced. They should expect to go through at least five or six drafts. I also remind them that they should read their early drafts aloud and that their later drafts should be read and critiqued by at least four or five very bright people.

I find it efficient to preempt difficulties by describing a few of the most common mistakes that applicants make in their essays.

* Applicants often devote too much space describing an event or activity and not enough space talking about their own character. It is like what interior decorators say, “Your frames should accentuate your paintings, not dominate them.” Analogously, I press my students to remember to make themselves the centerpiece of their essay. Thus, for example, I often end up saying something like, "No! You’ve written an essay that tells the committee more about our university or more about your parents than it does about you."

* The mere fact that you did something is far less interesting than what it meant to you or how you integrated it into your life. Don’t merely tell the committee that something happened to you; tell them how you reacted to that event or about how it shaped and influenced you. The more you can describe your inner thoughts, dispositions and values the better.

* However, it is not enough merely to say that you have a particular virtue. For example, you can’t simply say, "I'm a very caring person." You need to provide evidence for such claims and you do that with your vignettes. So, for example, you might say, “When I was a kid, my teachers gave me an award because I would play with the handicapped kids when others chose to ostracize them. Ever since then, I am amazed by how often people comment on my sensitivity to the plight of those who are struggling in life.”


Once students see these points, they get what they need to do.

I conclude my advising session with two reminders:

1. I tell them that most people report that faithfully carrying out my recommended process is a genuinely difficult soul-searching exercise. It can be psychologically challenging and frequently results in a few tears. If it feels a little bit like you are exposing your personal diary to the world, then you are probably doing the task well.

2. Finally, I remind them that they are not in an oppositional relationship with the admissions committee. Applicants and admissions committees are collaborating in an effort to discover whether they are a “fit” with one another. It is your job to tell them who you really are. Then, since they know themselves far better than you know them, it is their task to render a judgment about whether you are a fit for their program. If you try to play that silly game where you attempt to say what you think they want to hear, you will thwart this process. So, be honest and be yourself.

Of course, I don’t suggest that this is the only way to go at this task. However, after years of advising, this captures what I’ve settled in on saying to my students.

***

See more law school personal statement tips.

Photo by Allie Brosh / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0