Discussion Forum For Legal Professionals & Law Students @toplawschools - Tumblr Blog

A lot of schools provide networking opportunities during the semester, but for those who are unable to find the time, the winter break can be an invaluable time to connect with others and search for opportunities. How have you made your winter break productive? What resources does your school offer to assist you with networking, and do you find those valuable as compared to other resources like LinkedIn?

The holiday break of 1L can be one of the hardest times in a person's law school experience. Anticipating grades that may trickle out slowly over the course of the holidays can make enjoying the time you have off impossible, especially if you need to maintain a certain GPA to retain a scholarship or admission. Some set a certain date that they will log in to view their grades that is after the holidays. Others check each day, knowing that they would be more at peace if they knew how they performed. Have you experienced anxiety in your 1L winter break? How did you navigate those feelings--or how do you wish you would have handled it?

While COVID-19 has drastically limited how we interact with family and friends during the Holidays, we still nevertheless get those dreaded questions about our future plans. When family or friends know that you are in the process of applying to law school, they can often unintentionally inundate you with questions regarding the status of your application, which can feel frustrating when you may not have any insight into your own situation. How have you navigated these questions? Does COVID-19 make it easier to answer, given the widespread ambiguity amongst admissions processes? What responses do you usually give?

We love when TLS members share resources and help each other succeed. In this thread, a TLS member is asking for anything that can help to find litigation boutiques in New York City. They have already used Chambers and are looking for sites or other resources that will provide a longer list of boutiques. Do you know of any resources that can help? Share them in this thread!

This year has been far from normal, and adding to the abnormalities is an unusually high bar exam pass rate in Maine. Eighty-six percent of test takers passed the exam, up from fifty percent in February and fifty-two percent in July 2019. This massive jump in pass rate could be attributed to any number of things, but the fact that it coincides with the coronavirus pandemic suggests the correlation is more than random. What do you think might be behind this? Let us know in this thread!

One of our TLS members raised an interesting question about the increase in both the number of LSAT-takers and the number of high scores achieved on the exam. This member earned a high score on the LSAT-Flex, but is concerned that the higher number of applicants with high LSAT scores will make their high LSAT-Flex score mean less to law schools. How do you think law schools will perceive LSAT scores in this application cycle? Do you foresee increased competition making it harder to get into law school? Share your thoughts in this thread!

Many law firms send gifts (aka "swag") to applicants they want to entice or thank, but one TLS member is wondering how common it is for firms to send a gift after an offer is extended, but before it is accepted. In your experience, is this common for firms to do? What does it mean if they send you a swag bag before you accept the offer? What about if they don't send anything? Share your thoughts with us in this thread!

When deciding on a law school, most applicants won't consider an unaccredited #lawschool due to the limited job prospects available after graduation. US News recently published an interesting comparison of accredited vs unaccredited schools, and they make valuable points about the affordability and convenience of these programs. In your opinion, is an unaccredited law school ever worth it? Why or why not? Let us know in this thread!

Flash cards are often used to help study for exams, as they make it easy to drill specific concepts and facts until they can be recalled quickly and effortlessly. However, a flash card that contains too much information might have the opposite effect, slowing down your progress when studying. That is the case being discussed in this TLS thread where a user is debating which brand of bar prep flash cards to purchase. Do you have any recommendations? Would you suggest another study aid instead? Let us know!

One common route into the legal profession is to pass the bar in one state, then work in a different state. One TLS member is asking about doing exactly that. They passed the bar in a state where they have no intention of working and are seeking advice on whether they should also get their license to practice law in that state. What are the pros and cons of doing so? Weigh in with your opinion in this thread!

For many #lawschool applicants, the #COVID-19 pandemic created unforeseen circumstances that affected their decision or ability to go to law school. In the case of this TLS member, they were accepted to law school but decided not to go this year due to the #pandemic. Now they are re-applying to law school and want to know whether it is permissible to reuse the letters of recommendation that were written in 2019. Do you think this is acceptable? Should they include a note explaining why some of them refer to 2019 as present-day? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts!

As a job-seeking attorney, one of the best things you can do is research the law firm(s) you think you should apply to, in order to determine whether it will be a good fit. TLS makes for a great platform to research law firms because you can get direct insight from the attorneys working there. This TLS member is researching the real estate group of Reed Smith and would like to know more about their culture, hours, staffing details, and more. Do you have any insight into this firm? Share it here!

Recently, the National Conference of Bar Examiners announced, "that it will make [the] full set of examination materials (two MPTs, six MEEs, and 200 MBE questions) available for jurisdictions to use to administer the February 2021 Uniform Bar Examination (“UBE”) either in-person or as a remote examination." This marks a dramatic shift from the initial tone of "it can't be done" regarding online bar exams. Could this be the new normal for bar exams? Is it better or worse for students taking the exam? Let us know what you think!

According to a recent US News article, the #volunteer activities that stand out the most to #lawschools include those that demonstrate leadership and initiative, taking responsibility, building community, and legal interest. With that in mind, what are some volunteer activities or programs you can think of that meet some or all of these criteria? Let us know!

There is no single path into the legal profession, and it is not uncommon for successful attorneys to come from a background fraught with hardship. While one's background is not the deciding factor of a successful legal career, it is something that law schools consider when deciding on admission. One TLS user who came from a rough upbringing is asking for help figuring out what to write for the C&F portion of his applications. Do you have anything to say on the matter? Share your thoughts here!

Would you take a class on a pass/fail basis just to increase your class rank? One TLS user is asking exactly that and wondering whether taking a class on a pass/fail basis is going to result in any challenges later in school or their career. What do you think is the best course of action? Let us know in this TLS thread.

Law school is extremely competitive and only a small percentage of applicants get in on their first try. This TLS member is seeking advice about re-applying to #lawschool after being rejected. The options presented are to apply to all the same schools and hope for a better outcome or apply for early decision to increase the likelihood of being accepted. What would you do?

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Discussion Forum For Legal Professionals & Law Students