Click here to view the embedded video.

The two big players in the online law firm software niche are Clio and Rocketmatter. This is a review of Clio, followed by a comparison to Rocketmatter and traditional law firm software.

This review analyzes Clio in each major area, noting what is good and bad about Clio. As you will see, despite the “bad,” Clio deserves high marks, and I currently believe it is the best option for solo attorneys and small firms.

Online and Offline
Good: The most unique aspect of Clio is that it is available online and offline (not connected to the internet). Being able to access your law firm software online is great for attorneys who own multiple computers, when attorneys work away from the office, or for access with an iPhone or BlackBerry. Even though Clio is primarily available online, it has software that makes it available offline, which is great if you are on a flight or otherwise temporarily away from the internet.
Good: Clio backs-up your data, so you don’t have to. You will still need backup software for documents on your computer, but everything in Clio is backed-up multiple times per day.

Tasks
Good: Creating tasks is simple. Billing a task when it is complete is as easy as clicking a button and typing the time you spent on the task.
Good: Tasks can be delegated to anyone in your firm who has an account with Clio. Delegating is as simple as selecting that person from a dropdown list.
Good: Task have a due date and can be sorted by due date, title, or client.
Good: Tasks can be downloaded in iCal or Outlook format, which might be useful to some.
Bad: You cannot add a priority to tasks.
Bad: You cannot add notes on a task. Notes would be useful if a task has subparts or if you want to jot down a few items to remember for a task.

Calendar
Good: The calendar is full-featured including start and end times, repeating events, an option to bill the event to a client, the event location, and notes (Description) about the event.
Good: The calendar can be viewed by day, week, and month.
Good: You can download your calendar items in an iCal and Outlook format.
Good: You can allow your calendar to be seen by others or hidden by easily setting the permissions.

Contacts
Contacts are clients or anyone else associated with Matters. This could be judges, opposing counsel, experts, witnesses, or others.
Good and Bad: There aren’t many contact fields (name, address, email, etc.) which simplifies the process. However, I realize that some people might want more fields to enter all kinds of information about clients (spouse’s name, birthdays, second address, etc.) but that information can easily go in a note. I’m glad Clio didn’t overwhelm users with tons of contact fields. If there are too many fields, law firm staff don’t know which ones to use. Clio kept it simple, and thus, having only the basic contact fields will make most people happy.
Good: For each contact, users can enter an unlimited amount of notes. Each note is attached to the contact. Thus, notes can serve as a log or provide details about the contact.
Good: When viewing a contact, click on “Ledger” and you can see items on the client’s bill and the client’s recent payments.

Matters (i.e. cases)
As any attorney knows, matters are projects associated with a client. For example, a case is a matter. A matter might also be drafting a contract, negotiating a deal, or forming a business.
Good: In Clio, once a Matter is created, it can be selected to associate with a task, a calendar item, and billing time. Under the Matters tab, you can see all information associated with a matter including the following items: contact information for the client, other contacts associated with the matter (e.g. opposing counsel), tasks, calendar items, notes, timekeeping entries, expenses, and documents. As with other law firm software, users can view a list of open matters, closed matters, or all maters.

Activities (another place to log your time)
As stated earlier, attorneys and paralegals can log their time in Tasks and Calendar by clicking on a task or calendar item and marking it as billable. Clio also provides timekeeping entry in the Activities tab where you can enter your time manually. Where ever you choose to log your time, the time is kept in a central log that can be listed by date, matter, client, or in other reports.
Good: Time entry is simple and quick. You won’t waste time waiting for a slow server or confusing user interface.
Bad: If a sophisticated client such as an insurance company requires certain billing codes, there is only one field (Description) in which you can enter those codes. Most insurance companies require two such fields, one for the type of work and the other for the stage in the litigation. Of course, most solos and some small firms won’t care much about this.
Details: Time entry includes a number of fields including Matter (the case you are working on), Description (a dropdown menu that you can customize with the types of work your firm does and billable rates for that type of work), Duration (how many tenths of the hour you worked), Rate (keep the default or enter a custom rate), and a Note field (to provide a custom description of the work).

Documents
Good: Clio allows you to save documents and files right in Clio. It’s a way to keep all documents related to a matter in one place. This is especially useful when multiple people are working on a matter.
Suggestion to Clio: In Clio, files must be manually uploaded. While this is normal, it would be great to see Clio implement software like DropBox, which our firm uses, to sync a folder on everyone’s computer. The contents of that folder can include countless other folders and files, such as a folder for each client. The files are synced to each computer as well as the online server, so it serves as an online backup in addition to ensuring that everyone has the latest copy right on their computer. To be fair, no law firm software does this. But DropBox does it, and someday I expect the Clio will license such a tool or develop it on its own.

Bills and Invoicing
Good: Invoicing on Clio is simple. Clio tracks bank accounts (operating accounts) and trust accounts. Clio can export to Quickbooks for those with more advanced accounting or invoicing needs.
Good: Clio’s ClientConnect feature enables online bill-paying for your clients. You simply send your clients a link to an outstanding invoice, and the client can pay the invoice via PayPal or other online payment systems.
Good: Clio allows a discount to be added to a bill.
Bad: Clio has no way to add a discount to some items and not others. Clio’s discount feature merely applies a discount to the entire bill. I want an invoice to show the discounted items, the value of the discount per item, and total value of the discounts at the bottom of the invoice. Currently I do this in Quickbooks and clients love seeing that they received discounts. For example, if I make an 18 minute call for a client but don’t want to bill for the entire call, I might log .3 hours with a discount equal to .2 hours.
Suggestion to Clio: Currently, Clio’s export to Quickbooks is done manually. Our firm has used online timecards at MC2 Anywhere, which can directly connect to Quickbooks using a little application running on the Quickbooks computer. MC2 Anywhere makes a seamless transfer of time from the timekeeping software to Quickbooks.

Reports
Good: Clio has a useful “performance” report that shows attorneys the number of their billable hours per day, week, month, and year compared to their goals.
Bad: Clio doesn’t have any other reports.
Good: You can run any possible report from Quickbooks after exporting the data to Quickbooks. Clio can export time entries in a Quickbooks CSV or Quickbooks IIF format.
Suggestion to Clio: Provide a “Reports” tab and include 10-20 of the most popular law firm reports. For example, let users print out their billable time by date, matter, or user so they can quickly analyze their time entries at the end of a billing period without having to first generate an invoice or export to Quickbooks. It would also be nice to print a task list, events on the calendar for a week, or a list of open matters.

Clio on the iPhone
Good: On the iPhone, Clio is accessed using the web browser. However, the website interface is completely customized to the iPhone, which means menus are large, simple, and easy to use.
Bad: Tasks cannot be edited from within the iPhone interface. I’m not sure why Clio would do this, since it would be simple to add an “edit” button to each task. Maybe Clio will fix this soon. In the meantime, tasks can be edited if you use the iPhone to browse to Clio’s regular web pages (not optimized for the iPhone) and click on the normal “edit” button, but that is cumbersome because the normal web interface is not optimized for the iPhone.

Clio Support and Improvements
Good: I have called and emailed Clio a few times and always received quick, knowledgeable, and thoughtful responses.
Good: Last winter, another attorney and I suggested some ideas to Clio. They implemented a number of the ideas. Their responsiveness was impressive. It is obvious that Clio is listening to its users and quickly improving its online software. The difference between Clio last December and Clio today is significant. I could not recommend that small firms use Clio last December, but now Clio seems to be the best option for small firms.

Clio Compared to Traditional Law Firm Software
Clio is simple and intuitive to new lawyers, attorneys who despise computers, and techies alike. This is a stark contrast to PC Law, Pro Law, Time Matters, and all of the other traditional software applications I’ve used. Select Clio if you want basic practice management software that is easy, saves time, has useful features, and provides online access from anywhere with an internet connection. Select traditional law firm software if you want a complex system with thousands of features and options, significant customization, and software that runs on your server. Clio probably isn’t ready for the demands of a firm with over 20 attorneys. But Clio is great for small firms and solos. Especially noteworthy, Clio won’t require a computer support person or training for personnel.

Clio’s strength is its simplicity, but that could also be its weakness for medium to large law firms. Such firms may require (1) customization for practice areas, (2) advanced and complex features found (but rarely used) in traditional law firm software, and (3) permission control to limit each person’s access to information, to name a few. However, as Clio continues to innovate, I expect it will provide some of these features.

Clio Compared to Rocketmatter
Clio appears to do everything Rocketmatter does, but Clio does more and does it better. This wasn’t the case in December of 2008 when I first tried Clio. Rocketmatter was the first online law firm software to allow an attorney to copy a task to the time log. Rocketmatter was also first to use Ajax to simplify the lookup of matters when entering a task or time. But soon afterward, Clio implemented those features and many more.

Rocketmatter does tagging, which is a Web 2.0 idea for giving labels or categories to items. I’m not sure of the practical value of this, but it’s worth noting for those who like tagging that Clio doesn’t have the ability to tag items.

Disclosure
I asked Clio for free access while I examined its service, and they granted my request. However, Clio gives away a free trial period to anyone who visits its site. I was not compensated in any other manner for this review.

Conclusion
Clio exceeded our expectations. Our testing has revealed that Clio largely meets our requirements (with some areas of concern noted above in the “Bad” and “Suggestion to Clio” lines). Even though Clio has room to grow, it far surpasses the complex, slow, archaic software applications used in most small law firms (I previously used PC Law, Pro Law, Time Matters, and others).

We will continue to use DropBox instead of Clio for storing documents, because DropBox synchronizes and backs-up the files on all of our computers without any involvement from us.

Our small firm with a few attorneys plans to convert to Clio. Clio has a great user interface, which makes using it easy and intuitive. With Clio, we can focus more time on clients and less time on the software and computer infrastructure.

The cost for Clio is less than the software and hardware needed to run most traditional law firm software applications. We also appreciate that little to no training is needed, the software is always backed-up, and we can access it from anywhere on the internet.

Clio’s fresh approach and innovation far surpasses the bloated, complex approach that currently exists in the law firm software industry.

For blogs written by students preparing for the bar exam (or who previously took the bar), go here: Law Student Bar Exam Blogs.

This is a good refresher right before law school exams.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Summer associates often wonder if they should do something to “stand out” from the other summer associates to get noticed by partners. The best way to “stand out” is to work hard and do good work, which normally means good research and writing. A pleasant personality is the goal, not leaning too far into the introvert or extrovert direction.

Bitter Lawyer posted a list of “Nine Summer Associate Don’ts” for law students to be aware of as they tread into the economically sensitive and ultra-competitive law firm arena. The “Nine Summer Associate Don’ts” clarifies a number of ways you do not want to “stand out.” A number of the tips are pretty obvious, but what is obvious to some may not be so obvious to others.

Registration for free Kaplan LSAT practice exams spiked more than 20 percent as students and professionals explored law school as a safe haven option.

The survey also noted that among aspiring lawyers, political aspirations still run much higher for men.

Read more from the Kaplan press release:

New York, NY – According to a Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey of 1,040 pre-law students who took the February Law School Admission Test (LSAT), 40 percent say the economic downturn – which includes the highest unemployment rate in 25 years – is motivating their decision to apply to law school.

“Historically, economic downturns spark an increased interest in law school as students and professionals reevaluate their career tracks. Recessions often inspire people to look to law school to ride out the storm, transition into a new field, or broaden their education to make themselves a more attractive candidate,” said Jeff Thomas, director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. “We’ve experienced over a 20 percent increase in registration for our free LSAT practice test events over last year, supporting the notion that today’s challenging job market may be affecting people’s career plans, though there are a number of other excellent reasons for pursuing a law degree.”

Thomas noted that during the last economic crisis, which hit right after 9/11, applications to law schools spiked 17 percent, before stabilizing in line with an improving economy. And according to the Law School Admission Council, the administrator of the LSAT, law school applications just saw their first increase since 2004.

Other key survey results:

• The Money Factor: While the recession is a key driver behind this season’s law school applications, earning potential is an even bigger driver: 67 percent say that high earning power “very much” or “somewhat” affected their decision to pursue a law degree.
• Law School Remains a Popular Breeding Ground for Future Politicians: 54 percent of respondents say they will “definitely” or “probably” run for political office. Despite this high overall number, between genders there is a significant gap in interest level, with 68 percent of males answering “definitely” or “probably,” compared with 41 percent of females.
• Trials of the Century: When asked for which historical legal case they would have liked to have served as counsel on if given the opportunity, the most popular response was Roe V Wade (34 percent), followed by the Nuremberg Trials (29 percent). Thirteen percent would have liked to have tried The OJ Simpson Trial.

When it comes time to write your personal statement don’t go crazy and try to be the next F. Scott Fitzgerald.� Likely you will get no points for length or originality; it is content that matters.� Trying to do something out of the box may only lead to admission representatives misinterpreting your meaning, and that’s the last thing you would want to happen.

Do your homework.

Clich� I know, but if you are fortunate enough to get into law school this will become your own personal mantra.� So why not get started early and start a good habit?� Let’s face it, if homework isn’t your strongest quality you probably shouldn’t even be considering law school in the first place.

In this case, doing your homework means getting some samples of letters that have worked for others in the past and studying the heck out of them.� Study the tone that the essays took on, look at how the ideas were clearly developed and formatted.� Remember that you don’t want yours to be too wordy or beyond the scope of what you need to communicate.� Remember that the purpose of this letter isn’t to show them that you are Americas next great author, it’s to reinforce the fact that you have what it takes to get to graduation with honors.� Be precise and concise.

Learn from others’ mistakes.

Well in this case, learn from the mistakes of others actually.� Find and study some essays that were poorly written.� This is your opportunity to learn what not to do.� Look at the formulation of ideas and weak links in each statement.� It may be that you find qualities you have been mirroring or attributes of style similar to your own in the poorly written letters.� Make note of this immediately and make changes to your own style appropriately so that you can improve.

Proofread, edit, and revise.

If you write multiple drafts without getting input from someone you know you can trust, then you may be reinforcing poor ideas and qualities in your own essay.� A proofreader is an essential and required element in perfecting your own letter.� There will be no way to know if you are on the right track, unless you seek the advice of a professional-or many professionals, for that matter.� Remember that in the end you will have to make the final call.� If you’ve done all that you should to prepare then you should have nothing to worry about.

This post was contributed by Alisa Johnson, who writes about the best online college. She welcomes your feedback at Alisa.Johnson1982 at gmail.com

The tips are based on the mistakes they made during their first year of law school and things they did that worked especially well. The tips are helpful, and some are a bit humorous. The video is less than 8 minutes long.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I agree that law school grading is not precise—and some law school professors are worse than others.

For most law professors, it is hard to differentiate between a B+ grade and an A- grade. However, there is normally a noticeable difference between an A and a C.

While the lack of accuracy between grades in close proximity to each other is unfortunate, there is little that can be done about it if humans do the grading (instead of computers). By nature, human grading of essay-style exams is subjective.

Statistically, a law student will benefit from adjustments in their favor and adjustments downward during their time in law school. As a result, the inaccuracy in law school grading doesn’t have a major affect on law student’s GPA.

Of course, some law school professors are a bigger problem than most. You wonder if they throw the exam papers down the stairs and give an A to papers that land on the top stair, A- to papers on the next step, B+ to papers on the next step, and so on down the stairs.

That’s my opinion. What do you think?

If you’re in law school, you probably know what a “gunner” is. In short, it’s a person who frequently raises their hand to talk in class.

Gunners seem like they just want to hear themselves talk. They seem to want to impress their classmates and the professor with their knowledge.

Most law students are annoyed by gunners. But not every student who talks a lot has the same motives as a gunner. Sometimes students who are very interested in the subject matter can get the reputation of being a gunner.

There is an impression for new law students that someone who talks a lot in class must be more knowledgeable or smarter. However, as law school progresses, you quickly learn that the smartest kids in the class are often the quietest kids in the class.

This video interviews law students about their impressions of gunners in law school.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sure, grades are important. But students with high grades still need a good resume. Law students with medium or low grades are especially position to benefit from building other areas of their resume.

The video is encouraging for students who don’t have good grades. There are many things that law students can do to have their CV represent their strengths.

In this video, Thomas Jefferson School of Law Professor David Steinberg gives advice to law students on building the law school resume and networking for jobs after law school.

Click here to view the embedded video.

From my experience, this law student’s day is very similar to my average law school days and those of other law students I know. As you can see from the video, the day is a combination of studying, class, talking to friends while studying, studying, and then studying.

Still, many believe that more law students will ultimately have a positive effect on society. To evaluate whether the increasing number of law school graduates is good, we should first consider the cause of the growth.

What is Causing the Growth?

There are more law school graduates each year for two reasons:

1. Current law schools are increasing their class sizes (capacity for total enrolled students) and
2. The ABA has been approving more law schools, increasing the total number of law schools.

Some Believe that More Law School Students is Bad.

One view is that the increasing number of law school graduates is bad because

1. there are not enough attorney jobs for the new law school graduates (this may worry current law students) and
2. more lawyers may foster more litigation in society.

Some Believe that More Law School Students is Good.

The other view is that more law school graduates is good for society because

1. society has more educated and capable individuals in it and
2. more attorneys will create competition to drive down the cost of legal services which, arguably, have long enjoyed a monopoly status by laws that prevent anyone but ABA approved law school graduates from practicing law.

What Do You Think?

Are there additional points that should be raised? Which side do you feel is persuasive and why?

Scenario 1: During Class.

Have you ever been taking notes in class and missed something important that the professor said? Maybe it was a blackletter rule. Maybe it was a point that could be on the final exam. It would be nice if you could just rewind class. Maybe you can ask a friend about it after class. With EtherPad, you can see your friend’s class notes appear immediately as your friend writes them.

Scenario 2: Preparing for Finals.

Imagine that you are preparing your outline for finals. You notice gaps in your notes. You’re not sure if you were day-dreaming, missed a concept, or the professor just didn’t talk about it. You might have time to ask some friends to see their notes, but you might not have time. With EtherPad, you would have a copy of your friend’s class notes next to yours, so you can fill in the gaps.

Alternatives to EtherPad.

Instead of EtherPad, a study partner and I shared a Microsoft OneNote document over the internet. This allowed us to take notes together during class. It worked great. He often noted information that I missed, and vice versa. However, Microsoft OneNote is not free, and it is not as simple as EtherPad.

GoogleDocs allows collaboration like EtherPad, but notes in GoogleDocs are delayed by about 10-15 seconds, which can be annoying. GoogleDocs is free; you just need a Gmail account.

EtherPad Let’s You Chat During Class.

Using EtherPad, you can ask your friend a question or make a comment during class. For example, your in-class notes might look something like this:

You: Um, did the professor just say that the “mailbox rule” was different under the UCC?

Your Friend: Yeah, dude. Didn’t you read the assignment this week?� Compare UCC 2-207 to Restatement(2d) Contracts 59.

Sharing notes in class isn’t for everyone. You need a study partner you trust. However, many law students may find it very helpful. If you don’t own Microsoft OneNote, check out EtherPad. It’s free.

The law student awoke, and the burglar threatened to hurt him with a baseball bat unless the law student turned over his possessions. The law student freely turned over his wallet, guitar, and other items. But when the burglar went to take the laptop, he went too far.

“I was like, ‘Dude, no — please, no!” the law student said. “I have all my case notes�that’s four months of work!”

“I’m going to smash your head in,” the burglar responded.

The law student was not willing to lose his class notes, case summaries, and course projects. He was determined that his GPA and professional future would not be altered by this criminal. The law student took matters into his own hands.

“I basically grabbed him and threw him this way, and he held onto the bat so it threw him to the ground,” the law student said.

The law student had no serious injuries. The burglar went to the hospital for stitches before being arrested.

Afterward, the law student commented about protecting his laptop. “It’s my baby,” he said. “Don’t mess with my computer.”

Read the full story and see after-shots of the burglar here.

Prize: $500.� The winner will receive from Gale Cengage Learning a $500 prize. In addition, the winner will receive up to $1000 to be applied towards travel, lodging, food and other expenses associated with attendance at the Annual Meeting. (Gale Cengage and the Legal History and Rare Books SIS will each contribute to the travel expenses.).

Essay Length: The subject should be explored in depth with appropriate reference to sources.

Essay Topic: Law students are eligible to enter the competition. Papers may be on any topic related to

• legal history,
• rare law books, or
• legal archives.

Deadline: Papers must be submitted by April 15, 2009.

Details: More information is available at: http://www.aallnet.org/sis/lhrb/Cohenessayprocapp.pdf.

What major should I get before law school to improve my chances of getting admitted into law school?

Here was my answer:

Years ago, certain undergraduate degrees were preferred by law schools. Today, law schools consider all degrees to be equal, with a possible exception for a difficult degree (advanced science) being given a very slight edge over an easier degree (e.g. communications or sociology).

In other words, law school admissions offices generally do not care about the area of your major. First and foremost, law schools will look at your GPA and your LSAT score.� In a close tie between you and another applicant, the law school might consider your undergraduate degree area along with other items on your resume, including your personal statement (the essay you submit with your application).

In the old days, the degree area mattered to law schools.� Today, law schools understand the need for lawyers with diverse backgrounds, so the degree area is no longer relevant.

I would recommend picking a degree that interests you, since you will enjoy it more, do better in it, and in the long run, have greater interest using that knowledge in your career of choice.

Of course, your degree may matter to law firms or potential clients when you are an attorney, especially if you seek a specialized area of law. For example, if you pursue personal injury law, your background working in a hospital, experience working in an ambulance, or a degree that is related to health or medicine may help a bit. This reaffirms the importance of pursuing a degree area that interests you, since you may work in an area of law related to that dgree for the rest of your life.

Note: If you have any other law school questions, ask them in the new law school forum.

What law school scholarships are available?

This person was concerned about her ability to pay the cost of law school. Here was my answer:

Of course, you can get law school loans to help defray the cost of law school. That’s how most law students pay for law school. Setting loans aside, law school scholarships are available to some students to help cover the cost of law school and reduce the overall size of your potential law school debt.

There are three types of scholarships: academic based, need based, and miscellaneous independent scholarships.

Academic based scholarships

Generally, law schools will offer you an academic scholarship when they extend to you an offer to attend (after you have submitted your application).� These scholarships are normally based on your LSAT score and GPA. Law schools report the average LSAT scores and GPA of admitted students, so they extend scholarships to students who would improve the school’s average. Thus, a school with a low average will be more likely to extend a scholarship to a student with a high LSAT score.

Need based scholarships

Generally, law schools will award need based scholarships after students are accepted for admission. Schools handle need based scholarships differently, so for need based scholarships, contact your school after you are accepted for admission.

Independent scholarships

In addition to the scholarships offered by law schools, some organizations and individuals offer law school scholarships. These are often available for one or a few students who meet a special criteria. A key criterion might be something like

• a specific ethinic background
• membership in the organization offering the scholarship
• experience in a specific profession (e.g. teaching or medicine)
• a family member who works at the company offering the scholarship

Independent scholarships might be coordinated though the law school’s admissions, student loan, or scholarship office. Generally, these are scholarships offered by alumni of the school. Often these are posted on an internal law school website. Talk to the office in your law school that handles scholarships for to find out what scholarships are available.

Whatever you do, I don’t recommend paying an online service to find scholarships for you; many of these services produce worthless information and waste your time and money.

How long should I spend preparing for the LSAT?

The LSAT is designed so students can’t prepare for it. That is, it will not test your knowledge, it will test your ability to analyze and comprehend what you read in the test.� As a result, people spend far less time preparing for the LSAT than other advanced degree exams (e.g. GMAT or MCAT).

To prepare for the LSAT, I suggest you practice by taking old LSAT exams (some are posted for free on the LSAT website and others can be purchased as part of LSAT preparation books) once a week for 6-8 weeks before the exam.

This time period will help you become familiar with the LSAT’s format. Also, you should be sure you know how to write out the puzzles/games presented in the LSAT.� If you need help with this, an LSAT prep book can be useful.

How long did you spend studying and practicing for the LSAT? If you have any advice, please add it here for other students.

The video then suggests that you get your resume/CV out to as many law firms as possible. While I agree with this advice, I think students who have a lot of connections in the legal industry would be better served by first focusing time on those connections before mass-mailing law firms. For law students without connections, it is simple math: the more firms that received your resume, the more chances you have of finding an employer who likes your unique qualifications.

Frankly, I think the presenter comes across as pushing mass mailings, which is probably a service offered by his company. However, I still think the advice is good for students with no connections. Of couse, if you have time, start building connections in the legal community by volunteering, getting to know your professors, and find other ways to build a few deep relationships (which are better than many shallow relationships).

Click here to view the embedded video.

As competition increases due to the increasing number of law students entering the job market, having a plan for a job hunt becomes more important.

What do you think? What are good ways to look for jobs as a law student?

The 2 minute trailer presented here gives a glimpse into the law school experience. The documentary seems to accurately capture what law school is all about. It shows a variety of law students in a variety of life experiences—along with the joys and pains of law school.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The documentary features Patrick Schiltz, Randy Barnett, Rob Miller, Angela Davis, Taunya Banks, Elizabeth Warren, Ruth McKinney, Mark Tushnet, Richard Primus, Marty Peters, Chris Slobogin, Judith McMorrow, John Goldberg, Charles Daye, David Sokolow, Elizabeth Garrett, Paula Lustbader, Eric Posner, David Becker, John Kidwell, Rich Freer, and many more.

The documentary was filmed at Harvard Law School, NYU Law, Columbia Law School, Oklahoma Law School, University of Texas Law School, SMU, Baylor, American Law School, Georgetown Law School, University of Maryland Law School, Boston University Law School, Boston College Law School, UNC Law School, Elon Law School, Emory Law School, Florida Law School, Vanderbilt Law School, Washington University St. Louis, University of Chicago Law School, USC Law School, Stanford Law School, Wisconsin Law School, Michigan Law School, St. Thomas Law School, Seattle Law School, and Pepperdine.

The Trials of Law School was also featured in the 2007 Dallas Video Festival.

Learn more about the documentary at the Trials of Law School.

Maybe you are wondering whether law school is right for you. This may be one of the most important decisions you will make related to law school.

In fact, this question is more important than other questions you may have:

• How do I get into law school?
• What should I do to prepare for law school?
• How much money do lawyers make?

Frankly, most law students have no idea what law school or the practice of law is like. I sure didn’t. Practicing law is nothing like popular TV shows:

• Law and Order
• Boston Legal
• The Practice
• LA Law

Sure, a few high profile lawyers may have similarities with those shows at certain times in their law practice. But 99% of the practice of law is nothing like TV. I suppose that is true about life in general: it’s never like they portray on TV.

So if you want to know what law school is like, consider shadowing an attorney for a day or talking to those who have been through it. For example, watch this short, enlightening video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

One reason that law school is not like many law students expect is that people’s impression of law school is often based on Ivy League law schools. Most law schools are not Ivy League. Most law schools have study bodies comprised of normal Americans, not the extremely intelligent or children of the rich and famous. (Okay, maybe that is also perpetuating a mildly inaccurate stereotype.)

The point is, before you put yourself through three years of hard work, and $90,000 in debt, be sure you are going to law school for the right reasons. To live like a TV lawyer is not the right reason, because you never will.

In conclusion, law school is different from what most incoming law students expect. Further the practice of law is different from what most people think.

For example, people have asked:

• What is the process to get into law school?
• Will having a photographic memory help me get into law school?
• What LSAT score do I need to get into the top 5 law schools?
• I am in (fill-in-the-blank) minority category—will that help me get into law school?

Law school students have less questions, but they want to exchange ideas:

• I’m in a study group, but it seems like a waste of time. Maybe I should quit.
• I’m not sure about creating my own outline when I can buy a professional outline and study that.
• I am behind in my reading. I don’t know what to do.
• Some law students annoy me because they…

For these reasons, I set up a simple way to exchange ideas, ask questions, and discuss law school: a law school forum.

Whether you have questions to learn more about law school or want to connect with others to discuss law school subjects, start up the conversation with your thoughts or questions. I will try to respond to your post within 24 hours, so you will get a quick response. Feel free to bring up any law school subject. The forums cover three general time periods:

1. Before Law School � LSAT, Admissions, Applications, and Pre-Law Questions
2. During Law School � Exams, Study Tips, Grades, Strategies, Study Groups, Life as a Law Student
3. After Law School � Bar Exam, Law Jobs, Salaries, Attorney Careers, Life as a Lawyer

Join the discussion: Law Student Forum.

A forum would also let readers discuss law school topics. I wondered what you, the readers, thought about the idea.

The forum would let

• potential law students and 1Ls ask questions
• experienced law students add their opinion

What do you think? Would you use it? Cast your vote here:

(POLL REMOVED.)

UPDATE: Thanks to the thousands (millions?) of law students who voted from around the globe. In response to popular demand, this law school blog now has a place for you to discuss law school topics with others: the Law Student Forum.

“Poor lawyers” seems like an oxymoron, but many new attorneys will admit they are worried about their high student loan debt and struggling to find attorney jobs to repay it.

In The New Math of Legal Education, University of Illinois College of Law Professor Andrew P. Morriss and Indiana University School of Law Professor Bill Henderson note that there are more law schools that are graduating an increasing number of law students today:

The Council and the Accreditation Committee of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar have accredited 20 additional law schools since 1990.

Law school tuition is increasing:

Since 1987, law school tuition rose 448 percent for in-state residents at public institutions and 224 percent at private institutions. Law school tuition increases far outpaced inflation generally, as the overall cost of living increased only 77 percent in that same period.

Law student debt is increasing:

The average amount of law school debt owed at graduation soared 431 percent between 1987 and 2005, from $16,000 to $85,000.

But most attorneys jobs pay less than law students realize:

With starting salaries at $160,000 and above at large New York City firms, even students who borrow $100,000 or more to attend law school reap substantial economic rewards. But most lawyers do not start at $160,000; the median starting salary at a two- to 10-lawyer firm is a whopping $110,000 less than at a Wall Street powerhouse. Moreover, on average, this gap between large and small firm pay tends to widen during the first eight years of legal practice.

These authors recommend a couple types of reforms and then conclude by expressing concern for law students:

In the short term, these trends are leaving more and more law school graduates worse off economically than if they had never attended law school. If law is truly a profession deserving of the privilege of self-regulation, lawyers and law schools need to take steps to address these problems themselves before legislatures, regulators, and courts decide to do it for us.

Professor Henderson has continued to ring the alarm. He was quoted in a recent article, New lawyers’ salaries clump at high, low ends, discussing how many attorneys have salaries of “$60,000, or even $40,000 – assuming they’re not toiling as ‘contract’ attorneys doing document review for $30 an hour and no benefits.”

Professor Henderson has raised this message in other articles, including being quoted in “‘Cravath model’ that created have and have-not law grads could implode,” ABA Journal; “Law school: A ticket to massive debt?” The AM Law Daily; “Analysis: Law schools growing, but jobs aren’t,” The New York Times; and “A deluge of law schools,” The National Law Journal.”

The point of this article is not to worry law students. Rather, it is to help perspective law students, who are contemplating whether law school is the correct option for them, to understand and factor into their decisions the economic realities of law school debt and the job market for recent law school graduates. (Read more at
Most Law Graduates Disappointed: Few Jobs, Low Salaries, High Stress.)

Even if the job market for recent law graduates is slow and does not pay as well as the legal industry did for previous generations, other industries and business in general continue to value those with law degrees, so new attorneys will find jobs somewhere.

A law degree continues to be a valuable investment in oneself, but the payoff may not be as high, as quick, or in the type of job law that students originally expected.

POTENTIAL LAW STUDENT: If I describe myself to you, could you help me decide whether law school is right for me? I�m not sure if I should attend law school and whether I would be glad I did after I graduate.

LAWSTUDENT.TV: In general, most people who attend law school are glad they did, despite how challenging it can be, because law school rewards graduates with an exceptional understanding of

• society and government,
• options for recourse when rights are deprived, and
• the complexities of business and law.

Law school attracts people from all walks of life, people with a variety of interests, and people with a variety of skills. For this reason, I hesitate to encourage you or discourage you from law school when all I know about you is described in a few words here.

Instead, I can address your concerns, questions, and descriptions of yourself in light of how they would relate to law school and the practice of law.

POTENTIAL LAW STUDENT: I love to read and communicate my ideas.

LAWSTUDENT.TV: Your love for reading will serve you well in law school and as a lawyer, because law school and the legal profession involve much reading. Similarly, your love for communicating ideas will serve you well, because reading, analyzing, and communicating are essential parts of law school and law.

POTENTIAL LAW STUDENT: I have difficulty in organizing my thoughts and words when speaking and writing, especially with complex subjects.

LAWSTUDENT.TV: Law school is excellent at helping students organize thoughts and ideas into oral or written form. If you want to improve the organization of your communication, I can think of no better place than law school because law school teaches you to discuss and analyze abstract and complex ideas in an orderly way. Don’t worry that you don’t know how to do this before law school—you will learn it there.

POTENTIAL LAW STUDENT: I want an advanced education, to increase my knowledge, and assist others by providing helpful advice.

LAWSTUDENT.TV: Law school would be one of many advanced degrees where you could become educated, knowledgeable, and valuable for your advice to others.

POTENTIAL LAW STUDENT: What does it take to prepare for law school? Should I take a writing course?

LAWSTUDENT.TV: To get into law school, it takes a high LSAT score and good college grades. To do well in law school, it takes a lot of time for reading and preparing for class. In other words, there isn’t much you can do before law school to improve your performance during law school.

A writing class could be helpful if your writing is below average for a college graduate (for example, if you struggle with basic grammar, punctuation, or organizing an essay), but since legal writing goes so far beyond traditional writing, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. As a side note, there is a good book that explains how lawyers think and write legal arguments, which might make for good reading before law school: “Getting to Maybe, How to Excel on Law School Exams.”

For more advice on law school and pre-law school questions, consider reading previous articles for pre-law students.

This article was submitted by a guest author, listed at the end of this article.

It�s that time of year again�back to school. Soon, you�ll be up to your nose in coursework, with little or no time for yourself, not to mention the lack of time and money that comes along with your quest for the coveted law degree.

No one understands the life of a law student like your fellow law students, so take a couple minutes (when you can) to catch up with some people who feel your pain. You may get some great ideas, or find solace in the fact that others are suffering more than you. Here�s a list of some blogs written for and by law students for your perusal.

1. Law Magazine Weblog: No one knows the travails of law students and lawyers like the folks at Law Magazine Weblog. For articles on the life of law students and lawyers, to news and features regarding the profession, take a look at this blog for insights from others who feel your pain.

2. Schaffer Law Library Blog: You don�t have to attend Albany Law School to benefit from the postings on this blog. Keep up with law-related news, find research tips, as well as articles related to law writing and being a successful lawyer and law student when you visit.

3. Barely Legal: The Blog: If you haven�t visited this blog, you must do so at first opportunity. At one point, this was the most popular law student blog in the world. Read through an immense amount of knowledge and resources on everything from study skills and tips to passing the bar.

4. JD Law Students Blog: This blog contains posts by law students of varying experience levels who are currently attending Vermont Law School. For real, unadulterated thoughts on law school in general, or the occasional rant, take a look at this blog. Some tips and advice are also available if you look around for a bit.

5. The Frugal Law Student: In a recent post, I blogged about The Frugal Law Student. If you haven�t taken a look at his tips and advice to help you make your way through law school in a financially sound way, you should do so as soon as possible. He shares his insights and experiences related to dealing with all of the pressures and stresses of being a law student.

This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of the degree in criminal justice. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com. To submit your own article for publication on lawstudent.tv, send it to mail at lawstudent.tv.

Even though there are blogs on every topic under the sun, relatively few law school blogs exist. Of the law school blogs available, only a handful have the high quality and popularity of Frugal Law Student.

The Frugal Law Student was created by a law student, providing tips on how to save money in law school while living a simple and happy life. Any law student can tell you that law school is expensive, not simple, and often stressful. For these reasons, Frugal Law Student met a need—and became a hit among law students and people everywhere who appreciated his simple tips and ideas for living a simple, frugal, happier life.

Why did law student Brett McKay start Frugal Law Student? How did he get into blogging? How did he find the time? What blog did he recently launch with huge success? If you are a law student interested in blogging, or if you just want to know why Brett’s blogs became so popular, you will enjoy this short interview with Brett McKay, one of the original law student bloggers.

LawStudent.tv: What did you enjoy most about law school?
Frugal Law Student: The intellectual challenge. I loved synthesizing the law into something that’s understandable. I called it “cracking the code.”

LawStudent.tv: Why did you decide to start a blog about law school?
Frugal Law Student: Law school pretty much consumes an individual for three years of their life, so it was natural for me to write about it. The main reason I started to blog was I wanted a creative outlet from the formality and rigors of law.

LawStudent.tv: How did you find the time to learn about blogging and do so much writing while in law school?
Frugal Law Student: I just had to make time. I kept a pretty strict schedule, so I always had time for it. Getting up early and writing on the weekends helped.

LawStudent.tv: What did you enjoy most about blogging?
Frugal Law Student: The connections you make with others. Also, it’s pretty cool to see something you wrote get discussed in the blogsphere.

LawStudent.tv: Do you plan to continue to blog during your law career?
Frugal Law Student: I sure do.

LawStudent.tv: What other blogs do you have and what are they about?
Frugal Law Student: The Art of Manliness. It’s a men’s interest online magazine that discusses how men can be better men without all the emphasis on scantily clad women like other men’s magazines have.

LawStudent.tv: What tips or resources would you suggest for law students who want to start blogging like you?
Frugal Law Student: Read some good blogs about blogging. Problogger and Daily Blog Tips definitely helped me out.

LawStudent.tv: Do you have any tips or advice for law students regarding how to survive law school?
Frugal Law Student: Don’t take it too seriously. Manage your time well. Do those two things and you’ll survive.

After Brett started Frugal Law Student, he started the Art of Manliness blog. The Art of Manliness has over 15,000 subscribers and even more general visitors.

See for yourself why Brett’s law school blog and men’s blog have become so popular.

Today’s blog is from a 2L who was formerly a law student in New Orleans until a certain hurricane chased him out. Kristopher A. Nelson is currently a law student in San Francisco.

On his blog, in propria persona, Kris lists the 13 things he learned in his first year of law school. Some of my favorites include

• 11. Everyone agrees that one exam at the end of a semester is pedagogically unsound, and bears little resemblance to the above-mentioned “real world,” but no one does anything about it.
• 10. If stress is good preparation for the “real world,” I must be really prepared now.
• 7. Lawyers are the biggest fans of lawyer jokes.
• 1. There is one true answer to any legal question: “it depends.”

Read Kris’s entire list at 13 Things I Learned in My First Year of Law School.