The LSAT and 1L Grades (Ep. 336)
Your LSAT score can be a strong indicator of your future success in law school. This week, Ben and Nathan discuss the relationship between the LSAT and 1L grades while dissecting some admissions advice from Dean Z of Michigan Law. They also respond to a bunch of emails from the listener mailbag. Then, they interview part-time criminal defense lawyer Michael Guingona.
As always, if you like the show and you want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
2.12.2022 — February LSAT
3.3.2022 — February LSAT Score Release
3.11.2022 — March LSAT begins
3.16.2022 — April LSAT Registration Deadline
4.29.2022 — April LSAT Begins
4:54 - Part-Time Legal Work
A few listeners reached out to Ben and Nathan after listening to episode 333 regarding part-time legal work. One listener is currently in law school and works part time as a patent agent. Another listener, Brandon, describes his experience working at a big law firm—he had to sign a contract agreeing not to work anywhere else, even though he wasn’t a lawyer for the firm. Listener Ryan shares an article he found that discusses third-party companies helping bridge the gap between lawyers and clients to allow for part-time lawyering. Ben and Nathan explain why no one should expect to get a high-paying part-time lawyer job right out of law school.
9:02 - ABA 509 Data & Dean Z
LSAT Demon team member Brittany dug into the ABA 509 Data Guide to find out whether full-tuition scholarship offers are ever included in the half-to-full tuition category on schools’ 509 reports. The guys discuss how these data ought to be interpreted. They also chat about a YouTube video from Dean Z of Michigan Law. Dean Z explains using both LSAT and UGPA to help predict how well an applicant would perform in their 1L year. But she also encourages applicants to be optimistic even if their numbers are lower than the school’s medians. Nathan and Ben take a closer look at Michigan’s stats and remind students to be careful about taking admissions advice from admissions personnel.
35:12 - LSAT Study Schedule
Listener Kamryn is wondering how quickly she should be improving her LSAT score to be on track to take the June LSAT. She also mentions that she works while going to school full time. As always, the guys recommend giving the LSAT your best hour each day and alternating between drilling and timed sections. If Kamryn isn’t able to dedicate one high-quality hour to studying every day, now may not be the best time for her to prep for the LSAT. It’s okay to step away from an artificial timeline and revisit the LSAT when she can give the test the time it needs.
47:50 - Interview with a Part-Time Criminal Defense Lawyer
Michael Guingona (AKA Mayor Mike) joins Ben and Nathan to talk about splitting his time between fitness work and private legal practice. He describes working full time as a public defender for nearly a decade before opening his own practice, which allowed him the flexibility to work park time. The guys ask him about the challenges and benefits of this type of work structure.