|
HiddenReplaced posted:Should I even take barbri? It's $2,700 and I'm the one paying for it.
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2011 23:04
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 5, 2024 00:23 |
|
|
I went to every single Barbri class and passed. My friends stopped going sometime during week 2, did the whole thing at home, and also passed. It just depends on what is the best approach for you. Barbri was held at my law school, in a lecture hall I had at least seven classes in. The routine of getting up and driving to school and sitting in a familiar classroom was something I found useful psychologically. I developed a fairly strict schedule that went Barbri-gym-lunch-study and felt that the structure and routine were part of what made me successful. On the other hand, my friends didn't have a schedule, slept til 2 or 3pm every day, watched the Barbri videos while eating dinner, and studied til 3 in the morning before having a few drinks and passing out. It worked for them. So, basically, it depends. My friend who is doing Barbri in Houston says that the site is a good 40 minutes from his house, and he's not going to waste that much time driving back and forth in terrible traffic. He's doing it at home and not wasting commute time.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2011 23:06
|
|
|
Are the online videos the same as the videos you watch at the actual lectures? If they are there is zero reason to go unless sitting in a classroom is the difference between you paying attention or not.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2011 23:08
|
|
|
diospadre posted:Are the online videos the same as the videos you watch at the actual lectures? If they are there is zero reason to go unless sitting in a classroom is the difference between you paying attention or not. If you watch online, you can also do a trick where you fullscreen the video and then press Ctrl+Shift+G or something like that to speed up the video 1.5x. The people lecturers generally talk pretty slowly so this makes it pass in a third less time and is just as understandable.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2011 23:12
|
|
|
entris posted:I think you can tell those stories if they ask if you have any military history in your family or something, but I wouldn't use those stories as evidence of your interest in JAG. In other words, they could be a fun icebreaker or something but you don't want to be "that guy" who appears to be grasping at any military connection in order to get the position. That would just come across wrong, I think. This is correct.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2011 23:38
|
|
|
HiddenReplaced posted:I'm moving back in late May. Whenever Barbri starts. In re barbri, should I do online only or go to the class? Are you going to pay for barbri with private loans? See if you can arrange for someone's Feb. 2011 books. I have also heard rumors of groups of people sharing the video lectures.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2011 23:41
|
|
|
Thanks for the replies, Prussian/entris/Defleshed. I have a follow-up but I'll ask in irc.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2011 23:46
|
|
|
blar posted:Are you going to pay for barbri with private loans? See if you can arrange for someone's Feb. 2011 books. I have also heard rumors of groups of people sharing the video lectures. No private loans. I was lucky enough to have a paying summer position with the Federal Government. Of course they officially announced a hiring freeze yesterday. HA...  Edit: So it sounds like the online video is the same poo poo in class, is there anyway to get access to the videos without blowing $2,700? HiddenReplaced fucked around with this message at 00:20 on Feb 2, 2011 |
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 00:09
|
|
|
Cortina posted:I went to every single Barbri class and passed. My friends stopped going sometime during week 2, did the whole thing at home, and also passed. It just depends on what is the best approach for you. If you're doing a hard bar like NY or CA, I'd study the poo poo out of bar-bri. And easy bar with like a 90+% pass rate, less so. I had a buddy from law school blow off bar prep until 2 weeks before and passed MN. I had another who followed bar-bri and failed CA by like 2 points. --- At least in CA, barbri didn't give students access to more than 3-4 videos for the term unless they paid a million bucks for the ipod version.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 01:02
|
|
|
nm posted:At least in CA, barbri didn't give students access to more than 3-4 videos for the term unless they paid a million bucks for the ipod version. They've changed this and now put all the videos up online, but you still either have to go for the class or the ipod, I don't think there is a cheaper video only option. I miss the structure of the classes (though if they'd had video available at the time, I bet I never would have gone) and despite the fact that you can speed up the lectures on video, I find they sometimes take me longer because I am constantly taking breaks. I've barely studied at all for the upcoming bar - I get two weeks off starting on Friday though so I'm hoping I can cram it all in and pass but it just seems so daunting at this point. If you're a procrastinator or even if you just have lots of friends who aren't taking the bar and will pressure you to go out, staying at school and being surrounded by kids studying and going to class everyday can be pretty helpful.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 02:34
|
|
|
I'm not sure what's more tiring and mind-numbing: writing my own note, or finding sources for some foreign professor's article which is full of blank footnotes.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 04:19
|
|
|
nm posted:Note that this might depend on the state bar. This is a good point. I took the Texas bar, and while I'm not sure if it's quite as hard as NY or CA, it's three days long and I know for a fact that it's substantially harder than the New Mexico and OK bars. People from my law school who took the NM bar studied for a few weeks and passed by huge margins. I studied my rear end off. I did everything the Barbri paced program said to do, I went to every lecture, I wrote dozens of practice essays. This was probably overkill, but my perspective was that I was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that I'd never have to waste another moment of my time on barbri or the Texas Bar ever again. My personal take is that it's all about the time and effort you put in, and the study materials aren't nearly as important. If you put in the time, you will get more out of a three year old Convisor off eBay than someone who paid $2,700 for the full Barbri experience but doesn't put in the hours.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 04:56
|
|
|
entris posted:Ah, Texas. One of the last vestiges of the American machismo culture. Insurance companies know this too. While the facts of a case typically dictate a lot of the value, having a reputation as a lawyer willing to try cases certainly affects how adjusters will respond, offers, and in general getting poo poo done. Google colossus if you don't know what it is. For the poor souls still in law school, here's some advice: if you get to try one case before you graduate you will have a leg up on everyone else who didn't. Even if you don't want to be a criminal lawyer, and you want to sit in an office and write memos all day, you should still do it. You will get more real experience in terms of dealing with clients, dealing with opposing counsel, dealing with judges, and organizing a case file. Stuff that is valuable away from criminal law. Take evidence at your earliest opportunity to get court-certified and apply for jobs with the DA, public defender, small crim defense firms and beg/borrow/steal to get attorneys to let you try cases. Ask around for attorneys' shittiest cases that are absolute dogs and ask to try them. For reference, my first jury trial is coming up (passed the bar last year), and it's almost criminal that all you need to try a case is a bar license. If I didn't have a strong support network of mentors I would be totally screwed, but I didn't do the above part about getting court-certified and now I really regret it.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 05:56
|
|
|
mushi posted:For the poor souls still in law school, here's some advice: if you get to try one case before you graduate you will have a leg up on everyone else who didn't. Even if you don't want to be a criminal lawyer, and you want to sit in an office and write memos all day, you should still do it. You will get more real experience in terms of dealing with clients, dealing with opposing counsel, dealing with judges, and organizing a case file. Stuff that is valuable away from criminal law. Take evidence at your earliest opportunity to get court-certified and apply for jobs with the DA, public defender, small crim defense firms and beg/borrow/steal to get attorneys to let you try cases. Ask around for attorneys' shittiest cases that are absolute dogs and ask to try them. Look for clinics that let you do this. If you want to do criminal, jury trials, however, are what they want. Much harder to get in law school. If you want to be a DA/PD/Defense attorney, the minute you pass the bar, unless you ahve a job, spam the poo poo out of every DA/PD office to work for free to get jury trials.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 06:20
|
|
|
So, I'm peeking out from my cloud of denial - I'm in my second semester of 1L at Fordham. I would love some advice for summer plans. Here's my options: Option 1 - Go back to working at the law firm that I was at prior to school. Hours are extremely flexible (10AM-5PM), the pay is great, and I can go back to FIT and take some summer fashion design classes again, which I would love. Downside: it might make me look lazy on my resume if I just go back to the same law firm. Option 2 - Go to Korea for a corporate internship at Samsung. Placement is guaranteed, I have to take a 2-week course in International Business which is a guaranteed A- or above (which would definitely be a welcome boost to my GPA), it's apparently a lot of fun, I would have time to travel to see long lost relatives, and make lots of friends. Downside: it will take up my whole summer (June to August), it costs around $10k, my relatives will most likely ridicule me for not being 100 pounds, and my overly jealous boyfriend will probably dump me/cheat on me while I'm gone. Option 3 - Keep applying for jobs - hope for a paid internship or a clerkship. Downside: Probably not happening. Option 4 - Drop out. Downside: ?  Edit: I'm mainly considering Option 1 and 2. Option 3 and 4 are just wishful thinking. A.s.P. fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Feb 2, 2011 |
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 19:33
|
|
|
amishsexpot posted:I can go back to FIT and take some summer fashion design classes again, which I would love. Drop out of law school and go follow your passion.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 19:40
|
|
|
We spent all summer telling you not to go to law school since you didn't want to and you did anyway, so you'll probably end up finding some way to combine the downsides of options 1 and 2 and doing that.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 20:14
|
|
|
amishsexpot posted:guaranteed A- or above (which would definitely be a welcome boost to my GPA) This would be my choice, except for the $10,000 price-tag. What's your financial situation like? GPA is king in law school.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 20:21
|
|
|
ugh an internship might take you whole summer? that is like, so totally unfair
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 20:55
|
|
|
amishsexpot posted:Option 1 - Go back to working at the law firm that I was at prior to school. Hours are extremely flexible (10AM-5PM), the pay is great, and I can go back to FIT and take some summer fashion design classes again, which I would love. If the first, I'd do this. If the second or shitlaw, i would think hard.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 20:58
|
|
|
amishsexpot posted:So, I'm peeking out from my cloud of denial - I'm in my second semester of 1L at Fordham. I would love some advice for summer plans. Here's my options: Haha your whole summer. I take my last exam of the semester, fly home on a Saturday, watch my brother graduate high school on Sunday, then immediately fly to NYC and start work on Monday. On the other hand I got an awesome 1L summer job so who am I to complain? (Not complaining, very lucky, all you kids don't go no jobs die alone.)
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 21:36
|
|
|
amishsexpot posted:Option 2 - Go to Korea for a corporate internship at Samsung. Placement is guaranteed, I have to take a 2-week course in International Business which is a guaranteed A- or above (which would definitely be a welcome boost to my GPA), it's apparently a lot of fun, I would have time to travel to see long lost relatives, and make lots of friends. This might be the best option if Samsung hires through this internship. Unlike international law, international business is a real field with paid work. If you are offered a position then you should immediately drop out of law school and use your tuition refund to take a vacation. Also, your "downside" makes it clear that you need to drop out of law school. Whining about having to work for 3 months is a sign of weakness to everyone in the legal field. Not enough time with your boyfriend? Just wait until you have to do a gig at some shitlaw foreclosure mill. Interviewers are going to probe you with "lifestyle" questions to determine if you're a slacker. Drop out and start clocking your corporate ticket.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 21:43
|
|
|
I don't think she was actually complaining about having to work the whole summer. I think she was just saying that it would be a downside compared to the work term of option one. That seems pretty reasonable to me.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 21:49
|
|
|
Edit: ^^ you beat me to it! Haha, I'm definitely not "whining" about working for 3 months. I guess my wording was a little off? I worked full-time at a law firm for three years, and have been working since I was 15, so I'm certainly not against the actual work. In fact, I hear it's basically doing absolutely nothing at Samsung, sitting around checking Gmail all day. It's just being out of the country for 3 months and having relatively little control of what I can do/where I can go during the summer. As for the fashion thing, I'm definitely trying to hedge my bets by doing this, but I'm planning on getting both my JD and fashion design degree concurrently (evening/part-time program). But yeah, I think about dropping out every day. I'm sure it's not just me, though. This second semester has been a lot more interesting, though, except for Con Law. Edit 2: vv pretty much sums up why I haven't dropped out of law school with a clean conscience.. A.s.P. fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Feb 3, 2011 |
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 21:53
|
|
|
What on earth is a fashion degree and what on earth would you use it for?
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 22:08
|
|
|
MoFauxHawk posted:I don't think she was actually complaining about having to work the whole summer. I think she was just saying that it would be a downside compared to the work term of option one. That seems pretty reasonable to me. Hahaha yeah, I figured, I just wanted to shoehorn in a mention of ~~~*MY JOB*~~~
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 22:18
|
|
|
Haha make sure you keep things up with that guy whatever you do; he sounds like a real winner.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 22:20
|
|
|
The Warszawa posted:Hahaha yeah, I figured, I just wanted to shoehorn in a mention of ~~~*MY JOB*~~~ And you aren't lucky, you go to Yale.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 22:21
|
|
|
amishsexpot posted:So, I'm peeking out from my cloud of denial - I'm in my second semester of 1L at Fordham. I would love some advice for summer plans. Here's my options: So you're Korean?... How you doin?
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 23:04
|
|
|
Hey, we should really have met up so I could argue you out of this vOv Re: Korea, I did that (went to Russia my first summer) with above median grades from a t14 in a better legal job environment. I did not get a paying 2L job. You've been warned. Again.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 23:11
|
|
|
Are any of the HLS 1L students around? I'd like to get some information on how the summer job hunt is going. I've heard some conflicting information, that it is rough for even HLS students this year and there's a lot of worry, and then I've heard it is not an issue at all. I'm sure HLS students are as neurotic and worrisome as any other, but concrete information on results of the job hunt would be cool.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 23:23
|
|
|
Hey Phil, did you manage to score any of the BP claims? I was talking to the one law professor in my school who still practices. He's a bigtime admiralty guy and he was telling me stories of his time in New Orleans last month. All the plaintiffs' committee did was sit around in old timey New Orleans restaurants getting drunk and having a jolly old time. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 23:39
|
|
|
CaptainScraps posted:Hey Phil, did you manage to score any of the BP claims? 
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 23:54
|
|
|
Adar posted:Hey, we should really have met up so I could argue you out of this vOv Yeah, of all the people I know who are currently 2Ls at the same T14, the biggest concomittant of being unemployed for next summer is having done nonsense, like non-legal corporate work in Korea, or trying to save the bushmen of Liberia or whatever. Go back to the firm; you can keep your contacts there alive (huge in this market) and no firm is going to think you're lazy. Firm jobs for 1Ls, no matter what sort of firm, are gold. On the other hand, you started law school, aren't sure you want to even finish, and are instead concerned with your fashion degree and your boyfriend. You should probably leave this job for someone who actually wants it.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2011 01:10
|
|
|
Trip report: NOLA is awesome, doubled my pay by going fishing at the Harrah's 1/2 no limit tables each night One day I will be Adar 
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2011 09:18
|
|
|
sooooooo I might actually land an interview with this firm. They've apparently been trying to get in touch with me just to get my transcripts, and they sent me a letter now for my transcripts instead of just saying "oh gently caress this guy you have a good resume peace"
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2011 15:59
|
|
|
Here's my dilemma: My current job is easy as poo poo and it makes decent money. However, I'll become a primary examiner in two years which means I'll be making the most I'll ever make at the job by the time I'm 29. My only options for advancement are management, where I'd be making the same money, or one of the political appointee positions where I could make something like $20k more a year. I "might" be able to swing a job as a BPAI judge, but who knows. On the other hand, I'd get a job starting at more than I could make at my current job, but I'm sure I'd be in the office a lot. I'm in the gym three days a week, I play rugby which is Tuesday and Thursday evenings and all day Saturday, and I want to be able to continue to do this. Also my wife could probably quit her job that she hates thanks to the additional money, so that would make me not have to listen her complain about her job every day so that's a plus. Also she really hates her job so I guess she'd be happy too. On the third hand, I'm sure that if I do wind up getting an offer, I can take a couple of days to see whether my current job would still be there for me if the lawyer thing doesn't work out.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2011 16:05
|
|
|
Baruch Obamawitz posted:Here's my dilemma:
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2011 16:21
|
|
|
Baruch Obamawitz posted:Here's my dilemma: Would it really be so terrible making 140k with insane benefits, tons of free time, and job security for the rest of your life? Really? Why are you even thinking of leaving this position? I mean I know why, I think most of us on here have a pretty good feel for your ambitions by now, but think about this. You're going to lose SO MUCH of your free time for a little bit more money...SO MUCH. Please take the time to calculate how much you make per hour now, and how much you will make once you have to bill 2k+ hours.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2011 16:26
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 5, 2024 00:23 |
|
|
HiddenReplaced posted:Would it really be so terrible making 140k with insane benefits, tons of free time, and job security for the rest of your life? Really? Why are you even thinking of leaving this position? I mean I know why, I think most of us on here have a pretty good feel for your ambitions by now, but think about this. You're going to lose SO MUCH of your free time for a little bit more money...SO MUCH. Please take the time to calculate how much you make per hour now, and how much you will make once you have to bill 2k+ hours. Yes, this, exactly. Moreover, you taking a new job and letting your wife quit would likely decrease your household income and standard of living (unless the bonus income is above her current one), making your life shittier in every way besides her not nagging. Why not wait for your raise and have her quit then and take some awesome part time job at a petting zoo or something?
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2011 16:39
|
|