Law School Discussion

He is the dean of Monterrey College of Law my two cents as a Bay Area attorney is that employment "stats" are highly inaccurate and do not reflect the reality that no matter what school you attend if you pass the bar and use common sense and have a modicum of social skills you can have a career as an attorney at least in California. It difficult to start out and I think without getting into costs, location, etc even CA Law Dean would agree having an ABA degree would be better than a CBE one, but CBE schools are great for certain people.

Overall are CBE schools a joke? They can be if your trying to get hired at Cravath or Latham, but so is a degree from a the 47th ranked ABA school. There will also be people out there who think CBE schools are a joke and plenty that don't. I have interviewed and hired CBE students for internships etc some were good some were not the same can be said for students at every law school I have dealt with in the Bay area GGU, Hastings, USF, etc. Whether a person is a good attorney has a lot more to do with the individual than the school they attended.

talking self, eh?

Thanks again Angie!  I finally figured it out...was having problems transferring to Kindle Fire...but finally figured out that I had to extract the files first....then it went through just fine.

Thank you both for your input!  I had figured that individual drive may have a bit more to do with passing the bar.  It makes sense that a lower admissions criteria would have a direct correlation to bar pass rates.  If one doesn't have the drive to hunker down and study for the LSAT, then they are less likely to pass the bar exam.  I am leaning more and more towards CBE for the fall.  Since I've already completed two years at an ABA, I don't think the quality of education will be any different, but my debt will be far less.   

As an independent LSAT tutor, I've had a similar experience in hearing from my students that they did not find a prep course helpful. However, I agree that this may be due to a biased sample.

I suspect that courses can be helpful for those starting with lower LSAT scores (in the 140s) because most courses are focused on simply getting students past the 150 mark. (Those starting with higher scores and/or better aptitude may be bored in class, and those starting below the 140s may feel confused and rushed at the pace of the class.)

The question becomes whether courses are worth the time and money, as compared to self-studying with low-cost/free resources.

Look what it comes down to is the type of person that you are when it comes to studying. If you need someone on top of you, then maybe the course is worth it, but if you're an independent person who can sit down and get work done, then the courses are a complete waste of money in my opinion. There are so many alternatives to dishing out over $1000 for a course. Self studying is one option which will cost you for the books and such. Another option that i am more fond of is using your ipad or iphone to study.

Since the LSAT is a paper and pencil exam, it's extremely important to complete full-length (5-section) timed exams using physical copies (or at least, print-outs) of the exams, rather than completing them online.

An online video course can be a good alternative to more expensive in-person prep courses, but just be sure to complete the exams on paper.

Law for Business - used book for sale by Ashcroft & Ashcroft, just of $15 http://www.ilovebooke.net/pt/LAW-for-Business/store.htm.

10-4

I have to agree here. Just because one CAN do something does not mean that one SHOULD. So far, and to the extent I'm qualified to judge having not yet taken the LSAT, I think the PowerScore materials are solid. Combined with the LSAC/T practice test books I think I have a solid chance of cracking 170.

And plus... considering I want to specialize in cybercrime / computer laws... something tells me that's a bad precedent to set!

If you do some snooping around the web, you can find the PowerScore books and all past LSATs and explanations for past LSATs available to download (illegally) for free.

LSATGamesTutor, please don't imply that people should download these books illegally.

You do NOT want to start your legal career by downloading illegal copies of the LSAT from sources that do not pay LSAC licensing fees. You should only download pdf versions of the LSAT from sources that are officially authorized by LSAC! LSAC and other companies routinely monitor for illegal downloads... Don’t risk ruining your chances of getting into law school or failing your character and fitness evaluation by subjecting yourself to litigation. You could end up halfway through law school, then getting a subpoena in the mail and being pulled into a big mess that you'll have to sort out. It's an easy way to risk ruining your legal career before it ever gets started.