[Mentality]

Thanks for answering. (:
Does it matter which economics [since there's 3 types @_@]? I'm currently enrolled in Pre-Business but I'm wondering if it makes a big difference.
And I want to go that route because it seems like it'll open up more doors and opportunities for employment in the future.

[purple turtlE]

Hi law people! I have an interview with Jones Day for a summer internship in around a week and I was wondering about what you guys know about them. I googled Jones Day and it seems like they're an awesome firm but I want to hear what you guys have to say

Btw, I'm currently a sophy in high school.

[KIM_SAYS:]

Well, law schools are starting to look for more work experience in applicants, though one year probably wouldn't give you much of a boost. I don't think you want to give them the impression that you graduated without any real plans for the future, spent a year hanging around and then decided to apply to law school as sort of a fall-back option (even though this wouldn't be accurate, it's an impression they might get). You'd need to use your personal statement to really explain your interest in law.

As for recommendations, I just emailed a couple of professors I knew, asked if they'd be willing to do it and when I could meet with them to discuss it. You can attach a resume to the email you send to them, too, since they usually want to see it before they write the letter. I didn't have anyone say no. If you've got the Korean teacher, then you just need one more.

I don't know any books about practicing law. Frankly, most types of legal practice aren't something anyone would publish a book about.

What do you mean by work experience? What kind? And how does this work if LSAT and GPA are the most important things that they look at?

Right now I'm debating between journalism and law (just recently started thinking about law)...right now I write for the school paper, will be news editor next quarter, and will be doing a journalism internship this summer...will this not make any effect if I apply to law school since ECs aren't looked at?

Also, I've heard that during undergrad, the best thing to do is just to major in something easy to boost your GPA...right now I'm majoring in international studies, which is a pretty challenging major at my school. If my GPA is so-so will it still hurt my chances despite my major being difficult?

[TroubledAqua]

Thanks for answering. (:
Does it matter which economics [since there's 3 types @_@]? I'm currently enrolled in Pre-Business but I'm wondering if it makes a big difference.
And I want to go that route because it seems like it'll open up more doors and opportunities for employment in the future.

I don't know what school you go to but I am following the same route you kinda are. Right now I am a soph in Biz management and actually was thinking about switching my major because at my school, they said that Econ is great for law. To be honest I don't think it really matters which Econ you are in... in my school there is a science Econ and a Biz Econ. Econ gives you stats and math that helps you think critically so in all honesty, you are just prefecting that skill of law. However I decided to stay in Biz management since they do offer law classes and for the same idea that you are thinking... lets just say I don't get into law school or do not want to be a lawyer, at least I have a biz degree to back me up. My friend is an English major taking the English/Pre-Law course in our class but she is trying to get some biz in since she knows she can really do anything with that major unless she goes to law school.

[LUX.]

The college I plan on attending this Fall doesn't have any general education requirements. I'm definitely not much of a science person. I'm alright at math, but I don't like it very much. I'm definitely more of a history/english type of person, and so, I wasn't planning on taking any math and science classes throughout college. Would this clear unbalance in my curriculum be disadvantageous for me when it comes to applying for law school?

Would you recommend me taking any math or science classes in college anyways? And are there any other classes that would be good for me to take--as in, classes that law schools would be glad I took or ones that would help me prepare for the LSAT?

[Sweetraindrops]

what's the highest math does a law major gotta take?

[azzer]

what's the highest math does a law major gotta take?

Uhhh... you don't need math in university if you want to go to law school. At least not in Canada. The last math class I took was in grade 12, and I never took any math for my undergrad degree (Bachelor of Arts).

[ronmexico]

Thanks for answering. (:
Does it matter which economics [since there's 3 types @_@]? I'm currently enrolled in Pre-Business but I'm wondering if it makes a big difference.
And I want to go that route because it seems like it'll open up more doors and opportunities for employment in the future.

I would just go with regular econ. I don't think it will hurt your employment chances at all if you decide not to go to law school.

Hi law people! I have an interview with Jones Day for a summer internship in around a week and I was wondering about what you guys know about them. I googled Jones Day and it seems like they're an awesome firm but I want to hear what you guys have to say

Btw, I'm currently a sophy in high school.

All I know about them is that they're mostly a litigation firm, I think they have a pretty good intellectual property practice and that their nickname is Jones Day, Nights and Weekends because they work the associates so hard. Which office are you going to be working in?

What do you mean by work experience? What kind? And how does this work if LSAT and GPA are the most important things that they look at?

Work experience means experience working a full-time job after college. It's a minor factor, but it can help if you've been working for years.

Right now I'm debating between journalism and law (just recently started thinking about law)...right now I write for the school paper, will be news editor next quarter, and will be doing a journalism internship this summer...will this not make any effect if I apply to law school since ECs aren't looked at?

It won't hurt, that's for sure. It's not going to get you into a school where your numbers are just way below their medians, but it can help if you're on the border. That's the only time ECs, personal statements, etc. really come into play.

Also, I've heard that during undergrad, the best thing to do is just to major in something easy to boost your GPA...right now I'm majoring in international studies, which is a pretty challenging major at my school. If my GPA is so-so will it still hurt my chances despite my major being difficult?

Unfortunately, yes. Law school admissions officers probably won't know how difficult the major is at your school, and their primary concern is with the GPA numbers that affect their ranking.

The college I plan on attending this Fall doesn't have any general education requirements. I'm definitely not much of a science person. I'm alright at math, but I don't like it very much. I'm definitely more of a history/english type of person, and so, I wasn't planning on taking any math and science classes throughout college. Would this clear unbalance in my curriculum be disadvantageous for me when it comes to applying for law school?

Would you recommend me taking any math or science classes in college anyways? And are there any other classes that would be good for me to take--as in, classes that law schools would be glad I took or ones that would help me prepare for the LSAT?

It's not going to be a problem. I don't think anyone is really going to scrutinize your transcript too closely, so they probably won't even notice that you didn't take any math or science classes. One class that a lot of people recommend for the LSAT is Logic.

what's the highest math does a law major gotta take?

You don't have to take any math if you don't want to. There are no required classes for law school.

[suki_*]

what do you have to do to become a family lawyer? specifically in divorce it's a hot market these days.

do you still have to do general law first and then specialize? or was my questions totally rhetorical? haha if it is then i'm sorry.

[KIM_SAYS:]

Thanks ronmexico.

Just wondering...obviously GPA is really important....

Lets say your GPA is pretty good, but one of the grades you received for one of your classes is really really low....does that factor in...?

[Kurisu]

I apologize if this has been already answered, but I wanted to know if my overall GPA would be considered. My overall GPA is faltering right now, but I am majoring in Political Science and my cumulative major GPA is decent. I want to know if my poor grades in science classes would affect my acceptance?

Thank you.

[ronmexico]

what do you have to do to become a family lawyer? specifically in divorce it's a hot market these days.

do you still have to do general law first and then specialize? or was my questions totally rhetorical? haha if it is then i'm sorry.

All you have to do is graduate from law school and be admitted to the bar in the state where you want to practice. It's not like med school where you do a residency or anything. Most divorce lawyers are either sole practitioners or work in very small firms.

Thanks ronmexico.

Just wondering...obviously GPA is really important....

Lets say your GPA is pretty good, but one of the grades you received for one of your classes is really really low....does that factor in...?

Well, if there's a particular reason the grade is so low, you should try to explain it in an addendum. If they look at your transcript, they'll probably wonder why one grade is so far below the rest, so you might want to mention it. But ultimately your overall GPA will be more important.

I apologize if this has been already answered, but I wanted to know if my overall GPA would be considered. My overall GPA is faltering right now, but I am majoring in Political Science and my cumulative major GPA is decent. I want to know if my poor grades in science classes would affect my acceptance?

Thank you.

Unfortunately, as I said, they look primarily at your overall GPA, and probably won't even see your major GPA. They will get a copy of your transcript, but they'll rely largely on the score report from the LSDAS, which will have only your cumulative GPA on it. But again, you might want to send an addendum drawing their attention to the fact that your GPA was dragged down largely by grades outside of your major. If you have an upward grade trend, that can be helpful as well.

[forum-love]

general question,

what skill sets do lawyers really need to have?

or

what kind of skill sets/personality make one more suited for a career in law?

(eg:good in english,very loud...etc)

[KIM_SAYS:]

Hey ronmexico (again),

How beneficial in law is it to know foreign languages? I took French for a couple years, and I'm considering taking it up again. Also, what do public health lawyers do? Are they different from global health lawyers?

Thanks!

[ronmexico]

general question,

what skill sets do lawyers really need to have?

or

what kind of skill sets/personality make one more suited for a career in law?

(eg:good in english,very loud...etc)

Well, being very loud certainly isn't important. Having strong reading skills and paying attention to detail are crucial. Being able to write very concisely and precisely is also very important.

Hey ronmexico (again),

How beneficial in law is it to know foreign languages? I took French for a couple years, and I'm considering taking it up again. Also, what do public health lawyers do? Are they different from global health lawyers?

Thanks!

Foreign language ability probably won't help very much unless you have a native-level fluency. If you're not fluent, then you won't be able to deal with foreign-language documents, so there won't be much need for any foreign-language ability at all.

I'm afraid I have no idea what public or global health lawyers do. I'm not sure I've ever even heard of either of them.

[smilesweet]

Hi ronmexico,

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. Is it possible to get a job with a big law firm if one attends a top 30 school like BU, BC, Emory, etc., or should one aim for top 14? Also, how much of a difference does the rank of one's undergrad matter to law school adcoms?

[ronmexico]

Hi ronmexico,

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. Is it possible to get a job with a big law firm if one attends a top 30 school like BU, BC, Emory, etc., or should one aim for top 14? Also, how much of a difference does the rank of one's undergrad matter to law school adcoms?

It's certainly possible, but your odds won't be as good. If you're looking to work at a big firm, you should aim for the top 14. It's much tougher to get a job from lower-ranked schools unless you're in the top of your class, because big firms tend to hire most of their new associates from a limited number of schools, as you can sort of see from this chart.

The "NLJ 250" is the National Law Journal's list of the 250 largest firms in the country. They range in size from a couple hundred attorneys to a couple thousand, and some have starting salaries that are twice as high as others on the list. Some schools send the majority of their students to big firms, while others send significantly fewer. This chart is a little outdated, but shows where more schools send their students:

http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/20080414employment_trends.pdf (you might have to register for free to see it)

That's a good chart for anybody considering law school to look at, because it gives you some idea of where the school's graduates generally end up.

[ra123]

At ronmexico:

I'm an econ undergraduate and I was considering law school as a formal route after I get my BA.
However, I'm considering getting my mba and my choices come down to how much money I can manage to borrow from the bank.
Would it be practical for me to pursue law as an income choice or would I be better off pursuing the studies to become a CPA?
I've heard of the horror stories where law graduates have faced the reality of a very tough job competition and have failed to make enough income to balance out their financial loans.

[smilesweet]

Wow....so I guess I really to aim for T14 then. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to dig up the info ronmexico! I appreciate your insight.

[ronmexico]

At ronmexico:

I'm an econ undergraduate and I was considering law school as a formal route after I get my BA.
However, I'm considering getting my mba and my choices come down to how much money I can manage to borrow from the bank.
Would it be practical for me to pursue law as an income choice or would I be better off pursuing the studies to become a CPA?
I've heard of the horror stories where law graduates have faced the reality of a very tough job competition and have failed to make enough income to balance out their financial loans.

It really depends where you can get in, which is going to depend heavily on your LSAT score. Paying full price for a third-tier school probably won't make much financial sense, but it's impossible to say what your options are. As the chart I posted indicates, your employment options vary greatly depending on which school you go to. You wouldn't have any trouble borrowing the money if you needed to, it's just a question of whether or not you'll be able to pay it back.

Wow....so I guess I really to aim for T14 then. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to dig up the info ronmexico! I appreciate your insight.

This site also makes the point a little more emphatically. It looks at how many summer associates (who almost invariably become first-year associates) each school sends to the top firms in the Vault rankings. Law students use the Vault rankings pretty often in deciding which firms to bid on or interview with during on-campus recruiting. They try to measure the "prestige" of the firms, rather than just their size, as the NLJ list does.