LAW SCHOOL

CONFIDENTIAL
A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE LAW
SCHOOL EXPERIENCE:
BY STUDENTS, FOR STUDENTS

THIRD EDITION

BY ROBERT H. MILLER
 Contents

The Law School Confidential Mentors 3

Stafford Loans Detailed Chart 19
Case Map 21
Bullet Outline 22
First-Semester Performance Evaluation: Part One 23
Majors 26
Salary Comparison Chart 29
The Relevance Calculus 30
 The Law School Confidential Mentors

Pat Closson
Exeter, New Hampshire

B.A. University of New Hampshire

J.D. Boston College Law School

Boston College International and

Comparative Law Journal

1L summer: New Hampshire

Attorney General’s Office
2L summer: summer associate,
McLane, Graf, Raulerson &
Middleton, Manchester, NH

After graduation: associate, McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton,

Manchester, NH

I majored in history in college and decided in my senior year that I was

not interested in pursuing a career as a historian. Having made that
decision, the remainder of my senior year I struggled to figure out
what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. In the midst of this uncer-
tainty, I adopted law school as a contingency plan. I figured if I got
into law school, I could put off answering “The Question” for a few
more years. On the day I graduated from college, I had a stack of rejec-
tion letters and had been wait-listed twice. I then started looking for a
job and ended up as a customer ser vice representative for an HMO,
answering questions from New Yorkers who were angry with the ser vice
they were getting. After about two weeks on that job, I had learned all I
could about angry New Yorkers and HMOs, and I realized that what-
ever career I chose, it would have to be something that challenged me
every day. Shortly after that, I received an acceptance letter from Bos-
ton College, and I knew law school was my next step.
A career as a lawyer includes many of the things I was looking for in
a career—including the ability to solve problems, help people, and be
intellectually challenged. Knowing what I know now, I would do it

3
again. A solid foundation in the law is useful in any pursuit, and the
skills learned in law school are transferable to most careers.

Elizabeth Deconti
Albany, New York

B.A. Yale University

J.D. University of Miami Law School

University of Miami Yearbook of

International Law
Vice President, Moot Court Board

1L summer: studied evidence and

European community law
at University College, London
2L summer: summer associate, Pyszka, Kessler, Douberly & Massey,
Miami, FL

After graduation: associate, Holland & Knight LLP, Tampa, FL

When I entered my senior year of college, I was torn between going to

graduate school and going to law school. My prospective field of study
in graduate school was very narrow, and there was not much room to
grow. Teaching positions were at a premium, and the “greats” under
whom I had studied did not look to be ready to vacate their posts for a
long time. I was determined that whatever I did should be worthwhile
both to me and to society, and I began to get the idea that I would not
have the opportunity to leave much of a mark on the world as an aca-
demic.
I decided that more opportunities would be available to a lawyer.
The field was wide open, jobs were plentiful (that year), and the law
seemed to be a door opener to a variety of other careers including
business and politics. Even within the law, I saw many opportunities,
including working for a law firm, public interest group, or even in the
judiciary. It did not occur to me then that the world is overflowing with
lawyers, that jobs are not easy to come by, and that, most of all, it takes
something special to distinguish oneself from the crowd.

4
 Would I do it all again? I honestly don’t know. At times I miss spend-
ing my day studying the perspective of a Renaissance painting. . . .
Now, though, my days are filled with different kinds of excitement—
finding a client a way out of a difficult business trap, arguing hearings,
and developing well-reasoned legal arguments in briefs to courts. I sup-
pose if I had not had the “legal experience,” I would not know what I
was missing. Surely I would have been a very happy academic. As a law-
yer, though, I can keep my love of art history and Shakespeare as a
hobby and have the law as a career. It would have been difficult to do
the reverse.

Bess Franzosa
Durham, New Hampshire

B.A. University of New Hampshire

M.S. Boston University College of
Communication
J.D. Boston College Law School

Boston College Law Review

Law clerk, Hon. Paul Barbadoro,

Chief Judge, United States
District Court, NH

1L summer: legal department, City of Waltham, MA

2L summer: summer associate, Goodwin, Procter & Hoar, Boston, MA

After graduation: associate, Goodwin, Procter & Hoar, Boston, MA

I went to law school because I wanted to be a prosecutor. I had worked

for four years as a reporter and editor, and I had covered and/or fol-
lowed coverage of many heinous crimes. I found myself frustrated—
because I was a journalist, I was forced to be a constant bystander. I
wanted to do something rather than simply watch and criticize or com-
ment.
If I could go back, however, I would not do it again. The cost of law
school, financially and personally, has outweighed the benefits for me.

5
The loans I had to take out to pay for law school will preclude me from
becoming a prosecutor for a long time, so my original motivation for
going to law school now seems foolish, or at least naïve. By the time I
have paid off the debt, I don’t know that I will even want to continue to
practice law. I think it is particularly poignant that at a graduation
party for one of my classmates from law school, one of the guests asked
all five of us graduating law students there about our plans. All five of
us said, on the day after graduation, that we weren’t sure we wanted to
be lawyers.
I wanted to be a prosecutor, but joined the labor and employment
group at a large firm because I have to pay back $1,100 per month in
loans. I enjoy labor and employment law, so it may turn out to be a
good change that I’ll stick with. I do wish I had inquired more about
law school and the legal profession before I went into it, though.

Alison Gabel
Brooklyn, New York

B.A. SUNY Binghamton

J.D. University of Pennsylvania
Law School

Journal of International Economic Law

1L summer: Public Interest

Healthcare Outreach Project—
Senior Citizen Judicare
2L summer: summer associate,
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, NYC

After graduation: associate, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, NYC

I decided to go to law school because I thought the law would be a

good way to satisfy a bunch of different interests I had (public ser vice,
public speaking, and being challenged intellectually daily) all in one.
I also decided to go to law school because it’s what I thought smart
people did if they didn’t go to med school. Getting into a good law
school seemed to be a good way to prove to those around me that I was

6
smart. I didn’t have the foggiest idea what I was going to do with my law
degree.
Through my participation in this book, I hope to give some advice
about getting through the many hard, negative parts of law school. It’s
important to focus just as much on enjoyment as achievement, since
much of law school is so competitive, and you can’t win everything. I
want to help people understand how to achieve, get better grades, and
be successful on the job search, but most important, I want to help
explain how to keep your perspective in order to come out of the law
school experience a happier, better person for it.
I now practice trusts and estates at a big law firm in Manhattan. I
like both my job and my firm. From first to third year, I learned a great
deal about balance—I worked hard in school, but I made time for
part-time jobs and tried to keep active socially. I still try to do that to-
day. I have to say that if I could go back, I wouldn’t change much. I
learned a great deal, both academically and personally, and I found
law school enjoyable, rewarding, and valuable.

Megan Hertler
Winslow, Maine

B.A. Wheaton College, 2008

J.D. University of New Hampshire
School of Law (formerly Franklin
Pierce Law Center), 2011

Webster Scholar

1L summer: summer associate,

Sheehan, Phinney, Bass & Green,
Manchester, NH
2L summer: summer associate, Sheehan, Phinney, Bass & Green,
Manchester, NH
After graduation: associate, Sheehan, Phinney, Bass & Green, Manches-
ter, NH

I went to a liberal arts school and took a wide range of classes. While
I got good grades, I was never a “natural” at anything; I had to put in

7
excruciating amounts of work to get the grades that I got. It always
seemed that other students could spend less time studying and still
perform better than I could. During the second semester of my fresh-
man year, I took a mini law course. It met once a week, and 100 per-
cent of the grade was determined by a law- school- style, issue- spotter
exam. Taking that class, I learned that legal propositions come natu-
rally to me; it took much less work for me to understand the informa-
tion, organize it, memorize it, and excel. I took two other such classes
while in college, and after confirming that I both enjoyed the mate-
rial and that it came easily to me, I applied to law school. My choice to
go to law school was not about money or prestige; I wanted the degree
because law was something that I enjoyed.
I would strongly encourage any undergrad who is considering law
school to take any law classes, or classes on the legal process, that his
or her school offers. That is a good way to determine whether legal
concepts interest the student. Additionally, I think it is beneficial to
have conversations with lawyers. What do they do day to day? What are
their hours like? How do they maintain their work-life balance? Hav-
ing this sort of conversation with several lawyers, preferably lawyers
from a broad range of practice areas, can help to illuminate the life
and work of a lawyer, which will help a person determine whether that
is a life and a job that he or she is interested in pursuing.

Allan Kassenoff
West Orange, New Jersey

B.S. Columbia University

J.D. University of Pennsylvania Law
School

Journal of International Economic Law

1L summer: New Jersey Attorney

General’s Office
2L summer: summer associate,
Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays &
Handler, NYC

After graduation: associate, Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler, NYC

8
I decided to go to law school because the work involved seemed both in-
teresting and stimulating to me, and because it pays well. I enjoyed law
school. Once you get the hang of it, it is a rewarding experience. I am
now practicing litigation at Kaye, Scholer in New York City. From day one
of law school, I always planned to work at a large New York City firm, and
it has worked out well. I love what I do 90 percent of the time.

Lindsay Rose Kenney

Washington Township, New Jersey

B.A. Pennsylvania State University

J.D. Rutgers School of Law

Winner: Senior Class Day Award

for Outstanding First-Year
Legal Research & Writing

1L summer: Philadelphia District

Attorney’s Office, Family
Violence & Sexual Assault Unit
2L summer: Philadelphia District
Attorney’s Office, certified to try
municipal court cases

I realized I wanted to go to law school in fourth grade when my reading

teacher asked the class what a sewer was, and I eagerly raised my hand
and responded, “A sewer is someone who sues people in court—a law-
yer.” Wrong answer, but something clicked, and I realized then that I
wanted to be a lawyer. No one in my family was a lawyer; I never even
met a lawyer until I started law school. Nevertheless, something inside
of me just felt that this was what I was meant to do. Ever since that day,
I made it my mission to get into law school.
My family and I grew up with the mantra that school comes first, but
we always made time for volunteering, especially for causes that were
close to our hearts. Accordingly, I worked hard to get to a place where I
could help others for a living. I was always fascinated with criminal law
and specifically interested in the physical and sexual abuse of women
and children. Therefore, a career in criminal prosecution seemed like

9
the perfect marriage of my interest in helping those who are not in a
position to help themselves and criminal law. I feel lucky that my hard
work enabled me to get the education I needed to allow me to be the
voice for others and do what I love every day.
Determining whether law school is right for you is an entirely
personal decision, so it’s important to take the time to gather as
much information as you can to make an informed decision. I rec-
ommend reading up on, in books such as this one, what is expected of
you in law school, careers in the legal profession, and the lifestyles of
lawyers, as well as talking to law students and lawyers and even sitting
in on actual law school classes. It is important to be realistic about
your interests and abilities— you know yourself the best, so carefully
evaluate your study habits and time- management skills, your ulti-
mate career interests, and the type of lifestyle you want to have. If
you do not like competitive environments, hard deadlines, long
hours, and doing lots and lots of reading, law school is probably not
for you.

Keith Koegler
Bronxville, New York

B.A. Amherst College

J.D. Vanderbilt University Law School

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

1L summer: internship with

criminal law judge
2L summer: summer split doing
part-time work for two
Nashville, TN, law firms

After graduation: in-house counsel for start-up technology company

Like many people, I backed into law school. At Amherst, I received the
classic liberal arts education, which meant that I didn’t really start
thinking about a career until my senior year, when I began scrambling
to find a way to support myself after graduation. I chose to paralegal

10
for a large national law firm for a year because I couldn’t think of any-
thing better to do. The experience was miserable, and after a year I
applied to law school because what else was I going to do with my B.A.
in history?
I now work doing corporate securities work for a start-up technol-
ogy company, and I couldn’t be happier. My hours are reasonable, the
work is interesting, and the people are fantastic. But I think I’m
unusual—most of my friends are at large national law firms and are
miserable.

Carolyn Koegler Miller

Bronxville, New York

B.A. Tufts University

J.D. University of Pennsylvania
Law School

H. Clayton Louderback legal

writing instructor

1L summer: summer associate,

Dow, Lohnes & Albertson, D.C.
2L summer: summer associate,
Bingham Dana, Boston, MA

After graduation: associate, Sulloway & Hollis, Concord, NH

I went to law school because (1) I was told by a number of people that
law school teaches you how to “think” in a way that even the best un-
dergraduate education does not; (2) because I felt that no matter what
career I ultimately chose, even if I decided not to practice law, people
would take a woman with a law degree more seriously than they would
take a woman without one; (3) because I thought that a law degree
would open up more opportunities for me; and (4) because I majored
in history in college and I wasn’t sure what else to do with that degree!
I don’t regret my decision to go to law school at all, but I think this
is because my father was generous enough to pay for it. As a result, I
don’t have to worry about paying off student loans, and I was able to

11
take the kind of position I really wanted. I got a terrific education and
a degree that has opened up opportunities to me that I would never
have had without it. I also feel that people take me more seriously
when they find out that I have a law degree.
Having said all this, I would not necessarily have made the decision
to go to law school had I been required to pay for it myself. I have a
number of friends who are very unhappy practicing law, but cannot
leave their jobs because they have to pay off enormous student loans.
After struggling through a tough three years in law school, they are
now stuck in jobs they despise for the better part of the next decade. I
enjoy my present job, working in a smaller law firm, in a smaller com-
munity, where I am getting a lot of hands- on experience, and where
the work I do actually impacts clients I know and talk to. Knowing
that if I ever stop enjoying it, I could just decide to do something else
without worrying about having to make loan payments makes a big dif-
ference.

Shruti Krishnan
Dallas, Texas

B.S. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

M.S. University of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center Graduate School
of Biomedical Sciences
(biochemistry)
J.D. Southern Methodist
University Dedman School
of Law

1L summer: studied abroad at

University College in Oxford,
England
2L summer: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, D.C.

Five years after I graduated from college, I matriculated in law school.

I went to graduate school and earned a master’s degree in biochemis-
try, worked as a sales and marketing liaison for a biochemical com-
pany, and finally interned at a large law firm as a scientific adviser

12
before deciding to go to law school. I have a science background and
wanted to be able to use that, so I became interested in patent law. In-
stead of just taking the patent bar and becoming a patent agent, I
wanted to pursue the J.D. so that I could also litigate if I wanted to.
I would advise anyone thinking of applying to law school to try to
get an internship at a law firm where they can shadow an associate,
work with a paralegal, or work as a file clerk to get an idea of what life
is like at a law firm. You owe it to yourself to see it on the inside to de-
termine if you think you yourself could do it in the future.

Yvette Y. Robinson
Boston, Massachusetts

B.A. Boston University

J.D. Suffolk University Law School

1L summer: Hale and Dorr/

Harvard Law School
Community Enterprise Project
2L summer: summer associate,
Foley, Hoag & Eliot, Boston, MA

After graduation: law clerk, Hon. James

Duggan, Associate Justice, New Hampshire Supreme Court

I’ve wanted to be an attorney at least since I was in the fifth grade. I

was always the kid on the playground standing up to the bully, trying
to talk people out of fighting, or standing up for the kid who was get-
ting teased. I think I was just a natural advocate. In high school, I
wrote for the school paper and enjoyed being argumentative, writing
controversial pieces, and stirring things up. I won the Law Day Award,
and at the ceremony I met a lot of attorneys who encouraged me to
pursue a career in law, and it seemed that being an attorney would be
a productive career given my natural spirit of advocacy. Throughout
college, I interned with attorneys and worked in law offices every chance
I got in an effort to learn as much about the profession as possible be-
fore I applied to law school.
For me, law school felt natural given my love of advocacy, reading,

13
writing, and expressing my ideas in words. I would advise anyone
thinking of law school to spend some time working for an attorney to
get a real sense of it. When I did this, I relished the challenge of think-
ing on my feet and developed a thick skin for criticism. You have to be
willing to put your work on the table and take the heat. You also need
to appreciate not only the subject matter, but the environment, the
personalities, and that not every day is going to be like what you see on
Law & Order.

Patrick Sinclair
Shirley, New York

B.A. George Washington University

J.D. Boston University School of Law

1L summer: United States Attorney’s

Office, Boston, MA
2L summer: summer associate, McDer-
mott, Will & Emery, NYC

After graduation: associate, McDer-

mott, Will & Emery, NYC

I’ve wanted to be an attorney since I was in elementary school and was

on the moot court team in fi fth grade where I prosecuted Goldilocks
for burgling the home of the three bears. From there, I participated in
youth and government programs and moot court in high school, and I
had congressional and White House internships in college. Thinking
about and wrestling with legal issues is what I like to do.
There are so many reasons to go to law school. My corporate-
minded colleagues hated classes on administrative and constitutional
law, but got excited about the contents of proxy statements and issues
around shareholders’ rights. There truly is something for everyone.
All lawyers, though, must be fastidious, hardworking, detail- oriented,
and comfortable interacting with people.

14
John- Mark Turner
Chapin, South Carolina

B.S. University of South Carolina

J.D. Boalt Hall School of Law,
University of California at
Berkeley

California Law Review

1L summer: U.S. Department of

Justice (Environmental
Enforcement Section), D.C.
2L summer: summer associate, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Seattle, WA

After graduation: law clerk, Hon. Michael Murphy, United States Court
of Appeals (Tenth Circuit), Salt Lake City
Associate, Sheehan, Phinney, Bass & Green, P.A., Manchester, NH

Like a lot of people, I fell into law. I had gotten my undergraduate de-
gree in math, which I didn’t find to be particularly marketable. Teach-
ing jobs were plentiful, but after a year of teaching, I found that I
didn’t enjoy it. I considered graduate school, but my older brother was
just finishing up his doctoral dissertation in math and hadn’t enjoyed
it, so I decided I’d take a different path. My girlfriend at the time (now
my wife) was taking the LSAT, so I did too. As I waited for my scores, I
started to really get into the idea. I attended a few conferences and
talks at Tulane Law School that were open to the public and became
intrigued by the perspective that professors, lawyers, and law students
brought to bear on issues that mattered to me. It was a pragmatic,
“let’s get things done” attitude. For me, college was spent developing a
firm idea of all the things that I wanted to change about the world, but
it didn’t give me the tools I needed to bring about those changes. A
legal education offered the ability to develop an attack plan and to
advocate forcefully for the things I believe in.
Before you apply to law school, you need to answer that kindergarten
question What do I want to be when I grow up? More specifically, do you
understand what it means to practice law for a living, and is that what
you want to do? Sometimes, it is difficult to get a good sense for what the
practice of law is like unless you are able to observe it firsthand. You may

15
want to consider spending some time as a paralegal or interning in a law
office to get a better sense of it. You might also want to get to know law
students and get their reactions to their summer jobs.
As in any career, practicing law has pros and cons. The hours are
long, but they are usually happily spent in absorbing material. Much of
your time is spent fighting or haggling with other lawyers, but it can be
an exciting game of cat and mouse. You might represent people and
causes you find morally repugnant, but you might also change the
world. Before deciding on law, you need to determine if the trade- offs
are worth it to you.

Joel Wattenbarger
Red Bank, New Jersey

B.A. Yale University

J.D. Harvard Law School

Harvard Law Review

1L summer: summer associate,

Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, D.C.
2L summer: summer associate,
Ropes & Gray, Boston, MA

After graduation: associate, Ropes & Gray, Boston, MA

The biggest factor in my decision to go to law school was the three

years I spent as a paralegal in Washington, D.C., after graduating from
college. I found that I enjoyed the atmosphere in that firm—I had
never experienced such a concentration of bright, motivated, and re-
sponsive people. I also enjoyed the work I was doing, helping compa-
nies understand and respond to complex legal and business problems.
I was also attracted, unsurprisingly, by the money that can be made by
lawyers. A word of warning, though: because I had to take out signifi-
cant loans, it will take close to a decade for my “investment” in law
school to start “paying off.”
Knowing what I know now, I would probably do it again. However, I

16
would consider business school more seriously than I did four years
ago— anyone who is considering a career in corporate law should con-
sider life as a client, rather than as a lawyer!
Know what you’re getting yourself into. I almost applied to law
school as a senior in college, primarily because I didn’t have any idea
what I wanted to do, and law school seemed like a respectable
way  to  put off the decision for a few years. In retrospect, applying
at that time would have been a huge mistake. I wasn’t then emotion-
ally prepared for three more years of any school (much less law
school), and I wouldn’t have had any clear idea of where I might be
headed at the end of the three years, but I would have been deep in
debt nevertheless. If you don’t know why you’re going to law school,
don’t go.

Steven Weitzman

B.A. University of Maryland at

College Park
J.D. University of Pennsylvania
Law School

University of Pennsylvania Journal of

Labor Law

1L summer: summer associate,

Thomas Foley, Wilmington, DE
2L summer: summer associate,
Seward & Kissel LLP, NYC

After graduation: associate, Seward & Kissel LLP, NYC

I didn’t decide to go to law school—it was just something I was always

going to do. When I was a little kid, my cousin came to visit my family.
He was a lawyer in New York, and he had a nice car and told interest-
ing stories and seemed to have a glamorous life. From that, while I was
just a little boy, I decided that I would be a lawyer too. It seemed to fit
me personally, since I was always argumentative, logical, and quick-

17
thinking. Nothing better ever came along to replace that aspiration,
so here I am.
Knowing what I know now, I would definitely still go to law school.
It was a great experience for me, and it has led me to a great career.

18
Stafford Loans Detailed Chart

Subsidized Stafford Unsubsidized Stafford

Maximum amount you
can borrow:
(1) annually $8,500 $20,500
(2) in aggregate $65,000* $138,500
Interest rate Fixed: 6.8% Fixed: 6.8%
Interest due None until you begin Interest must be paid
repayment schedule off each month or it
(see below) will be added to the
principal balance of
the loan
Fee 1% to be deducted 1% to be deducted
from each loan from each loan
disbursement disbursement
Disbursement In 2 installments In 2 installments
generally, sent directly generally, sent directly
to the school. Extra to the school. Extra
loan proceeds over loan proceeds over
cost of tuition are paid cost of tuition are
to you directly or paid to you directly or
credited to your credited to your
student account student account
Cancelable? Yes** Yes**
Repayment schedule Generally 10 to 25 Generally 10 to 25
years, depending on years, depending on
your repayment plan your repayment plan
Repayment plans Standard: requires a Standard: requires a
fi xed amount per fi xed amount per
month with a mini- month with a mini-
mum of $50 per month mum of $50 per month

Graduated: lower Graduated: lower

payments at first that payments at first that
increase every 2 years. increase every 2 years.
Minimum payments Minimum payments
must equal monthly must equal monthly
interest accrued interest accrued

Income sensitive: bases Income sensitive: bases

monthly payment on a monthly payment on a
formula including your formula including your
annual income and the annual income and the
loan amount loan amount

19
*If both subsidized and unsubsidized loans are taken, subsidized loans cannot exceed their
maximum of $8,500 per year, and $65,000 in aggregate. Unsubsidized loans may then be stacked
over the subsidized loans to their own limits, listed in column 2. Subsidized loan aggregate limit
includes loans used for undergraduate study.
**After your school notifies you that it has credited the loan to your account, you may cancel your
loan within fourteen days or by the first day of the payment period, whichever is later.

20
Case Map

21
Bullet Outline

3 1
1 �

22
First- Semester Per formance Evaluation: Part One

Name of class
Grade received
Number of
lectures skipped
Statute/code/
rules–based class
or case law– based
class (e.g., tax- code
based vs.
Con Law based)
Percentage of
reading assignments
completed
on time
Duration of class
period and time
of day it met
Professorial style
(Socratic/lecture)
Male or female
professor?
Seat location
(front/mid/
back)
Did you sit next to
friends or other
distractions
during class
periods?
Brand of commer-
cial outline/
hornbook
used
Did you use the
commercial
outline as
directed by
chapter 9 of
this book?
Did you
participate in a
study group?

23
 First- Semester Per formance Evaluation (continued )
Number of times
you went to office
hours
Did you attend
the review session?
Did you make
your own outline?
Did you make
your own bullet-point
outline,
map, or checklist?
Which?
How many sample
tests did you take?
Was exam open
or closed book?
Was exam essay,
multiple- choice,
or mixed?
Was exam a take-
home
or in class?
How did you
spend the night
before the exam?
How many hours
of sleep did you
get the night
before the exam?
Did you wake
up feeling well
rested?
What did you
have for your
preexam meal?
Did you eat or
drink anything
during the exam?

24
 First- Semester Per formance Evaluation (continued )
Where did you
sit in the exam
room?
Were you
bothered by any
distractions in
the exam room?
Did you take a
bathroom break
to clear your
head?
Did you take
time to read the
questions
carefully and
outline a response
before you began
writing?
Did you organize
your exam
answers well
with headings,
letters, and
numbers as in a
memorandum?
Did you write in
blue or black pen?
Did you skip
lines and write
on only one side
of a page?
Did you print,
type, or write
legibly?
Did you have
problems with
time?
Any other
thoughts

25
 Majors
Business/Finance/Commercial Law
• Accounting
• Corporate Tax
• Partnership Tax
• Closely Held Corporations
• Corporate Finance
• Antitrust
• Commercial Paper
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Securities Regulation
• Bankruptcy

Constitutional Law
• Administrative Law
• Federal Courts
• Constitutional Criminal Procedure
• Constitutional Litigation (Section 1983)
• Education Law
• Employment Discrimination
• First Amendment
• Conflicts of Laws
• Immigration Law
• Any upper-level seminar on specialized topics in
constitutional law

Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Constitutional Criminal Procedure
• Evidence
• Mental Health Law
• Death Penalty Law
• Habeas Corpus
• White- Collar Crime
• Topics in Criminal Law Theory

26
Family Law
• Family Law
• Wills
• Trusts
• Estate and Gift Tax
• Estate Planning
• Mental Health Law
• Welfare Law
• Education Law

Health Care Law

• Health Care Law
• Administrative Law
• Antitrust
• Insurance Law
• Law and the Elderly
• Mental Health Law
• Advanced Topics in Health Care Law

Intellectual Property
• Copyright Law
• Patent Law
• Trademark Law
• Computer Law
• Internet Law

International Law
• Conflicts of Laws
• Comparative Law
• Comparative Constitutional Law
• Comparative Labor Law
• International Business Transactions
• International Environmental Law
• International Human Rights
• International Trade
• Uniform International Sales
• International Civil Litigation

27
Labor and Employment Law
• Labor Law
• Employment Law
• Employment Discrimination
• Federal Courts
• Constitutional Litigation
• ERISA
• Sports Law

Public Interest Law

• Federal Courts
• Constitutional Litigation
• Employment Discrimination
• Family Law
• Education Law
• Health Care Law
• Immigration Law
• Welfare Law
• Local Government
• Civil Practice Clinic
• Public Interest Externships

Real Estate
• Real Estate Transactions
• Environmental Law
• Administrative Law
• Construction Contracts
• Land Use
• Local Government
• Zoning
• Federal Income Tax
• Estate and Gift Tax
• Wills and Trusts

Tax
• Federal Income Tax
• Corporate Tax
• Partnership Tax
• Estate and Gift Tax
• International Taxation
• Tax Policy
• Advanced Specialized Topics in Tax

28
 Salary Comparison Chart
FACTOR Firm: __ Firm: __ Firm: __
City: __ City: __ City: __
1. Starting salary at firm _______ _______ _______
2. Federal income tax percentage _______ _______ _______
3. Federal income tax (row 1 × row 2) _______ _______ _______
4. State income tax percentage _______ _______ _______
5. State income tax (row 1 × row 4) _______ _______ _______
6. City tax percentage _______ _______ _______
7. City tax (row 1 × row 6) _______ _______ _______
8. Total taxes (row 3 + 5 + 7) _______ _______ _______
9. After-tax income (row 1 − row 8) _______ _______ _______
10. Billable-hour requirement _______ _______ _______
11. Salary per hour after taxes
(row 9 ÷ row 10) _______ _______ _______
12. After-tax income (same as row 9) _______ _______ _______
13. Annual rent _______ _______ _______
14. Subtotal (row 12 − row 13) _______ _______ _______
15. Parking/registration/insurance _______ _______ _______
16. Subtotal (row 14 − row 15) _______ _______ _______
17. Public transportation cost _______ _______ _______
18. Subtotal (row 16 − row 17) _______ _______ _______
19. Annual food budget* _______ _______ _______
20. Subtotal (row 18 − row 19) _______ _______ _______
21. Annual entertainment budget* _______ _______ _______
22. Subtotal (row 20 − row 21) _______ _______ _______
23. Billable-hour requirement
(same as row 10) _______ _______ _______
24. Salary per hour after living expenses
(row 22 ÷ row 23) _______ _______ _______
*Refer to Chapter 21 for suggested calculations

29
The Relevance Calculus
Firm: ________________________________
Factor Importance × Score = Total
to you
0 = not important 1 = worst
1 = somewhat 5 = best
important
2 = very important

Salary and bonuses*

Benefits/vacation package
Prestige of firm
Length of partner track
Potential to become equity
partner
Billable-hour requirement
Ability to do type of work
desired
Firm training/mentoring
program
Distribution of assignments
Firm hierarchy (# of partners
to # of associates)
Associate satisfaction
Perception of other attorneys
at firm
Firm culture/environment
How do you think you would
fit in here?
Maternity/paternity policy
Number of minority lawyers
at firm
Firm’s attitude toward
alternative lifestyles
Desirability of firm’s office
space
Perks
Friends at or going to the
firm

30
 The Relevance Calculus (continued)
Potential to move laterally
Desirability of city
Housing options near the
office
Length of commute to work
Proximity to family
Proximity to close friends
Proximity to significant other
Potential to find a significant
other in this city
Cultural activities
Nightlife
Proximity to favorite outdoor
activities
Sports rooting interest
Other:
*See the Salary Comparison Chart above before scoring this factor

31