Whose starting law school in the fall? - Page 5

miajag · #41 07-27-2006, 07:22 PM

Gator,

FWIW, I love law school. But I hate people, so that might have something to do with it.

TruFloridaGator · #42 07-27-2006, 09:34 PM

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Gator,

FWIW, I love law school. But I hate people, so that might have something to do with it.

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Thanks. Seems like a one sided arguement so far, though.

Hey_Porter · #43 07-27-2006, 10:06 PM

Anecdotal at best, but I rarely study hard (if at all) during the semester and have done well (I'm entering 3L). If a prof doesn't call on people, 50/50 I won't even read the cases. I study really hard leading up to and during finals. I have yet to get below a B (and have only received one of those) and am top 5%. So, to each his own. Although I will say I think I got lucky that I could pull this off, and don't recommend finding out that you CAN'T pull it off by getting a 2.0 your first year.

lawloser · #44 07-28-2006, 12:50 AM

One of my fraternity brothers graduated from BC law. I guess it's your happiness that matters, but if your looking into BIG LAW when you graduate, you will be fighting an uphill battle.

lawloser · #45 07-28-2006, 01:07 AM

Just finished reading the post and have a few comments. I really don't like sharing private details on a public forum but I think 1st hand knowledge could help: I graduated #2 in my class from UCLA law school. I went BIG LAW and worked at Latham & Watkins for one year. The pay was INSANE ($145,000 starting, plus a $27,000 bonus). I left the law after that one year. This in a nutshell was my life: up at 6:00 A.M., get to the office at 7:00. Worked until 1:00 where I usually had a business lunch and I usually left the office at 10:30-11:00 PM. This was Monday-Friday. On Saturday's I would come in at 10:00 and leave at 7:00. My only day off was Sunday. It got to the point where I didn't know who I was anymore. My life was work and to be honest it was mind numbing at that. As a JA, you have absolutely no real responsiblity. Your basically stuck in your office and check facts and conduct research. All my friends from school were going through the exact same thing. Some left, some loved the money too much. It's a life decision. I'm starting my MBA in the Spring, but lord knows what I will do.

As for actual law school itself, live it up there. I had a great time, met some amazing people, and accomplished more than I thought possible. Yes, I studied ALOT. But law school was great. I loved being surrounded by the law and studying every nuance. The law is truely amazing and I truely loved law school. It's the actual profession that ripped my heart apart. Think about it what type of law you want to practice and then go from there. Find a firm that practices the type of law your interested in and schedule an informational interview with a junior associate to get a taste of what life will be like.

Regardless of your choice, good luck. Your embarking on a tough road filled with anxiety and pressure. But the rewards for overcoming those obstacles are immeasurable. My Civ Pro professor said this to me one day and I couldn't agree more: "the law is not a 9-5 job. It consumes everything about you until either you become the law or you despise it. Those in between are the lawyers in AA and NA."

PierceAndPierce · #46 07-28-2006, 12:21 PM

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So the gist of this thread is that business school>>>law school?

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If I could do it over again, my choices would have been:

1) Vet School
2) Med School
3) B-School
...
1,263,441,561,981) Crackhead
1,263,441,561,982) Law School

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Isn't business school the easiest of these three? And if you go into business you get to look fresh to death in fly suits, make mad cash, and bang hot chicks. Or am I totally off base here?

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yeah you are.

Unless you go to Hah-vahd B-school or Wharton.

jman220 · #47 07-28-2006, 01:40 PM

FWIW on the "how hard you should work threads,"

I went to a school that was tier 2, but near the very top of tier 2. (I got into a tier 1 school, but the tier 2 school I went to gave me a partial scholarship, and was much cheaper, if I had it all to do over again, I would have gone to a tier 3 or 4 and gotten a full ride, but oh well). My first semester I studied very hard, hours per day after class, read and briefed all the cases, took copious notes, outlined before finals, and made use of the study aids. My second semester I read the cases, briefed some of them, took notes, outlined before finals, used study aids. My third semester, I read some of the cases, briefed none of them, usually took notes, outlined the classes before finals, and used study aids. My fourth semester, I read few cases, but still paid attention in class and usually took notes, outlined before finals, and used study aids. My fifth semester I never opened a textbook, showed up to class but took poor notes, and outlined before finals using the study aids, and by getting outlines from friends. My sixth semester I never opened a textbook, often missed class, never took notes, and outlined solely from study aids and the outlines of my friends.

I graduated with honors, and my GPA my final semester (the one where I rarely showed up to class) was like a 3.8.

The moral of the story: Work like you've never worked before your first semester and first year, after that, you will get better at law school, and will learn what you do and don't need to do to get good grades.

The other moral of the story: The largest part of your law school grade for a course is determined by the amount you buckle down and put work into the exam in the last 2-3 days before the test. I would generally study 12-14 hours a day during finals week, making up for however much I slacked off during the semester.
Also: Getting outlines from people who have already taken the class (you can trade them yours) is clutch.

ArchAngel71857 · #48 07-28-2006, 03:49 PM

I find myself in the complete opposite position than a majority of people. I absolutely hated law school. I mean I aboslutely [censored] hated it.

I love my job as an attorney, i love the people I work with, and i love what I am doing. I get paid probably half as much as most associate attorneys in my area, but I could care less. My quality of life is very high, i get to spend a lot of time with my wife, and the attorneys at my office are the kind of people who inspire you to be a lawyer. I find that most people who practice law and "hate it" are working long hours at big firms for lawyers who are [censored]. So no matter what profession you choose, if you have to work 6 AM - 8 PM for an arrogant [censored] who gives you now credit for a job well done and takes sexual pleasure in overexaggerating when you make inevitable growing pains and mistakes, you're going to hate it too.

I could on about this but I should probably get back to billing something to somebody.

-AA

DrewDevil · #49 07-28-2006, 04:49 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I find myself in the complete opposite position than a majority of people. I absolutely hated law school. I mean I aboslutely [censored] hated it.

I love my job as an attorney, i love the people I work with, and i love what I am doing. I get paid probably half as much as most associate attorneys in my area, but I could care less. My quality of life is very high, i get to spend a lot of time with my wife, and the attorneys at my office are the kind of people who inspire you to be a lawyer. I find that most people who practice law and "hate it" are working long hours at big firms for lawyers who are [censored]. So no matter what profession you choose, if you have to work 6 AM - 8 PM for an arrogant [censored] who gives you now credit for a job well done and takes sexual pleasure in overexaggerating when you make inevitable growing pains and mistakes, you're going to hate it too.

I could on about this but I should probably get back to billing something to somebody.

-AA

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Lemme guess: solo practicioner???

ArchAngel71857 · #50 07-28-2006, 11:10 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I find myself in the complete opposite position than a majority of people. I absolutely hated law school. I mean I aboslutely [censored] hated it.

I love my job as an attorney, i love the people I work with, and i love what I am doing. I get paid probably half as much as most associate attorneys in my area, but I could care less. My quality of life is very high, i get to spend a lot of time with my wife, and the attorneys at my office are the kind of people who inspire you to be a lawyer. I find that most people who practice law and "hate it" are working long hours at big firms for lawyers who are [censored]. So no matter what profession you choose, if you have to work 6 AM - 8 PM for an arrogant [censored] who gives you now credit for a job well done and takes sexual pleasure in overexaggerating when you make inevitable growing pains and mistakes, you're going to hate it too.

I could on about this but I should probably get back to billing something to somebody.

-AA

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Lemme guess: solo practicioner???

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nope small law firm. The firm was started by three of the five present partners who left big firms because they wanted a better quality of life. They all took a hit in the financial department, but still believe they have the better part of the deal.

-AA