August is around the corner. What do y’all actually wish you knew before you started that would’ve helped you? What items? What groups did you join or wish you joined? Etc pleaseeee
I'm starting law school this fall and I'm only going to need to borrow around $50,000/year. At first I was set on just taking the $50k federal unsubsidized loan (because of the income-driven payment plans) but then I got a private loan offer at an interest rate much lower than the federal rate:
5.56% APR on $50k loan. 10 years fixed.
For reference, the federal loan interest rate is 8.07%.
I'm at a T14 law school and am planning on going into big law. Which one do you think I should do?
If not, OF might be my next career path
Long story short I did biomed in hopes of getting into research and did my honours and figured out I hated it. I also can’t get any jobs that pay above minimum wage with just my bachelors with Hons.
My gpa is good (3.0) and I’ve been thinking of applying to the Juris Doctor of law just as something to get a decent paying job in, maybe even get into medical law.
Has anyone done this? What was your experiences? And were you employable after?
I’m a rising 3L at American University Washington College of Law. For context, I’m 28F and I go to American University.
Throughout my life, I always thought I wanted to do criminal defense. During my 1L summer and my 2L spring semester, I worked at a private security firm where I did a mix of transactional work, contract review/drafting, and civil litigation. Through that experience, I discovered that I really enjoy litigation. I still love criminal defense, and I also enjoy transactional work, but litigation is definitely something I can see myself doing long-term. I will be working with a public defender's office this coming summer before my 3L year.
Recently, I’ve been seriously considering applying to JAG, specifically the Coast Guard or Navy, and I would also appreciate any insight on Air Force JAG. I’m trying to figure out whether JAG would be a smart career move, especially given my student loan situation. Right now, I have about $212,000 in student loans, and I still have one year of law school left. My GPA is currently a 3.16, and I’m not sure how much that matters for JAG selection.
To be completely honest, I’m mainly considering JAG because of the benefits, job security, and the possibility of reaching financial freedom sooner. I want to buy a house one day, and I’m trying to be realistic about my debt and long-term financial goals. I’m not afraid of the discipline, structure, time management, physical fitness expectations, or the military lifestyle generally. My main concern is whether JAG actually makes sense financially and professionally.
Long-term, I would still like to eventually have my own law firm, likely focused on criminal defense. So I’m trying to figure out whether JAG would help me get strong litigation experience, reduce financial stress, and put me in a better position to eventually transition into private practice or start my own firm.
For anyone who has done JAG, especially Navy, Coast Guard, or Air Force: was it worth it? Did it help with your student loans or financial stability? Did it give you strong courtroom or litigation experience? And would you recommend it for someone who ultimately wants to practice criminal defense and eventually have their own firm?
Any honest advice would be appreciated.
graduating student who wants specific gift. any insight??
I’m currently in 11th and preparing for CLAT.
I wanted to ask if anyone here has used CLAT preparation books or study material that they no longer need and would be willing to share/give away. Being honest, my parents can’t really spend much on coaching or expensive CLAT resources right now, so even used books, notes, mock tests, or PDFs would help me a lot.
I’m genuinely serious about preparation and would really appreciate any support.
Thanks :)
Only grade in so far for this semester. I can’t stop crying. I know that typically a C isn’t the end of the world but it brings my gpa to only less than .3 above what I need to stay in the school. I still have 3 other grades to come in but I can’t stop crying. Of course it didn’t help that this girl in my section posted on her close friends story about how great she did. Please just any comforting words would be helpful.
Is it convenient to do legal drafting on the ipad with the 3rd party keyboards on ipad ?
Slightly above median student at T-20 with a full scholarship. Goal is to clerk, possibly Biglaw but longterm would love to be an AUSA or big city DA.
I came to this school expecting great outcomes as I have seen from many of the 3Ls, but that just hasn't materialized. I have no 2L job, no extracurricular/leadership involvement for next year, little to no social relationships, and it's well outside of my target market (hoping to return to the East Coast).
We won't hear from write on for a minute, and I'm still waiting on grades so maybe those will make the decision for me but I guess the question is whether it is worth attempting a transfer to a T-14 or if losing the scholarship would be too much a cost to bear and I shouldn't bother. Part of me thinks that it would be foolish to lose what is essentially a debt free degree that has serious value, but another part of me feels like the value to this school is just closed off and I'm going to essentially get the lowest common denominator of an outcome. I'm also worried about burning relationships with professors in the process, because that's the one thing that I have going for me though maybe that's an overblown concern.
Really been debating it because at one point I was confident I wanted to, especially because of the personal struggles... Now I'm having second thoughts
I’d love to pick everyone’s brain. Give me the craziest habits. If you think you’re weird you most likely are. 😂
(Pls forgive me for posting a meme on a weekday… with classes being over I barely know what day of the week it is anymore)
I’m good at small talk and comfortable with speaking with people I know, but entering and orienting myself in a room full of strangers is a total loss on me. there are so many social events, and often times you show up and theres just a ton of people standing in circles, that you don’t know, chatting with each other. what do I even do in those scenarios other than stand around and look awkward?
(proof that you don't need to do the reading
This is not a shit post I actually don’t know how to feel- on one hand I understand that this is a normal and acceptable grade but I got straight As first semester so I’m also a little disappointed and nervous about keeping my V5 2L offer after this summer. Also coming from a T80 school bc I know I’m already under higher scrutiny compared to my T14 colleagues. The rest of my grades haven’t been released yet so fingers crossed but this was not a great start.