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Law School & Lawyer GAF
- Thread starter SD-Ness
- Start date
Depends upon how you and how well you hit it off with the person you're interviewing with. You can either be (1) forgettable; (2) memorable in a good way; or (3) memorable in a bad way. Go to the interview, be charming, and keep in contact with anyone you meet. Even if it's nothing more than an email each semester letting them know how you did the semester before and what classes you're taking that semester, stay in touch with them. People are more willing to help you if they remember you and are familiar with you. Invest in those relationships and they will pay dividends.
It's a 1PM exam... do not pull an all nighter. Try to get at least 5 hours. Either sleep from 12-5, 1-6, 2-7, or whatever fits your schedule best, but I, personally, could never do an all nighter for anything later than a 10AM exam.
If I remember correctly, his exam is 75% policy.
Silverbolt
Member
1L here and I'm sort of clueless on when grades come out. The last date of finals at my school was 12/16/2011. Around when would final grades get posted? I know every school is different, but I'm sort of looking for anecdotal answers. Thanks!
Our first semester 1L grades came out the quickest of any semester, because the professors and the registrar's office made them a priority due to on campus interviews starting soon. If I remember correctly, all of our grades had posted around the 15th of January... sometime early in the third week of classes that semester. My first grade actually posted over Christmas break (<3 my tort's professor), and I think Civ Pro was the last.
Same.
Deadline for my school for grades is around the last week of January.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I'm suddenly struck with that feeling that I hate lawyers, hate being a lawyer and don't want to do the kind of work my father's firm does but I'm already 2/3 of the way done with Law school.
Sigh.
Sigh.
Can't help you with the first two... but as for the last one: don't go work for him?
Bboy AJ
My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Agree with mre. You should find another job.
As for me, I'm moving to Germany this summer for work
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
elrechazado
Banned
state bar association sites
I'm a lawyer who no longer practices law for my job (at least not every day). Lots you can do with your degree.
There are jobs. They're just not going to walk up to you and slap you in your face, you've got to find them.
LOL same boat angry grimace. I just finished because I started. Lawschool unfortunately attracts a lot of sad pathetic human beings.
Give me ideas, my imagination sucks. Everyone just tells me be a financial advisor, I have a hard enough time keeping track of my own money. I see myself practicing 5yrs tops and already looking for a way out.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
We do employment litigation.
It's just irritating because I'm already sick of meticulously researching and writing shit that some judge ignores and rules against because the other guy apparently showed up at oral argument and yelled louder than the attorney we sent down. I'm just kind of depressed about the idea of having to do this until I die. It's disturbing to me that this kind of shit is already pissing me off given I haven't even graduated law school yet.
Bboy AJ
My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Ever think about transactional law instead of litigation? It's a lot more nuanced with language. Less research. Of course, there's still research, but less. And once you get a few standard contracts down, it's not that bad to edit for a new situation.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
The problem is getting into those fields. It's such a tough market I don't know where I'd start. Sticking with my dad's firm is a guaranteed job for a few years as well as a full client list.
Bboy AJ
My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
A lot of those transactional law classes at my school were taught by adjuncts. These adjuncts were practicing lawyers in the field. My prof was impressed with my work and offered me a job. I didn't take it but if your school has those classes and they are taught by practicing lawyers, it might be worth a shot.
I'm doing litigation but wanted to give transactional a shot. I wish I took the class earlier so I could have taken another next semester. I think the work is pretty interesting and a nice change of pace.
Are you a 3L?
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Shit, time is running out. Send resumes to the law firms in your city looking for work (paid or unpaid) doing something you would like to do when your graduate. It's probably too late to grab an externship.
Edit: have you talked to your dad about this? How big is his firm? Maybe the firm wouldn't mind expanding its book of business to include different type of legal work, including something you may be interested in?
brucewaynegretzky
Member
Bboy AJ
My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
How's everything going lately? I know you had that rough patch earlier.
brucewaynegretzky
Member
Eh. Back to normal lol. Now its mostly just stress from potential unemployment. Getting through finals took the edge off. It was really more that with everything else going on I felt WAY less prepared than I normally do. That coupled with my externship and the job search made things rough. Actually looking forward to getting back to "just" classes next semester so I can spend the extra time really knocking out the applications. I figure I can get out 15-20 solid, individualized applications a week starting in the middle of January. If I keep that pace I'll at least feel like I'm creating enough opportunities for myself for something to work out. My grades aren't bad, I have pretty good work experience, and I'm not a bad interviewer. All of those things combined, I think I'm about as positive as I'm gonna get about the situation. Thanks for the support though. Just gotta get that job locked down. Once I feel secure in being able to plan into the future I'll be good. In a lot of ways job stress has actually been a positive in that it stresses me out over something I actually have some control over as opposed to the alternative.
brucewaynegretzky
Member
http://abovethelaw.com/2011/12/the-evidence-exam-at-harvard-law-that-requires-no-evidence-to-pass/
I don't know if we have any Harvard people around here, but damnit I would have KILLED for that as an Evidence exam. That was a bad exam for me... At least I could have bullshitted something for that exam. I knew the stuff well enough to spew out 1000 words on policy crap.
I don't know if we have any Harvard people around here, but damnit I would have KILLED for that as an Evidence exam. That was a bad exam for me... At least I could have bullshitted something for that exam. I knew the stuff well enough to spew out 1000 words on policy crap.
RandomDancing
Member
Finally finished my finals today. So happy but so incredibly burnt out.
Coming from a college where our grades were posted as they were submitted by professors to my law school was a major pain. Our grades are posted all at once, and while 1Ls get them first for their fall semester grades, they still don't really end up getting them until the end of January. I wish I had known that as a 1L because I wasted a lot of time still checking my transcript to see if they would go up early. I think it's kind of ridiculous that we don't get our fall semester grades until a good three weeks into spring semester.
brucewaynegretzky, how about a friendly wager? First to lock down post-graduate employment between the two of us gets bragging rights. (also off-topic, but I'm a giant Flyers fan and man isn't Giroux a god-tier player this season?)
Coming from a college where our grades were posted as they were submitted by professors to my law school was a major pain. Our grades are posted all at once, and while 1Ls get them first for their fall semester grades, they still don't really end up getting them until the end of January. I wish I had known that as a 1L because I wasted a lot of time still checking my transcript to see if they would go up early. I think it's kind of ridiculous that we don't get our fall semester grades until a good three weeks into spring semester.
brucewaynegretzky, how about a friendly wager? First to lock down post-graduate employment between the two of us gets bragging rights. (also off-topic, but I'm a giant Flyers fan and man isn't Giroux a god-tier player this season?)
Why do you hate lawyers and hate being a lawyer?
I'm still a 0L. I can see things both ways: it looks like a lot of work but some aspects of legal practice seem interesting and exciting. I like reading, researching, writing, discussing. Maybe that's rose-colored glasses blocking my vision though...
brucewaynegretzky
Member
I'm in. (Though I don't think I'd ever have it in me to brag to someone in this situation. Sidenote: Some law students are fucking oblivious and are REALLY bad at not sounding like douches when talking about post-grad employment. I know they don't mean to but it's sad to see such smart people with such poor personal awareness.)
And yeah Go Flyers! Come by NHL-Gaf more often! We're Best-Gaf! Sorry law people...
elrechazado
Banned
Job with a corporation, whether in legal department or otherwise, govt work, non profit, think tank, writing, academic research....I dunno. Doing something you like is what's important.
Bboy AJ
My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Meh. If you studied hard enough for what the exam was likely to be, you know Evidence well enough to not complain about your education. It only sucks in that others who might have been median now have a shot at honoring the class.
brucewaynegretzky
Member
That's what I wanted! :lol
I haven't read ATL in years. I figured that the commentators would have ran him off long ago.
I just remember how the first twenty comments of each of Ellie's articles would be devoted almost exclusively to how much the commentators hated Ellie.
RandomDancing
Member
Ugh so true. I was sitting in the hallway next to a fellow 3L I may have had one conversation with in my entire life, and he began telling me about how amazing his networking skills are, and how he was the only one to bring a resume to a 2L networking event (yes, as a 3L, he snuck into a 2L event) and how he can't believe other 3Ls aren't using their opportunities to the fullest. And I'm pretty sure all of this came up when all I asked was "How are things going?"
I assume we're not looking for employment in the same market, so given that my happiness for you getting a job would be 100% genuine. This is unlike my happiness for people in my class getting jobs, which is about 75% genuine and about 25% me thinking I should have gotten the job instead over that person. Law school really fucks you up in the head. However, even if I feel that way I don't come and SAY IT like a lot of the idiot gunners in my class would.
Seraphinianus
Banned
how'd everyone do?
me, same as usual. A's in paper courses, possibly Cs or Ds in non-paper courses lol.
can't wait to finish this shit...one more semester and 2 summer courses to go. It's getting crazy at my school (a mid-tier school.) I hear people complaining about the job hunt-- no offers and when they get them, they are at a shady firm that is offering $30k and not in the person's chosen area.
I have people at the top of my class asking me (at the bottom 20%) about alternative legal careers. Apparently I was one of the first to start talking about it earlier this year, while everyone still had some high hopes. Not to jerk my own chain, I've been killing myself trying to figure out what to do, while simultaneously getting kind of made fun of for being a goof-off student. I didn't realize how hard I had to bust my ass until I went to the career services counselor and she handed me a book and said "uh, I don't know anything, just read this" when I asked about alternative legal careers. That's when I woke up and realized how scammy law school can seem in this depressed job market. Then I was googling a few weeks ago and saw that my school was one of the ones being sued for misrepresenting employment numbers. Pretty vindicating to show people that.
Gonna go to school for a masters of library sciences and either become a law librarian or regular librarian. Either way I'm happy to be out of the "become a lawyer" game!
me, same as usual. A's in paper courses, possibly Cs or Ds in non-paper courses lol.
can't wait to finish this shit...one more semester and 2 summer courses to go. It's getting crazy at my school (a mid-tier school.) I hear people complaining about the job hunt-- no offers and when they get them, they are at a shady firm that is offering $30k and not in the person's chosen area.
I have people at the top of my class asking me (at the bottom 20%) about alternative legal careers. Apparently I was one of the first to start talking about it earlier this year, while everyone still had some high hopes. Not to jerk my own chain, I've been killing myself trying to figure out what to do, while simultaneously getting kind of made fun of for being a goof-off student. I didn't realize how hard I had to bust my ass until I went to the career services counselor and she handed me a book and said "uh, I don't know anything, just read this" when I asked about alternative legal careers. That's when I woke up and realized how scammy law school can seem in this depressed job market. Then I was googling a few weeks ago and saw that my school was one of the ones being sued for misrepresenting employment numbers. Pretty vindicating to show people that.
Gonna go to school for a masters of library sciences and either become a law librarian or regular librarian. Either way I'm happy to be out of the "become a lawyer" game!
mikeybwright
Banned
What a d-bag. Our grades came back recently, I ended up with a respectable 3.3ish GPA for my first semester. What a roller coaster ride waiting almost an month after taking them to see how I did...all I can say right now is *whew*. Hope everyone else did well!!!
Sirpopopop
Member
I graduated, and spent maybe a total of two-three months doing legal work.
I'm so out of the law field now that I haven't even bothered finishing my CLEs, and they were due three days ago.
I'm so out of the law field now that I haven't even bothered finishing my CLEs, and they were due three days ago.
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