Judicial Opinion = Research Paper?

I finally had a chance to read Pennoyer v Neff, the case that was discussed in the CivPro class that I sat in on when I visited U of R. This is the first judicial opinion that I have ever read. I have read hundreds of chemistry research papers (some a little more closely than others, of course), and I can't help but compare one to the other.

Once you get past the differences in content, subject matter, and jargon/language, there are some similarities to a judicial opinion and a research paper. They have a very similar structure. A case, at least Pennoyer v Neff, starts out with an overview of how the case got to SCOTUS, gives a little info on the issues, and then the judge takes over and discusses the decision and how that decision was reached. I felt like I was reading the typical intro, methods, results, discussion, conclusion organization that is common to research papers. It made me feel like I was on semi-familiar ground reading something that is totally new to me. I like to think that my graduate school training will be useful in law school, and finding some dash of familiarity in a complex Supreme Court ruling has given a small boost to my delusion. I've been told that my training will help in a meta kind of way, but it's nice to see that the benefits may be a little more tangible.

Reading the case has also made me feel better about how much time was put into the details of the case during the class discussion. Now I can see the need to make sure that the facts of the case are understood before moving on to the larger implications of the case. There was no discussion of the the dissent in the class, but reading through the dissent emphasized the key parts of the decision. I felt like I had a decent handle on the main points of the case after working through some statements in the dissent. I'll be sure to keep that in mind once I start reading these things for real.

(Note: I'm not on my regular computer. I'll add links once I can use Mozilla instead of Explorer. Links added, although I thought I would be adding more when I wrote the post.)

Snail Mail Surprises

This weekend has seen two unusual and unexpected pieces of mail show up in my mailbox. On Thursday I received an envelope with something thick and sturdy inside. It was an issue of the Alabama Law Review with a hand written note from Page, the very nice lady who called to tell me that I had been accepted by Alabama. With my outstanding credentials, they thought I might be interested in one of their four journals. Maybe this was prompted by my graduate school publications. There has been no word of other accepted students getting a copy of the Alabama Law Review on TLS. It's an interesting and intriguing recruiting technique. I haven't thought much about law journals while in graduate school, but it is likely something that I will pursue. This mailing has me thinking about it a little more seriously now.

I got a small envelope from Indiana-Bloomington on Saturday. They sent a note telling me that I have been given a fee waiver and a small brochure about the school. I was immediately intrigued, but I wasn't sure if I should apply. I knew that Indiana was the highest ranked school with a "strong consider" prediction for me on LSP. While seeing if my PhD would give me an edge in admissions was not really in play for IU, looking through the brochure gave me a very good reason to apply. Aid awards are based on the usual LSAT and GPA, as well as leadership potential, work experience, contribution to class diversity, and other factors indicating success in the profession of law. I took a look at last years graph for IU on LSN. There were some nice aid packages given to people with numbers very similar to mine. I have already submitted my application. We'll see if they give me a similar scholarship package.

Job Prospects from Insiders

I've decided to use my law school admissions cycle half-time (4 decisions in, 4 more to go) to see what the job market looks like from the front lines. I have spoken to two 3Ls about the job market. Given that one was in Boston and the other in Virginia, they reported very similar situations. For the Boston market, the anxiousness that dominated the class at the end of the summer has been replaced with a grudging resignation to the reality of the economic situation. The BigLaw jobs just aren't out there for most people. A few people have offers from big firms, but many of the 2009 graduates have not started working and many of them have had their offers deferred or rescinded. Having an offer is still no guarantee that a job will be waiting after graduation. People are turning to government, JAG, and clerkships for gainful employment. The demand for these positions has made them unusually competitive.

I heard a similar story from the 3L in VA. People did not have jobs at the start of the semester, but the offers have started to trickle in. The wrinkle is that these jobs are in small or mid-sized firms and not the high paying BigLaw firms (my Boston source sent me a job posting from a small firm in Chicago looking to interview 3L's, the trend must be national).

I've read similar things about the job market online (if I find good links later I'll put them here), but I wanted to see what people in the midst of looking for a job are actually experiencing. I would like to talk to people with a background like mine. I have a plan to find somebody to supplement what I've already heard about the patent law market, especially for people with advanced degrees. Is there a PhD boost for the job market too? I would like to know before I take the plunge.

Ranking by Result

Super Lawyers magazine has released a new ranking of law schools. Schools are ranked by how many super lawyers (whatever that may be, this is how they are selected) they have produced. There are plenty of biases in rankings like this (class size, school location, programs that may help one become a super lawyer (if such a program even exists)), but it is an interesting perspective on legal education.

Is it worth the money

A professor from Vanderbilt has written a paper that tries to determine whether or not law school is worth the investment. This post at the WSJ law blog gives some info about (and a link to) the paper. (The paper is being discussed in a few places. Ann Levine mentioned it in this post and included a link to this brief article on the ABA blog.) The quick answer to the question is that law school is not a good investment for most people, but the professor stresses that there are cases where law school makes financial sense. It is worth delving into the details of the study to determine if his conclusion applies to you. I have started working through the particulars of my situation. With a few acceptances (and scholarship offers) on the table, the time has come for me to start delving into the financial implications of law school. I've been aware of them of course, but I decided to focus on the LSAT and my applications. I also didn't see the point of trying to determine if law school is the right move without a sense of where I would get accepted. I've started working through some of the financial and career risks associated with law school. I'm finding resources. I'll be sure to share any particularly useful insights.

Fordham Dean on the Impact of a Graduate Degree

There is a new interview with Stephen Brown, a Fordham admissions dean at TLS. You can read the whole thing here, but this is what he had to say about graduate degrees and admission:

TLS: How do you view graduate degrees, and do you take graduate GPA into consideration?

Graduate degrees are a plus. They bring diversity of experience to the class, and show us that students take their education seriously.

This is a direct reference to graduate degrees, but this is what they look for in an applicant

TLS: Realistically speaking, how large a part of the admissions process are factors other than a candidate’s GPA and LSAT scores? Of these non-numerical factors, are there any that particularly pique your interest (military service, corporate work experience, Teach for America, etc.)? Can you give examples of what you see as excellent, good, and mediocre non-numerical attributes or accomplishments?

Fordham students are smart, but they’re not pure intellect. The school seeks out mature students who are in touch with the world, and have given law school real thought. Work experience, military service, and Teach for America are all very desirable. Obviously the rankings matter, but the school seeks to admit unusual candidates, and others who will add color to the class. Somewhere in this year’s entering class is a tugboat captain. There are artists, musicians, and students with work experience in a wide range of fields. Any activities that demonstrate a sense of social engagement are looked upon favorably.

Surely a graduate degree and several years of working in a pharmaceutical lab would add color to a class.

California Gold Strike

So I take a trip to California (for work, not pleasure) and big law school stuff starts to happen. I was chatting with some reps for a company that makes pharmaceutical testing equipment when I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. I took a peek at my phone and saw a number with an 804 area code. That's the Richmond area code. I excused myself from my conversation and took the call. Sure enough, it was Dean Rahman calling to congratulate me on my acceptance to law school at the University of Richmond. While I knew that I had a very good shot at U of R when I got my LSAT score, there was always that fear of having something go wrong during the application process. I was also happy to hear that I will be given the opportunity to apply for the Marshall scholarship. If I get that scholarship, I will be attending U of R in the fall.

I also received my letter from Washington and Lee while I was in CA. My wife let me know that it was an offer of acceptance. I was never really sure how things would go for me at W&L so I was happy to get my offer so early in the process.

I applied to 8 schools and have heard back from 4. I've been in the first wave of acceptances for all 4 schools that have accepted me so far. Looking at the graphs on LSN for W&M, Alabama, and W&L, my GPA makes me one of the lower (or lowest) green dots for each school. Maybe there is something to this PhD boost. I know that UVA has been accepting people under Regular Admission (as opposed to binding Early Decision). I have not heard a peep from them so I am not in the first wave of UVA acceptances. Actually, the status checkers at the other 4 schools have not budged in weeks. Nobody else has heard from the other non-UVA schools either. When I do hear something from GMU, WashU, UVA, or Minnesota, I will be sure to report it here.

Acceptance Packages

The letter from W&M promised in the status checker was in my mailbox today. It was a thin envelope containing 3 pieces of paper. One was the official offer letter with info about seat deposit deadlines. There was also an invitation to their accepted student day. It's in March. The third sheet was very unexpected. They're giving me scholarship money. It's not much, $6,000 a year, but that's $6,000 more than I was expecting.

I also got the huge envelope from Alabama. They sent a couple of hand written notes from various dean's telling me that they hope I come down. There was a binder with housing information and other factoids about the area. I flipped through it pretty quickly this afternoon. I also flipped through the viewbook that came in the mail a couple of days ago with a letter informing me of my fee waiver. Thanks, Bama, but you've already accepted me.

To wrap up the busy day, two more status checker links were delivered to my email inbox. One was from WashU. It only said I was complete, but that's more than I knew before the checker. The other one was from W&L. This one tells me that a decision has been made and a letter is in the mail. A few hours later, a second email came mentioning some kind of technical difficulty and an apology for any confusion. Some people on TLS saw their status change from decision made to simply complete. I checked mine again earlier this evening and it still said that a decision has been made. The TLS thread has some reports of people calling the school to find out what's going on, but I don't put much stock in any of those comments. I guess we'll see what comes in the mail next week.

I was hoping for a callback from Dean Rahman, but my cell phone was silent. A few people have indicated that they were accepted over on LSN so I'm pretty confident that I would have gotten good news if I hadn't been reading with my 2 year old. If they call at 8:15 in the evening, they might call over the weekend.

Acceptance #2 (and maybe #3)

I usually don't log into my status checkers at work, but when the email with the W&M status checker came this morning, I decided to take a quick peek. I'm glad I took the time. Down in the mailings section there was a nice little, Congrats, admit package mailed 11/5. I was expecting to hear from them next week so this was a very pleasant surprise. Being a W&M alum, I very much wanted to be accepted into the law school. Getting into W&M was the goal that I set for myself at the very beginning of this process. I am very happy to have W&M as a definite law school option.

As for maybe #3, I was very surprised to see that somebody called my cell phone and left a message while I was putting my kids to bed tonight. I didn't recognize the number, but it was from the local area code. It was a call from Dean Rahman (it's sad that typing her name makes me think of Raman Spectroscopy). She is an admissions dean at U of R. She's going to call me back. I assumed it was a call to let me know that I had been accepted. (I checked the Richmond admissions thread from last year on TLS to check my hunch. They do call to let you know you've been accepted.) This was also a surprise. I called U of R on Monday to see if my Dean's Certificates had arrived. My VCU letter was there, but they didn't have the letter from W&M. When I talked to W&M, they told me that they would send a copy of the original out right away. Maybe they found my W&M certificate after I contacted them because I don't see the letter getting to U of R from Williamsburg, that letter making it into my file, and my file being reviewed in a few days. I just hope she calls tomorrow. I'm going to a conference out in LA next week.

UVA Applicant Profile

My assertion that I will be on the accept/reject borderline at UVA is not just wishful thinking. I have three reasons for feeling this way. One, my LSAT score is competitive. It's a little below the median, but it's definitely in the competitive range. Two, I am a Virginia resident. This could be a significant factor in the evaluation of my application. Three, UVA's applicant profile in the official ABA guide to law schools. (Use this link to access a list of schools, click on the school, click on the Law School Description, and scroll to the bottom to see the applicant profile.)

This is most of UVA's applicant profile. After stating that they use more than LSAT and GPA to make admissions decisions, they provide this information:

Each applicant is assessed as an individual, taking into account not only LSAT scores and undergraduate grades, but also the strength of an applicant’s undergraduate
or graduate curriculum, trends in grades, the maturing effect of experiences since college, the nature and quality of any work experience, significant achievement in extracurricular activities, service in the military, contributions to campus or community through service and leadership, and personal qualities. (Click here to see the entire profile)

I take them at their word. In looking through these attributes, I think I will get a little positive credit for curriculum strength, maturing effect of experiences since college, and work experience. All of those individual factors don't mean much by themselves, but taken together, they could really make a difference to my application. In any event, that's why I think I'm on the fence.

UVA application strategy

I have mentioned that I am complete at UVa, but I neglected to mention my application strategy. I'll give a quick review of what I've done for other schools before getting into my UVA application.

Early on in this process, I planned on sending a variety of essays with each application. I nixed the diversity statement (for the reasons given here). I wrote the optional essay for W&M (I used a personal statement draft), but I did not write the optional essay for W&L (they say that there is no penalty for not writing it). I have submitted my resume with every application. My personal statement was just under 500 words (thanks to the limits imposed by U of R and George Mason (although Mason just wants something in the ballpark of the 500 word limit). It's not quite 2 pages. Minnesota suggests 2 to 5 pages. I like my statement the way that it is and thought it would be a mistake to tack something on just to make it 2 pages. I had not written an essay expressing my desire to attend a particular school, until UVa anyway.

There is a debate raging over on TLS on whether or not it is prudent to submit a Why X statement with every application. The debate was prompted by somebody posting that an admissions dean at Harvard said a Why Harvard statement will only hurt an application. These posts (here and here) were clearly written after reading the Harvard post and freaking out about writing one for UVA. UVA is an interesting application because, while they do not request an essay explaining why you are applying to UVA, the admissions dean gave an interview and said that they will look at them if they are in the application. You can read the entire interview here, but this is the relevant portion to the Why UVA question;

TLS: Since UVA doesn't have an optional "why UVA?" essay, what are some good ways applicants can indicate a strong interest in UVA?

Applicants can and do submit “why UVA” essays all the time. We just do not specifically ask for them. I also get a number of “why X Law School” essays all the time, where X is (accidentally) not Virginia Law. That is a sure way to get yourself wait-listed or rejected.

I almost submitted my application without the Why UVA essay. I was one click away from submitting my application when I remembered that I wanted to submit that additional essay. I thought about not writing it, but then I realized that I could address my motivations for law school in the Why UVA statement. I also knew that I could write an essay that would be more than I really like the campus and think I would like living in C'ville for three years. I want IP and UVA has TWO IP clinics. I also have family reasons for staying close to central Virginia. Those three elements, I want IP, you have IP clinics and your location works for me, are the three paragraphs of my Why UVA statement (although I called it a Statement of Interest in my actual application). I feel like it adds something to my application. How likely is it that somebody else will have the same essay in their application package?

My take on the Harvard comment is pretty simple. How unique is each Why Harvard essay? Would you really want to read a few thousand essays that all pretty much say the same thing? Why put something in your application that just makes you look more like everybody else? I wrote one for UVA because I suspect that I will be very much on the borderline of the admission/waitlist//reject line. I wanted to have something in there that will help give the committee more insight into me and my plans for law school. If you don't have anything unique to say, don't say anthing at all.