Watch those loan balances--and make sure that you really want to go to law school!

Our buddy Jim Cossitt pointed out this article from the New York Times (here).  We want to make two points about this article and the concepts that it discusses:

1.  Don't go to law school (and amass a large student debt load) unless you really know why you're going.  Probably, you want to become a lawyer.  You might just want a legal education to help you in your own work.  (If you want to be a public interest lawyer, check this out.)  Those are both good reasons to go.  Not a good reason?  Your family thinks you would be a good lawyer (because you love to argue), and you don't want to tell your loved ones that you'd rather be anything else.  And don't go to law school before checking out things like the school's placement rate and bar passage rate.  Placement rate can be manipulated, but bar passage probably can't.  And if you're going to crank up those student loans, you darn well want to be able to pay them off with a j-o-b afterwards.

2.  Most student loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy.  (You'd need to prove undue hardship, which is devilishly hard to prove, or have something very odd going on with that loan.)  So as that loan tab adds up, realize that you will be paying off every penny.

Law school isn't for everyone.  If it's for you, then go in with your eyes open.

More good advice about exam-taking.

It's too late for the spring semester, but some of you will be taking courses this summer, and the rest of you will have exam "joy" again this fall.  Here's another good piece of advice, forwarded again from Nancy's dad (here).

Another cautionary tale about a job-seeker.

This one comes to us courtesy of Nancy's dad:  here.  To steal a line from humorist Dave Barry, we are not making this stuff up.

Why we are such sticklers for deadlines.

One of us has a hard-and-fast rule for her take-home exams:  turn the exam in within 72 hours of checking it out, or face severe consequences, such as flunking the course.  The emergency "out" to this rule is that, if the student sees that he or she isn't going to make the deadline--for a good (read: sudden-onset emergency) reason, that student is supposed to contact someone in the administration to explain the problem and get an extension.

The practice in such a case--when the emergency is real, as opposed to just a failure to follow the rules--is for the student to file a Motion to Accept Late Filing, just as the student would have to do in a real-life legal emergency.

Some students, over the years, have learned their lesson well:  some have done a full-blown Motion, and that motion worked.  At least one has simply filed a rambling apology that never answered the question of why the student didn't just pick up the phone and call the Registrar to explain the situation, as the exam rules provided.  We fear for the future clients of that student.

Why be such a stickler about the consequences for missing deadlines?  Because, in real life, lawyers who miss deadlines are committing malpractice, and their mistakes may well prejudice their clients' rights. 

Too many law students see law school as an extension of their undergraduate education.  But law school is professional school.  The habits learned in law school will carry over into the practice of law.

We wouldn't want engineering students to say, "OK, the calculations are off, but our design is close enough that we'll sign off on it, even though the design won't work."  We wouldn't want medical students to say, "Well, we know what most of the organs in the body are called and what they do; that's close enough."

Lawyers take people's lives in their hands:  sometimes literally (death penalty cases), sometimes figuratively.  That's important work.  Deadlines matter:  see here. 

Lesson:  If you're going to law school to learn how to be a lawyer, start behaving like one while you're in school.

Calling all pre-law advisors!

Please email Nancy at nancy.rapoport@unlv.edu if you would like a review copy.  Thanks!

Dear Abby reinforces our point about following instructions.

When we read Dear Abby this morning (here), we saw this letter:

DEAR ABBY: The company where I work posted an ad online and at our state unemployment job board for a position that needed to be filled. The ad detailed simple but specific instructions that included asking applicants to write a cover letter to address certain questions. It also said -- in large letters: "YOU MUST FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS OR YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR EMPLOYMENT."
Of the 133 resumes we received, 76 did not contain the information that was requested. These applications were moved to an "Incomplete" file and not considered for hire. What's sad is that judging by their resumes alone, several of these applicants had the qualifications we were looking for.
With unemployment being what it is, I was surprised that the majority of the applicants did not comply with the simple instructions. Please advise your unemployed readers that a job is out there for them, but they must follow instructions. -- TRYING TO BE HELPFUL, TUMWATER, WASH.
DEAR TRYING TO BE HELPFUL: Consider it done. Now I'll offer another suggestion: Always proofread what you have written to ensure there are no spelling or transposition errors.

Just as we pointed out that following exam instructions is key (here), we want to emphasize that following instructions when applying for jobs is key as well.

Update on job-search etiquette (in the "what not to do" category)

See here.  Hat tip to our buddy Kathleen Lyon.