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Category: Law School 101



IRAC

Legal reasoning? It's all about IRAC

March 09, 2021

As beginning law students soon learn, what we call “legal reasoning” can be expressed by the formula IRAC. It stands for Issue, Rule, Application, and Conclusion. It is the format used by lawyers in preparing legal memoranda. And the structure that most judges use in drafting judicial opinions. It’s also the

Multiple Choice Tests

Do you want to be successful on your multiple-choice law examinations?

March 09, 2021

You can, and will, be successful on your multiple-choice law examinations by always choosing the best answer that is: Most responsive to the call of the question;A correct statement of applicable law; and (not “or”)Best supported by the facts presented. Contextually, this post

Preparing for Law School

You’ve been accepted to law school. Now what?

February 25, 2021

If you were leaving your home for a month, you’d prepare, right?  You’d stop the mail, have someone come by to water the plants, etc.  Your first year of law school can also feel a lot like you’ve walked away from your “normal life” for a while. It’s

Uniform Bar Exam

Pennsylvania adopts the Uniform Bar Exam

February 12, 2021

The news for bar exam takers in the pandemic has been mostly bad—unless you've been praying for movement on the Uniform Bar Exam. As of today, the UBE has added as many states (5) in the past year as it had in 2018 and 2019 combined!

Studying for the Bar Exam

Ten tips for preparing for the bar exam

January 22, 2021

After graduation season, future esquires are focused on one final milestone: passing their state’s bar exam. Studying for the bar exam can be stressful and overwhelming. The key to managing these feelings is to have a plan in place to guide exam preparation. Indeed, there is no single

Bar Exam

What to expect after the bar exam

January 19, 2021

Preparing for the bar exam is more physically draining and stressful than most people realize. This one exam can decide the future of law school graduates across the country, and it is only made available twice a year. Once you do take it, however,

Growth Mindset

Motivation, growth, and the bar exam

January 01, 2021

This winter, as 1Ls reflect on their first completed semester, 2Ls—who are halfway done— consider what they want to do in the remaining year and a half, and 3Ls think about finishing up their final semester and passing the bar exam, I encourage all of you to think

Uniform Bar Exam

Lakes effect: Michigan adopts the Uniform Bar Exam

December 04, 2020

Ah, Michigan. While not the Land of 10,000 Lakes, it does touch four of the Great Lakes—and about twice as many slogans and mottos. Nowhere is Michigan's embrace of slogans more evident than in

How to manage your debt and credit

Get tips on how to responsibly manage your credit and debit

November 12, 2020

Do you know that potential landlords, employers and even utilities companies routinely access credit scores as part of their application process? Learning how to manage student loans, credit cards and other debt is essential. Establishing financial skills early on and working to build a good

Investment Advice

Learn about investment essentials from a financial expert

November 06, 2020

When it comes to investments, there is a lot to think about—especially, while managing the stressors and workload of law school.  Having a good understanding of investment funds and approaches is essential to investing with confidence and planning for life beyond law school. The Law

Tired Eyes From Screen Time

Zoom yourself out: Slash screen time for mental health

October 16, 2020

It’s hard to deny we all spend to much time on our phones. Texts, emails, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Candy Crush, the latest game….the number of hours we spend staring at that little device is frankly embarrassing.  It turns out, spending excessive time on our devices is more than

Construction Law

5 questions to ask before becoming a construction lawyer

October 13, 2020

While construction law is generally a lesser-known practice of law amongst law students, it is by no means small. In fact, construction is a multi-billion dollar industry, making up the largest segment of the production sector the US’s GDP, and the

COVID Employment

COVID-19 and the path to the profession: Is a legal career still the right choice?

October 12, 2020

Both law schools and the legal profession are facing a number of changes as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. This, coupled with the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, persons with disabilities, and low-income communities, has left some diverse law students and those contemplating law

Hushed Voices

Getting to the other side of mental health in the legal profession

October 08, 2020

As ABA Law Student Mental Health Day comes to us yet again, a journal entry by a 2L in my Legal Profession class offers hope:  All of my friends, siblings, and peers talk about mental health. We have all been affected. We are unfiltered, empathetic,