[Old thread] 1L exam prep / tutoring from TheSeaLocust d/b/a Scribe Forum

[Scribe]

General info

This is a very old thread. For the latest, check here

[July 2015]

Last year went great, and I'm offering the course again for fall 2015! You can check out all of the details here: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 3&t=251467

All of the information below is from the first year of the course, fall 2014.

[8/18/2014 Update]

I'll be finalizing plans by the end of this Sunday, 8/24. I will confirm whether or not it's happening, set a price point, finalize a description of what the service would be, and open "official" signups/payment methods.

Thanks for all of the interest so far!

[Original post below]

Greetings nervous soon-to-be law students! I am considering starting an exam prep service. It won’t quite be tutoring, because the goal won’t be teaching substantive law. Instead, it will be a laser focus on the skills needed for acing 1L exams.

I’m looking for feedback and to gauge potential interest. I’ve posted some key details below, as well as some background about myself. I am not certain this will actually happen - it will depend on how much interest there is.

Please feel free to reply to this thread or send me PMs with any thoughts.

Why

Law school is graded on a curve, and 1L exam performance will dictate your entire legal career. If you nail 1L, you will be a Supreme Court clerk and earn like a zillion dollars forever. If you don’t, you will be sent to debtor’s prison. I hate that system – I violently, passionately hate that system – but it’s reality.

I was neurotic during law school, and spent time learning how to do well on exams, and also how to communicate the necessary concepts and teach the necessary skills. I wrote guides, was an active participant in this forum, and worked with many friends going through law school after me. The great success of myself and those I worked with suggests I may have been on to something, and I enjoyed both the challenge of discovering that and the process of passing it along to others. I particularly enjoyed deconstructing 1L and the exam process, because it proved that it’s not the intellectual horse race so many people in the profession desperately want to believe that it is.

What it is:

I’m sorting out the details, but this is roughly what I’m planning to offer:

* Extensive materials on exam taking skills, compiled from my years of research
* Regular (weekly?) status updates and tips on progressing through the semester
* Tips on dealing with stress, other students, summer job applications, networking, etc.
* Practice exams that I would grade and provide detailed feedback on
* One-on-one advice on how to handle your professors and the particulars of your courses
* Outline review and advice
* Candy during exam time
* My cellphone number, email address, and the knowledge that you will have all of the hyper-type-A-responsiveness of a big firm attorney at your command for all of your anxieties, questions, and needs.
* Total privacy. You can be the alpha-gunner without losing any friends in the process.

What it isn't:

* It's not sketchy. I won't help you, even a little, with take home exams. I won't get you "secret" outlines, I won't give you unreleased exams, I won't even give you anything related to the exams I took.
* There is no substance. I won't teach you torts - but I will teach you how to teach yourself torts, and how to impress the hell out of your professor for having done so.
* It won't require a massive time commitment. 1L is a bit of a grind, but grinding is not the path to success. A major focus will be on "studying smart, not hard" - a cliche but extremely important concept.

Cost:

I’m guessing I would charge something similar to a commercial LSAT course for a semester's worth of life 1L coaching.

CV:

I am “Scribe” and “TheSeaLocust” on TLS. The former was created to post anonymous law school advice while still in law school to avoid seeming way overly gunnerish, the latter is my current moniker.

Education:

* Graduated from a T14, was top of my class 1L year
* Useless theater degree before that

Work:

* V5 law firm after graduation
* Law firm summer clerk, judicial intern and research assistant in law school

Writings:

* Law school exam guide: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=120673 (this won a ~prestigious~ TLS content competition award)
* Article on getting points on exams, with examples: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 3&t=199175
* 1L anxiety meditation retreat: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=216920
* OCI / legal recruitment guide: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=161018
* Maybe you should drop out of law school (honesty!): http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=175022

[anyriotgirl]

teach me how to 1L

[instride91]

teach me how to 1L

I'm interested and broke...

[Scribe]

teach me how to 1L

I'm interested and broke...

I mean, I self-studied for the LSAT, law school, and the bar... I definitely understand the sentiment. But I also sell my body/mind for a living already anyway, so figured it was worth gauging interest.

Not to shoot my own almost-business in the foot, but there's tons of free (and close to free / borrowable) materials out there, including the stuff linked in this thread and my stick in this forum.

[shifty_eyed]

I feel like law professors/classes are too idiosyncratic for this to be worth it. But neurotic 1Ls probably don't know that, so go on.

[ph14]

I think it could be a good idea.

1. I'm surprised that you feel that you have enough time, given that you are working NYC biglaw. Could you really be that responsive to 1L emails when there is a fire drill situation?
2. What price point are you thinking about? Are you thinking about having different packages? (Just exam grading, all of the above, etc.)
3. You say that you were in the top 2 of your 1L class. Where did you end up at graduation?

[anyriotgirl]

teach me how to 1L

I'm interested and broke...

I mean, I self-studied for the LSAT, law school, and the bar... I definitely understand the sentiment. But I also sell my body/mind for a living already anyway, so figured it was worth gauging interest.

Not to shoot my own almost-business in the foot, but there's tons of free (and close to free / borrowable) materials out there, including the stuff linked in this thread and my stick in this forum.

but I have no study skills. all I did in undergrad was read stories and then talk about them for an hour.

[Br3v]

TSL was really helpful this last year. If I had the option to have his help on something like this I would have. Obviously I can't speak of its effectiveness but I am pretty confident that had I had this option as a 1L I would have used it.

[toothbrush]

You're a god for thinking about doing this, even if selfish motivations. I wonder how much people would pay for this, though. Not many people will have 2-3k laying around during 1L.

[Scribe]

I think it could be a good idea.

1. I'm surprised that you feel that you have enough time, given that you are working NYC biglaw. Could you really be that responsive to 1L emails when there is a fire drill situation?
2. What price point are you thinking about? Are you thinking about having different packages? (Just exam grading, all of the above, etc.)
3. You say that you were in the top 2 of your 1L class. Where did you end up at graduation?

1. The number of people I take on will be proportionate to my expected workload; if things looks quiet or I drop out of society to blog about Ron Paul from a cabin in the woods, I might take a good number - if I stay super busy, maybe like 5 (or less) as a pilot program

2. Somewhere between $500 and $1,500 - that's in the range Kaplan charges for an LSAT course.

3. I never checked my grades 2L or 3L year, selected courses based on how little work they required, and took my last final exams 3L year drunk. The legal profession and I were/are on thin ice - being able to practice transactional law is the main reason I hung on after realizing my incredible contempt for law students, legal education, lawyers and the legal profession. I came in, rocked 1L, did OCI, calmly reflected on whether I wanted to keep it up/try to clerk/whatever, and decided: nah. But I was heavily involved in my law school comedy show and went to some cool music festivals, so there's that.

You're a god for thinking about doing this, even if selfish motivations. I wonder how much people would pay for this, though. Not many people will have 2-3k laying around during 1L.

Hey, if Kaplan can fill LSAT courses around the country, I feel like I can find a dozen or two (tops) law students willing to calm their anxiety with $$$ and/or bitcoin.

[Scribe]

Thank you to everyone who has reached out so far - it's very helpful to know what level of interest is out there, and also what concerns people have.

I'm still gauging interest, so please continue sending PMs and/or responding to this thread. In the next few weeks I'll have more concrete details.

In the interim, free advice: there isn't anything you should be doing now. Maybe buy a copy of Getting to Maybe and flip through it? But even that isn't critical. You can always check out some TLS guides if you are feeling really anxious? I don't advocate 'substantive' pre-law school prep in any form, and even in the first couple of weeks getting your bearings (including socially!) is probably most important.

[ManoftheHour]

teach me how to 1L

[PourMeTea]

teach me how to 1L

[sublime]

..

[jk148706]

.

[ManoftheHour]

I would easily pay $500 for this service. I would add in incentives:

Additional $250 for law review.
Additional $500 for top 10%.
Additional $750 for top 5%.

[Scribe]

Nah, I'm not magic, so there's no way I could promise any particular performance - and I'd feel skeezy trying to collect if it happened.

In about two weeks I'll have concrete details in place if I'm going forward on this - thanks again to everyone who has reached out so far.

[ManoftheHour]

Nah, I'm not magic, so there's no way I could promise any particular performance - and I'd feel skeezy trying to collect if it happened.

In about two weeks I'll have concrete details in place if I'm going forward on this - thanks again to everyone who has reached out so far.

I'm pretty sure whoever makes top 5% isn't going to complain about $2,000. The real question is whether you would be willing to risk taking on someone who might just be TTT and no amount of help could help him/her get to those levels and end up with just $500.

[ManoftheHour]

I am very interested in this program and the above listed terms are far from the only terms I would agree to. Let me know if you do decide to go through with this!

[sublime]

..

[Attax]

Interested for sure. At least for some advice and feedback one xams.

[crossingforHYS]

This guy is amazing and knows how it works!

Highly recommend taking his offer! seriously! If I could be a 1L and he did this I would.

[Manteca]

I'd be very interested in this.

[ABClawyer]

Scribe,

Count me in. Let me know what you need from me.

[Scribe]

Nothing I need from anybody yet except a general sense of interest.

In another week or two I'll have more details, in addition to the info I'll need from people (little beyond an email address and the school you're going to - but no need to send me anything yet!).

I'm encouraged by the interest people have shown so far and pretty excited about doing this, so I'm cautiously optimistic this will go forward.