This blog has moved

This blog is now located at http://blog.lawschoolpodcaster.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://blog.lawschoolpodcaster.com/feeds/posts/default.

Watch Out for Passage Wording on the LSAT!

Many answer choices on the LSAT are written to be enticing. Some answers will be blatantly wrong, but most will only be slightly wrong.

That’s why you have to pay close attention to passage wording in Reading Comp and Logical Reasoning. Both sections make you read huge chunks of text closely but quickly, so when you’re scanning the questions for a passage the words start to run together. Take this snippet, from a very scientific passage about cats:

Traditionally, cats have been excellent self-cleaners. Housecats, more than other cats in the animal kingdom, rely on their tongues for bathing and fur maintenance. While their self-cleaning methods are effective, they also sometimes result in challenges like hairballs.

This is a shorter (and much weirder) passage than one you’ll find on the LSAT, but you can use the same strategies in addressing it. Say the first question asks us for a statement that is true according to the author and gives us four possible answer choices. The first choice might be easy to eliminate.

(A) Cats are excellent space travelers.

A gimme. Space travel is completely off-topic, so we can scratch this one. Let’s look at the rest.

(B) Housecats have proven throughout history to be some of the best self-cleaners in the animal kingdom.

Immediately we remember reading a lot of these words. “History,” “self-cleaners,” and “the animal kingdom” are all mentioned, and the self-cleaning skills of housecats are compared favorably to those of other cats. However, while the passage tells us that cats are “excellent” self-cleaners, the author doesn’t establish that housecats would rank highly among all self-cleaning creatures in the animal kingdom. This might be true in real life (and it almost sounds true in the passage) but we can’t infer it from what the author tells us.

OK, how about this one?

(C) In a way, self-cleaning methods are dangerous because they lead to hairballs.

This statement sounds familiar, and it certainly seems possible that hairballs could be a danger. It’s not true according to the passage, though. The author says that self-cleaning sometimes leads to hairballs, and while this can be a challenge for a cat, it’s not necessarily dangerous. The wording here is slightly too definitive, and the characterization is extreme.

And finally:

(D) Cats such as lions rely less on their tongues for bathing than do housecats.
The middle statement in the passage implies this. Then again, we already knew it was correct: since we paid attention to extreme, errant, and misleading wording, we were able to eliminate the other answer choices.

We can rest comfortably knowing we’ve arrived at the right answer. Plus, we learned something about cats.

Chris Black is a Content Developer at Knewton, helping students with their LSAT prep. He’s also really into barbecue. Law School Podcaster listeners can use a promo code to receive a discount on the Knewton LSAT course.

For more information about the LSAT, check out our podcasts "The LSAT: Everything You Need to Know About the Test," and "Comparing LSAT Test Prep Companies".

Looking for The Inside Scoop on Part-Time Law School Programs?

We’re working on an upcoming podcast covering this topic.

Why attend law school part-time? With law school tuition on the rise, and an uncertain job market, many working professionals just can’t afford to walk away from their careers to pursue their law degree. For these folks, a part-time law school program makes the most sense. Basic financial reasons may also propel others to seek a program that is less expensive in an immediate sense as tuition costs are budgeted over a longer period of time (4 years) rather than condensed into 3 years of a traditional full-time degree program. Some part-timers are non-traditional students who may be older or who do not come to law school directly from undergraduate school or after taking just a year or two off after college.

In our upcoming segment, we asked deans of admissions at law schools with part-time programs about what they look for in applicants, about the merits and drawbacks of part-time programs and what these programs offer students. We get perspective on recruitment and job prospects for part-time students from deans of career services and we hear from a part-time law student at Georgetown about what it’s really like to balance law school life with an already full schedule!

Guests you will hear from include:

•Andy Cornblatt, Dean of Admissions, Georgetown University Law Center
•Stephen Brown, Fordham Law School, Dean of Enrollment Services
•Melissa Lennon, Assistant Dean for Career Planning, Temple University, Beasley School of Law
•Jannell Roberts, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
•Meghan Morris, Part-Time Law Student, Georgetown University Law Center

Stay tuned for more on this upcoming segment!

Shifting Paradigm for Law Firms and Legal Education?

There's been a lot of discussion lately about the changes taking place in Law Firm Land (for purposes of this discussion, including Big Law as well as mid-size and smaller law firms) and in legal education. Our earlier posts have addressed some of these discussions in the context of proposed changes to law firm recruitment at law schools, proposed changes to legal education and the effects of clients needs on demand for legal services from law firms.

And here comes another report documenting some of the changes that are taking place in the private practice arena. According to the ABA Journal, a new study released at ABA Techshow, “The Evolution of the Legal Profession: A Conversation with the Legal Community's Thought Leaders on the Front Lines of an Industry,” there is a "sweeping evolution" taking place in law firm structure and management and client expectations. The ABA Journal reports that the study was conducted by Ari Kaplan, a lawyer and technology and marketing author, and "is the first in a series that combines insights from a cross-section of the legal industry." This includes interviews with "practicing lawyers, academics, in-house counsel and CEOs about client expectations, shifting cultures and ways to prepare law students for the business of legal practice."

Some key points from the study:

•There are significant changes to billing structures and client expectations. "Nearly 75% agreed that the profession is experiencing a sweeping evolution that will be marked by permanent changes to billing structures, firm organization and value and efficiency expectations from clients".

•Nevertheless, the billable hour is sill alive and well in Law Firm Land.

•While law firms may be trying to come up with alternative billing arrangements that work for them and for clients, it is a challenge to do so given the business model of law firms (i.e., their capital structure).

•Clients are less willing to pay for 1st year associate work. (85% of those surveyed were aware of instances where corporate clients refused to pay for first-year-associate work done on their cases and one Kaye Scholer partner noted that “E-Discovery tools have eliminated the need to have junior associates review boxes of documents, which is why you are seeing thousands [of] junior associates laid off").

•Despite these changes, a recent study by the American Bar Foundation and NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education reported more than 70 percent of lawyers were moderately or very satisfied with their career decision. As the ABA Journal reports, Harvard Law School professor David Wilkins says, "Satisfaction is a blunt instrument, but the portrait of widespread misery is wildly exaggerated.”

Listen to our podcast "The Current Economic Environment: What It Means for Law School Applicants & Students" to hear more on this topic.

Attitude Problems on the LSAT

Attitude questions — you know, those mildly irritating ones that pretty much ask you how the author feels about something — may be the trickiest questions on the Reading Comp section of the test. If only those authors would just come out and say how they felt about the topic (I think that Yeats’ poetry is crap)! Luckily for us, these attitudes do come across loud and clear, as long as you know what types of language to look for.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Eliminate any answer choice with the words indifferent or neutral—if the author didn’t feel anything about the subject, the LSAT writers wouldn’t be asking the question.

2. Check out the adjectives and adverbs that describe the topic: are these mostly positive (comprehensive, informative, insightful, etc) or negative (disappointing, unfortunate, incomplete)?

3. Check out the verbs that are associated with the topic. Does the author say that it attempts, succeeds, or fails at anything?

4. Unless your findings are OVERWHELMINGLY positive or STAGGERINGLY negative, eliminate extreme answer choices (outright disdain, ardent admiration, unmitigated criticism, unconditional acceptance, etc).

Let’s take a look at this excerpt to see if we can figure what the author’s attitude toward Koons’s study is:

Koons’s study provides one of the more enlightening accounts of the Great Migration. Unfortunately, it fails to fully address the reaction of Northern whites to this sudden influx of African Americans.

Okay, so the author describes the study as one of the more enlightening accounts. That’s pretty positive! However, he then adds a negative qualification: it unfortunately fails to fully address something. So, the author has a somewhat positive attitude about Koons’s study. We’ll keep this in mind as we go through the answer choices:

A. Enthusiastic reverence

This is an extreme answer choice. We know that the author feels positively about Koons’s study, but we also know that he has some reservations about it. So this one is out.

B. Complete indifference
This choice claims the author doesn’t have an opinion on the subject—we can eliminate it right off the bat.

C. Qualified rejection
This suggests that the author’s attitude is mostly negative, but we know the author’s feelings are generally positive.

D. Reserved admiration
There’s our correct answer! The author shows admiration for the study (it is one of the more enlightening accounts.) We know this admiration is reserved, because the author points out one of the study’s unfortunate shortcomings (it fails to fully address…)

E. Pointed skepticism
Here’s another extreme answer choice. Plus, it’s overwhelming negative, while we know the author has somewhat positive feelings about the study.

Emily Holleman is a Content Developer at Knewton, helping students with their LSAT preparation. Law School Podcaster listeners can use a promo code to receive a discount on the Knewton LSAT course.

For more information about the LSAT, check out our podcasts "The LSAT: Everything You Need to Know About the Test," and "Comparing LSAT Test Prep Companies".

When Choosing a Law School, Think Regionally!

One sound bite I use a lot when counseling prospective law students is to "put the end at the beginning." Before thinking about program specialties and clinical opportunities and academic profiles and acceptances rates and anything else that might determine your selection of law schools to which you will apply, think about the end game. Picture graduating, taking the bar, and going off to work. Seriously, do it, even if it feels weird.

The reason it might feel weird is because the law school process is very insular, especially compared to other graduate professional programs like medical school and business school. Just look at the applications: MBA and MD programs ask students specifically about their career goals and prospects, while law schools simply present a personal statement that allows you to write about whatever you want (and in most cases, you should be writing about something besides career goals). Even the process by which law schools admit students is focused entirely on what will make for a good law student - almost no thought is given to whether the candidate will make for a good lawyer one day. So law school applicants can be forgiven when they lose sight of the end game (the legal profession), choosing instead to focus entirely on the law school part of the equation.

Part of putting the end at the beginning is understanding career prospects and the recruitment process that while occur while in school. Law school is very hierarchical in the sense that attending a top school can lead to an easier path to prestigious job opportunities. Attending a truly elite school can often take some of the pressure off of finding a BigLaw job and it has the added benefit of creating a truly national job search. Virtually everyone attends on campus interviewing processes at programs like Harvard, Columbia, and Chicago, and while some firms are cutting back on their level of recruitment, graduates of elite institutes can still expect to meet with recruiters from law firms based all over. A Chicago grad will not only receive the opportunity to meet with Chicago-based firms, but also firms based in other cities, major market branches, and even satellite offices. When I interviewed during OCI (on campus interviewing) at Chicago in the fall of 2005, over 25 L.A. firms were on the docket.

However, the harsh reality is that most law students will not have the chance to attend a top five, ten, or even "T-14" law school and the even harsher reality is that the current legal recruiting climate is narrowing the options available to students and graduates. All of which puts a premium on planning ahead and thinking about which city you want to work in when you graduate. If you can't go to one of the truly national law schools (a group that is growing smaller every year), then you simply have to consider the regional recruiting implications of your school selection process. Emory is a fine law school but you won't find 25 firms from Los Angeles on campus for recruiting and you won't even find that many from New York. D.C., sure, but expect a heavy dose of Atlanta. Students at Texas can expect to see a lot of firms from Texas. George Washington grads are going to get most of their offers from D.C. area firms. This is just the way things tend to work when the job search becomes more regional in nature.

Once students understand this basic consideration, the next question becomes obvious: "What region of the country do I want to live and work in?" For many, the answer is easy - they want to be close to family, to return to their roots, be near a spouse's job, and so on. For other students, however, the possibilities are endless. They can and will go anywhere for the "right" opportunity. Usually, that means going to the school they perceive to be the best. However, let me offer another regional consideration, one that puts the end at the beginning: think about the value of law firm employment.

Assuming you go on to study law at a regional school, have access to regional recruiters, and land a job with a law firm in that region, you are going to be looking at some basic factors that speak to the value of that work experience. For instance, practicing law in New York is known to pay the biggest bonuses, but also demand (often by far) the longest hours. It is not uncommon to hear of junior associates billing 2,400 hours a year. And while the bonuses may be bigger in the Big Apple, the base salaries are often similar to those in other major markets. Consider that cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and D.C. all pay "New York salaries" yet have cultures with lower billable hours. There are certainly still sweatshops in those cities and you must pick a firm carefully, but billing a lot of hours in L.A. or Chicago looks more like 2,100 than 2,400. And the pay is just about the same. So those cities start to look pretty good. And to take it a step further, you can easily research cost of living and see that Chicago is an absolute steal compared to Los Angeles (and, of course, New York).

So if you are a law school applicant considering "regional" schools in New York, L.A., and Chicago, you also want to consider the value of your job when you graduate. For pure return on investment, Chicago blows the other two cities out of the water. This analysis also extends to somewhat smaller markets like Portland, Dallas, and Denver - firms don't pay quite the same salaries, but the billable hour requirements are usually far lower and the cost of living is a fraction of the bigger markets.

Obviously, the ability to secure employment in the first place and to do so at a firm that allows for interesting work and a good environment for professional development is all necessary for any sort of value calculation to do any good. But when you are looking at regions of the country to practice law, don't just think about the schools themselves or which city you might want to live in for three years - really think long and hard about where you can get the most value out of your legal practice once you graduate. Where you go geographically will make all the difference when it comes to maximizing the return on your significant investment.

Adam Hoff is the Director of Admissions Consulting and Research at Veritas Prep. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and Pepperdine University, where he served as the Associate Director of Admissions. Adam oversees Veritas Prep’s law school admissions consulting services to ensure that Veritas Prep clients are successfully poised for admission to their select law schools. You can hear more from Adam on strategic tips for your law school application in the Law School Podcaster episodes, Law School Application Strategy: What You Can Do Now To Help You Get Accepted and "Law School Personal Statements and Letters of Recommendation: Where to Begin?"

How a Campus Visit Can Help Your Chances of "Getting Off the Waitlist"

Our latest podcast, "Getting Off the Waitlist," takes a look at what the waitlist means, how law schools use the list and what waitlisted students can do to get that spot in the entering class. One thing waitlisted applicants can do is visit campus and use the visit to strategically promote their candidacy. Cornell Law School Dean of Admissions, Richard Geiger explains what this means at Cornell. "At Cornell we’re a little bit different from other places because we actually invite them to have an interview so we offer up an interview and that’s something that if somebody is on our waiting list, I strongly encourage them to take us up on that offer.”

Not every school will grant you an interview if you are waitlisted, but they may still welcome your visit. For example, on March 1, 2009, the Admissions Office at The University of Chicago Law School sent out this message to wait listed applicants via Twitter: "Waitlisted applicants are always welcome to visit & we are happy to answer questions, but we do not set up appointments or grant interviews."

Even without an interview, a campus visit can still help a waitlisted applicant. Clear Admit's Graham Richmond notes that a visit can provide you with concrete examples of why a school is your top choice, and those examples can help form a strong basis for articulating your reasons to the school itself in a letter expressing your "continued interest" in the school. “I think that it is actually a really great idea, even before you send in the letter of continued interest, to go to campus and then when you go to write your letter about why you’re interested in this program and why it’s the perfect fit for you, you’re going to have so many great data points to draw upon and people whose names you can mention that you spoke with."

Ann Levine, Founder of LawSchoolExpert.com has this advice: "Line up that quality face time at the school you want to attend. “You know, let the Admission Office know you’re there, you’re coming, and you want to sit in on a class, be professional, talk to the students who are sitting around you. Talk to the students who are hanging out on the quad, get names of people, follow up with them, introduce yourself to the professor whose class you’re sitting in on. If you have an area that you really have a demonstrated interest and expertise in, find the professor at that school that shares that expertise that you would want to work with and study with and contact that person."

William J. Hoye, Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs advises waitlisted applicants to send "a carefully crafted note to us that expresses your interest with some detail."

While "details" include new developments and information about yourself, they can also include those concrete pieces of information you gain through a visit to campus.

Tune into the full show to hear more strategies for "Getting Off the Waitlist."