Law School Question

[CoaTTails]

Hello PSers,

I have a question for all of you. Is being on Law Review absolutely essential to finding a decent job? (Mid-size firm nothing huge!) I qualified for it but it is starting to really stress me out and contribute to breakdowns. I am already prone to anxiety with school and I am not sure if I can deal with classes and Law Review without the pressure pushing me over the edge. But, everyone keeps telling me that I just "have" to do it. Is it really going to ruin me if I drop out of Law Review?

Thanks!

(ps- I hope I don''t come off as sounding ungrateful. I just really needed candid advice! thanks again!)
(pss- I am using a different SN then I normally do because I don''t want anyone I know finding this!)
(pss- I am not really as crazy as this post makes me seem!)

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 7/4/2009 10:33:39 PM
Author:CoaTTails








Hello PSers,


I have a question for all of you. Is being on Law Review absolutely essential to finding a decent job? (Mid-size firm nothing huge!) I qualified for it but it is starting to really stress me out and contribute to breakdowns. I am already prone to anxiety with school and I am not sure if I can deal with classes and Law Review without the pressure pushing me over the edge. But, everyone keeps telling me that I just ''have'' to do it. Is it really going to ruin me if I drop out of Law Review?


Thanks!


(ps- I hope I don''t come off as sounding ungrateful. I just really needed candid advice! thanks again!)

(pss- I am using a different SN then I normally do because I don''t want anyone I know finding this!)

(pss- I am not really as crazy as this post makes me seem!)

To be blunt? It depends. If you''re at a T14 school, then no, I don''t think so, although this economy is really going to make it tough finding a mid- to large-firm job (even if you are on LR). If you''re going to a school outside the T14, then LR is going to be a bigger factor. And if not LR, then another journal, or moot court, etc. Can you tell us more about your situation?

 

[rainwood]

I''m probably biased because I was on law review as a 2L and on the editorial board as a 3L. I think being on law review helps to distinguish you from other job applicants at law firms. I know it helped me land a great job. It does add to your workload and I will say that my schoolwork and grades did suffer because law review always came first. But I learned more about writing and analytical thought there than I ever did in class, and I wouldn''t change a thing about my choices.

If you drop off law review, what would you tell prospective employers? That you qualified but didn''t do it because it sounded like too much pressure? They''re not going to be very impressed if you say that. You probably don''t want to hear this, but the practice of law is all about handling pressure. Law school was a breeze compared to practice because in law school the only one affected by your success or failure is you. Once you''re practicing, clients count on you to do a good and thorough job, meet deadlines, and get everything right. Law school seemed like a breeze compared to that. So anything in your background that suggests you''re not good at handling pressure and a heavy workload is likely to be seen as a negative by employers. And I say this as someone who served on the hiring committee for many years.

 

[CoaTTails]

Brown.Eyed.Girl,
I don''t go to a T14 school. So I guess law review is a must.

Rainwood,
I understand what you are saying. It probably won''t look very good to have graded on to law review and then not do it. It may make me look lazy. I''m not lazy I just get extremely stressed out because I am such a perfectionist. Right now I am doing law review and interning at the same time and it is getting out of control. But, I guess I will have to suck it up.

Thanks!

 

[mayachel]

If you are not in it, you should have something that takes it place, or a good reason that justifies the difference of you from someone who does. It is something that future employers will notice you didn''t do if you choose to drop it. Sorry you are feeling stressed.

 

[Octavia]

I agree with everyone so far -- if you aren''t on Law Review or another journal, be prepared to explain why. Honestly, it sucks but it''s generally doable and advisable (especially with the current state of the legal profession). Not if it''s seriously going to cause you a breakdown, though. I didn''t think it was all that worthwhile as an educational experience (more just a necessary chore) and so I chose not to apply for ed board for next year because there are too many other classes I want/need to take. I am glad I have staff membership and a publication on my resume, but I don''t think you''d be "ruined" if you don''t take the position -- you''ll just have to work quite a bit harder to get your foot in the door at firms and to impress them.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 7/5/2009 9:04:01 AM
Author: CoaTTails
Brown.Eyed.Girl,

I don''t go to a T14 school. So I guess law review is a must.


Rainwood,

I understand what you are saying. It probably won''t look very good to have graded on to law review and then not do it. It may make me look lazy. I''m not lazy I just get extremely stressed out because I am such a perfectionist. Right now I am doing law review and interning at the same time and it is getting out of control. But, I guess I will have to suck it up.


Thanks!

Not what I said. It''s definitely recommended, if your goal is to work a firm job (at a decent mid to large firm). OR, you could do something else, like moot court, or another journal. Just something to show that you''re involved in something extracurricular that involves quite a bit of time and effort.

If law review is going to have a really detrimental effect on your health though, then don''t put yourself through that - I go with my mom''s advice on this, which is that health is ALWAYS the most important factor (besides, to be pragmatic, how can you work after graduating if your health is gone?

). But you''re the only one who can judge whether this is something you can eventually control as time goes by, or if it''s going to be a stressful situation that will only get worse.

And I made the comment about T14 because at my firm, everyone I''ve met who goes to a school outside T14 are either on law review or on another journal. On the contrary, the number of people on LR from T14 schools are significantly lower. It''s not necessarily fair, but if you plan to play the firm job search/marketing yourself game, LR is a big factor.

And finally, an anecdote. One of my officemates is from a T50 school. He''s on LR, and will be an editor as a 3L. Our firm (that we''re working at) doesn''t go to his school for on-campus interviewing - he has to do job fairs. He told me that for most of the major firms, they usually only call back 1 person from his school...so if the person ahead of you in rankings does a decent job interviewing, then you''re pretty much SOL. It''s in situations like those where LR, journals, moot court, etc. matter, because the spaces for students from a particular school might be very limited. Now, I have no idea what school you''re at - for all I know, you could be at Boston College, where students are very successful in obtaining good firm jobs in the Boston area (even without LR), or another similar school. And I''m sorry that this is rather depressing. But these are just some things to keep in mind.

 

[Liane]

It helps. It''s certainly not essential.

I skipped law review, moot court, and all of that in law school because to me it just wasn''t worth the time or stress, and I don''t regret that decision one bit. I still got my dream job, which is in a very competitive part of the public sector, but I think I scored it at least in part because I''d done a steady series of internships and hands-on work in related areas of public practice. My other credentials were also fairly strong (Ivy League undergrad, Top 25 law school in a scholarship program, good class rank).

Demonstrated interest and hands-on experience in whatever specific area you want to practice is worth more than law review. Don''t get me wrong: law review is definitely a plus. Especially right now, with the big firms cutting back and thousands of newly laid-off lawyers competing with new grads for the same positions, any advantage you can get will help. But don''t think that your career will die before it starts if you can''t get onto law review or don''t feel like doing it. It really is not that big a deal, and after a couple of years in practice no one will remember or care whether you busted your butt over it in law school.

 

[rainwood]

Date: 7/6/2009 12:36:06 PM
Author: Liane
It really is not that big a deal, and after a couple of years in practice no one will remember or care whether you busted your butt over it in law school.

That''s true about law school in general. Once you''ve been practicing a few years, no one cares where you went to school, what you did there, what internships or clerkships you had, or how well you did because they can now judge you on your abilities as a lawyer. Until you''ve been practicing a few years and have a track record though, all of that matters because it may be the only way to get your foot in the door and land a job. After that, it''s all about what skills you actually bring to the table as a lawyer.

 

[CoaTTails]

So, I decided to stick it out. I just have to be okay with doing as much as I can. If it is impossible to do everything they way I would prefer to then it is impossible and I won''t drive myself crazy.

Thanks for your input everyone!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 7/7/2009 9:05:22 PM
Author: CoaTTails
So, I decided to stick it out. I just have to be okay with doing as much as I can. If it is impossible to do everything they way I would prefer to then it is impossible and I won''t drive myself crazy.


Thanks for your input everyone!

Good luck! It sounds like you have a good attitude towards all this, and I think you''ll be fine. Just remember to take care of yourself too

 

[rainwood]

I think you made the right decision. Good luck, I''m sure things will work out just fine.