If you ever have the opportunity to participate in an internship, do it.  If at all possible, find the time.  The experience is phenominal.  I don’t think there is any other class that I have enjoyed so much.  I am given great responsibility and challenged every day with exploring the law in depth and thinking outside of the box to effectuate the best outcomes for my clients.  The human interaction really puts things into perspective.  In an internship you have the opportunity to take your abstract legal knowledge and apply it to real life situations.  You have the opportunity to really affect peoples lives.

It is a great responsibility, but it has great rewards.  I hope you can have as great a time as I am having now.

God bless and have a great night.

Naturally, I have my pick for president.  But no matter who wins, they will win because of those who took the time and cared enough about our country and their future to vote.  Do not ever think that your vote cannot make a difference.  Can you say, Bush/Gore?

My oldest daughter just turned 18 in June and she will be voting for the first time this year (for my candidate thankfully).  She is excited, and I am excited that she is excited.  So I hope you will take time from your busy schedules and studies to potentially alter the outcome of this election.  God bless and have a great day.

Personally, I have never put much stock in the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) as a true predictor of law school performance.  However, the idea that the LSAT is the end-all and be-all of law student performance predictors seems to be pretty well ensconced in this country.  I doubt it is going anywhere soon.  The fact is that only a select few of the very brightest (highest GPA, if that determines intelligence) applicants will get in without an LSAT score.  But, at least it is a start.  To read more on this topic you could have a look at this article.  God bless and have a great day.

The MPRE is more difficult that simply studying for your average law school exam, in my opinion.  But with some good outlines and a few hours of study it should be no problem.  Just remember not to take anything for granted.  If it is a required exam in your jurisdiction to become licensed as a lawyer then take it seriously.  Even though it is not expensive or a very long test, you still do not want to take it twice   God bless and have a great day.

If you know the case (which you should) it should be a privilege to carry on a legal banter with the law professor.  Show the professor what you know and that you have studied the case.  You may just learn something in the process that might have not occurred to you before.

But it seems invariable that many times we will just sit there and hope the “other guy” is called on.  Even if we have a question we may be hesitant to ask it for fear of sounding like an idiot.  We patiently wait for the “other guy” to ask the question we are thinking of, as if he is reading our mind.  This is probably more true of nontraditional law students who are generally older and may feel like they should be smarter and wiser than some of their younger colleagues.

Your law professors are there to teach and you are there to learn.  Don’t be afraid to ask a question that you feel is pertinent.  Come exam time you may wish you had.  God bless and have a great day.

When you eventually begin thinking hard about that future job and potential employer you will no doubt try to set yourself apart from the rest of the crowd, especially if you are a non-traditional student who was unable to take advantage of many of the opportunities other students may have had. One way you can set yourself apart is to turn the common into the uncommon. There is no need to always reinvent the wheel, but sometimes the wheel may need a little tweaking.

Consider the basic task of sending out resumes and cover letters. These are rock-solid, must-have pieces of information for any employer. But who says you are limited to the pen and paper? While I would not dispense with the traditional cover letter and resume I might also add a cd or dvd in the envelope. Perhaps on this dvd I would put copies of my resume, cover letter, letters of recommendations, and a personal video taped introduction statement. You may even want to add some footage of others (friends, professors, coworkers, etc…) lauding your skills and personality. In this example the “box” is the basic resume and cover letter. By adding a little flair you are not abandoning these vital pieces of information in lieu of something new, you are simply revising (or improving) the way in which they are presented.

I am sure there are many more examples you can think of. The main point, however, is that you can be an original thinker without straining to pull out new ideas from the fourth dimension. Try taking some existing ideas and just simply making them better, or (as some of my children might say) making them “pop”. God Bless and have a great day.