Archive for September, 2010

The LSAT is the most important part of your law school application. There, I said it. I’m sorry if this comes as a surprise or a disappointment to anyone. But it’s true. In a recent Kaplan survey, 65 percent of law school admissions officers said that the LSAT is the “most important admissions factor” when choosing a new student. But once you accept that truth, the next question is why.

Why is the LSAT the most important part of your application? Why isn’t it like the SAT or ACT and exist as a small piece of the admissions puzzle? Three reasons: (1) The LSAT tests something real; (2) Law school rankings take the LSAT into account when listing schools; and (3) Law firms use the LSAT to compare candidates.

The LSAT isn’t just important to applicants because it’s important to law school admissions officers. It’s important to law school admissions officers because it’s important to the school. Its rank and the employability of its students depend on the LSAT. Yes, it’s unfair the way all standardized tests are. But it’s here to stay. And if you don’t get a good enough score to get into your dream school, best to keep studying and try again.

The LSAT tests something real: Success in law school

According to LSAC, the organization that writes and administers the LSAT, the test “is designed to measure skills that are considered essential for success in law school.” These include: “the reading and comprehension of complex texts with accuracy and insight; the organization and management of information and the ability to draw reasonable inferences from it; the ability to think critically; and the analysis and evaluation of the reasoning and arguments of others.” I understand if you don’t believe you really needed a standardized test to tell you or show a law school that you can read with “accuracy and insight” or “think critically.” That’s what your transcript and recommendations are supposed to demonstrate, right?

But no matter what you think of the test, it’s no mistake that LSAT scores correlate so well with success in law school. As Blueprint’s Most Strongly Supported blog points out, “The LSAT tests your ability to work like a dog, and so does law school…By showing you have the ability to excel on the LSAT, you’re showing law schools that you can at least focus for three months on a course of study. The ability to intensely focus on something is key.”

Law school rankings take the LSAT into account: School prestige

Rankings are a major player in the LSAT conspiracy (if we’re going to call it that). The U.S. News law school rankings weighs the median LSAT scores of all new JD students heavily when making its top schools list. In truth, that’s putting it lightly. In a 1998 report commissioned by the Association of American Law Schools called “The Validity of the U.S. News and World Report Ranking of ABA Law Schools”, Stephen P. Klein and Laura Hamilton write that “90% of the overall differences in ranks among schools can be explained solely by the median LSAT score of their entering classes.” They continue: “all of the other 10 factors [ed. besides LSAT and academic reputation] U.S. News measures (such as placement of graduates) have virtually no effect on the overall ranks and because of measurement problems, what little influence they do have may lead to reducing rather than increasing the validity of the results.” Since median LSAT scores are so important to a school’s ranking, there is significant pressure on law school admissions to accept applicants who have high scores. Though U.S. News’ Bob Morse says that the ranking’s measurement of the median LSAT rather than the average allows schools to accept applicants with lower scores “without negatively affecting their U.S. News ranking,” let’s be honest. 90 percent of rank can be explained by median LSAT–too big for schools to ignore.

Law firms use the LSAT to compare candidates and schools: Employment prospects

In the 2005-2006 BCG Attorney Search Guide to Class Ranking Distinctions and Law Review Admission at America’s Top 50 Law Schools, the consulting firm explains the importance of the LSAT and other law school admissions numbers to associate hiring.

The LSAT reputedly measures legal aptitude at a given point in time…Whereas grades require some subjective evaluation, an LSAT score does not: it stands immutable and is not subject to interpretation and manipulation. Unlike grades, what makes the LSAT such a powerful influence is that once a law school or law firm knows a candidate attorney’s LSAT score, it knows with some certainly how this candidate’s raw “legal aptitude” ranks in comparison with others, regardless of the quality of the student’s undergraduate institution or the relative rigor of the courses taken.

The LSAT is an equalizer among law students much like any other standardized test is for a group of students in the same degree across different schools. Firms use LSAT to compare candidates with identical GPAs from, say, Georgetown University and University of Pennsylvania. Because schools know that their students are being evaluated by potential employers on the bases of their scores, they want their students to have the highest scores possible and thereby the best job prospects. Moreover, it would be silly to assume that firms don’t look at rankings. Of course they do. And if you are competing with a student from a similarly ranked school for a job, your LSAT is likely to be even more important.

This post is authored by Carolyn C. Wise, Vault.com’s Senior Education Editor. She oversees the production of 10 annual guides covering undergraduate and graduate admissions, top internships, and career advice compilations for entry-level law and MBA job seekers. Her team is responsible for all educational content on Vault.com, including law school profiles, admissions advice, LSAT prep and law school industry trends articles. Carolyn reminds students that, “studying is important, but it isn’t everything. Volunteer, or join a club or sports team. This will make you happier overall–and more attractive to potential employers.”

For more on this topic and to hear directly from top law school admissions deans, consultants, and test prep providers, check out these Law School Podcaster episodes:

• Conquering the LSAT: Tips for Tackling the Test

• The LSAT: Everything You Need to Know About the Test

• Law School Rankings: What do the Numbers Mean?

So you’re really prepared for the LSAT. You’ve taken every practice test in every book. You can identify patterns in logic games in your sleep. You should feel confident, but you’re sitting here on test day, frozen with fear. You can’t even remember what the last sentence of the reading comprehension passage was by the time you get to the first question.

Does this scenario haunt you? Being nervous on test day is normal, but being too nervous is one of the major reasons why someone who did all the right things to prepare might still fall down on test day. The LSAT is a big culprit because you’re not supposed to find it easy to finish, even if you’re a top test-taker.

In college, I was a typical stressed-out student. When you’re stressed, you sweat more, your heart palpitates, and you may breathe faster or become jittery. Plus, changes occur in your brain that make your thoughts chaotic and disorganized –not something you want during a test. But then a very wise coworker persuaded me to accompany her to a Bikram yoga class: 90 minutes of intense yoga in a steamy 105-degree room.

I spent the first few minutes trying to hide my giggles as everyone around me, their arms contorted into a “W” shape, took loud, slow, wheezing breaths together. But by the end of class, I was a (very warm) convert, already feeling calmer and even happier after all that hard work. I never managed to touch my forehead to my shins, but what I did learn from years of going to yoga classes is that physical and mental relaxation are much more connected than I’d ever thought.

Whether or not you’re interested in sweating through a whole yoga class, you can still mine this connection as you prepare for a high-pressure standardized test. Focus on these three B’s—breath, bed, and breakfast—and you’ll be on your way. (The Birkenstocks are optional.)

BREATH

Bikram yoga starts out with an exercise in which you clasp your hands under your chin, breathe in slowly while lifting your elbows towards the ceiling, and then breathe out slowly while stretching your elbows forward. Sound uncomfortable? It is.

Whenever you find yourself in a panic, you can use this simple breathing technique. Psychologists swear by it, and all you need is oxygen.

Sit up with your back loose but straight, rest your hands on your knees and your feet on the ground a few inches apart, and start counting through slow, even breaths. Air should come in through your nose and out through your mouth. Once you’ve gotten to thirty breaths, the symptoms of anxiety will probably have lessened.
We’d recommend taking those thirty slow breaths whenever studying stresses you out. But if you’re in the middle of the actual test, you probably don’t have time for thirty. It’s okay – just five breaths can accomplish a similar effect.

Pro tip: Let your thoughts come and go while you count your breaths, without trying to control them. Sternly telling yourself not to think about anything usually has the opposite effect!

BED

Make sure you don’t ignore visits from the Sandman while you’re prepping for the LSAT. Not only does sleep actually help your memory – probably more than the extra hours of cramming would – but, that’s right, it will also help you cope with stress.
Caffeine at night will mess up your sleep, there’s no question. (So will alcohol, so don’t fall prey to the temptation of drinking to “relax.”) In fact, caffeine in the morning should be kept to a minimum too. Recent studies actually suggest that caffeine might be mostly a placebo: it doesn’t improve alertness, and instead just staves off the drowsy symptoms of withdrawal.

Pro tip: You’ve heard this one before, but don’t study near your bed. You can’t forget you have the LSAT coming up when your head is resting on the same pillow that you use to prop up your study materials.

BREAKFAST

So you didn’t finish that last question before time was called? Instead of dwelling on the past, move on and concentrate on the next section. One benefit of breakfast is that it keeps your mood on an even keel throughout the day. You’ll be able to respond to setbacks better.

Nutrition experts give all kinds of conflicting advice over what kinds of food are actually better for your brain. The two clearest things are that a nutritious breakfast will help your mental performance, and that highly fatty foods will harm it. Still, enjoy whatever you decide to eat, knowing that you’re helping yourself out by eating something.

Pro tip: At Knewton, we love bagels with cream cheese in the morning. Make that a whole wheat bagel (and maybe swap the cream cheese for peanut butter or scrambled eggs), and you’ve got yourself some great brain food. Yum!

Kristen Tracey is a Content Developer at Knewton.

For a sneak peek into Knewton.com, you can enroll in a free LSAT Prep trial today!

These four law schools get an A+ for their public interest support for law students — preparing them for a lifetime of service.

Legal education has hit a sweet spot when it comes to the field of public service. A growing number of law school students are interested in careers that tackle issues of human rights, immigration, war crimes and more. Indeed, some legal scholars have hailed this group of law students as “Generation G” for their generosity and involvement in this area of the law.

At the same time, the nation’s top law schools have developed comprehensive public service offices to provide the best access to the faculty, clinics, externships and programs available to students today. As a result, there are more opportunities for students to study the law they love, experience real cases out in the field, find a job they are passionate about and have the resources to pay the bills at the end of every month.

Using data collected by “The Equal Justice Works Guide to Law Schools,” The National Jurist selected four schools for its Public Service honor roll: Boston University School of Law, Brooklyn Law School, Cornell Law School and the University of Maryland School of Law.

The law schools vary from student enrollment to tuition. But they all had things in common, including:

• Strong support from the law school’s administration, faculty and staff – financially and emotionally

• An office or administrator solely devoted to the subject, giving students access to alumni, working professionals and others in their field of interest

• A large and vast array of projects, all designed to accommodate a law student’s normally hectic workload

• A social network for students interested in public service ranging from student organizations to lectures to events focused on the issues surrounding this career

• Orientation programs, welcome receptions and recognition awards for the public service work among students, faculty and graduates

Lee Miller said she chose Brooklyn Law because of the public interest programs the law school offers. The 1L received the prestigious Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellowship, and is studying for a joint degree in law and urban planning.

“This has been the perfect law school for me,” said Miller, who said Brooklyn’s faculty have shared her enthusiasm for New York’s waterways and its economic development, two areas Miller previously worked in before deciding to attend law school.

By definition, public service or public interest law is understood as providing legal representation to individuals, groups or interests that historically have been under-represented in the United States or global legal systems.

Launched in 2006, “The Equal Justice Works Guide to Law Schools” has served as a free interactive online resource of public service opportunities, curricula and financial programs at more than 150 law schools in the United States.

Equal Justice Works, a Washington, D.C., non-profit organization, created the guide because its editors “believe there is a void in existing commercial law school resource guides and rankings,” according to its Web site.

It provides side-by-side comparisons of financial aid and affordability factors, faculty engagement, student leadership, the range of clinical, externship and pro bono opportunities and curricular and co-curricular offerings in specific issue areas.

Law-school administrators say they believe today’s students studying public service law are particularly generous with their time and expertise for a variety of reasons. It may be because their parents were involved in social issues. The students may have volunteered extensively throughout high school and undergraduate work. Some students also have held full-time jobs before attending law school, so they understand the impact of the work they feel called to do.

“If you present opportunities, students are very interested in public service. It’s a case of, ‘If you build it, they will come,’” said Maura Kelly, assistant dean for career development and public service at Boston University School of Law. Maryland Dean Phoebe Haddon added: “It sounds clichéd, but lives are transformed through public service.”

Here is a look at the five honor roll members:

Boston University School of Law

Kelly arrived at Boston University School of Law in 2005, following a career in educational law and a stint as assistant director of public service advising at Harvard Law School. Her assignment at BU was to help expand the law school’s public service programs, including starting a pro bono program.

One of the choices BU made was to make pro bono work voluntary. The program has thrived because its students embrace a spirit of generosity, Kelly said. Also, Dean Maureen O’Rourke is fully behind it and promotes it at the school’s career events.

“We really support our students to become the lawyers they intended to be when they came to the law school,” Kelly said. Students who take the “Pro Bono Pledge” and complete at least 35 hours are recognized on their transcripts, highlighted at the law school’s graduation ceremony, and the Dean gives each student a certificate at a celebratory event.

Four alumni also are celebrated each year for their service with annual awards given at Public Interest Orientation, the Pro Bono Kickoff, the D.C. Public Service Reception and the End of the Year Pro Bono Celebration. The Public Interest Project or “PIP,” a student organization, also gives alumni awards for commitment to public service.

The law school’s fall Public Interest Orientation session features an alumni speaker, whose career path personifies one of the many paths for Boston law graduates. Events like these are key to the public service department’s outreach. Of the more than 50 campus events the office schedules, half were focused on public service or public interest issues.

Plus, there is the Public Interest Scholarship program, designed to provide financial support to students who have demonstrated a commitment and desire to work in public interest law. Its scholars receive almost full tuition, special mentoring from the law school’s faculty and regular one-on-one meetings with Kelly and other career advisors to help develop their career plans.

Kelly is particularly proud of the law school’s spring break pro bono trips. The law school provides much of the funding for the trips, which vary in location from New Orleans, L
a., to Texas, Michigan, Cambodia and Thailand.

Brooklyn Law School

Brooklyn Law School began enlarging its public service initiatives more than 20 years ago, one of the first law schools to do so. Officials say this makes their program one of the most engaging, well-defined and broadly based in the nation.

It includes 40 specialized courses, fellowships and clinical opportunities, nine in-house clinics, three large externship programs, two specialty externships and six clinics that partner with outside organizations.

One key program is the law school’s Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellowship, which fosters a close-knit public interest community on campus with monthly forums and yearly symposia. Its core component is a 10-week paid summer internship for fellows in the United States or abroad.

The Sparer Faculty Committee mentors the fellows through their law school years and beyond. Among others, it includes Sparer’s director, Elizabeth M. Schneider, an expert in gender law and domestic violence, and Susan N. Herman, the president of the national American Civil Liberties Union.

The law school underwrites about 400 students each year who want to work for the summer at public interest organizations. Another source of support is the student-run Brooklyn Law School Public Interest fellowship, which holds fundraising events, including auctions and races in Prospect Park.

Plus, two new international public service fellowship programs were launched in 2007: The International Human Rights Fellowship, funded by the Law School, and the International Law Society Global Justice Fellowship, supported through the fundraising efforts of the student-run International Law Society. Fellows worked in many countries such as Switzerland to address bio-weapons prevention, in Cambodia on accountability for Khmer Rouge atrocities and in South Africa to help asylum seekers and refugees.

Many student organizations are dedicated to public service. For example, the Civil Legal Advice and Resource Office Student Action Group advises consumer debtors who are representing themselves in civil court. It has become a model for other law schools and a Bronx legal aid office.

The Brooklyn Law School Loan Repayment Assistance Program, developed in 1990, has provided more than $2.4 million in loan forgiveness to support graduates who choose to work in public interest organizations.

“It can help change the quality of someone’s life,” said Elizabeth Kane, director of the law school’s public service programs.

Cornell Law School

Cornell Law School’s commitment to helping its public service career-minded students make their dreams a reality is the cornerstone of its initiatives, said Karen Comstock, assistant dean for Public Service.

To that end, in the beginning of the 2009-2010 academic year, Dean Stewart Schwab reiterated the law school’s financial commitment to one of its most popular offerings — the summer Public Interest Fellowship program.

Comstock’s office anticipates the demand will double in summer 2010 for what is known as PIF, as it guarantees a stipend to all first and second year students who take unpaid internships with government agencies and non-profit organizations. Normally, fundraising can cover most of the program’s cost. However, the current economy had the program on the ropes.

Because relevant summer work is crucial to securing permanent post-graduate positions, the Dean’s support is another sign of Cornell’s belief that public service is worth its weight.

“We want students to know we value this career choice,” Comstock said. The career’s relatively low pay plus substantial school loans can be a significant barrier to public service work. These are often interesting, exciting jobs, but public sector employers do not have the means to offer large, competitive entry-level salaries. Cornell’s goal is to make public service a viable career choice.

One of Comstock’s newest projects is the Public Service eNewsletter, which was launched in December. This periodic email report keeps all of the law school’s key players, including its involved alumni, aware of what’s happening in the public service arena.

Keeping alumni up-to-date on Cornell’s programs is key to developing strong mentor opportunities and finding top-notch speakers for campus events, Comstock said. Alumni also serve as role models, especially those who receive the law school’s Exemplary Alumni Public Service Awards.

Now in its fifth year, Cornell’s Public Service Awards and Celebration, held in New York, acknowledges the achievements of alumni who excel in government service, poverty law, domestic and international human rights and public policy. Third year law student winners of the Freeman Award for Civil-Human Rights, the Stanley E. Gould Prize for Public Interest Law and the Seymour Herzog Memorial Prize are also recognized at this event.

University of Maryland School of Law

The commitment to public interest at the University of Maryland School of Law includes a unique requirement, establishing “experiential education” in providing legal services to individuals otherwise lacking access to justice as a key part of the law school’s curriculum, said Dean Phoebe Haddon.

The requirement results in about 250 students in 25 clinics contributing more than 110,000 hours of free legal service annually, making the Clinical Law Program one of the largest public interest firms in Maryland.

“Maryland has a well-established culture of service,” Haddon said. “Many students choose to come here because of our access to justice focus. … We believe students need to be mindful of the disparities out there (and) give them a real sense of the community.”

This spring, the law school will offer a new International and Comparative Law Clinic allowing students to develop experience in global issues while helping strengthen legal systems and to increase access to justice in developing nations. The 13 pioneering students will work in either Namibia, China or Mexico, communicating with their professors and taking classes through video-conferencing and online.

“This new clinic will expand law-related skills of citizens globally as well as provide unique opportunities for our students and faculty to collaborate and interact with lawyers from an international perspective,” Haddon said.

Maryland also has created some unique public service offerings as part of the curriculum. Consider the case of Prof. Brenda Bratton Blom, director of the Clinical Law Program, who helped establish the Legal Grind last year.

The Legal Grind is a weekly session where, for just $10, Maryland Law students work alongside pro bono lawyers from Civil Justice Inc. to provide Baltimore residents legal representation with a cup of coffee and consultation in “a convenient, affordable, informal way,” the law school’s Web site said.

Then there is the Maryland Public Interest Law Project, which provides stipends to Maryland students who take unpaid summer positions with public service agencies. Last year, the Project funded 27 grants for students who worked at Maryland Legal Aid, the Public Justice Center, public defenders’ of
fices in Baltimore, Washington and New Orleans and the ACLU of Maryland, among others.

Ultimately, what makes Generation G so powerful is the students who created it, law school officials said.

“What makes (public service programs) ultimately so fantastic is the students themselves,” Comstock said. “They are inspirational.”
Kelly agreed. “They have dreams of making a difference,” she said.

This guest post is authored by Karen Dybis and was originally published in the February 2010 issue of The National Jurist magazine. You can click here for the February 2010 digital edition of the magazine or visit The National Jurist website for more great content about law school.

You’ve survived the admissions process and made it into law school. Now you’ll just need to survive your first year and make it through the rest of law school.

If you’re like most students starting law school, you’ve got a ton of questions. You’re wondering how law school classes will differ from your undergraduate classes, what your life will be like and how to best structure your time, how to prepare for a class where a single exam at the end determines your entire grade, how to outline your classes and whether to join a study group or work alone.

In our latest show, Law School Survival Guide: Advice to Hit the Ground Running as a 1L and Beyond, we take a close look at what you can expect in your first year of law school and how you can make a running start right out of the gate. We talk with the following group of law professors who teach first year law students, with authors of some of the “go-to” guides for surviving that all-important first year and with a 2L student, who shares insight into a successful first year:

• James D. Gordon III, Marion B. and Rulon A. Earl Professor of Law Brigham Young University Law School and author of Law School: A Suvivor’s Guide

• Henry Noyes, Professor of Law at Chapman University School of Law, author of Acing Your First Year of Law School: The Ten Steps to Success You Won’t Learn in Class

• Don Macaulay, founder of AdmissionsDean.com and Law Preview

• Nancy B. Rapoport, Gordon Silver Professor of Law, William S. Boyd School of Law, UNLV and author of Law School Survival Manual: FROM LSAT TO BAR EXAM

• Gary Young, Adjunct Professor of Law at University of Nebraska College of Law, Lincoln and author of Law School Ninja

• Ashley Brian – 2L Law Student, Indiana University of Law, Indianapolis

Listen in as our guests weigh in with some reassuring and practical advice to get your started on the right foot and guide you through the start of law school.

…Will they “like” what they see?

In a strange way, applying to law school is a little like being accused of a crime.

Admissions committees will scrutinize your past actions, future intentions, and ulterior motives as rigorously as any jury or judge. Your recommenders will be called to vouch for you like witnesses on the stand. And much like any good prosecutor, the admissions representatives at Competitive Dream Law School X will do everything in their power to ensure that no “guilty” (read: undeserving) party gains admission to their esteemed institution.

Let me guess what you’re thinking: But I’ve already written a killer application essay. My undergrad grades are top-notch. I annihilated the LSAT. What could go wrong? It’s all up to fate now.

Not quite:

Even if you have the perfect application package (and if so—congratulations are in order), try thinking like your future defense-attorney self. This isn’t the 19th century; gone is the age of “hospitality” and “manners,” when people welcomed perfect strangers into their homes for cookies and tea. This is the Internet age, the era of disconnection and disaffection, and law enthusiasts are savvy enough not to take things at face value.

So if your personal statement gushes about a year spent volunteering at countless Russian orphanages, don’t expect the admissions committee at Competitive Dream Law School X to automatically believe you. On the contrary, expect them to scour your Facebook pictures for pictures of you frolicking with the kids. And if instead, they find evidence of you downing shots of Petrov with Russian submarine captains—expect to kiss your almost-spot at Competitive Dream Law School X goodbye.

It’s an extreme example, yes, but you can guess where we’re going with this. Today’s law school professors, administrators, and admissions representatives aren’t Luddites. In fact, most of them are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google aficionados—or at least have the know-how to use social networking tools to their advantage. With a click of the mouse, admissions committees can unearth unsavory biographical details and blurry late-night party shots they’d never have had access to a decade ago.

So, unless you want the Dean of Harvard Law to see you doing keg-stands on the quad—clean up your online footprint!

“We are constantly Googling, Facebooking, and searching Blogger.com and other sites for applicants,” says Karen DeMeola, an admissions officer at the University of Connecticut Law School. It’s a good idea to search for yourself in various online forums. DeMeola’s advice: “Untag yourself from all those ‘every day is St. Patrick’s Day’ photos.”

And certainly don’t give schools a reason to muckrake. “We don’t research students as a rule,” says Nate Kenyon, Director of Marketing and Communications at Boston College Law School, “but if there was cause for concern… we would look around.” So, “be professional, be patient, and be respectful” in your correspondence, Kenyon advises. “Technology allows for communication with admissions to be easier and faster, but it can cause problems if a prospective student is aggressive or persistent, firing off an email without thinking.” One Temple University admissions officer recalls coming across an email that addressed the Director of Admission as, simply, “Hey!” An amateur move like that might not be the end of the world—but it definitely won’t tip the scales in your favor.

Lawyers are expected to exude professionalism; you might as well begin now. If your current email address is sumbooty@email.com or angelcutiehoneyXO@wahoo.com, change it. Extricate yourself from embarrassing blogs or picture-sharing sites. Keep in mind that law school applications are designed to reveal more about you than undergraduate applications. Law schools are scouring applications for the best possible future lawyers—i.e. they’re looking not only for people with high GPAs and LSAT scores, but also for people with solid character traits and enough common sense to moderate a responsible, professional social presence.

Fortunately for all of us, though, technology isn’t all doom and gloom. Online social networks have also opened up new opportunities for communication and control. Many law schools have vibrant Facebook communities that applicants can “visit” for a first-hand view into the content and tone of conversations on-campus. Elizabeth Schmalz, Director of Communications at Columbia Law School, notes that the Columbia Facebook page “is pretty active. It’s a community-building space for us, aimed primarily at our alumni. But it also offers a way for people to drop in on the Columbia law community and start to make their own connections, especially since it’s not always easy to people to get here.”

Be careful not to cause too much of a stir on law-school forums or Facebook communities, though. In fact, it’s probably best to “lurk”—at least until you’ve gained one of the coveted first-year spots at Competitive Dream Law School X. After all, you never know how your comments—no matter how seemingly uncontroversial—might be interpreted.

This guest post is authored by Meghan Daniels, the Associate Editor at Knewton.

For a sneak peek into Knewton.com, you can enroll in a free LSAT Prep trial today!

Meeting With A Potential Employer?

How to prepare for your first interview

Q: Meeting with a potential employer for the first time is nerve-wracking. How can I ensure that I put my best face forward?

A: The following checklist may help put you at ease before meeting with a potential employer for the first time:

• Check with the employer ahead of time about whom at the firm you’ll be meeting with, and find out some professional information about the person(s) that you can use to your advantage in conversation during the meeting.

• Understand what the meeting will entail. For example, will it be a formal meeting at the employer’s location or a short meeting for coffee? Is the purpose of the meeting to find out information about the firm, or are you going on a formal interview to be considered for a job or internship?

• Be punctual and avoid anything that could make you late.

• Err on the side of being conservative and formal in your demeanor, dress and presentation.

• No matter how relaxed you may be at the meeting or how friendly the potential employer may be, be sure to stay professional and courteous. Remember that you’re trying to make a first impression as a professional—act like one.

• Show enthusiasm: ask pointed questions about the position, the firm or the employer. Prepare those questions ahead of time, and avoid “canned” questions by doing some specific research about the employer before your meeting.

• Be prepared to answer questions the employer may have. Have your “career sound bytes” ready for some of the most frequently asked questions, such as:
-Why should we hire you?
-What do you know about our firm?
-What makes you stand out among other applicants?
-Why did you decide to go to law school?
-What are some of your interests?

• Bring with you extra copies of anything that the potential employer may ask for, including business cards or other contact information, your resume, your references and a writing sample.

This guest post was authored by Ursula Furi-Perry, Esq. and was published in the January 2010 issue of The National Jurist Magazine. Click here for the January 2010 digital edition of The National Jurist or visit The National Jurist website for more great content about law school.