Black shoes for a baby lawyer

[Breedlove]

I spose I can always return and get PAs or 5thAs black...we'll see.

The 5th Aves are a good middle ground between the PA and the Strand.
If the reason you chose the Strand over the PA is because the PA is boring, the 5th Aves will definitely be more suitable (I was going to choose the 5th Aves for this very reason but I bought a pair of Strands the same day and didn't think it would be necessary to buy the 5th Ave)

 

[martinottawa]

Nothing against T3 schools but.
This mantra was indoctrinated in me by a certain law school forum: "T14" or bust".
I didn't get a T14 offer this cycle so I'm retaking the LSAT (I hate this test with a passion).
Not sure how relevant this is but I scored a 178 on my last practice test (averaging 172+) so I'm pretty confident I can at least score high enough for guaranteed full ride offers to certain T20-30 schools which I would still take over my current offers.

Also:
In this case I'm not sure how going to a T1/T2 over a T3 would lead to a drinking problem.
I'm assuming drinking problems stem from having huge loans to pay off and Big Law being the only option to pay them back in a timely manner. If things go my way in October, I don't plan on having to pay any tuition for law school so my debt load would be the same going to a T1 or a T3 (room and board and food costs).

Hate to break it to you, but a better LSAT score won't necessarily get you into a T14 school, let alone get you a free ride. LSAT is only one part of the equation. You also will need excellent undergrad grades, and preferably a CV that explains how you singlehandedly discovered the Higgs boson while breastfeeding orphan puppies.

That said, you can do well at a lower rung school, as long as you are good at making connections and go to school where you want to live/work. Worked for me (although admittedly, there is less stratification among law schools here).

 

[Breedlove]

Hate to break it to you, but a better LSAT score won't necessarily get you into a T14 school, let alone get you a free ride. LSAT is only one part of the equation. You also will need excellent undergrad grades, and preferably a CV that explains how you singlehandedly discovered the Higgs boson while breastfeeding orphan puppies.

That said, you can do well at a lower rung school, as long as you are good at making connections and go to school where you want to live/work. Worked for me (although admittedly, there is less stratification among law schools here).

It's great that things have worked out for you but considering the state of the current legal market in the US, your success story would be a rarity. Well maybe not in Canada as Canadian legal market is infinitely better off than in the US.

I apologize in advance for this wordy response but as I've recently come to the completion of my first admissions cycle, I've been obsessing over law schools for the past few months. Let me try to explain a portion of my arguably subjective reasoning. Here goes nothing:

I took the LSAT without a single hour of preparation in December and scored in the mid 160s (I only decided to take it because a friend of mine was taking it as well). After getting my score, I talked to a pre-law adviser at my undergrad institution who convinced me that this was a great score and suggested I apply to law school. By the time I sent out my first application it was mid-February (terrible idea in hindsight, considering how rolling admissions work).

Sure, going to a "lower rung" school in a place I'd like to live for very little debt was something to which I have given much consideration. But retaking the LSAT again this October means I can not only apply much earlier in the admissions cycle (higher chance of admission), but I can also increase my LSAT score significantly (again, higher chance of admission).

Also, I wouldn't dare dream of a full-ride to a T14. I only mentioned that a higher LSAT score would get me a T14 admit or a full ride to a T20-30. Both of these scenarios are definitely achievable with a higher LSAT score, no work with particle accelerators involved.

Getting into a T14 school is not rocket science. Take Georgetown for example:
http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats
Assuming I score anywhere near my current PT average and that the statistics depicted on this graph are at least somewhat representative of the applicant pool at GULC as a whole, I'll be comfortably within the range of applicants that were primarily admitted and occasionally waitlisted, but never rejected. Looking at the same data, a lot of the applicants in this range received at least some scholarship money as well.

Likewise, looking at data for other schools, a similar LSAT score, one that would very likely garner an admit to GULC, would similarly attract very large scholarships to most T1 schools (full-rides in the case of schools that have historically given more weigh to the LSAT).

Knowing this, there's no way I'd be content with the fact that I "settled" for law school after taking the LSAT cold and applying near the end of a cycle.

Well, take my words with a grain of salt as I know nothing about life after law school beyond warnings of a tough legal market and high unemployment rates. I'm just trying to increase my chances of decent employment post-graduation. With the current state of the job market, the chances of being under/unemployed with a T2/3 JD scare the **** out of me.

You may argue that with hard work and significant networking, a T2/3 JD can actually take you somewhere. But I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that with the same amount of hard work and significant networking, a T1 JD will be much, much better.

 

[New Shoes1]

You may argue that with hard work and significant networking, a T2/3 JD can actually take you somewhere. But I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that with the same amount of hard work and significant networking, a T1 JD will be much, much better.

Once you've practiced for a few years, no one cares where you went to lawschool.

 

[Petepan]



Once you've practiced for a few years, no one cares where you went to lawschool.

+1
Some might even argue that educational achievement is irrelevant, if not a downright hindrance, to good lawyering.

 

[tactical1]

When you are a baby lawyer, most of your clients are older than you. They want some comfort that you know what you are doing, so they look on the wall for a diploma to assuage their anxiety.

A few years on, a few gray hairs and war stories later, they stop looking for the diploma.

If you're lucky, your student loans are gone before the diploma becomes irrelevant.

 

[CrAz3D]

so that's the 2nd pair. fits well at foot and heel. there are a few "stretch marks" in the leather on the right. I wonder about the future wear. That said, I have 4 dogs that will inevitably step on me, or I'll scuff the shoes, etc, so a few scuffs/marks now = irrelevant?
Thoughts?

 

[New Shoes1]

A year from now, I think you are going to regret having bought black Strands as your go-to business shoe. Too busy.

 

[CrAz3D]

With the flash in that photo, I'm thinking they'll show dust very easily on the black. Hell. Maybe these will go back too.

 

[msulinski]

With the flash in that photo, I'm thinking they'll show dust very easily on the black. Hell. Maybe these will go back too.

You have another chance to correct your error. The universe is trying to tell you something. Stands in Walnut, Park Avenue in Black.

 

[CrAz3D]

They both on sale during Nordstrom sale..... I guess that makes most sense.

 

[AnGeLiCbOrIs]

I may know someone who can sell you some classic black oxfords for $225 after using coupon code SF10.

I actually began to see the need for my brand when I was in law school and looking for shoes to wear to interviews and my summer internships.

 

[Ace_Face]



That said, you can do well at a lower rung school, as long as you are good at making connections and go to school where you want to live/work. Worked for me (although admittedly, there is less stratification among law schools here).

Contacts are more important than grades. I practice in the city where I grew up and went to law school. I have friends and relatives in the practice of law. When I got my first internship, they didn't even ask for my grades, it was because I knew someone and I fit in with the firm culture. But if you don't have contacts, you are probably right that you better have top grades from a top school.

I took the LSAT without a single hour of preparation in December and scored in the mid 160s (I only decided to take it because a friend of mine was taking it as well).  After getting my score, I talked to a pre-law adviser at my undergrad institution who convinced me that this was a great score and suggested I apply to law school.  By the time I sent out my first application it was mid-February (terrible idea in hindsight, considering how rolling admissions work).

Sure, going to a "lower rung" school in a place I'd like to live for very little debt was something to which I have given much consideration.  But retaking the LSAT again this October means I can not only apply much earlier in the admissions cycle (higher chance of admission), but I can also increase my LSAT score significantly (again, higher chance of admission).

Getting into a T14 school is not rocket science.  Take Georgetown for example:
http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats
Assuming I score anywhere near my current PT average and that the statistics depicted on this graph are at least somewhat representative of the applicant pool at GULC as a whole, I'll be comfortably within the range of applicants that were primarily admitted and occasionally waitlisted, but never rejected.  Looking at the same data, a lot of the applicants in this range received at least some scholarship money as well.
 
Likewise, looking at data for other schools, a similar LSAT score, one that would very likely garner an admit to GULC, would similarly attract very large scholarships to most T1 schools (full-rides in the case of schools that have historically given more weigh to the LSAT).
 
Knowing this, there's no way I'd be content with the fact that I "settled" for law school after taking the LSAT cold and applying near the end of a cycle.

Well, take my words with a grain of salt as I know nothing about life after law school beyond warnings of a tough legal market and high unemployment rates.  I'm just trying to increase my chances of decent employment post-graduation.  With the current state of the job market, the chances of being under/unemployed with a T2/3 JD scare the **** out of me.

Put all this statistical discussion aside and let me ask you a question? Do you want to be a lawyer? Do you know what kind of law you (think) you want to practice? Have you been exposed to any form of legal practice? Have you worked in other jobs besides law? Or any jobs at all? Law schools are filled with English and History majors who can't find a job so they figure they will take the LSAT. They do well and decide to become a lawyer. A lot of them know nothing about practicing law and end up hating it when they get out of school. Prospective lawyers will spend three and a half years from when they start law school to when they become licensed and a lot of that time is very stressful. Make sure it is what you want to do before you go down that path.

 

[New Shoes1]



I may know someone who can sell you some classic black oxfords for $225 after using coupon code SF10.
I actually began to see the need for my brand when I was in law school and looking for shoes to wear to interviews and my summer internships.

And based on pictures, they look nicer than the Park Avenues.

 

[AnGeLiCbOrIs]



so that's the 2nd pair. fits well at foot and heel. there are a few "stretch marks" in the leather on the right. I wonder about the future wear. That said, I have 4 dogs that will inevitably step on me, or I'll scuff the shoes, etc, so a few scuffs/marks now = irrelevant?
Thoughts?