Escaping Law, with Megan Smiley (Ep. 371)
Nathan and Ben are joined by special guest Megan Smiley, who coaches lawyers seeking to leave legal practice. They discuss why so many lawyers want to escape their careers—and why that’s especially challenging for anyone burdened with student loans. Megan encourages listeners to examine their values and strengths before committing to law school. Also on the pod, Nathan and Ben hear from recent students who crushed the LSAT, discuss law schools’ incentives for granting application fee waivers, and question whether there’s such a thing as a “bad test taker.”
5:30 - Megan Smiley
Megan Smiley left legal practice to start her own heart-centered business. She now coaches other lawyers who want to do the same. Learn more about Megan’s work at megansmiley.com and The Lawyer’s Escape Pod.
41:49 - Pearls vs. Turds
Listener Jon proposes that “there’s no such thing as a bad test taker.” Nathan and Ben think it’s a nice sentiment, but they’re not sure that it’s actually true.
45:32 - Read What’s in Front of You
Former Demon student Van just crushed the LSAT. In his exit survey, he outlines advice that is central to the Demon philosophy.
51:27 - Application Fee Waivers
Listener “CAS Hunter” requested application fee waivers from 27 law schools. Ben and Nathan review CAS Hunter’s results and discuss law schools’ incentives for granting fee waivers.
57:48 - Victor’s Success Story
Longtime listener Victor shares his LSAT and law school success story. Victor currently attends Texas Law and will soon begin work at a law firm in Dallas. He thanks Nathan and Ben for changing the trajectory of his life.
1:04:53 - Streak Leaderboard
Nathan and Ben check the LSAT Demon streak leaderboard.
1:06:25 - A 25-Point Increase
An anonymous listener credits Ben and Nathan for helping him score 177 on the September LSAT.
1:08:26 - Reusing Old Tests
Demon student Q worries that reusing sections might skew their practice test scores. Nathan and Ben reassure Q that they’ll be fine as long as they continue to learn from their mistakes.