December 2008 LSAT

I just wanted to take a moment and provide a list of some of the many Decemeber 2008 LSAT resources that are cropping up around the web. Happy New Year and Good Luck!

December 2008 LSAT Resources on the Web:

http://lawschoolreference.com/december-2008-lsat-results.html

http://lawschoolsecrets.wordpress.com/2008/12/28/december-lsat-results/

Law School Admissions Tips

http://www.kaptest.com/Law/LSAT/Learn_About_the_LSAT/LSAT-Analysis/LSAT-analysis-teaser.html

February LSAT and February LSAT Prep

150 LSAT: What To Do?

February LSAT Preparation

The February LSAT is right around the corner. If you haven't registered yet - get busy - as you are running out of time. More importantly, what are you doing for LSAT prep? I only ask, because when I took the LSAT I studied for 8 solid weeks. This really really worked for me. I went up 15 points from my first pre-study LSAT practice tests to my final, earned and official LSAT score. This means that if you are serious about studying for the LSAT in February of 2009, you're going to need to start studying right now. I thought the 8 week study period really worked well for me. My interest, LSAT acumen and skills all seemed to "click" during the week of the exam. I think if I would have studied longer I would have had some serious fatigue. Anyways, good luck with your LSAT prep and try to leave yourself enough time pre-exam.

155 lsat - No Worries!

Low Lsat Scores: Don't let them get you down!

So, you scored a 155 on your LSAT this October?

Here's a simple reality for you to understand:

Even if you have a fantastic undergrad record, it will not be enough to overcome a low lsat score! 155 is just about average and definitely will not move you to the top of the application pile at any law school in the United States! But, it can be overcome and need not decide your future...

If you do have a 155 lsat score - you're going to need to get busy overcoming this score in your application.

Seriously, don't waste a minute. Your law school application needs to be perfect. What constitutes a perfect application (in lieu of great lsats and a 4.0 undergrad GPA):

a) Leveraging your work and professional experience. Tell the law school admissions officers why your work experience is more important than your academic record. If you've received promotions, pay raises, performance benefits, increased responsibility or whatever, you have an accomplishment to sing from the rooftops! Good applicants find a way to work this into any essay or personal statement!

2) Detailing how you overcame any past hardship(s) in your life. Don't pass on adding an addendum to your application detailing the hardships you've overcome. If you're grandmother (god forbid) passed away while you were in college and it caused your grades to nose dive, it is probably worth mentioning in an addendum or essay.

3) Tout your diversity (race, religion, blue collar, socio-economic background... use whatever you've got!) in your personal statement or diversity statement and how this makes you a desirable applicant.

Finally and most importantly, if you need help crafting the perfect law school admissions application, you'll need Covert Tactics and Law School Secrets. These books teach you exactly, step by step how to overcome a bad 155 lsat by giving you insider tips and knowledge into exactly what the law school admissions officer is looking for in your application. How can you proceed without this information?

LSAT Prep

One of the best things I ever did for LSAT prep was buy LSAT Secrets from Morrison Media. My score went from a 155 on my practice tests to a 170 on my LSAT (second try).

Here was my formula:

- Buy LSAT Secrets (I think it is just $50.00)
- Register for the NEXT LSAT
- Spend 2 hours a day for at least 4 weeks until the exam

This formula will help you peek at just the right time. You won't have exam fatigue or any of that crap - and you'll head into the test ready to go, with high energy and will have mastered all the relevant concepts.

Get Busy Studying For The October LSAT

Time for the October LSAT! If you haven't yet- it is now time to get busy studying for the October LSAT.

LSAT October

October LSAT

October 2008 LSAT

The LSAT is a serious exam, but it can be beaten - - just like all exams. You just need to know all the tricks to beat the exam.

Law Schools in New York

Are you interested in attending one of the law schools in new york?

I just read an interesting blog post positing New York as a better place to go to law school than Boston. The blog really didn't have much substance but it did succeed in rubbing me the wrong way. New Yorkers have a superiority complex. Boston people just want to fight and drink. Where would you rather go to law school in a world of such gross oversimplification?

Law School Application Deadlines

Here are two great posts that prospective law students should read.

1) October LSAT Information.

2) Application Deadlines For Law School

These two postings contain a boat load of information. It's important that you have all administrative information possible before you get ready to apply.

 We're coming into the time when law school applications are due.  So don't waste another second without knowing your law school applications deadline. 

Online College Reviews

Are you looking for reviews of online colleges? Well, if you are look no further than the Online College Blog. I just was poking around the site and it features tops of content about the online education experience - from admissions to scholarship info and more. It's definitely worth checking out if you are considering earning a degree online - even if you are not looking for a law degree.

How to Did You Do on the June LSAT?

I've gotten about 15 emails today from folks who feel like they bombed the June LSAT. If you did don't worry - you'll still get into a top law school. You're going to need some basic techniques on how to best present yourself to law school admissions officers. There are ways that you can position yourself to make yourself a very appealing candidate, even if you bombed the LSAT and have a mediocre undergraduate GPA.

You can overcome a 140 LSAT, 145 LSAT, 150 LSAT, 155 LSAT and still get into ABA Law Schools. How about mediocre GPAs like a 2.5 gpa, or a 2.7 gpa? Don't sweat it.


So don't despair - I have seen many people in your situation and you need to know that if you work hard on your application you can get into law school even top law schools. Check out this site on law school admissions - this book is worth its weight in gold.

The Perfect Boston Date

Even if you're a poor Boston area law student like me you can still do something special every know and again. And this is exactly what I did the other night. I took my significant other out on a dinner date in Boston. This wasn't just any old ordinary dinner date though, I took her out in a limo. The service came from Northeastern Limousine, a premier Boston Limos service. They took care of everything for me and the date was perfect. Best of all, it was entirely affordable. Who can beat that? Seriously, it was awesome!

Law Schools in the United States

Law School Reference does feature the best list of law schools in the United States. Make it the homepage for your law school search.

Books Future Law Students Must Read

Attention Future Law Students...

I just wanted to take a moment and tell you about two great products.

These books simply are must haves. They will help you get into the top law
schools that you want to go to. Best of all, they are ebooks
and are available for download immediately. Don't waste any time buying books on law school admissions from the book store. They are just going to give you the same old same old about high LSATs, perfect undergraduate GPAs and how they don't give much credence to the LSAT. All BS!

The reality is that top, and even lower tier, schools are becoming increasingly more competitive in their admissions process.

Don't despair though!

Each candidate can take certain steps to give them every possible
chance to get in. For just, $50 you can get both books that I recommend right
now and read them tonight. Don't wait until tomorrow - would a
top lawyer wouldn't put off the opportunity until another day? Every moment
is a moment you might not be able to get back (and a moment when someone else is taking your spot.

If you are even thinking about going to school, buy these books and read them now!


The 7 Secrets of Law School Admissions

Covert Tactics for Getting Into Law School

Both of these books will get you pumped up for the LSAT test and admissions process in general.
The authors of both of these great books had mediocre grades and a
mediocre LSAT scores, yet they both got into excellent law schools.

Plus, if your not completely satisfied with either book - the
authors offer you a 100% no questions asked refund.

New Book Will Explore Online Law Degrees

A new book "THE TRUTH ABOUT ONLINE LAW SCHOOLS" is coming soon that will seek to give information to prospective law students whom are interested in attending online law school.

From Amazon.com:

"Is attending an online law school in the United States worth the investment? Are there legitimate online law schools and if so, which ones? How does learning law over the internet really work? Will I be able to compete with graduates from traditional Brick and Mortar schools? All these questions are answered in this guide to the online law school experience. Plus, learn where in the United States a graduate with an online degree can actually practice the law, plus much more. Read along as admissions directors, HR managers, practicing attorneys, and online law school graduates weigh in on the professional desirability of a degree from an online law school."

We've requested an advance reading copy. If the book does what it claims it does it will be a valuable addition to the literature. We'll let you know what we think. If you do buy the book please let us know what you think!

The Law School Reference Letter

Is the law school reference letter helpful in getting you into law school? No, not really. LSAT scores and undergraduate GPAs are typically the king-maker. However, you will have to still get these personal reference letters from former professors. Don't waste your time (or anybody elses) with letters from spouses, family, neighbors, co-workers, supervisors from stupid, meaningless jobs, focus instead on mentors and professors.

Visit this page for more Law School Reference Letter Tips.

Some New Links Added

The Law School Reference Blog has added some new links to its blogroll. First, we added our parent site lawschoolreference.com - The Premier Online Directory of Law Schools in the United States.

Second, we also added a couple of blogs that are worth checking out (for the mere reason they are linking to lawschoolreference.com!!) and they are the Law School Advisor and the Law School Blog.

Later this week, we will be adding the Law School Reference.com bookstore to both the site and the blog. This store features the top titles that we recommend for prospective law school students. It's worth a look.

The Question of Salary?

How much will I earn with a law degree? Will I be able to live the lifestyle I want with $100,000 in law school debt?


The best way to approach this question is to compare your earning potential and your potential debt. It should be clear that the worst deal in legal education comes from the schools in mid to higher price range that are regional or rural schools (in terms of cost, debt, and career potential). Obviously, there may be differences in quality of education that should be taken into consideration as well.

For more information read our posting on Law School Salaries for New Graduates at LawSchoolReference.com.

Apply to Law School for Free

If you can't afford to pay application fees to law school. Get the fee waived by checking out What Law Schools Waive Application Fees Online - . Invest the five minutes and save hundreds of dollars. Prospective students hot off the heals of an expensive undergraduate education, and who have negative net worth, can and do get these fees waived everyday.

The Tyranny of the ABA?

Here's some information that prospective students should be savvy too before embarking on a law career. Let us know what you think.

cross posted from Balkinization: http://balkin.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

What's Wrong With This Picture of Legal Academia?

Brian Tamanaha

In 1995, the Department of Justice filed an antitrust law suit against the American Bar Association alleging that law professors had been utilizing the accreditation process to engage in anti-competitive practices aimed at boosting their pay and reducing their teaching loads (among other things). Without admitting guilt, the ABA entered into a consent decree with the Department of Justice promising to cease such practices.

The accreditation process is justified as the means to insure a quality legal education so that the public will be served by competent lawyers. Oddly, in the very period in which law schools were being instructed to boost their professors’ pay (to attract highly qualified professors) and to cut their teaching hours (so they could do more academic research, which would presumably enhance their knowledge and teaching), the American Bar Association also produced the MacCrate Report, arguing that law schools were doing a poor job of training lawyers. The reason for this failure: law professors were occupied with academic matters while neglecting practical legal training for their students.

So in the mid-1990s the American Bar Association was simultaneously sponsoring two initiatives seemingly at odds: the accreditation process was being used to free up professors for more writing, while law schools were being criticized for spending too much time on academic work and not enough time teaching law students to become skilled lawyers.

When you think about it, the situation we have created is bizarre: law students attend law school to become lawyers (paying tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege); however, as the Report indicates, many law professors do not see it as their job to train lawyers—they are, rather, legal scholars; meanwhile, many judges dismiss the vast bulk of legal scholarship as useless for their purposes; and tons of articles are being published every year, 43% of which are not cited at all and almost eighty percent of which are cited fewer than 10 times. One final tidbit: it is an insult within legal academia to be branded as a school that “teaches for the bar”—notwithstanding that the daunting threshold hurdle every law student faces coming out of law school is to pass the damn bar exam.

It is with this background in mind that I raised skepticism last week about the apparent popularity of interdisciplinary studies within law schools. We can come up with explanations for why this initiative in law schools promises to make our students better lawyers, and maybe it will. [Critics who remarked that my objections exaggerated the costs associated with "interdisciplinary studies" may be right, although I had in mind all associated expenses.] But in light of the above recent history (Larry Solum gives an excellent historical account of contemporary legal academia from a more theoretical perspective; Leiter has an informative take here), it sounds like more of the same old story—law professors pursuing what they find interesting and beneficial.

Would legal academia look any different if we had not collectively engaged in actions designed to boost our pay and decrease our teaching loads [lest I appear like an ingrate, let me pause for a moment to thank my predecessors for making this the best job in the world!]?

In several important respects things would probably be about the same. Tuition at the elite law schools would likely be just as high as it is now, as would high pay and light teaching loads. These aspects, which took off after the consent decree and also happened at the undergraduate level, are more related to market factors and ranking competition than to anti-competitive conduct.

But I think there would be one crucial difference. The accreditation process was utilized to promote and force a single “academic” or research model on all law schools. All law schools were told to reduce teaching loads (from earlier highs of 15 to 18 hours a week) in order to free up writing, and schools were evaluated for their academic output. This sent a strong message to law schools about what matters (not teaching!), which was exacerbated by the “academic reputation rating” category utilized by US News. Now the conventional hiring wisdom is that the most important credential for a teaching position (in addition to having a degree from a top 5 school) is to have published a couple of articles after graduation (with having a PhD now surging in importance).

Law schools were inhibited from developing an alternative model, one which emphasizes producing well trained lawyers. Rather than taking pride in and building an identity around that—“We teach students to pass the bar and to be capable lawyers on the very first day out the door.”—law schools had to claim to be something more than (or other than) a place dedicated to educating lawyers for practice.

Most law schools now follow the elite model, striving to hire faculty and produce scholarship like research universities, when it might better serve the interests of many non-elite law schools and their students to concentrate on training good lawyers. Money now allocated to scholarship and research leaves would instead go to clinics and other practice training; professors would teach 15 hours or more a week; faculty would be hired for the desire and ability to train lawyers, not for scholarship; more law schools would look like Massachusetts School of Law (which the ABA has mightily resisted). Schools built around this alternative model would produce capable lawyers at a much lower tuition, which would be good for the students and good for society.

This vision of legal academia allows for a range of law schools, serving different needs and circumstances, rather than one academic model for all. It makes sense, but to succeed it must have the support of law professors.

LawSchoolReference.com Launches Site & Blog!

LawSchoolReference.com will launch this weekend. The website will feature a new directory of all U.S. Law Schools alongside Insider guides detailing admissions information and general information for each school. This blog will be used to interact with prospective law students and answer any quuestions they might have,

Las Vegas, NV - - January 13, 2008 -- Searching for information about law schools in the United States just got a whole lot easier as LawSchoolReference.com will launch today. The website will feature an easy to use, accurate directory of all law schools in the United States. Included in this directory of law schools will be American Bar Association (ABA) accredited schools, non-ABA schools, and online schools.

"This List of Law Schools in the United States will undoubtedly be the first stop for many prospective law students researching schools on the web" according to Director of Marketing Patrick Bergin.

Users will have the option to access for a small fee specially prepared "Insider" guides that detail a specific schools admission policies, deadlines, and rankings.

LawSchoolReference.com will truly be one stop shopping for potential and current law students as more additional features are to be added throughout the year.

In 2008 LawSchoolReference.com will also unveil a new ranking system for law schools that will replace the older ranking system that many schools and prospective students rely upon. This new system will place much more emphasis on access, affordability and overall quality of education than previous ranking systems.

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