USC Pre-Law Blog

Pre-Law Blog on a Break

2010-10-28T10:55:00.001-07:00

We’re taking a break from posting to this blog. In the meantime, please sign up for the Pre-Law Newsletter for events and opportunities.

Pre-Law Talk with University of Chicago Law School

2010-10-20T12:01:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, October 20, 4:00pm - Leavey Library Auditorium

"What sets Chicago apart from other law schools is its unabashed enthusiasm for the life of the mind--the conviction that ideas matter, that they are worth discussing, and that legal education should devote itself to learning for learning's sake".

Ann Perry, Assistant Dean of Admissions will be presenting.

Space is limited, RSVP by emailing prelaw@usc.edu.

Dean Reid's Pre-law Workshop

2010-10-12T10:30:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, October 13, 4:00pm - TCC (Tutor Campus Center) 232

Chloe Reid serves as the chief admission officer for the USC Gould School of Lawlaw school. Prior to joining the law school in 2006, Dean Reid served as director of admissions and associate dean for student affairs at Whittier Law School and as assistant director-council affairs for the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). She also served as executive dean (chief operating officer) at Antioch University Southern California, where she was appointed interim president for a year and a half.

Dean Reid holds a B.A in political science and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee. She is active in the community and serves on the board of the American Red Cross Blood Services Division for Southern California. She also is a member of the Goddard College board of trustees.

RSVP

The Washington Undergraduate Law Review Call for Submissions

2010-10-12T10:27:00.001-07:00

Winter Quarter Issue Submissions Due: Monday, December 13th

The Washington Undergraduate Law Review is looking for submissions! The WULR is an academic legal journal at the University of Washington that publishes law-related essays, research papers, and other written work by undergraduates. The law review is entirely run by undergraduates at the University of Washington who have an interest in law.

Submission to the WULR is open to ALL MAJORS. We value papers on a variety of legal topics, and students are encouraged to submit undergraduate theses or other academic papers. Submissions will be selected for publication by the WULRs executive editors based upon quality of writing, research, and analysis. All submissions accepted for publication may be edited for length and clarity.

Please direct any questions to the Editor-in-Chief, Teresa Teng, at teresa24@u.washington.edu.

Send submissions to wulr@uw.edu.

Florida State Law Summer Undergraduates Program

2010-10-12T10:24:00.001-07:00

Florida State Law is accepting applications for its 2011 Summer for Undergraduates Program. The Summer Program is an intensive, four-week program that provides students with an inside look at law school and the legal profession.

Read more @ FSU Law

Pre-Law Society Meeting

2010-10-12T10:20:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, October 13, 7:00-8:00pm - SOS B38

Come listen to one of the managing attorneys from the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), Ana Storey. She graduated from USC and went to Loyola Law School, so she has some interesting experiences/advice to share. She practices family and consumer law and will be discussing different aspects of her career and journey through law school. As always, we will be providing free food, so don't miss out on this meeting! You can also pay membership dues ($10 for the year) and paid members get a discount on a Blueprint Test Prep course. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at pls.usc@gmail.com.

The National Asian Pacific American Pre-Law Conference (NAPAPC)

2010-10-12T10:18:00.001-07:00

Saturday, November 20 – LA Live

The NAPABA Law Foundation is proud to present the National Asian Pacific American Pre-Law Conference.

The National Asian Pacific American Pre-Law Conference offers opportunities to network with established and experienced lawyers. Participants will be able to tap into practical and vital information from discussion, conversation and panel presentations to help strategize approaches to potential careers in legal education and practice. Attendees will enjoy exposure and contact with legal professionals sharing insights, successes and challenges in their careers.

Our very own Victoria Lin (USC 3L) will be part of a panel discussing: How to Be an All-Around Successful Law Student.

Register @ NAPABA

Imran’s Briefs: Law School Early Decision

2010-10-12T10:15:00.001-07:00

Hey Guys,

Greetings from Dublin! I was having trouble thinking of a good topic for this weeks newsletter so I went over to Anna Ivey’s blog. This blog is a great resource for you guys and I think you could learn a lot about the application process by checking this blog frequently. That said I found this great posting about early decision deadlines that Id like to share with you

Cheers,
Imran

Law School Early Decision deadlines are coming up, so it's a good time to revisit the topic. Under what circumstances does it make sense to apply ED? (And for these purposes, I assume "Early Decision" is binding.) A couple of thoughts:

The Early Decision commitment will not overcome an otherwise weak application. If you're less than competitive for an ED school, they aren't likely to snap you up out of the early pool. Rather, they'll probably want to roll you over into the regular pool so that they can see how their applicants are shaping up that year. For that reason...
If you're in your fall semester of senior year, applying Early Decision makes sense only if you are already at your strongest academically. You still have two semesters of grades ahead of you, and many college students do their most interesting and important work senior year. Unless your GPA is already at its peak by the end of junior year, it might make sense to reconsider your application timeline. People who have upward trending grades throughout college would be cutting off a sizable fraction of that trajectory. Especially if you have academic weaknesses to mitigate from the earlier part of college, you'll want to show them a stellar senior year's worth of grades. In theory, you could wait until your first semester is done to submit your applications, but at many law schools, especially the most competitive ones, that's already pretty late in the game. If you're not at your strongest at the start of senior year, consider putting off your apps for a cycle so that you can apply with the benefit of your senior year accomplishments.
If you are accepted into your ED program, do whatever it is you agreed to do when you made the binding commitment. Does your ED school require you to withdraw all your other applications if you're admitted? (That's the typical case.) If so, withdraw immediately. Not next week. Not two months later. Some applicants are tempted to leave their other applications in place, mostly out of curiosity ("I know I've committed myself, but I really want to know if I get into Yale"), but sometimes also in the hope that they can "upgrade" if a better offer comes along. Neither situation is kosher if you're required to withdraw. Plus, your "upgrade" school could very well take a dim view of you reneging on your ED obligations to another school. The law school admissions world is a small one.

Imran Haque is a 3L at USC Gould School of Law & a graduate intern at the Office of College Advising

LSAT Break—Ice Cream & Cookies

2010-10-07T15:37:00.001-07:00

Friday, October 8, 3:00-4:00pm - CAS 120 Lobby

Yes, it's not your typical “Brain Food” but we figured it's still a good break before you take the test. If you're not into ice cream and cookies, stop by anyhow - we'll be here to answer questions and address some of your concerns about the LSAT or the application process.

Tips for Taking the LSAT

2010-10-07T15:36:00.001-07:00

Hey Guys, I know many of you are taking the LSAT this weekend so I compiled some good tips I found for LSAT success and I sprinkled in a few of my thoughts. Good luck to all of you taking the test, you will do great!

Cheers,
Imran

Start your day off right. Get some good sleep the night before and then wake up early and have a good breakfast. Even if you dont normally eat breakfast you should eat something before your LSAT test. Then plan to arrive to the test center early to avoid any unforeseen delays. Lastly, visit the restroom before check in and even before the test if you can. You don't want to waste any of your precious time during the exam.
Know where to find the easier questions. According to regular Kaplan studies on the structure of prior LSATs, the questions in the analytical reasoning and reading comprehension sections tend to get harder in succession. There are exceptions, but it's usually the case that the first logic game is simpler than the next and the first reading passage will be easier to discern than the ones that follow. In the logical reasoning sections, the difficulty also increases as you progress deeper into the test but eventually plateaus in the middle and the sections become easier near the end, according to Thomas. "It rewards the test taker that understands there are easy ones to be had in the back of the section," he says. "When it gets harder toward the middle, it's often advantageous to go to the back and work backward." So that leads me to…
Answer Easy Questions First. Remember that every LSAT question is worth the same amount of points, so go ahead and skip around, answering the questions that are easiest for you first. You don't have to be a hero and tough it out through the hardest ones. Get yourself the most points you can in case time runs out before you're finished. But if there are some questions leftover and time is dwindling.
Answer everything. Unlike the SAT, there is no penalty for getting an incorrect answer on the LSAT, so it's important to at the very least make an educated guess on each question. Leaving it blank does you no good. Also, every question is weighted the same. Tougher questions count just the same toward the final score as their simpler counterparts, so don't get bogged down trying to answer the difficult ones. Answer as many easy questions as you can and revisit the tough questions with your remaining time. It's much wiser to tackle questions that are in your wheelhouse first and guess on the harder ones than to dwell on the difficult ones and rush through simpler ones as your time expires, potentially botching them because of the time crunch. "The questions that you spend the most time on are the ones you're most likely to get wrong," says Goehring. "Even if you were guaranteed to get the question right, but you had to spend five minutes on it, how many easy questions would you have gotten right in that same amount of time?"
Stay Positive. During the test, make sure to keep a positive attitude. You've practiced these types of questions already, so attack them with the strategies you've acquired. Don't let a difficult question or even a difficult section ruin the rest of the exam. Take a deep breath and regain your focus. Confidence and a positive attitude is key to success in any field. The LSAT is no different.

Imran is a 3L at USC Gould School of Law and a Office of College Advising: Pre-Law Team Member

Pre-Law Society Meeting

2010-10-04T15:36:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, October 6, 7:00-8:00pm - SOS B38

Our speaker this week is Sarika Kim, who works for the DAs office. She did her undergraduate at UCLA and received her law degree from Pepperdine. She has worked some celebrity cases and is now working on a murder trial, so come and join us listen to this interesting speaker! Membership dues are $10 for the whole year and paid members get a discount on a Blueprint Test Prep course. We will also be providing free food!

Contact Laura Tovar at laurac.tovar@gmail.com for more info.

Michigan State University, College of Law: Expert Advice for the Law School Applicant

2010-10-04T15:32:00.001-07:00

Thursday, October 7, 4:30-5:15pm - Webinar
This online presentation will include a wide-ranging series of recommendations offered by highly experienced prelaw advisors. Topics to be covered include:

Arriving at the decision to pursue a law degree
Steps involved with assembling a competitive application
Options and insights about LSAT preparation
Researching law schools and legal careers

This webinar is geared toward individuals who are thinking about law school, especially those who may be applying to begin in 2011. Presenters for this webinar include Mr. Gregory Shaffer, coordinator of pre-law advising at the University of Maryland at College Park, and Ms. Yvette Simpson, director of Pre-Law Programs at Miami University of Ohio.

Register @ MSU College of Law

Personal Statement Workshops

2010-10-04T15:27:00.001-07:00

USC Writing Programs
Speaker: Prof. James Brecher - WRIT 340 Instructor
Date: Wednesday, October 6th @ 5pm
Location: VKC 252

Southwestern Law School
Speaker: Paulette Palafox - Associate Director of Admissions
Date: Wednesday, October 12th @ 5pm
Location: VKC 156

USC Gould School of Law
Speaker: Chloe Reid - Associate Dean and Dean of Admissions
Date: Wednesday, October 13 @ 4pm
Location:TCC (Tutor Campus Center) 232

Loyola Law School
Speaker: Jannell Roberts - Assistant Dean of Admissions
Date: Thursday, October 21st @ 5pm
Location: VKC 156

RSVP at prelaw@usc.edu, space is limited.

Western Region Black Law Students Association's Law Camp in Los Angeles

2010-09-28T15:46:00.001-07:00

Saturday, October 2, 10:00am-5:00pm – UCLA School of Law

WRBLSA is committed to contributing to a solution by encouraging minority college students to pursue law school and providing mentoring and programming to ensure success in the application process.

In combination with the Academic Retreat, WRBLSA's College Student Division will be holding a law camp in Los Angeles for minority students considering law school. WRBLSA has been fortunate to join with For People of Color, Inc. to provide workshops for college students in attendance. Students will receive instructional workshops with practical tips on achieving success in the law school application process. There will also be a personal statement workshop, with the opportunity for students to gain personal feedback on personal statements.

Registration is free but required to attend. Space is extremely limited!

Register @ WRBLSA

CLEO: Become a More Competitive Law School Applicant

2010-09-28T15:42:00.001-07:00

CLEO is a non-profit project of the American Bar Association. Since 1968, CLEO has helped more than 7,000 low-income and minority students become successful members of the legal profession. The College Scholars Program seeks to continue this standard of excellence through a collaborative effort between CLEO and colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Designed to identify, motivate and prepare students for a career in the legal profession. Committed students can learn how to successfully navigate the law school admission process and underwrite their success in law school by participating in the College Scholars program.

For Freshmen: The Road To Law School seminar aims to provide Freshmen an overview of the key components of the law school application process.

For Sophomores: The Sophomore Super Saturdays seminar aims to help students further develop logical reasoning, reading comprehension and writing skills - the skills needed to become a competitive law school applicant.

For Juniors, Seniors/Post Graduates: Juniors Jumpstart the LSAT seminar aims to help participants understand the importance of systematic and timely preparation for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Accordingly, juniors will be granted priority enrollment for the seminar

Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO)

Philosophy, Politics and Law: Meet & Greet the Faculty Advisor

2010-09-28T15:40:00.001-07:00

More info @ Humanities Blog

Law School Brochures

2010-09-28T15:37:00.001-07:00

Missed the Law Fair or need additional info? Law school brochures from the following schools are available for pick up until Friday, October 1st.

UCSD
Charlotte School of Law
California Western School of Law--San Diego
University of Minnesota
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Chapman University
UCLA
Indiana University
American University
Boston University
University of Oregon
Golden State
Hofstra Law
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Vanderbilt
University of Texas
Temple University
Penn State
University of Illinois
Boston College
University of California Hastings
University of Buffalo
Seattle University
SMU
Western State University
Washington University
Santa Clara
University of Arizona
Case Western Reserve University
The Catholic University of America

Imran’s Briefs 9/28/2010

2010-09-28T15:13:00.001-07:00

So a couple weeks ago I wrote about the benefits of taking some time off before attending law school. This week I am going to list a few reasons why it may be good to go straight from undergraduate to law school. Here we go…

You’re are still in the school mode - This is a pretty obvious reason and I think it’s one of the top reasons people don’t take time off. They worry that if they leave school for any amount of time they won’t want to come back. While I don’t think this is the best reason to go straight to law school, it’s still a fairly valid reason because the student will still be in that ‘school mode.’ What I mean by this is the student will still be accustomed to going to classes and then doing some amount of work afterwards. This way one that big memo is due during the semester you will be more familiar with spacing your time and not putting the work off.
You’re young - This is probably the second most obvious reason. By the time you graduate you will be 24 or 25 with a JD and many, many years ahead of you to figure out what you want to do with it. If you find out you don’t want to do anything with it, you’ll have plenty of time to pick a new career or even earn a new degree.
Put off the real world - The ‘real world’ is a scary place. There are no credit/no credit classes, no make-up exams, no tutors and for most no scheduled extended vacations. So by going to school straight out of undergraduate you can put off the real world for a bit while earning a versatile and valuable degree. Sounds like a good deal to me…
You’re still in a social mode - This may seem very strange but I think it applies. The younger you are the more social you are going to be because you’re coming straight from school. You’re going to still be in the party mode so you won’t want to miss those weekly bar reviews or all the other social events if you don’t have too much work. By doing this you will meet a lot more people. This isn’t to say older people won’t make friends in law school, all I’m saying is the younger students are more likely than the older students to take part in the social activities.

Well that’s my list, I hope it helps! I look forward to seeing many of you at the panel/mock class tomorrow!

Cheers,
Imran

Imran Haque is a 3L at USC Gould School of Law and part of the USC Pre-Law Team at the Office of College Advising.

Women's Law Association Info Meeting

2010-09-28T13:05:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 12:20-1:15pm – Law School, Room 1

The Women's Law Association will host an informational meeting for students interested in joining the group. For those that have signed up, come and meet your mentor; for those that are considering getting involved, please come and sign up. Food will be served.

FREE LSAT Seminar

2010-09-27T14:40:00.001-07:00

Thursday, September 30th, 4:00 - 5:30 PM, United University Church, Fellowship Hall (Across from THH), Free Pizza

The Undergraduate Law Society is hosting a free LSAT Seminar for all USC students interested in applying to law school. Brad Snyder, LSAT master and veteran LSAT instructor, will discuss the format of the LSAT, cover real sample problems, and teach the best methods for tackling this difficult test. The LSAT is the single most important factor in law school admissions, so don't miss this free opportunity to learn more!

Blackstonians Pre-Law Honors Society

2010-09-23T08:42:00.001-07:00

Interested in Law School and/or a Career in Law?

Apply for membership to the Blackstonians Pre-Law Honor Society today!

Blackstonians is a pre-law honor society that recognizes academic excellence in undergraduate students and strives to expand their knowledge and perceptions of the legal profession. Students have access to a variety of events, speakers and resources that will enable them to focus on using law and the legal system for the moral improvement of society as a whole.

We will be hosting a number of great events this year for our members, and an upcoming info-session for those interested in applying! Our first meeting/info-session will be held on Thursday, September 30th in THH 116 at 5:00pm.

You can find the membership application at our website or pick up a paper application in VKC 327. Applications are due in the Blackstonians mailbox in VKC 327 by Friday, October 15th at 5:00pm. For questions, you can fill out the contact form on our website or email Catherine at cbsulliv@usc.edu.

In accordance with Blackstonians bylaws, membership is restricted to those who have completed at least 32 units (16 of which must have been at USC), but not more than 118 units. An overall grade point average of 3.5 is required as well. However, if you are close to these requirements, we encourage you to apply.

Intern at Law Offices of Geragos & Geragos

2010-09-20T14:40:00.001-07:00

The Law Offices of Geragos & Geragos, APC, is looking for college and/or pre-law interns. Our firm engages in complex cases, both civil and criminal, that often involve intense document review and trial preparation. We endeavor to have a selected group of interns and provide them with rewarding hands-on experience. Our main office is located in the Financial District in downtown Los Angeles (right by the Metro/7th St. subway station).

Among the numerous tasks an Intern can expect to be assign to include assisting in preparation of depositions and trials, discovery review, preparation of time lines, transcriptions and summary of audio and video recordings, scanning, copying, filing and indexing, miscellaneous office duties as well as filing documents with the courts. When appropriate, an Intern is invited to observe court proceedings and to function as Trial Assistant.

We cooperate with colleges and universities in order for a student to earn work-experience credit. Scheduling subject to availability and current education schedule, approx. 2-4 times per week for 12 weeks. Dress-code: Professional, business casual. Please send resume to the attention of Gitte Pedersen at: gitte@geragos.com. Please include in your brief cover-letter your current availability and contact number.

UCLA Law Fellows Program

2010-09-20T14:38:00.003-07:00

The Law Fellows Program provides early academic outreach to high-potential undergraduate, recently graduated, and graduate students with strong academic backgrounds and a minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA at a four-year undergraduate institution. The program is committed to ensuring equity, access, and excellence in legal education. A strong preference is granted to applicants whose experiences reflect limited familial exposure to post-collegiate education, career opportunities, mentoring, and social support systems. Additional consideration is also given to applicants who have overcome economic and/or educational hardships and challenges, or come from, or have demonstrated experience in economically or educationally underserved communities. The Program focuses on students academic development, with the objective of increasing the participants academic competitiveness for admission to law school. Law Fellows are strongly encouraged to participate in outreach activities aimed at serving the various community segments of Southern California.

Law Fellows attend a series of Saturday Academies held at UCLA School of Law in the winter and spring, where they are provided with academic enrichment, career development activities and mentoring designed to de-mystify law school and the legal profession, and also present these objectives as viable options. The program prepares participating Law Fellows to successfully enter and excel in top law programs and, eventually, legal careers. Through the Saturday Academies, Law Fellows are afforded access to a variety of events, programs and services, including:

Professional-Level Instruction by Law School Faculty
Personalized Juris Doctorate (Law Degree) Action Plan
Mentoring by Current UCLA Law Students
Admissions, Financial Aid, and LSAT Workshops
Legal Research Training by Law Library Staff
Full Scholarships for LSAT Preparation Course
Presentations by Practicing Attorneys and Leaders in the Law Community
Follow-Up Activities and Counseling until Law School Matriculation

The deadline is October 15, 2010. The program activities will commence in January 2011, and admission decisions for the program will be made throughout December. If you are not able to access the attachment, please provide us with your mailing address or fax number and we will send you a paper copy. For any additional information, please feel free to contact us at (310) 794-4157 or Outreach@law.ucla.edu.

USC Law Admissions Information Sessions

2010-09-20T14:38:00.001-07:00

Friday, October 8, 2010 from 9:30am to 12:00pm
Friday, November 5, 2010 from 9:30am to 12:00pm

The information sessions will include Deans /Directors from Admissions, Career Services Office, Student Affairs and Financial Aid. Each will give a brief overview of how their departments help incoming students and of course information on the admissions process will also be covered. The information sessions will also include a tour of the law school with our student ambassadors.

RSVP online and be sure to reference the website for the most up to date information.

Experiencing a First-year USC Law Class

2010-09-20T14:37:00.001-07:00

Participate in an engaging lecture with USC Gould School of Law Prof. Jody Armour, an expert in criminal defense and prosecution, racial profiling, personal injury claims and sexual predator cases. He teaches Torts, Enterprise Liability, Stereotypes and Law, and a seminar on Prejudice and the Rule of Law. This program also includes a discussion with the Office of Admissions and current USC law students.

Wednesday, September 29 @ 4pm - 5:30pm
Location: USC Law School
RSVP: prelaw@usc.edu