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What No One Tells You Before You Go To Law School: It Doesn’t Have to Be That Hard
By Alison Monahan • March 15, 2012 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Pre-Law
When I look back on my law school "career," I realize I made things a lot harder than they needed to be. Sure, I did some stuff right, but I did a lot of stuff wrong! To help you avoid such a fate, I offer 10 suggestions for making law school easier: Worry less about class. Do I think you should go to class regularly? Sure – it’s a useful way to figure out what your professor is thinking. But try to stress out less about it! If you’ve done the reading, and are generally prepared, that’s enough. You’re not…
Ms. JD International: State Department, Part II: Civil Service Careers
By - - • March 03, 2012 •Careers, Law School, Pre-Law
Office of the Legal Adviser Naturally, ladies holding JDs interested in a career in international law will look at the State Department’s Office of the Legal Adviser, “L.” The attorneys in L advise the Secretary of State, and all State bureaus and personnel on legal matters that arise in the pursuit of the Department’s mission, the development and execution of US foreign policy. As I described in my last post, L is divided into regional and functional bureaus that loosely correlate to the main bureaus at State. The Office of East Asian/Pacific Affairs in L counsels diplomats and civil servants…
What No One Tells You Before You Go to Law School: This Might Be a Bad Financial Decision
By Alison Monahan • February 14, 2012 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Pre-Law
What No One Tells You Before You Go to Law School: This Might Be a Bad Financial Decision Thankfully, word’s starting to get out that law school might not be the way to make the big bucks (or even to make enough to eat while paying back your student loans). But let’s break it down. If you’re a prelaw getting ready to accept an offer of admission, what do you need to consider? The school might be cooking the books. If you’ve been paying attention, you know that a bunch of law schools have been sued over their supposedly misleading…
Ms. JD International: State Department, Part I
By - - • February 02, 2012 •Careers, Law School, Pre-Law
State Department, Part I: Student Opportunities The State Department, perhaps the pinnacle of all things international, has fantastic professional opportunities for internationally-minded law students. The three core opportunities for students are: the Student Internship Program, STEP (Student Temporary Employment Program), and SCEP (Student Career Experience Program). Law students can extern during the semester in at State headquarters in DC for credit or intern at an embassy abroad. The Office of the Legal Adviser, otherwise known as “L,” offers a very small number of externships and paid summer internships specifically for law students, but law students interested in international law should…
What No One Tells You Before You Go To Law School: It’s Impossible to Know If You’re Making “The Right” Choice
By Alison Monahan • January 10, 2012 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Pre-Law
A lot of people go to law school because they think it’s “the right” thing to do. Maybe they’ve always been argumentative, or never really liked math, or have a vague idea that a career in law would be exciting and lucrative (just like on TV!). Social pressure starts building, no entry-level jobs materialize, and – before you know it – you’re sitting for the LSAT! Things go pretty well, fee waivers appear, and, just like that, it’s time to start classes. Whoa, what just happened?!? Let’s take a collective deep breath, shall we, and back up. How can you…