Contents:

CHAPTER 1. Does Law School Matter? The Practice of Law School How to Use This Book What Law School Is and Is Not Is the Law for Everyone? Recognizing the Many Facets of Lawyering Keeping Expectations Reasonable CHAPTER 2. Pre-Law Preparation From Layperson to Lawyer: The Technical Requirements for Becoming Licensed to Practice Law What Skills Are Necessary for Effective Lawyering? Developing These Skills: Coursework and Direction of Study Graduate Degrees Intangible Factors for Pre-Law Preparation Academic Honors and Awards Extracurricular Activities References Personal Conduct and Integrity Knowing the Deadlines Preparing Financial Matters Planning Where to Apply Informational Interviews Additional Pre-Law Preparation for Returning Students Other Ways to Prepare CHAPTER 3. The Process of Selecting and Applying to Law Schools Timing Issues The Law School Admissions Test Registering with the LSAC and Subscribing to the LSDAS Researching and Selecting a Law School Part-Time or Evening Programs Admissions and Admissions Committees The Application Process The Personal Statement and Other Essays Recommendations Risumi Personal Consultants The Completed File Wait List Acceptance Transfer Students CHAPTER 4. Loans, Scholarships, and Other Ways of Financing Law School Grants and Scholarships The Loan-Application Process and Organizational Tools The Impact of Debt and Consequences of Default Additional Options CHAPTER 5. Making the Transition to Law School Professional Transitions Financial Planning Logistical Planning Computers Projecting a Professional Image A Room of Ones Own? Law-School Orientation and Pre-Law "oot Camps" First-Year Core Courses and Other Required Courses Keeping the First Year in Perspective Setting Ones Own Moral Compass Balancing Law School and Life CHAPTER 6. Using Context, Policy, and Theory to Navigate Law School Like Lawyer Interdisciplinary Study: An Example of Contextual Thinking Using Policy to Put Law School in Context Using Theory to Put Law School in Context Dollars and Sense The Cheapest Cost Avoider, or Better Luck Next Time Incentives, Clarity, and Knowability Game Theory and the Role of Law Damages and InjunctionsMaking the Client Whole CHAPTER 7. The Nuts and Bolts of Law School Who: The Law-School Community Students Professors Where: Dynamics in the Law-School Classroom When We Learn the Law: The Pacing of a Semester in Law School How We Learn the Law Preparation for Class Understanding Legal Citations Participation in Class and the Socratic Method Difficulties in Class Participation Learning from a Negative In-Class Experience Getting the Most Out of Class Specific Strategies for Learning the Law Assessment Opportunities Briefing Textbooks Study Groups Outlines Study Aids Multi-tasking Why Is Law School Run This Way? Sample Letters of Recommendation CHAPTER 8. Exams and Grades First Steps Mid-Semester Entering the Home Stretch The Final Push The Reading Period The Day Before the Examination Exam Day Itself Before During After The Post-Exam Review Challenging a Grade Putting Grades in Perspective CHAPTER 9. Other Ways to Gain Distinction, Develop Skills, and Get Experience Bar Associations and Other Student Groups Legal Clinics Working as a Corporate Representative Family-Oriented Groups Intramural Sports Law Review or Law Journal Moot Court and Other Competitive Teams Conduct and Reputation CHAPTER 10. The Unforeseen or Unanticipated Issues: Specific Challenges During Law School Seeking Assistance on Campus Dealing with Specific Challenges, Both Personal and Academic More on Health and Wellness Academic Probation and Evaluating Whether to Continue Law School Honor Code and Violations of the Code Difficulties in Interpersonal Relationships Other Personal Issues or Crises Criminal Matters Other Negative Activities Pregnancy Students with Learning or Physical Disabilities Other Ways to Plan for a Possible Contingency CHAPTER 11. Legal Research and Writing The Basics of Legal Communication Books, Beautiful Books! Resources Grammar and Composition Style Dictionaries Manuals of Usage Legal Citation Manuals Legal Research and Writing Thesauruses and Legal Thesauruses Other Reference Materials The Legal-Writing Program and Handling Assignments Hindsight and Perspective CHAPTER 12. Special Considerations for the Second and Third Years of Law School A New Task New Opportunities: Extracurricular Activities New Choices: Elective Courses, Certification Programs, and Honors Programs Elective Courses Prerequisites for Elective Courses Popular Elective Courses with Limited Enrollments Certification Programs Honors Programs Joint-Degree Programs New Challenges: Professionalism in the Second and Third Years New Horizons: Non-Traditional Paths CHAPTER 13. Maximize the Summer Experience Differing Considerations for First- and Second-Year Students Relevant Summer Experiences to Explore Financial Goals and Seeking Permanent Employment Building a Skill Set and Seeking Feedback Building and Maintaining Professional Relationships Cultivating Substantive Knowledge, Professional Ethics, and Business Sense Finding and Keeping Perspective CHAPTER 14. Preparing for the Bar and Admission to Practice The License to Practice Law Personal Conduct and the Law-School Application Deciding Where to Take the Bar The Process of Admission to the Bar: Application and Registration The Bar Exam Bar Failure and Appeals of Failing Scores Bar-Review Courses Financing Bar Study Working During Bar Study Bar Study Just Before the Exam CHAPTER 15. Continued Development as a Lawyer Judicial Clerkships, LL.M.s Judicial Clerkships Who Should Consider a Judicial Clerkship? Application Criteria and Other General Information Selecting a Clerkship Benefits and Drawbacks of Clerkships Process and Application Advanced Law-Degree Programs CHAPTER 16. Ready, Counselor? APPENDIX A Contracts Exam APPENDIX B Evidence Exam APPENDIX C Sample Memorandum APPENDIX D Sample Brief APPENDIX E Decision Tree Index