Whittier Law School Office of Admissions

Excellent video on financing law school

2011-12-29T11:39:00.000-08:00

Check out this youtube video produced by LSAC on financing law school. It's an excellent video that covers the basics of financial aid and covers the following points:

Young lawyers: Advice on rising above your peers in this still-struggling economy

2011-12-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.americanbar.org/newsletter/publications/youraba/201107article03.html

Young lawyers: Advice on rising above your peers in this still-struggling economy

Recent law school graduates hoping to see improvements in legal hiring had little to celebrate when the National Association for Law Placement released its June report, indicating the worst job market since 1996, when the legal profession was still recovering from the recession of the late 1980s.

For the lucky 87 percent that found employment nine months after graduation last year, keeping their jobs is top of mind. To help young lawyers better understand what they should and should not be doing on the job, Betsy Collins, a partner in the Mobile, Ala., office of Burr & Forman LLP, recently released a free podcast from the Section of Litigation, “Advice for Young Lawyers.”

Drawing from 25 years of law practice and from the sage advice given to her when she was starting out, Collins offers several practical strategies to help ensure a thriving career in this still-struggling economy.

Several of Collins’ tips focus on how young attorneys can best impress their supervising lawyers:

“When a partner asks you for a draft, don’t take that too literally,” says Collins, explaining that young lawyers should turn in work that is as complete as possible. “Partners don’t really want drafts. They don’t want a document with a lot of blanks that leaves a lot to be filled in.”
“Think creatively,” advises Collins, comparing a young attorney’s research on a difficult question to a mouse in a maze. “If you hit a dead end, try to find another way to the cheese.” Taking such self-directed initiative will be appreciated by busy supervisors.
Don’t ever ask a partner a question that you could easily find out on your own.
Be a good communicator by staying in regular touch with the supervisor for whom you are doing work. “Make sure they know what you are doing, but don’t drive them crazy with every detail.”
When conducting research on the Internet for a brief, “Don’t just take a soundbite. You need to read the case and know what the case says before you cite it.”
When working with a partner or other supervising attorney, check the cases they cite in their briefs—actually pull those cases and read them. “You’ll be shocked at how many times you find something in those cases that works for you, or that the partner has incorrectly stated what those cases said.”
Do not make inexcusable, careless mistakes such as citing overruled law. “This will get you into so much trouble in so many ways—with the partner you’re working for, with the client, with the court,” warns Collins. “The only thing you really have when starting out is your credibility, and if you lose it, it’s really hard to get back.”
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Other tips center around developing personal and professional skills:

“You need to learn to dictate legal work, instead of just composing on the keyboard or with a pen,” advises Collins, explaining that it helps lawyers learn to organize their thoughts in an oral fashion.
When doing research using the Internet, take the time to hit those hyperlinks embedded in the documents you pull, and spend time reviewing what’s cited in those documents. “You’ll learn some law that you might not have known, and you’ll pick up new things.”
“Don’t just write in parentheticals,” says Collins. “You need to learn how to analogize similar cases, and be able to explain to the court why the case law you’re citing is analogous to your own case, and why that suggests that it should apply.”
And, related to the prior tip: “Always understand the procedural posture of a case that you’re relying on. A decision may be less than meaningful if the procedural posture of a case is different than your own.”
Build rapport with the opposing counsel. Having a good relationship can make a difference if you find yourself in a lurch with a particular deadline or if you have a particular need.
“Advice for Young Lawyers” is part of the Section of Litigation Sound Advice audio library.

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Scholarship offers are out and Open House dates are set!

2011-12-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

We have been working hard to get through all the early applicants and for those that are already admitted, we have begun to send out scholarship offers.

Make sure to check your email and update us if it changes throughout the application process. We are also happy to announce the following dates for our Open House events:

Jan 28th
Feb 18th
March 24th
April 14th

Each event will be on a Saturday from 10am to 1pm. Contact the admissions office to RSVP for an event by calling (714) 444-4141 ext 123 or by email at info@law.whittier.edu.

5 ways to make a great first impression

2011-11-05T23:20:00.001-07:00

Check out this article for some helpful tips applicable for interviews, networking events, etc.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/yec/2011/11/02/5-ways-to-make-a-killer-first-impression/

What makes a good letter of recommendation?

2011-10-31T23:46:00.000-07:00

The strongest letters of recommendation come from those that have directly supervised you or who have direct knowledge of your analytical, logical and reading comprehension skills.

If you are finishing up your undergraduate degree or have recently graduated, most law schools will expect that your LOR's will be from your professors. If you have been out of school for a couple of years, then it will be expected that your LOR's will be from employers, supervisors and other individuals who can attest to your other qualities.

If you haven't already lined up your LOR writers, then start early. The professors that write the strongest and most compelling letters usually gets asked all the time. Also, do them a favor and provide the letter writer with a current resume. The more detail they provide in your LOR, the more compelling it will be.

Expensive mistake to fire a whisleblower

2011-09-15T18:09:00.001-07:00

http://www.abajournal.com/mobile/article/dol_tells_bank_of_america_to_rehire_fired_countrywide_whistle-blower_and_pa

Tips and tricks for 1L

2011-08-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

1. Ask for help.

I can't tell you how many times students run into trouble and don't tell anyone. You could be having personal problems with a relationship, financial problems, academic issues in class, etc. None of us are superhuman. We all have other responsibilities, jobs, family obligations, etc. It can be a little overwhelming to try to complete a really difficult and challenging graduate program like law school and juggle all the other things that happen in "life". However, resources are available. Ask for help. Come see me (tmccoll@law.whittier.edu), make an appointment with Dean Carnahan in the Student Affairs Office (bcarnahan@law.whittier.edu), visit with the Director of the Academic Success Program, Jenny Homer (jhomer@law.whittier.edu), talk with your professor, speak with your teaching assistant ("TA" - see below), etc. The key is to just ask for help. We are all committed to your success but often times we don't know you are having a problem. Reach out to one of us.

2. Practice.

People will laugh but I tell students all the time that in order to do well on your final exams, you need to do ten (10) one hour practice exams for each final exam. Think about Michael Phelps. He has won 16 Olympic Medals! If anyone thinks for one second that he woke up one day, rolled out of bed, jumped into the pool and won all those medals and broke those world records without practicing is crazy. Legal Analysis, the application of facts to the law, is a learned skill. Most people who start law school have never done such a thing. In law school we call it "IRAC" which stands for Issue, Rule, Analysis, and Conclusion. In order to do well in law school, you will need to practice and perfect this skill. That means doing a LOT of practice exams. We have practice exams on the library website, we have exams available in the Academic Success Program and even the first year professors have practice exams that you can download/copy and then work on. When you complete a practice exam, try to do so under "exam" conditions. This means that you do so without referring to your outlines, that you do so under timed conditions, and that you spend about 15 minutes of each exam "hour" outlining the question. If you do, you'll develop the timing and the organizational skills to match up with your legal analysis.

3. Treat law school like a full time job.

For most of you, it's a 1000 days until the bar exam. When you put it in those terms, it's right around the corner. That also means that now is the time you start acting and thinking like a lawyer. Before you begin law school, you should create a calendar (it's good practice when you become a lawyer). Start out by putting in all of your law school classes. Then put in all your "homework" hours. For every hour of class, you should count on three hours of homework. When you begin law school, it will feel like you are learning a foreign language. The first year classes typically have older case law that is difficult to understand and concepts that you have never heard of. It is common for 1L's to spend a lot of their time reading the cases more than once and looking up terms in their Blacks Law Dictionary. With the ratio I described above, that means that if you are going to law school full time, then you will be in class for 15 credit hours a week. 15 times 3 equals 45 hours of homework each week. When you factor in the class time and the time set aside for homework, then that puts you at 60 hours a week. If you came to law school at 7am and left at 8pm each day, Monday through Friday and took just an hour for lunch, then you could complete your law school preparation without ever having to study on the weekends. Make it a commitment and do it right. When finals come and go and grades come out, you will be glad you did.

4. Create balance in your life.

It's very difficult to spend the next 3 years (4 years part time) only concentrating on law school. For most students, the law of "diminished returns" applies. The theory is that after doing something (i.e. studying) for multiple hours at a time, that at a certain point, your brain cannot continue to absorb the information and you begin "wasting" time by studying for that long at a stretch. Get up, take a break, go for a walk around our beautiful campus, go get a cup of coffee or a snack from our on campus cafe, make a phone call and catch up with your family. The point is to do something and to take a break. Many law students develop a hobby in law school. It could be something like going to the gym, mountain biking, surfing, taking a yoga class, etc. Having something to do besides law school will allow you to focus that much more when you are trying to study, working on your outlines or completing practice exams.

5. There is nothing "wrong" with supplements.

For your first year, you will be buying case books for all your law classes. The case books have a list of cases that have been "edited" by the author of the case book. Sometimes during this editing process, important facts or issues have been removed and it can put the 1L student in a position where they do not fully understand what the case stands for or what the author is trying to convey to the reader. When this happens, its perfectly acceptable to refer to an outside source. This could be a commercial case brief (Westlaw, Lexis Nexis, High Court Case Summaries, etc.) or an upper division student's case brief or a book "supplement". Before going out and buying a bunch of supplements that you may not use (you definitely won't need to buy more books to read with all the assigned reading you will already have), check in with the bookstore and see what other students have bought. In addition, ask the upper division students themselves what they recommend. Each first year class typically has a Teaching Assistant (TA) who is hand picked by the professor. The TA typically received the highest grade in the class and took the same final exam that you will take less than a year ago. Ask the TA what supplement that they would recommend for your class. Finally, many professors already have a "favorite" supplement that they recommend. In summary, don't be afraid to use supplements. Just make sure that you are not relying solely on supplements or you will miss important information that the professor is trying to convey that won't be in the supplementary material.

6. Live within your means.

For some the allure of law school is a six figure salary. For some of you, that will become a reality. For most it won't happen until you have been practicing for many years. A majority of our students take out loans to help pay for law school. I want you to key in on the word "loan". It's money that you have to pay back. If you only borrowed $100,000.00 for law school, then over a standard 10 year repayment plan that will cost you about $1,000.00 a month! If you haven't ever lived on a budget, then start. If you haven't paid off your credit cards, then begin to do so. The financial aid "change" checks that you pick up at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters are for cost of living while in law school. If you don't need that much money because you are on a solid budget, then don't borrow the maximum amount of money. When you graduate and pass the bar and go into repayment, you'll be glad you did.

Good Samaritans Sue Woman They Rescued From Burning Hummer, Seek Compensation for Injuries

2011-08-03T22:40:00.001-07:00

http://ow.ly/1vjte1

Clear Eyes: Tips For a Law School Spouse

2011-07-27T00:07:00.000-07:00

Law school, for a spouse, can be as rough as it is on the student. Welcome to the world of living with a stressed-out, over-extended, cranky baby-lawyer. It can leave the law students and their spouses wondering if their relationship can last those three years. I was lucky enough to have a supportive partner during the process (thanks Axel!) and left law school with a JD and a marriage intact. After watching the series finale of Friday Night Lights (really one of the best shows ever, even if it is about Texas football), I realized how much marriages and partnerships going through the rocky road of law school could learn from the main couple of the show, Coach Taylor and his wife Tami. Here’s what law school spouses can learn from the Taylors (with spoilers).

1. Be supportive

Throughout most seasons of the show, Tami Taylor was the picture of the perfect coach-wife. Whether it was getting drinks for visiting boosters, going to games, or letting Buddy Garrity overrun her Thanksgiving feast with his own deep fried turkey, Tami did everything she could to support Coach Taylor. Now, I don’t suggest dropping everything to bring iced tea to your whiney baby-lawyer and his whiney study-group. However, be supportive. Recognize that your partner is embarking on a journey that can be the mental and emotional equivalent of a three year marathon. Let them off the hook when you can’t spend time with them because they’re knee deep in first year writing assignments. Give them a pass when they don’t take out the trash during finals.

2. But, have your own life

While, Tami Taylor was a supportive wife, she still had her own identity. Regardless of what was going on with the team or her family, she was always a pretty kick-butt administrator and educator. You need to have an identity beyond your relationship. You are not just the wife/husband/partner of a law student. Your baby-lawyer will not have the free time they once had. That means you won’t be spending every waking moment with your significant other. Having an identity that is not dependant on your baby-lawyer will keep you from feeling overwhelmed by loneliness and resentment when they can’t give you 100% of their attention.

3. Don’t spend based on a hope of what your partner might earn

One arc in the show was the lure of the high life. The wife of a wealthy booster/crazy-dad-of-quarterback, befriended Tami and tried to convince her that the Taylors needed a McMansion. Thankfully for the Taylors, cooler heads prevailed and they stayed in their three bedroom rambler that they could actually afford. That arc was revisited in the this season when the Taylors considered the living standards new job opportunities would bring. Your family, your friends, your new law school circle and your own preconceived notions about the profession may try to convince you that you and your baby-lawyer will be living the high life after graduation and you don’t need to deprive yourself now. That is wrong. You have no guarantee that your baby-lawyer will make big bucks, or even that they’ll find a job in the legal profession right away. Live and spend according to the adage, law students who spend like lawyers will be lawyers who’ll only be able to live like students.

4. Once you sign up, don’t hold a grudge

In the final episode, Coach Taylor gave up Texas football to head off to Philadelphia for the good of Tami’s career, her sanity and the good of their relationship. One of the last scenes showed him embracing his new job coaching a team of Pennsylvanian suburban kids. The fact that you have a baby-lawyer means that you had your own, race-down-the-escalator-and-interrupt-Santa, moment. Now that you and your spouse have signed on, don’t hold a grudge about all the other things law school brings.

Good luck on your journey. Here’s more tips on helping your relationship last during law school. Take it from me and other bloggers that marriages can survive law school. And for those that want to watch the final moments of the greatest show about Texas football, you’re welcome. Remember, “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose."

Jennifer Gumbel is a partner with Springer & Gumbel, P.A. in Preston, MN, a town of just over 1,500 people. She practices mainly in estate planning, real estate, business planning and municipal law and blogs on estate planning at Minnesota Estate Planning and Probate. She has also been known to see more bald eagles during her commute than cars.

Section Assignments for Fall are out

2011-07-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Section Assignments for the Fall class have been completed and sent out. They were sent out via email. If you didn't get your section assignment, then you should contact the admissions office (info@law.whittier.edu). For all our incredible students transferring in to our program, those assignments will go out on Wednesday (7/27/2011).

For the fall program, there are three sections (A, B, and C). If you are accepted as a part time day student, you will also be in Section C. For all our Evening Admitted Students, you are in Section E.

Check out the website for more information: http://www.law.whittier.edu/index/prospective-students or follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whittier-Law-School-Admissions/276534184768?ref=mf and Twitter: http://mobile.twitter.com/WLS_Admissions

Saggy pants a threat to national security?

2011-06-18T09:40:00.001-07:00

http://www.aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform-racial-justice/are-saggy-pants-really-threat-flight-safety

Should terror suspects face military tribunals or civilian courts?

2011-06-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/17/137246722/another-tug-of-war-over-location-of-terrorism-trial?sc=17&f=1001

Great article on how to use your linkedin account

2011-06-17T22:51:00.001-07:00

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202497683205&Five_LinkedIn_tips_that_lawyers_dont_know&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1

Five LinkedIn tips that lawyers don't know
Adrian Dayton All Articles

The National Law JournalJune 16, 2011
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Adrian Dayton

RELATED ITEMS
Social media — as easy as a Hula-Hoop
Use Twitter to cut the clutter

When I first started talking to lawyers about social media in early 2009, there were barely more than 30 million LinkedIn users worldwide. A common complaint I would hear from lawyers was, "Nobody I do business with uses LinkedIn." This is no longer the case.

The most recent BTI Consulting report shows that 70% of corporate counsel use LinkedIn as a tool, and half rely on it. Executives from every Fortune 500 company are using LinkedIn. Take a look at the lawyers at your firm: Do at least 70% of them have LinkedIn accounts? If they don't, it's time to get cracking. With 100 million members, LinkedIn matters.

The first step in creating a LinkedIn account (if you don't already have one) is to go to LinkedIn.com and click on "Join Today." Then, follow the prompts.

For the rest of you, here are five tips for using LinkedIn that you might be unaware of.

THE BACK DOOR APPROACH

LinkedIn users get frustrated when they can't send a message to high-value contacts they aren't connected to. The obvious approach is to ask one of your connections to make an introduction. This works, but takes time. A quicker method is to join a group to which the high-value contact already belongs. Members of the same group can send messages to each other even if they are not directly connected. If this fails, you can upgrade to a premium account, which lets you send "inmails" to anybody on LinkedIn, even if you aren't connected. I don't recommend sending inmails, however, because they come across as somewhat desperate.

MAKE YOUR TITLE SPECIFIC

Just below your name on your LinkedIn profile there is a space for your professional "headline." The vast majority of lawyers simply write, "Shareholder at Law Firm X," or something similar. This is a missed opportunity to make a first impression that tells people specifically what you do.

Simply click "edit" to the right of your name, and you can add a headline that tells people specifically what you do. Hat tip to Amy Knapp at http://knappmarketing.com for this great pointer.

UPDATE YOUR OUTLOOK CONTACTS OFTEN

When you joined LinkedIn, chances are that you imported your Outlook address book and sent invites to a bunch of your contacts. It's time to do it again. With more 1 million people joining LinkedIn each week, the chances are that many of your contacts who weren't members when you joined are members now. Just log in to your LinkedIn account and click on "Contacts," then "Add Connections," and then follow the prompts.

MONITOR WHO IS READING YOUR PROFILE

Facebook isn't set up to allow you to see who has viewed your profile. If you ever get sent a link telling you there is a program that allows you to see who is viewing your profile, ignore it — it is likely spam, malware or worse.

LinkedIn, on the other hand, has built into its platform the ability to see who is reading your profile. This is a premium service, but by spending $20 per month you can see the names of people who have viewed your profile. I've been using this service for more than a year, and it has led to meetings with some high-value contacts who I thought were no longer interested in my services. The service isn't very expensive, but if it leads to one more meeting with a potential client, then it is well worth the investment.

Does this service creep you out? Then go to "Settings" in the top right hand corner. Then hit "Select what others see when you've viewed their profile."

ADD POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS TO YOUR LINKEDIN BIO

Did you just spend 10 hours preparing a powerpoint presentation for a CLE nobody attended? No worries — you can upload the slides to the social network Slideshare.net and then add your latest power point slides directly to your LinkedIn account. Once you have set up the account by following the Slideshare prompts, you can simply click on "More" and then "Get more applications" and finally choose "Slideshare" and your presentations will be added to your profile just below your profile summary.

CONCLUSION

According to the BTI report, "Online presence is now so pervasive, 51.4% of corporate counsel will stop and think a minute before hiring a lawyer who lacks a credible online presence in addition to their official law firm bio." Buyers are starting to pay attention to your online presence. Maybe it is time that you did, too.

Still want more LinkedIn tips? Amy Knapp and I are collaborating on a book to provide a step-by-step guide on how to make LinkedIn an effective part of your online strategy. The title of the book is Social Media for Lawyers: LinkedIn, Blog and Website Edition (September of 2011, Ark Group.) To sign up for my updates and to be the first to know when it is published, go to http://adriandayton.com.

Subscribe to The National Law Journal

Check out this article on how to write a better brief

2011-06-15T23:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/dirty_dozen

Last Open House

2011-03-26T08:39:00.001-07:00

Our last open house is today from 10-2. Come on out!

Want to Succeed in BigLaw? Sociability, Enterprise and Appearance All Help, Partner Says

2011-03-10T15:01:00.001-08:00

By Debra Cassens Weiss
Mar 1, 2011, 05:30 am CST
Associates hoping to become successful lawyers shouldn’t focus just on their legal abilities, according to a partner at DLA Piper. They also need social skills, good manners and an enterprising attitude, to name a few of the attributes that lead to success, according to a law firm partner.

Kimberly Egan, a partner in DLA Piper’s Washington office, created a list of skills possessed by the most successful lawyers. Here are a few she includes in an article for the National Law Journal:

• Good people skills are important both with clients and law firm colleagues. Associates are being graded on their sociability, Egan writes. “It means that social invitations from senior lawyers are not really optional, and treating them as work events is key,” she says. “It is a good idea to avoid politics, religion and other socially controversial subjects. A senior lawyer's offer to get a drink is not an invitation for associates to let their hair down and get sloppy. It is not a career-enhancing move to be thought of as a lush.”

• Don’t be rude, arrogant, pretentious or unfair, and treat everyone in the workplace with respect, including support staffers.

• Show enterprise and diligence. Don’t turn down an assignment because you don’t know the subject area or you don’t know how to operate a computer program. And don’t turn down work because it is beneath you. “There is no magic band of elves that comes in at night and does all the little tasks that a busy lawyer would rather not do,” she says.

• Appearance matters. “The most successful associates recognize that, if a firm's leadership wears suits and dresses, they should, too,” Egan says.

Invitation for Trial Advocacy Exhibition

2011-03-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

On March 22, the Trial Advocacy Honors Board will be holding an exhibition trial of a double murder case. We would like to invite you.

What is Trial Advocacy?
It's a hands-on program that teaches students how to effectively conduct a trial. The program builds on what students have learned in Evidence and combines it with lessons in argumentation and examination, an understanding of human behavior, and a hint of theater. Trial Advocacy trains students to assemble and present a winning case.

This was the fact pattern of the regional tournament that Trial Advocacy recently competed in. We sent two teams, both of which advanced to the quarter finals. Four of these students---Ingrid Arriaga, Ciera Hertzog, Sina Mohajer, and Michael Ocampo--will be performing at this Exhibition. Prof. Pritikin will serve as judge.

Good Reasons to Attend
• For faculty: Come out and support this valuable Whittier program.
• For first years: Preview an organization that you can join next semester.
• For upper-division students: Take in an exhibition and see how what you learned in Evidence plays out in court.

When Is The Exhibition?
• When: Tuesday, March 22, from 12:00-2:00 p.m.
• Where: Moot Court Room B
• Lunch provided? Yes.
--

Hope to see you there.

e-Board
Trial Advocacy Honors Board

Whittier Law School Ethics Presentation

2011-03-08T15:19:00.000-08:00

http://www.law.whittier.edu/index/student-organizations/Recent-Events/

Check out "Ethical Lessons Learned the Hard Way: A Former Attorney’s Story of Crime, Punishment and Redemption" with Hank Shea and Steven Rondestvedt.

Here is a link to the actual video lecture: http://www.law.whittier.edu/resources/LV/Ethics.html

West Coast Consortium tomorrow!

2011-03-04T22:23:00.001-08:00

http://www.swlaw.edu/news/overview/wcclawfair3511/view

Come on out to Southwest Law School from 1-5pm and sign in at our table for a free fee waiver.

Open House

2011-02-19T02:01:00.001-08:00

The first WLS Open House is today from 10am to 2pm. Come on out, visit and connect with law school faculty, staff, current students and alumni!

333 Harbor Boulevard
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

tmccoll@law.whittier.edu

discoverlaw.org

2011-02-04T10:02:00.001-08:00

http://www.discoverlaw.org/

Check it out for LSAT resources, practice tests, podcasts on information on law schools, etc.

Woman considers suing over release of security video

2011-01-21T09:39:00.001-08:00

http://www.abajournal.com/mobile/article/women_whose_fountain_fall_is_a_youtube_hit_considers_suing_over_video_relea/

Justice Dept. office to punish prosecutors' misconduct

2011-01-19T08:46:00.001-08:00

Justice Dept. office to punish prosecutors' misconduct
http://usat.me?42768712

Upcoming Recruiting Events

2011-01-11T21:11:00.001-08:00

We have numerous upcoming recruiting events that we will be sending email notifications out for shortly. Begin marking your calendar now:

Open Houses:
Feb 19, 10am-2pm
Mar 2, 630pm-9pm
Mar 26, 10am-2pm

Each Open House will give you an opportunity to meet with current students, alumni, law school professors and other students interested in attending this upcoming Fall!

RSVP by emailing the Office of Admission, info@law.whittier.edu

Midsize Firms Are Prospering

2011-01-01T20:26:00.001-08:00

http://www.abajournal.com/mobile/article/podcast_monthly_episode_9/

Interesting article on internships

2010-07-04T07:07:00.001-07:00

http://nyti.ms/csuyCR

Admitted Student Mixer - June 26

2010-05-13T09:51:00.001-07:00

Save the Date!

WLS will be having our Admitted Student Mixer on June 26 from 2-4pm. This will be a great time to meet fellow classmates for Fall, network with alumni and get any last minute questions answered.

RSVP by Friday, June 20th at info@law.whittier.edu.

Housing

2010-04-26T10:50:00.001-07:00

People have begun asking for housing assistance. Check out our housing options on the website at
http://www.law.whittier.edu/cstudents/cmpr/housing-transportation.html

Make sure to fill out the housing questionnaire form. You can also post inquiries in the housing discussion board on the Facebook site.

Still room in the Fall class

2010-04-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

Whittier Law School still has room in the Fall 2010 class for the full time and part time programs.

Also keep in mind that we do accept the June LSAT so if you are just now thinking about applying to law school and can register for the June LSAT then apply now so the file will be processed and we will then only be waiting for the June LSAT score report to come out in July!

Skype

2010-04-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

The Admissions Office will be setting up a skype account that will allow applicants to "skype" in for voice and video conferencing. If you haven't downloaded skype, consider doing it now and participating in the next video conference call!

http://www.skype.com/intl/en/download/skype/windows/

Admitted Students

2010-03-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

If you have been admitted for the Fall semester and you want to start getting plugged into the various student organizations, then contact the Admissions Office and we can start sending you invitations for student meetings, colloquiums, etc! It’s never too early to start networking!

Here is the link for the March events: http://www.law.whittier.edu/WlScalendar/events.asp?action=month&date=2010-3-1

How to write an effective resume...

2010-02-28T12:34:00.001-08:00

From The New York Times:

THE SEARCH: Writing a Résumé That Shouts ‘Hire Me’

An effective résumé is clear, concise and relevant to the job you want.

http://s.nyt.com/u/hVz

Discoverlaw.org Event at UCI on Monday, March 1 from 3-6 pm

2010-02-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

Make sure to RSVP for the Discoverlaw.org Diversity Presentation at UCI on Monday, March 1 from 3-6pm. RSVP with Asst. Director Bill Yoo at byoo@law.whittier.edu!

How many letters of recommendation are enough?

2010-02-24T12:46:00.000-08:00

The general rule of thumb is that when a school requires two letters of recommendation (LOR), then who you decide to write the LOR should be determined by how long you have been out of your undergraduate college.

For example, if you just recently graduated (1-2 years out) then the Admissions Committee will probably expect that both the LOR's come from a professor at your undergrad.

If however, you graduated more than 2 years ago, then you should try to have 1 LOR from a professor and then 1 LOR from an employer.

These guidelines are general at best and when you have questions where your situation doesn't fall into the above examples, you should contact the Admissions Office for further counseling.

The Newsletter is UP!

2010-02-23T14:15:00.001-08:00

Check it out here

Stay tuned for more information along the admission process!

Rolling Admission

2010-02-18T06:54:00.001-08:00

Many people continue to believe that we have an application deadline of March 15th. March 15th is simply a "priority" deadline for financial aid. Because we are on rolling admission, it is better to get your application in earlier rather than later because there is only so much financial aid/merit based scholarships and the longer you wait, the less money you may be offered.

So the bottom line is...don't wait! Apply early and if you can't get your application in by March 15th, get it in as soon as you can.

We accept applications all the way up until July!

What do I have to write to get admitted?

2010-02-12T13:24:00.001-08:00

What do I have to write to get admitted?

Many students often ask what they should write about for their personal statement. To answer that question, you really have to think about whom you are writing to and how do you think they will react to it.

The Admissions Committee is a group of faculty who teach 1st, 2nd and 3rd year classes. They are on the “look out” for a personal statement that is well written, free of grammatical errors and is logically ordered. Because of the 1000’s of applications received each year, it is impossible for us to grant an interview for each candidate so the only way the Admissions Committee can know “who you are” is by the written submissions in your application.

Remember that the Admissions Committee is trying to put together a first year class of individuals from various backgrounds and considers dozens of different factors including academic achievement, logical and reading aptitude, work experience, socio-economic diversity, etc. Therefore, think about what you “bring to the table” and focus your attention on writing something that explains who you are and what kind of student you will be if admitted.

Accurate Law School Data?

2010-02-11T08:08:00.001-08:00

Believe it or not there are websites that have accurate data on law schools.

Check out the ABA Guides through www.LSAC.org or www.admissionsdean.com. And when in doubt, contact the school directly. That's what the Admissions Office is here for!

Check out Law School Podcaster!

2010-02-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

If you have an ipod or iphone, then you should check out Law School Podcaster.

They offer FREE quality podcasts on a variety of topics like Financing your JD or How to Create a Killer Application or The LSAT.

Online Presence

2010-02-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

Be careful what you put on the web!

More and more employers are researching who you are, what you have done and using the internet to do it. Check out the NY Times article below:

http://tinyurl.com/yflwx22

Welcome to WLS Office of Admissions Blog!

2010-02-06T16:18:00.000-08:00

We created this blog so that we can provide you with up-to-date information and insight on the admissions process, what law school is like as well has helpful hints and tricks to create an interesting and compelling application.

Check back frequently as we post information, news and articles!