What to Read Before Law School? (Part 1)

I know where you are inside. I've been there. You know what law school's not: you know it's not like undergrad; you know it's not easy; you know it's not for the timid. Maybe you watched The Paper Chase. Maybe you know someone who went to law school. Maybe you don't have any idea what you're getting into except what you read on blawgs and blogs.
If you are like I was, you are looking for something to ground you in that sea of uncertainty.
I read a number of books before I started. Some were recommended by others. Some I picked off of Amazon. Some I stumbled onto. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on books I read before law school and how they were or were not useful to me.
A main thread throughout all of these, however, is pick and choose the advice. No one text has all of the answers. In every book I could glean some ideas on what worked, and what would not work. I had to read each text with a discriminating eye, though. I was choosy about the advice—even as I disregarded some advice, I saw how it might be useful to other people. So don’t take any of these as some kind of binding gospel in the plan for how to do well. Reading several books was useful to me in that I obtained a better gestalt by reading the whole rather than relying on any single source.
    
Slaying the Law School Dragon (ISBN 0471542989) George Roth; John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
I got this short text as a gift from a school. It’s a short read. The perspective is from someone who went to law school some time ago.
This is a short text. It gives you a sense of what to expect and has some genuinely useful advice going forward. The professors at QU are not like this fellow’s professors, however, and the legal employment scene today isn’t much like his experience. A number of his recommendations are dated given the fact that we have electronic resources for research now. However, some of his study advice is particularly noteworthy, even if not how I have chosen to prepare (like memorizing the table of contents of each text—not a bad idea frankly, but not what I have chosen to do). Take the advice with adequate salt, but his perspective is at least a decent survey if you don’t want to spend a lot of time in these kinds of books.

Law School Confidential (ISBN 0-312-31881-2) Robert H. Miller; St. Martin’s Press
This book is one of the more popular reads out there. It has some genuinely useful strategies on class preparation, and I use variations of these strategies extensively. It offers a decent sensibility on atmosphere—not quite accurate for QU Law, but much closer than Turow’s book, for example. This book is more comprehensive and modern than the Roth text, but it is written explicitly for a target audience of people going to schools in the T10. Much of the advice is useful, but needs to be taken with prodigious salt. The author intermingles various perspectives of law students—some of which are more useful than others. Don’t read this book cover to cover—read the parts that interest you or apply to you. I should say, though, it is a text I return to occasionally, even now.

Law School Insider (ISBN 0-9723766-0-7)   Jeremy Horowitz; Lion Group
The best thing about this text is how it is a close examination of social issues that can arise in law school. The worst thing about this text is that it closely examines social issues that can arise at law school in an environment most law students will not experience. It’s a very subjective text—the author goes to Cornell law. Having lived in Ithaca for a long time—and having adored that town—the author rubs my rhubarb a bit wrong when he comes down on my beloved town… he and I are clearly different types of people. I also found the magic romance that pops up in his text a bit contrived and annoying.
Yet some of his advice is really good. This is especially true about social interaction at law school—how to avoid being “that guy.” As always, take his advice with a grain of salt, of course, but this is the most useful text with regards to social expectations.

Stay tuned for more book reviews in What to Read Before Law School (Part 2)
 
Mario Cerame 1L

Resume Advice

Many law schools now require students to submit a resume with their application. There are a number of things to think about when organizing your resume for a law school application. While the content of your resume shows the admissions committee what you have accomplished, the organization of your resume shows them your attention to detail which is important in law school. It also gives them a glimpse into the future as to what your legal resume may look like. They may take that into consideration when deciding if they want their law school's name to appear on that resume in three or four years.

Below are a few things to keep in mind when you begin to organize your resume.

1. This is not a resume for a job but it is still a professional resume. You should treat it as if you are looking for employment. That being said, make sure you also recognize who will be reading it (i.e. the admissions committee).

2. If you list an objective, make sure that it fits the purpose of the resume.

3. As we mentioned, this is a professional resume and should look like one. If you are still an undergrad, take the resume to your Career Services Office and have them review it. Make sure that it is in a format and font that makes it easy for the reader to understand. List all employment in reverse chronological order so they can see what you have done most recently first. List your education and student organizations separate from your work experience.

4. If you are no longer an undergrad and are unable to utilize your Career Services Office as an alum, go online for helpful tips and samples of resumes (simply Google “resume samples” or “resume tips”). Make sure that you have someone review the resume for spelling errors or other mistakes.

5. All of your experience is relevant - not just those that are law related. Law schools are looking for students who will bring diversity and life experience to the class. Therefore, don't omit something because you think the admissions committee might not be interested. Chances are they will. That being said, keep your resume to a maximum of 2 pages.

6. You may wish to include on your resume the hours you worked while pursuing your undergraduate degree. Many schools may ask this on the application but it helps to put the information out front. Some schools will take into account how many hours you worked or that you were a full-time employee while obtaining your degree.

Good luck!

Bidding for a great cause

     During my time here at Quinnipiac school of law one of the many organizations that I have been involved with is the Public Interest Law Project (known here at school as PILP). PILP is an organization that is focused around many issues in public interest, and some of our events include poverty awareness week at the law school, and our annual auction. The PILP auction is held every year in March and is an extremely fun and unique experience.
     The annual auction revolves around a theme (past years' themes have included a fiesta, and the awesome 80's, to name a few), and includes both a silent auction and a live auction. All of the money raised funds grants for students who work in Public Interest positions over the summer (at little or no pay). As a live auction co-chair, part of my duties include soliciting live auction items. [Some of our 'hot ticket' items last year included meals with professors, parking spots in the law school faculty lot, daytrips with professors, professor's used book with class notes, deep discounts on bar review courses, and even a homemade gourmet dinner courtesy of the dean!, just to name a few]
     The night of the auction is a highly anticipated event for QUlaw students. Many people last year dressed in 80's attire, and the grand courtroom was packed! Students, alumni, professors, staff and members of the community all generously joined us for dinner & the auction, which was quite a success. Many students got into bidding wars over certain items!
     Not only was the auction a great night, the best part is redeeming the prizes won. My study group won a breakfast with one of our favorite professors where we shared laughs, reflected on class topics, and got to know our professor outside of class.
     It's events like the PILP auction that bring students, professors and administration together that I love about QU law.

Caitlin McGrory, 2L

Take it from Me – the LSAT is Beatable!

     About a year ago to this day I questioned whether I would be walking down the halls of Quinnipiac Law with books in hand or mopping its floors because of my low LSAT score. I took my first LSAT in June of 2008 with the full expectation that I would never have to take it again. The day came to take the test, and I felt as confident as one could feel pending a potentially life-altering test. I left the testing center feeling relieved that the worst was over, unaware that the worst was yet to come. Needless to say my score was less than stellar, and I immediately began preparing my studies to take yet another LSAT.
     I kept going over where I went wrong… the illustrious logic games! After studying this section relentlessly, I went into my second attempt at the LSAT with even more confidence. Yet again, when I expected the worst to be over, an e-mail swooped in to shatter my dreams. The result? After all that studying, planning, haggling over 100 questions to be put on one bubble sheet… I was left with same exact score as my first attempt! I collapsed in fear that I would never be able to attend any law school, let alone Quinnipiac. Luckily, almost every aspect of my life at this point helped me to remember why I so desperately wanted to go to law school, and one quotation literally drove me to study harder than I had ever studied before: “He who knows the why to live can bear almost any how” –Nietzsche
      I employed numerous books to yet again work on the logic games section, perfected my analytical reasoning section with hundreds of fresh examples, and finally began to understand that some reading comprehension sections were beyond my comprehension! I walked back into the exact same testing center for my last possible attempt to conquer this test… that’s right, I said conquer! The proctor of the test even recognized me and asked “how many times are you allowed to take this thing any way?” Talk about Pressure!
     I can tell you that I have never felt more uneasy as I looked at the email marked “Urgent: December LSAT Score Enclosed!” I was working at the front desk of Home Depot, and I decided to open the e-mail when the coast was clear (so no one at work would see me cry if it came down to it). I opened it and saw that I had made a TWELVE POINT GAIN in all of my efforts. Not the difference of twelve questions mind you… twelve converted points! I jumped from the 40th percentile to the 75th percentile in two months! I freaked out, started running around, hugged one of my managers (who I found out was not a man that really appreciated the situation), and I’m fairly sure I scared the heck out of a few customers that walked by!
     I conquered the LSAT! When statistics said that it was “incredibly rare” for an individual to change their score more than 3 points, I showed them that their statistics were no match for determination and a bit of soul searching. I did this while maintaining my spot on the Dean’s list, writing my thesis in my psychology program, leading an LSAT study group at my University, and working 30+ hours per week at my job.
     I tell you this not to brag, but to give you a bit of hope if you are about to give up. If you are going to settle with an LSAT score that isn’t up to your standards, if you can’t figure out what you’re doing wrong, or if you simply don’t think it can be done… it can be done! To this day, I could not be happier with myself, and my family and friends could not be happier for me.

Tyler Raymond 1L

Law, Music, and Cultural History

       When most people look at a guitar, they see a musical implement and, maybe, an art object. But, I see a repository of cultural history, informed by law. Consider, for example, the guitars that the Gibson company built during WWII. Most guitar aficionados (aka, guitar geeks) consider Gibson’s WWII acoustics to be among its finest guitars ever. The conventional explanation for this is that only the company’s older, seasoned craftsmen were exempted from war duty. Well, I found a 1944 Gibson workforce photo and, guess what? Nearly every one of those “craftsmen” was a craftswoman. Yes, nearly every, single luthier at the Gibson Company during World War II was a woman. I’ve managed to track down and interview in person a dozen of those women. Those interviews from the centerpiece of my book in progress, Gibsons: The Story of the Flattop Guitars of 1942 - 1945 and the Extraordinary Women (and a Few Men) Who Built Them (Michigan State University Press), and a corresponding museum exhibit.
       Not only have I looked at these guitars, but I’ve looked through them. With the help of Quinnipiac’s imaging technology staff, I’ve x-rayed pre-, post-, and during-WWII instruments in a quest to find measurable differences (I did and published the results in a journal of radiology technology).
       Finally, this brings me to the point of my first QU Law blog entry. Behold this image. It’s a photograph taken  of a nearly all-female Gibson workforce in China (in a startup factory to build guitars for the Chinese) holding printouts of my X-rays of a 1942 Gibson built by a nearly all-female workforce in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

W. John Thomas
Professor of Law
BA, JD, University of Arizona; MPH, LLM, Yale University

A third year student argues before the State Supreme Court!

As a third year law student Natalie Rezek took advantage of one of Quinnipiac’s many opportunities to get hands on legal experience: the Defense Appellate Clinic. This clinic is a year long course taught by a practicing public defender. The first semester is spent intensely studying appellate procedure and learning how to write a persuasive appellate brief. In the second semester, each student in the clinic gets his or her own client. Under supervision, each student actively represents his or her client by reading the trial transcript, picking the issues to address on appeal, writing the appellate brief, and filing the brief with the Connecticut Appellate Court. The Connecticut Supreme Court may then decide that the issue is one they would like to address and the brief will be moved from the Appellate Court to the Supreme Court.
Under the supervision of Public Defender Elizabeth Inkster, Natalie had the opportunity to do what few practicing lawyers get to do - argue a case in front of the Connecticut Supreme Court in Hartford. She appeared before a panel of three justices. Natalie’s client was arrested for criminal trespassing in the third degree. She argued that there was not probable cause to arrest her client since the property was not enclosed with a gate, nor was there anything else preventing entry onto the property. Because there was not probable cause for the arrest of her client for criminal trespass, she argued that the search that followed the arrest was illegal. Although the Supreme Court ultimately ruled against her client, Natalie said that this was a value experience that will help her with her future career as a public defender.

To learn more about the Defense Appellate Clinic or other clinical opportunities visit our website.

Reflections on my first year

1L year. I am almost exhausted just thinking about it. And, I am pretty sure it took me until mid June to recover from the exhaustion of the year. I guess it wasn’t too bad though, I only fell asleep at a restaurant once and that was during finals, so it doesn’t really count. There were times when my favorite part of the day was getting ready in the morning; simply because it was the only part of the day I wasn’t reading, writing or researching. However, despite the work (and yes there was a lot of it), and despite the exhaustion, I survived. Not only did I survive, but I managed to do so successfully. Out of the numerous nightmares I had about finals, legal skills memorandums, and criminal law (and yes there were a bunch of them) none of them ever really materialized. For example, I never got to a final and had just NO idea where to start, and that may have been my worst fear last December. Yes, it is a lot of work and it takes a lot of mental commitment, but it is doable and keeping that in mind throughout the year really helps. Thousands and thousands have done it before, thousands and thousands will do it in the future. At the end of it, being able to get through the year, the year that everyone claims is so terrible, is a really good feeling of accomplishment.


Furthermore, doing my 1L at Quinnipiac Law specifically was a really great experience. Everyone here genuinely cares and is there to help. Upper level students were willing to provide their old outlines; professors help you figure out what an outline for a law exam needs to look like; and the staff helps will all sorts of issues you may encounter during that year. As an example of this, on Labor Day of my 1L year I was rushed to the ER to have my appendix removed. The surgeon told me I probably wasn’t going to be able to sit up for a week or lift more than 10 pounds for a month. I was literally freaking out in tears sitting in that hospital bed in New Haven. I had no idea how I was supposed to miss a week of school three weeks into the first year. For some misinformed reason I figured the school wouldn’t care about my predicament. I couldn’t have been more wrong if I had tried. The school was incredibly great about helping me stay on top of everything. The staff immediately got in touch with all of my professors, who were really great about sending me the assignments and making sure that I felt comfortable when I got back to school. A fellow student got me all of the notes from that week and the school even arranged so that I could park closer to the building when I returned so as to eliminate any complications from surgery. I can’t even fully express how grateful I was for everything the school did in helping me not fall behind so early in the semester. I may be biased, but QU Law really is a great place, with really great people, and my appendix experience is only one small example of how great it really is.

Victoria Templeton '11

Choosing Quinnipiac

The Law School at Quinnipiac was always on my list of law schools. I knew that the law school began as a great and respected program in my hometown of Bridgeport, CT. In addition, I learned a great deal from all (and there was a lot) the informational materials I received. But, it wasn't until I attended an open house, that I realized that this truly was a place I could see myself. The Admissions staff was so genuinely interested in me and really nice. At other places, I felt like the staff was trained to be nice in order to get my business. Here, I felt I could probably be comfortable at a time that would be quite stressful. And, honestly, I was right.


Thinking back on my first completed year of law school, the best part of my experience has been interacting with the faculty. I went to a rather large undergraduate institution, so I was used to not knowing many of my professors. During my first year at QU Law, each of my professors knew me by name and treated me as an equal, as a fellow colleague. The faculty provide a level of comfort that allows you to build bonds with them. For instance, my study group for my contracts class met with Prof. Meiklejohn several times over the course of the year. We felt comfortable enough to ask him to take a picture with us, and he agreed. This is one of my treasured memories of my first year at law school. I'm satisfied with my choice, and I look forward to taking advantage of all this school has to offer.

Marsha Beckford 2L

Opportunities in the Civil Justice Clinic

My colleague, Dahlia Grace, and I run Quinnipiac’s Civil Justice Clinic – one of six clinics offered at Quinnipiac. In the Clinic, students have a chance to apply the lessons learned in the classroom to actual legal problems facing real clients. They experience the full range of the dynamics of client representation, including interviewing, counseling, negotiation, and litigation, while at the same time providing access to justice to many Connecticut residents who would otherwise go without.

The Civil Clinic recently began helping day laborers – that is, people (many of them newcomers to the U.S.) who are hired and paid on a day-to-day basis, with no promise that more work will be available in the future – collect unpaid wages from their employers. After gathering facts about their clients’ cases and researching relevant wage-and-hour law, students have the opportunity to draft demand letters; negotiate informal settlements with employers; file a complaint to the Connecticut Department of Labor; or file a complaint in Small Claims Court and put on the testimony of their clients, introduce evidence, and cross-examine their clients’ employers.

On Wednesday, October 7th, two Quinnipiac students – Richard Fennelly (3L) and Stephen Cho (3L) – represented their day laborer client in Norwalk Superior Court.

Kevin Barry, Assistant Professor of Law