Über-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions Forum

A forum for applicants and admitted students to ask law students and graduates about law school and the practice of law.
Post Reply
User avatar
Gatriel

Gold
Posts: 2037
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:30 pm

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by Gatriel » Wed Jun 08, 2011 4:38 pm

Anyone been up to the school this summer? Rumor has it they're supposed to replace all the carpet & replace all the furniture in the atrium after the painting is finished. Any confirmation if this is true or not

bandits58

New
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:05 pm

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by bandits58 » Wed Jun 08, 2011 7:14 pm

I was there a week ago and saw no changes from my visit in early May. . .thatd be nice though.

User avatar
Gatriel

Gold
Posts: 2037
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:30 pm

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by Gatriel » Wed Jun 08, 2011 8:06 pm

Agreed. There are two more months though. The carpet is tired and needs to be replaced badly.

User avatar
1ferret!

Bronze
Posts: 280
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:59 am

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by 1ferret! » Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:06 pm

No changes so far....they were doing some work in Room B but lights were off and don't know what they were doing. It would be nice to get the atrium furniture to match the new digs in the library.

User avatar
Gatriel

Gold
Posts: 2037
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:30 pm

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by Gatriel » Mon Jul 11, 2011 8:42 am

As people start getting pulled off the W/L, I'd just like the bump this.

Ask away.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


User avatar
Gatriel

Gold
Posts: 2037
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:30 pm

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by Gatriel » Mon Jul 11, 2011 8:42 am

1ferret! wrote:No changes so far....they were doing some work in Room B but lights were off and don't know what they were doing. It would be nice to get the atrium furniture to match the new digs in the library.
Any update re: this area?

User avatar
coldshoulder

Silver
Posts: 963
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 4:05 pm

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by coldshoulder » Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:24 pm

I'm applying to Pepperdine this cycle (3.5/166), what do you think my chances are for the full scholly? (I'm aware of stips btw)
I've visited the undergrad campus when a friend was at school there, but I didn't see the law school specifically. Any remodeling work been done, I've heard it's not the nicest building...
Also, any word on how well hiring is going in PI/Gov? I'm specifically interested in DA/PD, crim law.
I'm a liberal now, but grew up in a conservative catholic family, so I'm sure I can fit in just fine.

User avatar
thexfactor

Silver
Posts: 1291
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:40 am

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by thexfactor » Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:30 pm

i drove past the campus during my vacation to california this summer. My god.. the campus is so nice.. the only school that can compare with pepperdine is UC santa barbara.

lawschoolgrapedme

Bronze
Posts: 205
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 2:12 pm

Re: Pepperdine 1L Taking Questions

Post by lawschoolgrapedme » Sun Nov 13, 2011 12:03 am

Gatriel wrote:I decided on Pepperdine for a few reasons:

1) Its ranking. I know many people here will tell you all day long that USNWR is a corrupt institution and their rankings are worthless. As that may be, employers still care about the rankings. Currently, we are 52, King of Tier 2, with the penetration into Tier 1 next year or the following. I know many here on TLS are like "Lawl HLS or don't go lol" but that is asinine. Find a place you are comfortable with. Pepperdine's ranking brings in huge firms to OCI, albeit they typically only give interviews to the top 15% or the class or so. Lots of medium sized firms come here and hire out to all parts of the nation.

2) Its atmosphere. Pepperdine is NOT a diploma mill. One of the Deans had literally (<-- focus on that word) every 1L's name down by the end of the first week. All my professors know me by first name. They all have open door policies, and I can visit them with questions at most times of the typical business day. School has an active bar review, and we do lots of fun stuff, dodgeball, Barristers Ball (Law school prom), Casino Night, etc.

3) For me, the Christian connection. I was surprised though, coming from a small conservative Christian school I assumed Pepperdine would be predominately Christian-conservatives. I could honestly say that 1/3 of the class are Christians, and the other 2/3'rds are other or n/a.

4) Starting Salary - When you look at Pepperdine's starting salary it looks lower than it's peers (as it is less than $100k per year) . . . however when you take those out of the equation who for some reason want to waste a perfectly good JD on public interest and just consider Government and Private sector attorneys its right around $110k per year. The other good thing, is Pepperdine's job placement numbers are accurate. They do not game the numbers, and hire back graduates who couldn't find jobs.

Employment prospects - - -

The job market blows right now, especially in LA. There are great law schools in the LA metropolitan area. UCLA, USC, Loyola, Pepperdine, and now UCI, so there is lots of competition, however Pepperdine does very well and places most students fairly quickly. The CDO is very active here, and is very competent. I will tell you, it does get discouraging how much PI the CDO tries to push on you your first year. We have 3-4 CDO panels, meet and greets, etc. per week since the first week of school, and all but 4 of them at this point have been public interest or government based.

I'm not EXACTLY sure why PI is such a focus here, after talking with others from other law schools in California it isn't nearly as as much as a focus there as it is here. I think it has to do with the faith base of the institution and we should be a catalyst for good and not just denaro. I don't know about you, but I'll have a mountain of student loans to pay off when I get done, and honestly it feels a little like a slap in the face "Here you worked hard in law school and in undergrad, go work PI at $40k a year and have fun".

I will argue devil's advocate and say it is BETTER to have opportunities come to campus than not have them come to campus all together. Admittedly, it is better to make $40k a year than make $0 per year and have to move back in with mom and dad.

I definitely say consider Pepperdine.

EDIT:

OCI applicants did fairly well. Everyone with a personality that went into OCI came out with something. The only area I know people are struggling in are people who want to do family law, and I know a few of those who haven't found anything yet. If you do ADR or the B-Law based stuff you'll be totally fine.
thanks for the laugh...honestly, do you listen to yourself?

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


User avatar
Gatriel

Gold
Posts: 2037
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:30 pm

Re: Pepperdine 1L Taking Questions

Post by Gatriel » Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:50 pm

lawschoolgrapedme wrote: thanks for the laugh...honestly, do you listen to yourself?
Yeah, you're welcome. Thanks for being a pretentious douche-bag.

P.S. Don't be mad you got rejected.

User avatar
coldshoulder

Silver
Posts: 963
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 4:05 pm

Re: Pepperdine 1L Taking Questions

Post by coldshoulder » Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:30 am

Gatriel wrote:
lawschoolgrapedme wrote: thanks for the laugh...honestly, do you listen to yourself?
Yeah, you're welcome. Thanks for being a pretentious douche-bag.

P.S. Don't be mad you got rejected.

Good to see your back Gatriel.

Questions:
I'm applying to Pepperdine this cycle (3.5/166), what do you think my chances are for the full scholly? (I'm aware of stips btw)
I've visited the undergrad campus when a friend was at school there, but I didn't see the law school specifically. Any remodeling work been done, I've heard it's not the nicest building...
Also, any word on how well hiring is going in PI/Gov? I'm specifically interested in DA/PD, crim law.
I'm a liberal now, but grew up in a conservative catholic family, so I'm sure I can fit in just fine.

User avatar
joemoviebuff

Silver
Posts: 788
Joined: Wed Feb 10, 2010 12:51 am

Re: Pepperdine 1L Taking Questions

Post by joemoviebuff » Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:34 am

coldshoulder wrote:
Gatriel wrote:
lawschoolgrapedme wrote: thanks for the laugh...honestly, do you listen to yourself?
Yeah, you're welcome. Thanks for being a pretentious douche-bag.

P.S. Don't be mad you got rejected.

Good to see your back Gatriel.

Questions:
I'm applying to Pepperdine this cycle (3.5/166), what do you think my chances are for the full scholly? (I'm aware of stips btw)
I've visited the undergrad campus when a friend was at school there, but I didn't see the law school specifically. Any remodeling work been done, I've heard it's not the nicest building...
Also, any word on how well hiring is going in PI/Gov? I'm specifically interested in DA/PD, crim law.
I'm a liberal now, but grew up in a conservative catholic family, so I'm sure I can fit in just fine.
I don't go to Pepperdine, but I had a 3.4/170 when I applied in late Dec. 09 and they gave me 25,000 a year. I think the stip was top half, but it could've been top third.

User avatar
zx92027xz

New
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2011 5:53 pm

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by zx92027xz » Sun Feb 05, 2012 5:02 pm

Gatriel wrote:As people start getting pulled off the W/L, I'd just like the bump this.

Ask away.
I was accepted recently. Thanks to the GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program, I have the equivalent of a full ride without stips. The same is true for a number of other schools, though.

Ohio State, Arizona State (haven't heard back), Colorado (haven't heard back), U of Utah, UC Hastings. I love Pepp; honestly, it's my dream school. But employment prospects post-grad are unnerving with the amount of competition from better SoCal schools. My fear is graduating from Pepp below the median, then trying to convince employers that they should hire a below average student from a (relatively) below average law school (relative to USC, UCLA, UCI, Berkley, plus anyone from T14 schools that want to work in SoCal.)

I have yet to hear a decent argument to convince me that there is little worry about. In my mind, going to Ohio State or Utah would be a safer bet. Bear in mind, these schools are all debt free.

So, what do you think?

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


User avatar
arhmcpo

Bronze
Posts: 325
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 7:05 pm

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by arhmcpo » Sun Feb 05, 2012 5:30 pm

zx92027xz wrote:
Gatriel wrote:As people start getting pulled off the W/L, I'd just like the bump this.

Ask away.
I was accepted recently. Thanks to the GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program, I have the equivalent of a full ride without stips. The same is true for a number of other schools, though.

Ohio State, Arizona State (haven't heard back), Colorado (haven't heard back), U of Utah, UC Hastings. I love Pepp; honestly, it's my dream school. But employment prospects post-grad are unnerving with the amount of competition from better SoCal schools. My fear is graduating from Pepp below the median, then trying to convince employers that they should hire a below average student from a (relatively) below average law school (relative to USC, UCLA, UCI, Berkley, plus anyone from T14 schools that want to work in SoCal.)

I have yet to hear a decent argument to convince me that there is little worry about. In my mind, going to Ohio State or Utah would be a safer bet. Bear in mind, these schools are all debt free.

So, what do you think?
The Schools you have listed are strongest in their respective regions, so if you have a preference on where you want to live and work, conventional wisdom would say you should go to the school in that area (exception being certain fed gov. jobs in DC or overseas where location of your school is more irrelevant). In the Pepperdine community, I would say the strongest softs, by far, you could have would be military experience of previous religious service (i.e. ministry type stuff) so to that extent, with the right employer your grades won't matter as much. I know we have a law student group on campus for military veterans, so at least that would offer unique networking and other opportunities

You will likely struggle in traditional employment avenues at below median, that is true, I don't know that isn't true aat any school you've listed; hell I hear below median people in the T10 struggle to find employment. I will say with enrollment of slightly only 200 per class, about 600 total at Pepp; and 4 to 5 career services people, you will get as much 1 on 1 attention and career advising as you could possibly want; I know from people at Loyola LA, that that level of individual job help and attention is not a given at all law schools. I cannot speak to Ohio St. or Utah other than that my impression nationally was that BYU was the better school within Utah, although you seem to have the right idea considering T2's in less saturated markets.

User avatar
zx92027xz

New
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2011 5:53 pm

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by zx92027xz » Sun Feb 05, 2012 6:14 pm

The Schools you have listed are strongest in their respective regions, so if you have a preference on where you want to live and work, conventional wisdom would say you should go to the school in that area (exception being certain fed gov. jobs in DC or overseas where location of your school is more irrelevant). In the Pepperdine community, I would say the strongest softs, by far, you could have would be military experience of previous religious service (i.e. ministry type stuff) so to that extent, with the right employer your grades won't matter as much. I know we have a law student group on campus for military veterans, so at least that would offer unique networking and other opportunities

You will likely struggle in traditional employment avenues at below median, that is true, I don't know that isn't true aat any school you've listed; hell I hear below median people in the T10 struggle to find employment. I will say with enrollment of slightly only 200 per class, about 600 total at Pepp; and 4 to 5 career services people, you will get as much 1 on 1 attention and career advising as you could possibly want; I know from people at Loyola LA, that that level of individual job help and attention is not a given at all law schools. I cannot speak to Ohio St. or Utah other than that my impression nationally was that BYU was the better school within Utah, although you seem to have the right idea considering T2's in less saturated markets.
Thanks for the reply. My plan right now is to do a long trip to schools over spring break and try to make a decision. If CU accepts me, that's where I will go. If CU and AZ St reject, things will get interesting, since I have never been to Ohio, or Utah. Pepperdine would look really good then.

User avatar
thexfactor

Silver
Posts: 1291
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:40 am

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by thexfactor » Thu Feb 09, 2012 12:32 am

zx92027xz wrote:
The Schools you have listed are strongest in their respective regions, so if you have a preference on where you want to live and work, conventional wisdom would say you should go to the school in that area (exception being certain fed gov. jobs in DC or overseas where location of your school is more irrelevant). In the Pepperdine community, I would say the strongest softs, by far, you could have would be military experience of previous religious service (i.e. ministry type stuff) so to that extent, with the right employer your grades won't matter as much. I know we have a law student group on campus for military veterans, so at least that would offer unique networking and other opportunities

You will likely struggle in traditional employment avenues at below median, that is true, I don't know that isn't true aat any school you've listed; hell I hear below median people in the T10 struggle to find employment. I will say with enrollment of slightly only 200 per class, about 600 total at Pepp; and 4 to 5 career services people, you will get as much 1 on 1 attention and career advising as you could possibly want; I know from people at Loyola LA, that that level of individual job help and attention is not a given at all law schools. I cannot speak to Ohio St. or Utah other than that my impression nationally was that BYU was the better school within Utah, although you seem to have the right idea considering T2's in less saturated markets.
Thanks for the reply. My plan right now is to do a long trip to schools over spring break and try to make a decision. If CU accepts me, that's where I will go. If CU and AZ St reject, things will get interesting, since I have never been to Ohio, or Utah. Pepperdine would look really good then.
I hate to hijack your thread but you have pretty strong softs and a 3.9 I really think that you should retake the LSAT and/or try UVA ED next year. If you ED you are likely in at UVA. UVA gives you 4x the chance of a good law job compared to pepperdine.
I will admit it... pepperdine's campus is amazing.....

User avatar
Gatriel

Gold
Posts: 2037
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:30 pm

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by Gatriel » Fri Feb 10, 2012 9:23 pm

Sometimes I think that when one doesn't have anything constructive to say, they spout of ED-UVA and cross their fingers.

Get unlimited access to all forums and topics

Register now!

I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...


xtian

New
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:56 pm

Re: Uber-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by xtian » Mon Mar 12, 2012 7:21 pm

Hey Gatriel, I just spent the last 20 minutes reading over all your posts, you've been really helpful.

I was accepted in January with a scholly with top third stips, but I applied to 12 schools so I've really taken my time deciding. On my third weekend tour right now, visiting USD, Loyola, and Pepperdine. Finally decided on Pepperdine today after visiting numerous schools.

It is a bit lower ranked than some other schools I was considering and was accepted to, (Davis, Fordham, Illinois, Wisconsin, CU), but you're right, I couldn't find another school that had such a good feeling about it walking around the campus. It seems like such a nice community of students and professors, and the school DEFINITELY seems to be on the rise.

You're food guide was spot-on, Duke's was incredible.

Anyway, a couple questions for you...

Do you know when/if they put up a facebook group for admitted students? I haven't received any e-mail or anything, and I can't seem to find it on my own, if it exists.

Also - I keep hearing you say DON'T live on campus.. but why? Mostly because of the costs, or the rules? I was thinking it would be worth the extra expenses for one year just for the convenience and getting acclimated for law school, especially for me coming out of state from Colorado.

Third.. My scholarship is contingent on top-third of class.. any idea what the comes out to GPA wise?

Fourth.. any idea when most students move in for first year, for on and off campus? And, for finding roommates for off campus housing for first year, how do most students go about doing that? Admitted students day?

Thanks for all your advice in advance.. it's appreciated

User avatar
Gatriel

Gold
Posts: 2037
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:30 pm

Re: Über-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by Gatriel » Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:39 pm

Typically the official FB group for admitted students goes up after the SBA elections. Should be next month. However last year there was an unofficial one which the admin took down as soon as the real one went live. IF you feel like being an eager-beaver you can start the FB group on your own, and I imagine within a few days there will be a few members.

My earlier posts(/rant) about on campus housing is pretty detailed. I went on another GP rant privately that I'll post up here;

On campus housing

Don't do it. In the Pepperdine taking questions thread I wrote a pretty long and detailed article about what living on campus sucks. My views haven't changed. It is a dumb. Overpriced, and you must abide by the same rules as 18 year old undergrads must live by. And trust me, they enforce them. (1st hand experience). I encourage you to look at either Santa Monica, or one of the apartment complexes in Calabasas (Malibu Canyon or Archstone) some are literally 1/2 the price of living on campus and you are still plugged into the community. Furthermore, very rarely do room mates first year end up best friends the years thereafter. 2 of the 3 room mates last year and I are still friends. Would I consider them my best friends here, definitely not. Do yourself a favor, save the money, live off campus, and enjoy a beautiful drive into school every morning.

Furthermore, those who live on Campus experience "cabin fever." 1L will be the busiest experience of your life, up to this point. There will be weeks you never leave campus. You sit in the library, look out the window, and wish you could enjoy where you study. Live off campus. Trust me. Learn from my mistakes, and do a little leg-work ahead of time and find a nice place in this area. Furthermore, when the Pepperdine Law Class of 2015 FB page opens up, there will be a ton of 1L and 2L trying to get rid of their old place (including myself if your interested in a a private pool and hot tub with mountain views in calabasas )

As far as a comment from Calabasas expect 20 to 25 minutes every day in the morning. Luckily I've never seen a car accident on the road, but the tourists really screw traffic up when they are scared to drive the speed limit. From Santa Monica, one can expect about the same however, there are many more car accidents on PCH. When it comes finals times, many people either leave their house ridiculously early, or get a hotel in Malibu.

And lastly, I cannot in good faith, or good conscience recommend living on campus. If you take the tour, one of the schools administrative assistants tell prospective students that "most 1st year students live on campus." I've heard her say this many times to many different groups of students. This is a flat-out lie. At most half of the first year class lives on campus and this year was even less (I'd like to pat myself on the back for that one due to my rant in the Pepperdine 1L taking questions thread). Perhaps one day the school will remodel George Page, and realize that 24 year old law students should be treated differently than 18 year old freshman, however until they do both of these things, I cannot see my recommendation in living arrangements changing.

If you do decide to live on campus, live at Drescher, do not live in Page. Dresher is the MBA housing, and is much, much, much, much, much nicer than Page for about $100 less per month. They do not have the parking issues that Page does, they also have their own gym. The inherent problem is unless you are doing the JD/MBA, Pepperdine Residence Life (the least ethical, most morally corrupt institution I've ever dealt with) doesn't like putting people up there, as George Page is a cash cow.

So in summary. I love Pepperdine law. Law school is tough. Do it in a place where the people actually care. People actually care here. Don't live on campus. No don't do it. And for a few lol's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9o4tCAZUpg

I hope this helps!

Slaw26

New
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 3:36 pm

Re: Über-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by Slaw26 » Tue Mar 13, 2012 4:04 pm

Pepperdine is a great school. There has been a lot of changes over the last six months, not all good. I feel the new Dean's mentality of cut and burn is not always a good one. Great staff have been thrown aside without regard to their long service. Don't for one minute think all these changes are fully endorsed by the people it affects.

Pepperdine has worked hard over the last five years and have risen to number 49 in the last World News rankings. All this was done before the new dean arrived so, the old administration must have been doing something right. Don't get me wrong, change is good, but a across the board exodus is not good for the school. I fear this 49 ranking will not be held onto in the future.

Not only have great people like Dean Perrin and Dean Gash been moved, but the services at Pepperdine use to be some of the best in any Law School. The CDO use to be great and would work tirelessly to promote the students and find us jobs. This year it is not the same. It seems the office is never fully staffed, and it takes forever to get a response or any material returned. The admissions office also seems to be not as efficient as past years.

I hope I'm wrong, since I still use Pepperdine's services and love my old school, but I feel the school is not going it the right direction.
Last edited by Slaw26 on Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Gatriel

Gold
Posts: 2037
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:30 pm

Re: Über-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by Gatriel » Tue Mar 13, 2012 8:53 pm

Disgruntled professor or Alum?

Taking votes.

Communicate now with those who not only know what a legal education is, but can offer you worthy advice and commentary as you complete the three most educational, yet challenging years of your law related post graduate life.

Register now, it's still FREE!


User avatar
arhmcpo

Bronze
Posts: 325
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 7:05 pm

Re: Über-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by arhmcpo » Tue Mar 13, 2012 8:58 pm

Gatriel wrote:Disgruntled professor or Alum?

Taking votes.
My guess is laid off staff based on persistence of posts. I feel like a laid off professor would not troll as much

User avatar
Gatriel

Gold
Posts: 2037
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:30 pm

Re: Über-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by Gatriel » Tue Mar 13, 2012 11:12 pm

I know there were a few profs who were suuuupppper pissed due to the curriculum changes for 1Ls next year. Perhaps one of these?

Slaw26

New
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 3:36 pm

Re: Über-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by Slaw26 » Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:37 pm

Just because someone has a different opinion than yourself, does not mean they are some disgruntled person. I am a graduate and happen to feel the Law School is heading in the wrong direction. I was responding to questions about the school and someones post about Deans leaving.

If I was disgruntled I would be joining the lawsuit. Which I am not. We all have to take personal responsibility about what we do in life, I knew the cost of Law School and I'm not arrogant enough to think I'm owed something if I could not get a job.

User avatar
Gatriel

Gold
Posts: 2037
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:30 pm

Re: Über-Prestigious Pepperdine 2L Taking Questions

Post by Gatriel » Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:56 pm

Pepperdine is getting sued? News to me.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!


Post Reply

Return to “Ask a Law Student / Graduate”