Law school reqs....

[hotsauce615]

About to finish up college at a State University in New York, just one more year. I double majored in Mass Comm and Communication studies. After interning at a news station and working at one, the pay is too low and it's not as enjoyable as I thought it'd be. I know friends who have taken the LSATS with an english major, well I was thinking if I study my ass off for it, (I'm a bright fellow, at least I think I am), then I could make a reasonable law school. However will my majors and school play a major roll in wheter or not they accept me with a good score on the LSATS? I was thinking something like a copyright lawyer etc etc, so I might stay in the media business, but wear a suit and make a lot more money.

[ihardlyknowher]

Majors matter very little for Law School admission. They sometimes matter for getting a job after school. I had several employers tell me they gave me an interview because I had a "real" major in college.

Also, it is very difficult to "study" for the LSAT. It is largely a test of logical reasoning - either you have it or you don't. But, you can take a lot practice tests and become comfortable with the format and type questions asked.

Finally, set yourself apart in your essays when applying to law school. Don't write some generic BS about how you want to be a lawyer to help people and make a good living. Unless you have some specific interesting story something like your brother is blind and you want to be a lawyer to advocate for the rights of the blind.

Most importantly, do something you love. Being a lawyer is tedious if you don't love it. Trust me, I know this all to well. But just because you go to law school, does not mean you have to be a lawyer. It is a great general education.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

Alright, when you say any major, have you ever seen anyone with their undergrad in engineering go into law? I would think there'd be plenty of opportunity for someone with an engineering degree, but I don't envision a whole lot of people doing this. I ask because my wife has mentioned interest in doing this. Her BS is in Civil Engineering. I really find it quite unlikely that this will ever happen, but she's curious.

[mantasm]

I have an ee degree, I'll be starting in the fall. I knew several guys in undergrad who planned to go into law.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

How long exactly does it take once you get into law school to get out and be in a position where you're back working full-time and earning a decent salary?

[mantasm]

I'd say it depends on the quality of your school and how well you did. You could do well at a good school in a major market and be guaranteed a 125k/year job by the beginning of your 3rd year or it could take a while. I'm not too familiar with the job search process yet though.

[ihardlyknowher]

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Alright, when you say any major, have you ever seen anyone with their undergrad in engineering go into law? I would think there'd be plenty of opportunity for someone with an engineering degree, but I don't envision a whole lot of people doing this. I ask because my wife has mentioned interest in doing this. Her BS is in Civil Engineering. I really find it quite unlikely that this will ever happen, but she's curious.

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I went to law school with a lot of engineers and they always has the most job offers (as patent attorneys). In fact, they were often paid a premium starting salary.

It takes 3 years from when you start law school to be working again. If you go to a first-tier law school, you can often get a summer job making $30K+ for the summer for doing next to nothing.

[webmonarch]

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I went to law school with a lot of engineers and they always has the most job offers (as patent attorneys). In fact, they were often paid a premium starting salary.

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This is correct. Patent attorneys are significantly better off long term (as long as you love patent law, cause that's all you'll do or be hired for).

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If you go to a first-tier law school, you can often get a summer job making $30K+ for the summer for doing next to nothing.

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This is absolutely not correct. I was at a Top 20 (so, significantly higher than the general top tier) and about 30% of our school had such jobs (so not "often"). This would obviously be lower for lower ranked schools, and higher for higher ranked. Unless you're at Harvard, Yale, Stanford or another Top 5 these types of jobs are most certainly not guranteed.

I don't mean to be the law school Nazi or anything, but the misinformation for new applicants is really outlandish sometimes.

[Matty]

For a polisci and psych double major living in Indiana- what types of jobs would you recommend to get a good feel for the legal profession? I know I should probably ask an advisor about this, but here you are and my advisors are idiots.

how about if I was looking to get a good feel for what a patent attorney does?

[webmonarch]

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For a polisci and psych double major living in Indiana- what types of jobs would you recommend to get a good feel for the legal profession? I know I should probably ask an advisor about this, but here you are and my advisors are idiots.

how about if I was looking to get a good feel for what a patent attorney does?

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Well, the first thing is that, like me, you did not have a technical major in college. In order to pass the patent bar you need to have a technical undergrad major OR pass a reciprocal test which, I assure you, is not as easy as calculating poker odds. Google "patent bar" and you'll find more information on this.

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I'll pile on here too... how about if you're already out of school and working full-time as a civil engineer and can't really go get some law internship type job for a couple years to check it out first?

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As for experience, something as simple as volunteering for a public interest law firm on weekends is worlds better than nothing at all. The best thing you can do is to really DO THE WORK, however it comes.

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some law schools actually look to take other people who did well on the LSAT with majors besides law over those who majored in law...this is what i was told by a number of law advisors when i was looking into law school

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Yes, technical majors tend to get a bit of a "bonus" over those with liberal arts majors, which are a dime a dozen for law school admissions offices.

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News and media is one of those fields that sounds real exciting on paper, but the reality is that it's a business that happens to revolve around television.

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Yes, law is very similar, except it revolves around money. Not much better. This is the reason I posted in this thread in the first place. ;-)

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What are your thoughts on people going to law school with no intention of being a lawyer? (My parents are both lawyers and I worked in their office a couple summers and pretty much hated it. But I think that understanding the law will help tremendously in making the law.)

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I don't mind it, but I would REALLY recommend that you consider a MPP (Masters of Public Policy) first. It's better suited to what you want to do, and skips stuff from law school that is completely unrelated to legislation and the like. I used to work on Capitol Hill in Senate member office, and most "big dogs" (Legilative Directors, Cheif of Staffs) had MPPs or similar masters degrees as opposed to law degreee.

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My story:
2.8 GPA
168 LSAT
Those are not typos.
Went to a second-tier law school, ranked around 50th. Made law review. Will be making a sizeable salary next year.


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Good for you. You were almost certainly in the Top 10-15% of your class. So, for every one of you there are 9 people who aren't in your situation.

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Your advice is dead-on, but I disagree with this statement. I had a great prof in undergrad who taught his law classes in a manner similar to law school classes. I had him for three semesters and felt adequately prepared and informed about what law school and the practice of law would be like. I enjoyed law school and look forward to starting up in a few weeks.

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What are you starting in a few weeks? Law school? A job? What?

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And do some quick calculations based on your estimated debt.

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Absolutely. Even better, ask yourself what your situation may be if you are not able to get a $125k/year job. What will you be paying for years to come? And don't do it quick. Do it slow and meticulously. take it seriously, and decide if its worth it.

Look, I don't mean to dissuade anyone. I DO want to disssuade people from going into something that is a serious investment in time, money, and life direction. Law school is not a bad choice for people who know its best for their needs and who have done their research. Its the exact opposite for people who are just doing it for something to do and have no clue about the profession.