Really, It’s Not “Cert-ee-or-ee?”
Tue, 23/02/10 – 14:35 | 4 Comments

Episode 9: Pronouncing Legal Terms, Reading Just One More Case, and More!
Turns out there aren’t that many differences between Massachusetts and the Midwest when it comes to saying “usufructory,” but you won’t know for sure unless …

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Don’t Rush to Apply to Law School
Tue, 9/03/10 – 16:04 | One Comment

It has been a while since I last posted, and I’d like to say that I’m sorry I’ve been away so long.  As the resident 0L, I’ve been working on law school apps myself.  It’s been a dizzying process, but thankfully I’m done and waiting to get accepted everywhere, get huge scholarships, and get really awesome Federal Loan offers.  While I may be deluding myself a bit, I’m using the delusions to avoid the stress of having to confront reality.  Speaking of confronting reality, I’ve decided to write a short post about applying to law school late in the season.

The problem with applying late in the application season is that you will not be among the first applicants to be reviewed by the admissions committee.  There will be a number more spots filled in the entering class by March than there would be if you sent your app in September.  Unfortunately, many people take the LSAT in February.  If you took the LSAT in February, I’m writing this for you.

Having just gotten your scores recently, you must have come to some determination about which schools you’ll be applying to.  Most people have no real gauge of which schools they could reasonably apply to until they get a look at their scores.    Even more unfortunate, most people who received their scores back last week will have done zero prep work in getting their apps together.  The deadlines for many schools have already passed, and the difficulty of getting into schools this late in the game is high.  It’s also very much in your best interests to gain any advantage possible in one of the most competitive application pools in history.  You can take the upper hand easily though.  I recommend waiting to apply next year.

I decided to put applications off for a year, and it was the right decision.   If you have an LSAT score you can admit to in early March, you can either rush to apply now, or wait til next year.  The following descriptions will shed light on the intricacies of each of these plans.

This person is very stressed.Applying Now:

You are probably already late to apply to some of the schools you like, the likelihood that you will get into the schools that you would be able to get into based on their admissions stats is lower because so much of the class has been chosen already, and you have missed most of the FAFSA priority deadlines for these schools.  Unless you had chosen your schools already, registered for the LSDAS, completed all of the applications before even taking the LSAT, done your taxes, filled out the FAFSA and submitted it to the schools you chose, and still studied for the LSAT, you will be spending the next several weeks locked up in all of those tasks.  Once you get all of those things done, you can finally get an application in, but you’re way late.

This man is very relaxedApplying Next Year:

If you don’t like your scores, you can take another test in June.  This will not delay you at all.  You know which schools will be within your reach as safety schools, and you can get started on writing and brainstorming for the essays.  You have months to get recommendations and transcripts submitted.  The entire process will be spread out over a longer period, and it will be less stressful as a result.  You have all of this time to pad your resume with internships, actual jobs, and volunteer positions as well.  When July rolls around, you can start making a concrete list of schools you’ll definitely be applying to, and you have almost a month and a half before most of the applications will even be available.  Most importantly, you can get almost every part of the application done before the actual application sheet comes out, and your application can go in before the vast majority of applicants for the coming year will have even looked at schools they like.  Your application will be one of the first to be looked at, and this will help you.  You’ll also be able to spend January and February getting your taxes together for the FAFSA without having also had to study for the LSAT.  Maybe you’ll even be able to meet priority FAFSA deadlines, and this could save you some serious dough.

I hope that you all understand the vast difference a year can make to this process.  Good Luck!

I Prefer it Aurally
Tue, 16/02/10 – 22:24 | No Comment
I Prefer it Aurally

A review and example of how to use text-to-speech to allow your textbooks to be ‘read’ to you.

How to Digitalize Your Textbooks
Tue, 16/02/10 – 21:27 | 3 Comments
How to Digitalize Your Textbooks

Since the iPad, Kindle, and Nook haven’t given you the ability to read/study for lawschool electronically, I present to you a way in which you can.

Legal Ethics Tip: Don’t Fabricate Your Job History
Mon, 15/02/10 – 11:33 | 3 Comments
Legal Ethics Tip: Don’t Fabricate Your Job History

A new website that is a very bad idea for current or prospective lawyers.

I Can’t Spell “Bureaucracy,” but I Still Think it Stinks
Tue, 9/02/10 – 14:56 | One Comment
I Can’t Spell “Bureaucracy,” but I Still Think it Stinks

Episode 8: Fastcase, More on WestlawNext, Snapping Under Law School Stress and More!
Wherein Josh and Laura revisit the fact that law schools are big, dumb, slow bureaucracies. Also, what does it mean that Westlaw aims …

Suck it Up and Take Trial Advocacy
Mon, 8/02/10 – 9:49 | 3 Comments
Suck it Up and Take Trial Advocacy

I know, at least at my law school, students are afraid of trial advocacy.  Maybe they’ve heard that it’s a ton of work, or maybe they’re just reluctant to speak in public in front of …

Review of the Fastcase iPhone App
Fri, 29/01/10 – 19:33 | 5 Comments
Review of the Fastcase iPhone App

Well, friends, the first full-fledged legal research app is born.
Some of you may have heard that the new Fastcase iPhone app dropped tonight.  At Legal Geekery, we had the good fortune of getting an advanced …

WestlawNext: Special Edition Legal Geekery Podcast
Thu, 28/01/10 – 12:46 | 5 Comments
WestlawNext: Special Edition Legal Geekery Podcast

Laura had the chance to check out the new WestlawNext. It’s pretty sweet. Tangents about class rank, grades, and a debate about the purpose of lawyers rounds out the hour.

The Future of Legal Research, Featuring Shiny Balls and Creepy Music
Fri, 22/01/10 – 16:11 | 4 Comments
The Future of Legal Research, Featuring Shiny Balls and Creepy Music

Legal Geekery Podcast Episode 7: “Intelligence doping,” Westlaw’s Project Cobalt, Fastcase, Apple Tablet and more!
As usual, this episode showcases Josh and Laura’s willingness to talk about stuff they know very little about, but it all …

The New Trend of Contingent Offers for Law Students
Wed, 13/01/10 – 16:25 | 7 Comments
The New Trend of Contingent Offers for Law Students

As the LG Podcast listeners know, I had an experience recently where I was extended an offer for a clerkship contingent upon an opening being available in August.  In my particular case, the clerk’s term …

How Are Grades Posted at Your Law School?
Tue, 29/12/09 – 14:36 | 13 Comments
How Are Grades Posted at Your Law School?

So here I am, sitting in Panera in Knoxville, frantically checking my transcripts in hopes that a grade or two will close.  That’s right, I’ve been finished with classes for two weeks now and I …

Santa Stealing to Pay Elves
Wed, 23/12/09 – 9:42 | No Comment
Santa Stealing to Pay Elves

Yesterday (12/22/2009) a man dressed as Santa Claus entered Sun Trust bank in Nashville and demanded money at gunpoint.
While he kept the punchline under wraps until his exit, on his way out, he exclaimed “I …

Announcing Lawhackr
Tue, 22/12/09 – 4:16 | 2 Comments
Announcing Lawhackr

It occurred to me the other day that when other law students and lawyers are talking with me, they’re significantly more interested in my take on tech-related stuff than anything else (my clearly genius legal …

A Lot Can Change in a Year (Alternatively: It’s Never Too Late?)
Sun, 20/12/09 – 18:29 | 10 Comments
A Lot Can Change in a Year (Alternatively: It’s Never Too Late?)

About a year ago, I made a post listing off 9 Reasons Not to Attend Law School which is still making periodic rounds across the blogosphere.
The thread has brought tons of interesting comments from both …

One Space or Two After Periods?
Thu, 17/12/09 – 10:11 | 10 Comments
One Space or Two After Periods?

Loyal LG readers may notice that I always put two spaces after my periods; it wasn’t always this way, though.  (Aww, I didn’t even use Bluebook ellipsis back then.)  During undergrad, I had explicitly rejected the notion …

End User Advice for Law School Finals, Podcast 6A
Sat, 12/12/09 – 10:59 | One Comment
End User Advice for Law School Finals, Podcast 6A

Josh and Laura discuss law school finals: taking the tests, exam software, the pros and cons of hand-writing essays, and much more. Join us in our temporary formatless format — you know you want a break from studying.

Non-profit Files Disciplinary Complaints Against Torture Memo Lawyers
Wed, 2/12/09 – 12:45 | No Comment
Non-profit Files Disciplinary Complaints Against Torture Memo Lawyers

On November 27th a group of lawyers filed complaints with the Washington, D.C. Board of Professional Responsibility to disbar William Haynes II, John Choon Yoo, and Alberto Gonzales for their participation in the torture memos.

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