Hope everyone enjoyed their time off from work and/or school! After a brief hiatus, the Pre-Law Blog will resume posting...

The Frugal Law Student (last day to vote for FLS at the ABA Blawg 100, so go do that real quick) student points us to a relevant new site. AlreadyBored.com looks to be a great and free new tool for future law firm associates

Click below to learn more...

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Here is WSJ Law Blog post on students suing law schools. As always, it elicits some interesting comments from the WSJ law blog readers.

NLJ.com is a great news resource for future and current law students, alike.

Here are some recent articles of interest:

- Law students suing their schools

- Ave Maria Univ. Law School naming rights for sale

- UT law students petitioning the Supreme Court

- Advice for getting a 1L summer job

Subscribe to NLJ's RSS feed here.

US News has this short article, comparing the current mortgage crisis to a potential student loan crisis.

Build A Solo Practice Blog adds its two cents here.

The ABA reports a survey that says women lawyers at top firms make "significantly less" than men.

Leiter has a couple lists measuring law schools' placement in Federal Appellate Clerkships.

Law and More has some advice for law grads who have lots of debt can't find the job they want.

Ms. JD on job interview etiquette.

Legal Sanity opinion on some of the perks being offered to big firm associates.

As a law student, your chances to do a powerpoint presentation in law school are limited. But I'm currently thinking about it as the rest of my classmates and I must present our seminar papers to each other.

Earlier I posted about cutting out uh's and um's out of presentations. If you're worried about a good presentation, a speaking habit like that is a little harder to control. But it is much easier to control your prepared presentation slides.

This slideshow was posted at Lifehacker and I think it is great advice for law students who come across the chance to present a powerpoint slideshow.

Especially pay attention to this slide when presenting a paper.

The temptation may be there to copy some long text or quotes from the paper and paste it into the slideshow. But that's really ineffective from a presentation standpoint.

Getting some mentions around the blawgosphere (see Taxprof and Law Librarian Blog) is this article in the National Jurist that points out that the US News Rankings does not necessarly accurately depict what law students want out of a law school.

Joe Hodnicki of Law Librarian Blog suggests: "Why not include a student review component along with the peer review and bench and bar review components?"

If making a pros vs. cons analysis while deciding whether to attend law school remember this: a famous right-wing talk show might try to ruin you if you attend law school! Leiter points us to this article about Bill O'Reilly trying to get a University of Virginia law student kicked out of law school. Could you be next?

Well, probably not. O'Reilly is sending a letter to Virginia's dean in retaliation for the student's semi-stalker behavior toward Bill O' (maybe not necessarily smart behavior for the wannabe lawyer, but one could argue it is not undeserved).

This opinion article seems to think so. It's written by a recent law school grad and is most interesting for its comments about the state of California's legal market as a whole.

Update: Well, the link to the post below isn't going to tell you as another blogger pointed out on his blog (not directly to me so I could not actually fix it).

In my haste to find something interesting to post this day so I could get back to work or school or life I misread Prof. Caron's post. His post is obviously the order of schools one sees after typing in those searches. Oops!

Here's the original post and I apoligize if it was misleading:

TaxProf has another interesting list. This one of the most searched-for law schools on Google. Doesn't mean much, but kind of interesting. Here's the link.

Amir Efrati, the Wall Street Journal writer who authored this piece on the poor legal job market especially for those at non-elite schools, writes another must read article for incoming law students about choosing a law school and increasing your chances of landing a big law job. Here's the link.

To summarize, outside of the top 20-30 schools, you can basically ignore US news rankings and pay more attention to things like debt, location, employment data, and on-campus recruiting.

Here is a link to the fancy graphs that accompany the article. I added them simply because I'd like to see some color in this post. Click more to see the rest:

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The National Law Journal reports. The network of ten schools supposedly will try to change law school curricula so that law school is, among other things, more practical.

"Lisa Kloppenberg, dean of University of Dayton School of Law in Dayton, Ohio, which is among the participating schools, said, 'I hope that this will give momentum to real change in law schools.'"

Participating schools will be

• University of Dayton
• Georgetown University
• Harvard University
• Stanford University
• New York University
• City University of New York
• Indiana University
• The University of New Mexico
• Southwestern University
• Vanderbilt University
  

Here's a nice article from law.com on the topic of midsize firms, often overlooked in all of the big firm salary hype.

Update: Abovethelaw has some more coverage of this with some potential disadvantages, as well as a list of a few other firms that offer this. Also interesting there is overwhelming positive support amongst ATL readers for the two-tier track (like, 80/20 support as good for firms, 70/30 support good for associates) in the polls they are conducting last I checked. It's obvious there is a demand for less hours for less pay.

The ABA Journal reports that the Chicago firm of Chapman and Cutler is giving associates the choice of working more hours for more money or working less hours for less money. Kind of makes sense on both ends.

I have to think there are a lot of quality law students who may want to work in a firm, but don't want the hours that go along with it. So this strategy might give this firm a competitive advantage over other firms in recruiting.

And though I don't know the salaries, I would guess that working less hours for a lower salary at a big firm would still net more in salary than a lot of governmental, small firm, or public interest opportunities with similar hours, less hours being one of the draws of such jobs. It will be interesting to see if this works out and catches on at other firms.

Paul Caron at TaxProf Blog points us toward Princeton Review's Best 170 Law Schools with a few interesting lists such as Most Competitive Students, Most Friendly to Older Students, Best Quality of Life, and a few more.

Some of you, in law school or still in undergrad, may be interested in the deal that Microsoft is offering for the complete suite of Microsoft Office products.

It's a promotion called The Ultimate Steal...only $59.95 (wow, MS Office Ultimate is normally something ridiculous like $600+!) for the entire MS Office 2007 suite.

But the deal is only available to students (people with .edu email addresses taking more than .5 course load). Click below to read more and see the link.

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Looks like it will have some affect on law students if it is passed. Here's the link from Inside Higher Education.

Freakonmics Blog (reported by Abovethelaw and Law School Innovation) discusses a study that answers the question, "What law school courses will help me pass the bar exam?" Answer in a few words: none of them.

Click for more below.

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I didn't check my Blogline feeds yesterday. It's just too overwhelming sometimes to see the number of feeds and blog postings I'll likely go through after taking the weekend off. Oops...

Turns out, unbeknownst to me, the Wall Street Journal dropped a page-one article on Monday regarding a topic The Pre-Law Blog has been consistently vocal about: the myth of new lawyers' job prospects.

Click below to read about the coverage around the web...

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Ann over at lawschoolexpert blog compiled an extremely helpful list of Law School Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP's).

This is really helpful for those of you planning on attending law school on loans who are thinking about going into comparatively lower paying public service jobs.

More on LRAP's below...

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The people in charge of the latest suit against BAR/BRI claim that they are looking to fundamentally change the landscape of bar review for future law students.

• "'The other case sought principally damages for those who had taken the BAR/BRI course and paid too much over nine years,' Disner said of the case that settled. 'This case focuses on the future and posits the view that there are people out there, including the two who are plaintiffs, who will take the bar review course in a few years and want to make sure they have a competitive market in which to choose the right course and pay the right price.'" (From Law.com)

It's still obviously pretty early in the suit, but keep an eye on it because it has the potential to impact the way you study for the bar and how much you pay to do so.

Read more about signing up for BAR/BRI during first year below...

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Mandatory retirement at a certain age has traditionally been a common practice in the legal world.

The ABA isn't a big fan of this practice, however, and recently spoke out against it.

More below...

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I took the MPRE on Friday so we will find out the answer in five weeks.

What is the MPRE?
The MPRE is the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. It's a 60 question (only 50 are scored) multiple-choice test that basically covers the rules of ethics that govern lawyers.

All but 5 jurisdictions in the US jurisdictions require bar candidates to pass the MPRE before acceptance to the bar. So chances are you are going to have to take the MPRE if you want to be a lawyer.

Passing scores and other rules are state specific so search for information about MPRE that is specific to the state in which you want to practice law.

Here's more on the test from Wikipedia.

Below are my random thoughts and tips...

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Here's a video interview of Abovethelaw's David Lat discussing what summer associates do (from ABC News).

If you don't know, Abovethelaw is the most popular legal blog. Among other topics, it has constant updates on the world of big law firms.

For more information on summer associates see our previous post (Advice for Summer Associates).

Going through my bloglines feeds today I found a bunch of link-worthy stuff around the web today.

GOOD NEWS FOR LAW GRADS LOOKING FOR ASSOCIATE POSITIONS
According to an American Lawyer survey, the good news is that associates are generally happy with their jobs at medium to big firms; they don't expect to make partner/don't plan to stick around too long (and the firms could care less about this fact); and, most important of all,:

• Am Law 200 firms expect to bring on roughly 10,000 associates next fall [see "Endless Summer"]. That astonishing number equals about one-quarter of all the students who will graduate from U.S. law schools next year. To put it another way, the top 20 law schools will only produce about 6,500 graduates.

Good news for those looking to become associates at big to medium law firms! Courtesy of Blawg's Blog.

NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT LAW SCHOOL

Links to this new documentary about law school, complaints about the bar exam and more below...

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Here's the Law.com link. Past posts about Bar/Bri here: "What is Bar/Bri and why is it being sued" and here: "BAR/BRI settles, some in class think settlement 'sucks'".

I wonder if these suits and subsequent settlements have the adverse effect of actually raising the price at an accelerated pace for future Bar/Bri users?

The suits thus far have not really amounted to anything that will force Bar/Bri to change the way it does business other than the company having to pay money for attorneys fees and settlements. So will Bar/Bri raise the price of its program more rapidly to help cover past suits and the more probable risk of future suits as compared to if the company were never sued?

I go on a slight rant about my personal Bar/Bri options below... (More)

Lynne Munson of insidehighered.com has a thought-provoking article on financial aid, the high cost of higher education, and the way that congress is currently trying to soften the financial blow of these two. It's an interesting read.

CALI is sending its annual shipment of CALI CD's to law schools by the end of the week. This year we're sending 140,000 CD's...enough for all law students, not just 1L's as in the past!

As an incoming student, or even as a current student, when school starts make sure you ask someone at your school for a free CD if one is not given to you! There should be enough to go around.

Read more about CALI CD's below...

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Most readers of the Pre-Law Blog hopefully have seen this because if you don't regularly read or subscribe to the Frugal Law Student Blog, you should.

But Ann Levine of lawschoolexpert blog and website is offering a free (normally $150) webinar about law school admissions for Frugal Law Student readers.

You really should take advantage of this opportunity.

It looks like the ABA may be cracking down on law schools with low bar passage rates.

Law Librarian Blog tips us off on this one. More below...

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Toplawstudent Blog points us to What I Learned in Law School, a blog authored by a law student with some pretty good tips. Here is her top ten list of tips for law school.

This one also gets a link on the right!

In law school, you will almost undoubtedly supplement your studies with resources other than those assigned by your professor.

Not only can you use CALI lessons (here and free for current students, at www.learnthelaw.org for those not yet in law school), but you can use commercial supplements and outlines.

While you will inevitably hear some professors say not to use commercial outlines and study aids, I've never heard a student recommend against using commercial outlines and study aids as a resource.

In my experience as a student commercial outlines have been helpful. Especially in 1L classes when competition is at its highest because of a mandatory curve. But obviously, outlines and study aids are not to be relied on solely.

It can be pretty tough to wade through the numerous commercial outlines, study aids, and supplemental material through searching your favorite online bookstore.

Plus the campus bookstore inevitably does not carry everything and does not give helpful user reviews/decent used book options.

So learnthelaw.org has compiled a list of some of the most popular supplements in 1L courses with links to their Amazon.com pages.

Don't be afraid to buy used from the other students selling used on Amazon and re-sell on Amazon when finished with a book!

PS: Here's a helpful guide to supplements from lawtutorial.com and here's a nice blog post with some more reviews to throw into the mix.

Civil Procedure

• Gilbert Law Summaries: Civil Procedure
• Civil Procedure: Examples & Explanations 5th edition
• CrunchTime: Civil Procedure
• Acing Civil Procedure

SEE MORE BELOW!!
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Next time you are caught not paying attention and day dreaming in class, here's your excuse.

Law Librian Blog reports that Phoenix School of Law received provisional ABA accreditation. Here's the press release from the school.

Good news for the school and its students. Congratulations! Of course, we're all lawyers or future lawyers here so there's a disclaimer that goes along with it.

The big news of the day is that a couple of law students, with the help of a Yale professor, are suing a bunch of message board contributors for some unsavory, to say the least, content that those contributors posted about the two. More on this here.

For those unfamiliar, AutoAdmit (link not for the weak of heart)

is a notoriously trashy message board for law students.

More below...

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"Are Law Students Emotional Wrecks?" asks the Wall Street Journal Law Blog. Yes, at least compared to medical students says this study.

Law school really can be a stressful place. I've witnessed other students having small emotional breakdowns because of law school on occasions. Think about whether you handle stress well and make sure that you are emotionally ready if you do decide to go to law school.

Prelaw Advisor points us to a Wall Street Journal article (" How Obscure Law School Places Grads at Top Firm") about Detroit Mercy School of Law.

Detroit mercy, a fourth-tier school according to US News, is apparently placing some of its students in top law firms because of some creative work by Dean Mark C. Gordon.

Update: Wall Street Journal Law Blog has a post about the Journal's article mentioned above.

Some bloggers have recently posted some random thoughts about the whole one final exam tradition in law school (here and here). It's some pretty interesting stuff.

You'll find this a lot with law school, though. People complain and complain about the system, but change is slow. Read more below...

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Legal Underground points us to this new alternative to law school. Only 14.95!

Exams are just around the corner for those of you in law school.

Don't forget to check out our 600+ CALI lessons at cali.org, free to you if your school is a member of CALI (which it likely is since nearly all US law school are...and if it's not, bug your school's administration about it!).

CALI lessons really are a great way to reiew for exams.

Also, check out our Law School Exam Advice Post for a wide variety of law school exam podcasts, advice, and tips from around the web.

Good luck!

Update - May 04, 2007: While the pre-law blog is not about personal achievments, a big self pat on the back for writing the number one google search hit for "law student spanking."...

Honestly, this is a bit gossipy from what I usually post. But it's been posted on the Wall Street Journal Law Blog and made the front page of the New York Daily News.

Plus part of me wants to see how quickly this becomes my most read blog post since it will include terms like nudity, sex tape, and spanking. And there is an interesting angle for pre-law students (in less obvious ways). It involves the character and fitness examination the star of this video must pass in order to be admitted to the bar. More below...

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Wall Street Journal Blog has a post about a new movement among some students at top schools who are trying to start a bit of a labor movement within the legal industry. More below...

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Vault.com surveyed recruiting professionals and came up with a list of the most underrated law schools both nationally and regionally. Here's the top ten:

1. Emory University School of Law
2. Fordham University School of Law
3. Howard University School of Law
4. Chicago-Kent College of Law - Illinois Institute of Technology
5. University of Oregon School of Law
6. George Mason University School of Law
7. University of Illinois College of Law
8. William and Mary Law School
9. Vanderbilt University Law School
10. University of Georgia School of Law

This blog has some in depth commentary on the survey.

Inside Higher Ed has a couple of good articles. One about college textbooks and bookstores and another about financial aid lenders. I've written about the cost of law school casebooks, and how I get around that cost as a law student, in the past.

Law.com has another article about the increase in summer associate hires at big law firms.