Law School Podcaster

You've walked out of the LSAT feeling it was a particularly bad day for you, or you've just learned that your score is lower than you had hoped. Your initial instinct might be to just take the test again, but before you register for the next administration of the test, listen to our experts tell you what you need to know to plan your next steps. When should you cancel your score? When should you retake the exam? Should you explain a low score in an addendum? Also find out how law school admissions committees view multiple LSAT scores and how to make your application shine despite a low score.

What’s the toughest part of the LSAT? While each test-taker has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, there’s a general concensus that most people find the Logic Games section the most intimidating part of the test. The good news? It’s also the section where, with preparation, test-takers also see the biggest score increase. We’ve gathered our test prep experts to offer you their strategies to helping you beat this challenging section and achieve your highest score possible.

It's a well-known fact. First–year grades are really important to law students. And second-semester grades are your best chance to distinguish yourself. These are what law firm interviewers and prospective employers will look to when you're hunting for summer work next year and beyond. Plus, master these basic skills now and they will serve you well for two more years. Hear from law students and professors. What study techniques worked? What didn’t? What to do if first semester grades disappoint? What do your professors want to see? Listen to what our guests have to say to help you earn top grades.

In the current economy, many students are heading to law school, hoping that after graduation, their employment prospects will improve. But should you opt for a school where you want to live and work or the school with a high ranking or big national name? Will the regional schools get you where you want to go, or do you need a national law school to meet your career goals? In this show, representatives from different schools talk about the challenges – and the benefits – of getting your law degree locally, a consultant tells you what recruiters are thinking, and our guests give you tips for whichever path you choose to guide you to success.

You’ve heard it before. It’s not just what you know, it’s who you know. If you’re a law student, or if you’re just starting to think about law school, you’ll want to start building your network now. Networking can not only help you find that coveted first job, but can also help you hone the skills you’ll need after you’re hired and throughout your legal career. Our guests explain how to identify networking sources, initiate contacts, socialize with confidence, develop and nurture networking relationships, and continuously broaden your contacts so that you’ll develop relationships and make connections with people who will help you launch and enhance your career.

You've done your research and you've come up with the list of schools you're applying to. Now you're working on your applications and your resume. In this show, admissions deans and authors/consultants give you solid advice on putting together your law school application resume. This resume should be different from the resume you'll use to apply for jobs. Our guests explain how they're different, what admissions committees look for, what catches their eye and what is an immediate red flag. They also address nuances in your resume such as writing style, format, what categories to include, and what not to include. Don't send your resume without listening to this show!

Wouldn't it be great if you could submit a perfect law school application? There’s no such thing, say the experts, but one of the most significant challenges law school applicants face is the need to mitigate weaknesses or perceived weaknesses in an application. In this show, we help you take a step back to critically evaluate your application for true weak spots, we delve into the problems that most frequently trip up candidates, and walk you through the steps that allow you to correct weaknesses and mitigate problems through other parts of your application. Listen as we help you present your weaknesses in the best light possible.

It's amazing how many law school applicants make avoidable application mistakes. It's unfortunate, but hardly surprising, that these avoidable mistakes can result in your application being immediately rejected. You have one chance to get it right. We interviewed 3 deans of admission from leading law schools and a top admissions consultant to help you avoid application pitfalls.

You're starting law school, and in case you haven't heard, the first (or 1L) year, is not for the faint-hearted. It's a long haul and it's full of challenges, but there are strategies that will help you make it through successfully. We speak with professors who teach first year law students and with authors of some helpful guides to tackling your first year of law school and beyond. We also check in with a student to hear what you should know before you go. They have some insider tips to help you with specific strategies for success and to manage your time, so you can hit the ground running in law school.

Your LSAT score is one of the most important parts of your law school application and applicants worry, plan and strategize about how to tackle this dreaded standardized test. To help you overcome this challenge, we talk with some test prep experts to get study tips so you can learn how to improve from your first practice test, what to do the night before and the day of the exam. We hear from an undergraduate prelaw advisor who guides students throughout the admissions process, and we speak with a law school admissions dean to get some inside perspective to hear how the admissions committee evaluates your score.

Whether you are just starting to consider applying to law school or if you are just about ready to send off your application, you are probably going to have a lot of questions about the choices you have to make before you pick the right school for you. Where do you start? How does the application process work? What do the admissions committees look for in your application? How can you make your application stand out? In this show, we round up the top authors of the books that address the admissions process to help you tackle the process from start to finish. Hear their tips and get some insight into how their books can help you get into your chosen school.

Summer Associates, Legal Interns, Law Clerks. During the summer months, law students fan out across the nation to put the academic skills they've learned all year to the real test: doing the work of a lawyer. Whether you're working in a law firm with a summer program, jumping into the trenches with a solo practitioner, joining a corporate counsel team or dedicating your summer to public interest work, you'll need to make the most of your experience. We tackle topics like how to effectively obtain and complete assignments, how to build relationships with fellow summer associates, staff, and attorneys and how to enjoy firm-sponsored social events while maintaining professionalism. We also get tips on what not to do, to keep you on the best course for landing a job after graduation.

Nontraditional law school applicants and students might look a little different on paper and in-person, but they still have to face the same daunting law school admissions process as those coming straight from undergraduate schools. As students, they will face the same rigorous academic curriculum and the same job search challenges as others, but they do so coming from a background and a perspective that may not always mirror that of their fellow law students. We explore this topic with law school admissions deans, a dean of career services, an admissions consultant and we talk with a non-traditional student who has travelled down this road.

Law school rankings. Questioned, criticized, but rarely ignored. Whether rankings really say anything about the quality of legal education is an open question, but the fact is, they are used by students looking for the school that fits them best and by some employers deciding which law school grads to recruit. Some rankings rate full-time, part-time and international law programs, others rank schools based on their job placement rate, employer satisfaction, faculty and student diversity. You can also find rankings focusing on specialties such as intellectual property, environmental law, healthcare and tax law. We'll dig into the rankings and find out which list is most appropriate for each set of criteria and what's behind the numbers.

When considering law school, one of the options you will weigh is whether to pursue the degree on a part-time or full-time basis. With rising tuition and an uncertain job market, prospective law students may have an incentive to keep working at their current jobs, if they are already employed or, to find a way to finance law school with a job that allows them to attend school at night. But do part-time law students give up something that is vital to their legal education? We interviewed experts from the admissions offices and career offices at law schools with part-time JD programs to help you understand the pros and cons of each program, to learn how admissions committees evaluate part-time applicants and to learn about career prospects for part-time law students. We also hear from a part-time law student who is working while attending school about how it all fits together. Listen to what they have to say.