If I recall last years thread, she was only going to apply to a couple schools. if this is correct, it is a big mistake. I think I applied to 20 law schools. Even with LOUSY grades, well, average B grades, I got into the majority of schools I applied to. There is no reason to panic, unless you applying only to Harvard with no fall back position

Just want to thank everyone for the insight and advice, its appreciated.
:D

these are important skills to have as a lawyer, obviously

a bit vague and meaningless though

for example, i LOVE to research music history. I could spend days and days researching guitars and motorcycles and jazz record labels, , surfboards. hell, last week i even researched Big Foot for about 4 hours etc...

I dont particularly enjoy legal research. BORING :) snore snore snore

concentration: see above. Not sure if I have ADHD but I could concentrate on say, architecture of the Bauhaus movement for about 10 hours in a row.

Concentrate on drafting a motion.....uh, I seem to check pelican parts web site every 5 minutes.

I dunno why, but I just get this cozmic feeling that your daughter is probably right for law school.

She should probably spend some time, one on one, picking the brain of a seasoned attorney...someone considerate enough to spend the time and be honest. Unfortuantely, I would be willing to bet that the advice she gets is, "marry rich". Funny, founding partner of a local very successful firm today told me, (he is probably about 64), if there is one bit of advice he could give a young lawyer like me, its to "marry rich". which means basically, your life is going to be hell doing this work, unless you get lucky

i will admit though, its better than digging ditches - as stated above

Funny thing about law school...from my experience and discussions with a variety of lawyers anbd doctors who attended various schools, law school and med school admissions/retention are polar opposites: Its fairly easy to get into law school but once you're in they do their damndest to flunk you out. Whereas its very difficult to get into med school but once you're in they do everything to make sure you finish.

126....what area does she think she's interested in? While its likely she will be accepted somewhere she wants to go, if she had a fallback plan of what to do in the unlikely event she doesn't get accepted she won't stress so much. E.g., if she wants to do real estate work she could work on a realtor's license...or if interested in politics/legislation get a job as a legislative staffer. Capisce?;)

prolly cause there are never enough doctors and way too many lawyers in this world

She is not real sure what area of law she would be interested, but she wants to be in the courtroom, litigation? Fall back plan, Graduate School.

She should get a commission as an officer in any of the armed services as an intel officer...do four years, learn a lot, serve her country and and have all the work experience anyone could ask for.

Doing more of the same is, well, the same. Stretch.

Edit: Fall back is grad school? 126, get her out in the world.

what sort of graduate degree for fall back? i would rather have a JD over a masters or MBA, anyday. like my old granddad said to me long ago, no matter what happens, with a JD i can always hang a shingle and work no matter what the economy is doing

If she knows she likes courtoom litigation, thats a good sign. I had no plans to do that and would crap my pants at the thought of public speaking prior to getting out of school. Now, being in court is the only part of my job i enjoy. I really do like arguing my case in court. its good fun

litigation doesnt narrow it down though...personal injury litigation, corporate litigation, divorce litigation, criminal litigation etc... all in due time.

its not fair to pressure one's self into narrowing it down at this early stage.

agree re Intel

she should try for Hastings & Boalt

Did she take the LSAT yet?

Nothing wrong with grad.s chool - esp. if she wants to be an Intel officer. She does not need to be in the military to do Intel...

She applied to Hastings, her LSAT only 145, (never has been great at standardized tests)
GPA 3.9, recommendation letters from professors, lawyers and a superior court judge.

dont despair. there are many fine schools. a good school will recognize that she is a good student regardless of the meaningless LSAT. certainly a 3.9 indicates a strong work ethic. LSAT indicates absolutely zilch

fact is, if she WANTS to be a lawyer, she wont let a 145 stop her from getting the legal education. she will fight on until victory is achieved

Those are good attributes for lawyering.

Also good to be competitive, able to think ahead/strategize/deal w/ uncertainty (chess, decision trees), have aggressive/confrontational streak (that can turn on and off), and deal w/ pressure/deadlines/time management.

Finally, want to be able to deal well w/ losing (battles) w/out losing confidence/motivation (to fight the war).

As she progresses, ability to comfort/console/schmooze/sell/get clients becomes increasingly important (if in private firm).

+1

Its a good "fit" for my daughters attributes:)

She is mendacious?

Mendacious: Untruthful, dishonest, lying. (I had to look it up)
She is the complete polar oppositeSmileWavy

she is an alcoholic? :p

Sorry 126, I wasn't trying to be facetious, but more a tonge in cheek reply as I knew there were several lawyers who post here and they've provided some great input for you and your daughter.

Although, my question is valid; I often get asked by the kids that I teach business to; as well as my own kids and alot of parents about careers and career choices. There must be a million and one thoughts on the entire process I'm sure.

If we take a look around the world, we'll see that everyone is different and thank God for that, so nobody is going to think the same, although we live in a society were we think we all should think the same? We need the contrast; we need lawyers, architects, engineers and yes, even real estate agents; ha. So when we have the opportunity to provide input for a young adult to make a choice about a career, we must respect the fact that we're all different and we're all going to choose different paths. Ain't it great.

My first question to your daughter would be; "What is it about a Lawyer's life style that you like so much?" You want to be a lawyer, so you must consider the time that's involved, what kind of pay is available, how will it fit into future plans of your family, how does it suit your retirement goals or senior life lifestyle goals. I would encourage a young person to figure out if their career choice is (A) recreating the wheel with something NEW? or (B) doing something that is already being done? Most cases, the career will be fashioned after something that is already being done; such as a lawyer.

With the option of (B), then I would suggest that the young person seek out other lawyers that they would like to pattern their life after; maybe even find a mentor in the field of choice through the process. Find out what it takes to "become" the lawyer, find out how it goes and how it ends. Take a look at their lifestyles and see what kind of lifestyle the career offers. Do the lawyers have loving, caring relationships and happy families. Do they have a balance in their lives of wealth, health, family, spiritual and mental development. If "lawyer" is actually the choice of career and it's not a recreating the wheel career, then they should be able to find at least one role model from that industry?

Thus my question, Why a lawyer?

Keep in mind, the young person may be inspired to do the career differently than others, which is what I do somewhat; however, there will always be role models for career choices and using these role models we can determine which direction we want to choose for our own happiness and joy.

The biggest thing that I want for my children (father of 5) is for them to be happy. Everything else is secondary. Sometimes being happy means you experience the contrast of life, finding out what you like and don't like, which leads to making more choices in the areas of what you like. It's personal and different for every person, but the choices we make, we must learn to live with; so young person, make your choices wisely.

Sorry for my brief initial post :) Good luck with your daughter, I'm sure she will do very well.