NALP Clashes with the ABA

The symbiotic relationship formed by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the National Association for Law Professionals (NALP) has come to an abrupt end this week according to a law.com article.

In the initial partnership, NALP would have been responsible for reformatting their original questionnaire and collecting more specific detailed data from law schools. The NALP data was going to aid the ABA in its effort to collect more complete and accurate postgraduate employment data from law schools. 

But last week, the executive committee of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar decided to require law schools to report the more detailed information directly to the ABA, dismissing NALP from the reporting process. James Leipold, NALP's executive director, believes NALP’s transparency on the state of the legal job market is the reason why the ABA has retracted their collaboration offer. He further elaborates, “I believe their intent is to recapture their ability to control the message to the public about the status of the job market. There’s a conflict of interest here.”

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What To Do The Summer Before Law School

As the summer slowly draws to an end, what should you do to prepare for your first year of law school? Our founder, Shawn O'Connor (Harvard JD) shared some of his tips and to-dos for those entering their 1L year. 

Prepare: Take Stratus Prep's law school preparation course

• You can still register for the last section of Stratus Prep's Law School Bootcamp, starting this Sunday, July 24. The one week course will teach you real inside tips from law school graduates on how to excel in law school while maintaining a social life. You'll learn exam, outlining, and study strategies. 
• Over 75% of Stratus Prep Bootcampers end up in the top 25% of their 1L class. 

Read: One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School

• One L, by Scott Turow, chronicles the experience of a Harvard Law School student during his 1L year. While the book describes a traditional, more dated law school experience, reading the book will help calm your nerves and give a glimpse into law school. 

Shawn shares: “Not only is One L a great read, the book will make you feel better, because ultimately you know your law school experience will be vastly different from the one described in these pages.”

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Law Schools Get Practical

With only about 25% of last year’s graduating class gaining positions with big law firms, law schools are rethinking their curricula and how they are preparing their students to be employment ready in this tough legal job market.

A recent WSJ article discussed law schools' move to restructure their curriculum to teach practical skills. New York Law School went as far as hiring 15 new faculty members over the past two years. The new additions are working lawyers who will teach law students vital skills such as negotiation, counseling, and fact investigation. This represents a startling change for New York Law, which usually hires only two new faculty members a year.

Even top law schools, whose graduates statistically have much better luck finding jobs at big law firms, are responding to this wave of change. For example, Harvard launched a problem-solving class for first-year students while Stanford is considering making a full-time clinical course, which would entail several 40 plus hours a week of case work.

It is unclear whether the new approaches to teaching law, combining a legal education and practical skills, will impact the ability of lawyers to land jobs. "It could enhance the reputation of the law school...as places that will produce new lawyers who have practical skills," says Timothy Lloyd, a partner at Hogan Lovells and chair of its recruiting committee. "As to the particular student when I'm interviewing them? It doesn't make much of a difference."

Do you believe teaching more practical skills and courses at law schools is enough to help students find employment post law school or should law schools be doing more for their students? Please share your thoughts below.

Paralegal Happy Hour

Take a night off to network with like-minded professionals, share your experiences, and discuss your professional goals with the Stratus team at our first annual outdoor Paralegal Happy Hour.

Join us for a night of drinks, food, and great conversation at Lucy's Cantina Royale on Wednesday, July 13th. Guests will recieve two complimentary drink tickets and appetizers will be served. 

Event Details:

Date

Wednesday, July 13th

Time:

6:00 pm

Location:

Lucy's Cantina Royale 

1 Penn Plaza 

Space is limited so RSVP for this popular event so RSVP below or email michelle.shapiro@stratusprep.com at your earliest convenience. 

This event is free and open to the public so feel free to bring any fellow paralegals. We look forward to seeing you on the 13th! 

LSAT Scores Are Out: What Should You Do Next?

After an extremely stressful period of waiting, refreshing the LSAC homepage, and speculating on score release dates, test takers finally received their LSAT scores on Monday. Some were pleasantly surprised, others were content, and, as always, some were disappointed. Whichever group you are in, here are the next steps you should take to ensure you gain admission to the law school of your choice.

“I got an amazing score and I couldn’t be happier.”

• Celebrate, but don’t completely forget about your law school applications!
• Evaluate the list of schools you are planning to apply to. Make sure you have a balanced list of schools that contains enough safeties and reaches.
• Since you already aced the LSAT, you can devote more time to perfecting your applications. Create a schedule with deadlines so you will have ample time to craft your essays and edit them. Aim to hand in your application early.

“I did good, but not great.”

• Look at your list of schools and determine where your LSAT score and GPA would fall within the accepted students. Would you be in the 25^th percentile or 75^th percentile? If your score is in the bottom half of the range at your dream school, seriously consider retaking the test.
• No matter where your score falls in relation to other accepted students at a school, there are no guarantees. If you believe you have the time to dedicate to studying this summer, you should take the LSAT again. A small point increase could also mean the difference between acceptance and acceptance with a merit-based scholarship.

“I thought I did well, but I didn’t get the score I expected.”

• If you scored more than a few points below your average practice test scores leading up to the exam, you should definitely retake. You have already proven your potential to do better. But first, take a break and relax! Don’t let your previous test experience dictate what will happen in your second attempt. 
• Start your preparation by carefully determining what could have caused your lower score. Were you distracted on the day of the exam? Did you find an entire section that gave you trouble, or just a reoccurring question type? Or did you feel you weren’t prepared enough?
• After you asses the reasons for your score, alter your strategy. If puzzles gave you a hard time, then develop a new way of tackling these problems. 

For those who decide to take the LSAT over again, make sure you invest enough time and energy for preparation. Taking the LSAT over again is a commitment and shouldn’t be taken lightly, as you will need to keep studying and taking practice tests until October. If you have taken an LSAT prepartion class already, invest in a tutor who can keep you focused throughout the next months of studying and help you develop specific strategies for the problems that are giving you trouble.

If you are still on the fence, do some research on your schools’ policies concerning multiple LSAT exams. Some schools average the two, others take the highest, and a few view both. Make an informed decision and then create a plan encompassing your study and applications schedule.

Whether you take the LSAT over or not, there is still a long road ahead before your receive that coveted acceptance letter in your hand. Make sure you plan ahead and stay focused; your hard work will be worth it. Good luck!