in at my first law school

[studentofbeer]

got my first law school decision today, got into UC Hastings. Not my super top choice, but a good choice nonetheless.

1 down 8 to go. I raised a SN Celebration and invite you all to have a drink to celebrate as well!

[Tweek]

Grats!

once I get through my bio homework ill drain a pint in your honor.

[crashbobo]

Gratz man. I'll raise my glass of homebrew for ya :)

[brewmonkey]

Thats great! Hope you get the one you are wanting the most.

[Stodbrew]

Congrats!

I'll raise a pint to you when I get home!

[Beaver]

Congrats! I'll raise one in your honor tonight!

[MARK123]

Good job!!!
I have an IPA up high for ya right now!!..It's just the beginning for ya!!!

[hopjack13]

Way 2 Go!!!!
i'll call you if i get a d.u.i.!!!!

[studentofbeer]

Originally posted by hopjack13
Way 2 Go!!!!
i'll call you if i get a d.u.i.!!!!

lol, i always wished there was a job that combined law and beer, but this wasn't exactly what i was thinking of... ;)

[barley ben]

Congrats, this Flying Fish is for you. Best of luck to you and your prefered school. At least you won't be a truck driver/dock worker. Wait a minute?!

[ray m]

Most excellent, student! I am raising a glass of brown ale in your honor as I type this. Good luck on the rest too!!

[Beaver]

I'm finally getting around to raising up a Bigfoot in your honor.

So what is your preferred school?
<---- U of M has a pretty good law school. :D

[steveh]

Congrats Student, let's clink a couple at the RAF!

S.

[wortchillergoal]

Way to go! I hope all goes well for you. Maybe in the future you can swap legal advice for brewing/beer advice.

[chazwicke]

Congrats! Nice work student. I work with lawyers and courts everyday. I once considered law school too. I don't care what anyone says, It is a great profession.

[studentofbeer]

thank you all for the kind words. my interest (other than beer) lies in intellectual property law, especially revolving around technology and copyright.

my ultimate goal would be to get into stanford but i dont have the numbers for it. other places i've applied are berkeley, ucla, columbia, fordham, northwestern, georgetown and george washington, so hopefully ill get into a few more.

UofM has an awesome law school, but the gf didn't like the idea of staying in the midwest unfortunately.

ill continue to keep you all posted if for no other reason than to keep the beers flowing :D

[chris_o]

Congratulations.

I did a law degree, but never followed it through. In the UK, getting the degree is only the start of the battle. I ended up as a forensic accountant so, like Chazwicke, I work with lawyers and the Courts on a regular basis. Although things worked out fine, I often regret not having stuck with the law. Especially when I'm getting a grilling in the witness box.

[studentofbeer]

alright heard from school #2, in at George Washington in DC. i like this one even more than the first.... keep em coming!

[Tweek]

if you make it into stanford or berkeley give me a shout, we can hook up for a pint or three. Stodbrew would prob be in as well.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
alright heard from school #2, in at George Washington in DC. i like this one even more than the first.... keep em coming!

DC is a great town! there are several us here on the board from the area as well. GW is a tough school to get into. You are doing well!

[Stodbrew]

Originally posted by Tweek
if you make it into stanford or berkeley give me a shout, we can hook up for a pint or three. Stodbrew would prob be in as well.


Indeed I would!

[Beaver]

Congrats studentofbeer!

[rook]

Great news about your acceptances! I graduated from Loyola Law (Los Angeles) last year. You should give yourself a HUGE pat on the back -- you have come further than many. i remember when i was in undergrad i knew about 30 people that said they were going to go to lawschool. The process of just getting in is gruelling enough to weed out most non-hackers. Of those 30 pepole only three of us actually went. You are part of a small minority (despite what you hear about there being too many lawyers already).

The only thing i would suggest keeping in mind once it comes time to decide where to go is where you eventually want to end up practicing law. As you are aware, you must pass a seperate bar exam in each state (because there is no reciprocity between states). The law school you go to will focus on the law of the state in which it sits. So if you go to school in a state other than the one you want to practice in, you will have to learn the law of that state from scratch (technically, not from scratch, but it will entail much more learning) to pass the bar there. THis might not seem like a huge consideration now, but you will want to limit the amount of material you will have to learn when you are studying for the bar (it is insane enough as it is). It is just a consideration, but it should definitely be taken into consideration.

Either way, congratulations on getting in in the first place! Also, my best friend went to Hastings. Good school with a great emphasis on teaching the law (you will find that many schools place too much emphasis on the non-practical theory end of things, and not enough on passing the bar). Also, they have a multi-keg party every thursday on campus! Cheers, and keep us posted.
Congrats and keep us posted.

[davesarman]

I have a brother who is a lawyer and have gotten him to appreciate good beer. (See this thread (http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3091) .)
It's great having a lawyer in the family, I give him free beer for his "free" legal advice. The way I see it, it's a win-win situation! :p

Congrats, I know everything my brother went through getting his law degree! It ain't easy!

[chazwicke]

I work with Lawyers every day and many good friends are attorneys. I even considered going to law school back in the Mid 80s. My hat is off to ya.

[studentofbeer]

only waiting on 2 more schools now-- UCLA and Berkeley. Got rejected from Stanford, Columbia, Georgetown Northwestern and waitlisted at Fordham.

The gf got an internship in San Francisco but I prefer George Washington over Hastings (tho thursday night keg parties sure sound interesting), so there is a lot of hand wringing going on right now. We'll see if any miracles come through with Berkeley or UCLA and then figure out the tough choices.

thanks all for your kind words. Beer for legal advice...that might just work. I wonder if medium-sized craft brewers need in house council, that would be a sweet job.

[chazwicke]

Don't forget Washington is full of lawyers and you can do lots of networking. Are you interested in politics, lobbying, international or corporate law? DC is great!

[studentofbeer]

alright, sorry to ressurect an old thread, but it's decision time. Unfortunately UCLA and Berkeley snubbed me (the bastards), and my work snubbed me as well, initially saying I could stay on and telecommute so I could apply a year later, but now went back on that offer.

So it's between UC Hastings and George Washington--Bay Area and DC.

Just for fun, and not like it will have any bearing on my decision (no really...), which is the better city for beer, in terms of selection available in bottles, brew pubs, bars and other exciting things?

It's a tough choice because DC is a very exciting place and as Chaz pointed out has opportunities to network in the gov't and has a lot of international connections as well. But the Bay Area has Silicon Valley and all the tech companies, which im very much interested in. Plus Hastings is cheaper.

Anyway a decision will come soon, but just for kicks, lets talk about beer :D

[fretlessman71]

This may not apply, but I read it about two weeks ago and thought I'd throw it out there if it would help.... I read an article on Netscape about how when colleges say no, there's an appeal process that you can insist upon and they'll reconsider your application. Check out this article (http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/package.jsp?name=fte/collegerejection/collegerejection) - maybe it'll help!

For my $.02, you ought to go where there's better beer.... :D

[rook]

Some not-so-sage advice: First, i'm not so sure about which city has the best beer (therefore, what follows is technically off-topic, but i think you should read it anyway). I hate to be a buzzkill, but considering you will spend the next three years buried in the books, i'm not sure how much time you will honestly get to spend on everyone's favorite hobby. I know that you will be in the center of the political world if you stay in DC and there are a bunch of tech companies in SF. However, it is a bit early now to try to decide what kind of law you are going to practice once you get your ticket. Once you start your second year (and hopefully have clerked somewhere over the summer after your first year) you will really have a better idea of what kind of law you want to practice. One other thing you may want to seriously consider though is the price tag. I'm not sure how much cheaper Hastings is than GW, but as i recall it was quite a bit less where i went. I know it doesn't seem like much of a difference in light of the obscene amount of student loans you are going to have in the end anyway, but the less you have the better. Believe me. Starting salaries aren't that much and those student loans take up a pretty chunk of change every month, especially if you are trying to break into the housing market and start a family.

Not trying to piss on anyone's parade, but you should really take all of these things into consideration.

That said, i know first hand that Hastings students know how to have a good time (although, I’m sure the students at GW do, too). But hell, where else, other than San Francisco, can you walk into a bar at like 9 in the morning and order a beer without people looking at you sideways?

Lastly, you should look at law school as a rite of passage. I met some great people when I went (including my wife) and managed to have some good times as well. I think it is important to find a place where you can manage to fit in some downtime (and some frosty cold-ones, as well). I think that both DC and SF are great towns for both. But as for which is the better beer-town, I will leave that to the experts.

Congrats again and good luck with your decision and with the law. Keep us posted on your progress.

[rook]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
This may not apply, but I read it about two weeks ago and thought I'd throw it out there if it would help.... I read an article on Netscape about how when colleges say no, there's an appeal process that you can insist upon and they'll reconsider your application.

Oh yeah, you should put a call in to the admissions officers at every shcool you got wait listed at and just tell them that you never heard back and were wondering what the status of your app is. Because every shcool is going to have students that get into somewhere else the week before, they will have several seats open up. It is always worth a shot. That is how my buddy got into Hastings.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
alright, sorry to ressurect an old thread, but it's decision time. Unfortunately UCLA and Berkeley snubbed me (the bastards), and my work snubbed me as well, initially saying I could stay on and telecommute so I could apply a year later, but now went back on that offer.


So it's between UC Hastings and George Washington--Bay Area and DC.

Just for fun, and not like it will have any bearing on my decision (no really...), which is the better city for beer, in terms of selection available in bottles, brew pubs, bars and other exciting things?

It's a tough choice because DC is a very exciting place and as Chaz pointed out has opportunities to network in the gov't and has a lot of international connections as well. But the Bay Area has Silicon Valley and all the tech companies, which im very much interested in. Plus Hastings is cheaper.

Anyway a decision will come soon, but just for kicks, lets talk about beer :D

Northern Virginia is the Silicon Valley of the East. One half of all of the internet passes through No.VA. You can even get state license plate that advertise that. All of the big companies have offices or are headquartered in DC area.

Fairfax County, VA and Montgomery County, MD are two of the most affluent in the nation. Fairfax has great services and standard of living. Our public schools are amoung the best. We do have very bad traffic problems. We are ranked number three behind LA and SF. While I love visiting SF and Northern CA I love living here in the seat of world power and politics. We have access to the ocean and to mountains in very short order. And GW is a very respected Law School. There is also a very active beer community here. I'm pulling for the east.

[Stodbrew]

The Bay Area has so many great places to drink beer. In SF alone, there are around 8-10 breweries. Plus several more in the North Bay, and again in the South and East bays, and up and down the peninsula. And the weather can't be beat! :D

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by Stodbrew
The Bay Area has so many great places to drink beer. In SF alone, there are around 8-10 breweries. Plus several more in the North Bay, and again in the South and East bays, and up and down the peninsula. And the weather can't be beat!

Well, if you like rain and fog, that is.... :p

[Stodbrew]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Well, if you like rain and fog, that is....


Actually, just fog. Very little of that pesky rain stuff. And you can drive about 20 minutes out of SF and you're out of the fog. :D

[Realale Dave]

First, dismiss the notion that anything you learn in law school will be relevant to the actual practice of law. Law school, along with the bar exam, is simply a hoop through which one must jump to get into the club.

I picked a law school that seemed quite strong in the area in which I wanted to, and do, practice (labor and employment law), and, frankly, I have never used anything from law school in my practice. Where you go, and how well you do are good for one thing - getting your first job (and maybe your second, if you're not at your first one too long). After that, its up to you to prove yourself as a lawyer.

Second, I know quite a few lawyers in both D.C. and San Francisco, and, with one exception, the San Fran people are a lot more fun. :cool:

Finally, money does matter. Unless you or your family is independently wealthy and just cutting a check, the amount of debt one can incur is staggering. Starting from such a big hole places severe limits on the pool of jobs you can consider. Despite the talk-up that big firms get, slaving for 2000+ billable hours a year is not a lifestyle that many can hack, and its certainly not one that provides a high quality of life. I was lucky enough to get a full tuition scholarship, and walk out the door with minimal, although still not insubstantial, debt, which allowed me to pursue the career path I wanted, rather than one I needed to service the debt.

Congratulations on getting into two fine schools, and best of luck wherever you end up matriculating.

Cheers,

Dave

[studentofbeer]

Originally posted by rook
Oh yeah, you should put a call in to the admissions officers at every shcool you got wait listed at and just tell them that you never heard back and were wondering what the status of your app is. Because every shcool is going to have students that get into somewhere else the week before, they will have several seats open up. It is always worth a shot. That is how my buddy got into Hastings.

Actually I just got an email back today from UCLA saying if I want to appeal I can send them a more formal letter for their consideration. like you said, worth a shot.

i love the east coast/west coast beer/law competition going on here.

[chazwicke]

Just consider where the most opportunities will be when you are finished and where you can make the best connections. I would think that DC has substantially larger numbers of lawyers per capita.

[DreamWeaver]

Well, I wish you luck but if you decide to attend Berkeley, you will be drinking liberal amounts of beer and drinking it with your left hand... Are you left handed? :eek: Just goofin w/ya... Good Luck!

[fretlessman71]

I read somewhere that Gov. Schwarzennegger is very concerned about the earthquakes there because a really strong one could cause Berkeley and San Francisco to shift even FURTHER to the left.... :D

[studentofbeer]

Originally posted by DreamWeaver
Well, I wish you luck but if you decide to attend Berkeley, you will be drinking liberal amounts of beer and drinking it with your left hand... Are you left handed? :eek: Just goofin w/ya... Good Luck!

haha, i am left handed actually. if only i had gotten in to berkeley, id be on my way.

thanks all for the encouragement, and realaledave and rook, thanks for the advice.

Money does matter, and i already have a very significant debt load from undergrad, so that definitely will be a factor.

Also fret, I took a look at that article and figured what the heck, so i drafted what i hope is a pretty strong appeal. we'll see if i get lucky.

as for beer, the hardest thing is i will be leaving chicago, sams, and all the great beer of the midwest. No more 3 floyds, no more Bells, no more goose island brew pub, piece, map room, or hop leaf.

[chazwicke]

We get many of those beers here. I love the Three Floyds Alpha King.

[steveh]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
as for beer, the hardest thing is i will be leaving chicago, sams, and all the great beer of the midwest. No more 3 floyds, no more Bells, no more goose island brew pub, piece, map room, or hop leaf.

That was going to be my 4 words of advice to you for any decision making: Goose Island Brew Pub! Oh well -- more for me! ;)

Good luck in any and all endeavors!

S.