Top Law Schools

lawschoolboundfuture wrote:Is there a list somewhere of all the firms that come to EIP

https://www.law.harvard.edu/current/car ... index.html

0L question: What's EIP?

Early Interview Program, where firms come on campus to interview rising 2Ls for summer jobs.

tachikara wrote:Early Interview Program, where firms come on campus to interview rising 2Ls for summer jobs.

It's the HLS specific version of what is generically called OCI.

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Does anywhere say how many Hs are needed for certain firms?

RedShift wrote:I went to the ASW this past weekend and it was really cool. The current students there were really helpful and answered a ton of my questions, but there were some I forgot If anyone has experience with SPOs there are a few things I'm wondering:

1. Do SPOs have a hierarchy like journals and other student orgs where you move up the ranks over time? Or does it depend on the SPO?

Depends. Generally, they often aren't going to be incredibly competitive.

2. Is there any kind of disapproval or disadvantage for people who maybe start at one SPO but then decide to switch to a different one at a later time?

No? Maybe? Def. not disapproval and I'm not totally sure how disadvantaged you would be. My experience with SPOs is that everyone not on leadership sorta does very similar work whether it's your first time doing the particular task or your 10th time

3. More generally, would you say SPOs are a worthwhile time investment for a 1L? It just so depends again. Mine was awful and a time sink, but it wasn't even the particular SPO rather it was just the particular project within the SPO happened to be a dud.

What about for 2/3Ls who have access to clinics?

Older students can jump in but this is also gonna vary widely. I know multiple people who have had a poor clinical experience and then other people swear it was life (or at least career) changing.

Thanks!

Also in the least condescending way possible if you are stressed about this or factoring it into your decision don't be. SPOs tend to be pretty accessible and sorta what you make them. If you were just curious then carry on.

lawschoolboundfuture wrote:Does anywhere say how many Hs are needed for certain firms?

Last year's EIP thread might be helpful, but nothing from OCS provides a firm guide. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=211151

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How hard is it at HLS to get mentorship from faculty, given it's large faculty-student ratio. How did you make it work?

What is justice?

t-14orbust wrote:What is justice?

Did you just read my J-Term paper? Here's a useful quote, though admittedly it doesn't answer the question:

"Well, it is a hard word to define, and I have no intention of defining it. But there are a great many other hard words in the law which lawyers do not hesitate to use. "Contract" is a hard word, and so is "tort" and so, above all, are words like "negligence" and "reasonable" and all these words are constantly on the lips of lawyers who have no qualms whatever over the fact that they could not "define" them, since "defining" means indicating the precise limits which include just these terms and no others. I think we shall find that "justice" is in most instances recognizable without difficulty and on the whole, gives us less trouble than a great many other legal words."

Max Radin, The Goal of Law, 1951 Wash. U. L. Q. 1 (1951)

sonyvaio18 wrote:How hard is it at HLS to get mentorship from faculty, given it's large faculty-student ratio. How did you make it work?

Probably easier than you would think, with the caveat that you have to make the initial reach out. I have been really pleasantly surprised in this respect. Faculty are very accessible for the most part, as long as you initiate contact.

What's HLS's "large faculty-student ratio"? We have so many professors that I can't believe the ratio is that high. Actually, the large faculty size is a hidden plus that people on TLS don't really think or talk about. More faculty means more likely that there is someone available in the field or precise area of a field that you are interested in. And moreover, it means there is a greater chance you will connect with a professor and develop a professional relationship. Think about it: 100+ people, your odds of finding someone you connect with is much higher. If your faculty is 20 people, you might just not connect or really enjoy working for/with any of the faculty. If you want to write about, say, corporate law, and there are only one or two corporate law professors, your options are pretty limited. At HLS, though, there's probably six or more corporate law professors. You see what I'm getting at.

ph14 wrote:

sonyvaio18 wrote:How hard is it at HLS to get mentorship from faculty, given it's large faculty-student ratio. How did you make it work?

Probably easier than you would think, with the caveat that you have to make the initial reach out. I have been really pleasantly surprised in this respect. Faculty are very accessible for the most part, as long as you initiate contact.

What's HLS's "large faculty-student ratio"? We have so many professors that I can't believe the ratio is that high. Actually, the large faculty size is a hidden plus that people on TLS don't really think or talk about. More faculty means more likely that there is someone available in the field or precise area of a field that you are interested in. And moreover, it means there is a greater chance you will connect with a professor and develop a professional relationship. Think about it: 100+ people, your odds of finding someone you connect with is much higher. If your faculty is 20 people, you might just not connect or really enjoy working for/with any of the faculty. If you want to write about, say, corporate law, and there are only one or two corporate law professors, your options are pretty limited. At HLS, though, there's probably six or more corporate law professors. You see what I'm getting at.

To play devil's advocate for a second, although the real difference might only be in expectations: There is an obvious inverse correlation between popularity and accessibility. This is more frustrating when the professors are both rock stars in their field and also good teacher/mentors. I would say that in the end, on balance, you can meet regularly with, research for, and write under the guidance of almost any professor. But for some, it will take significant and consistent effort. You might find it more fulfilling to reach out to professors who fly under the radar for some reason; either because they are young, or old, or awkward in class, etc.

delusional wrote:

ph14 wrote:

sonyvaio18 wrote:How hard is it at HLS to get mentorship from faculty, given it's large faculty-student ratio. How did you make it work?

Probably easier than you would think, with the caveat that you have to make the initial reach out. I have been really pleasantly surprised in this respect. Faculty are very accessible for the most part, as long as you initiate contact.

What's HLS's "large faculty-student ratio"? We have so many professors that I can't believe the ratio is that high. Actually, the large faculty size is a hidden plus that people on TLS don't really think or talk about. More faculty means more likely that there is someone available in the field or precise area of a field that you are interested in. And moreover, it means there is a greater chance you will connect with a professor and develop a professional relationship. Think about it: 100+ people, your odds of finding someone you connect with is much higher. If your faculty is 20 people, you might just not connect or really enjoy working for/with any of the faculty. If you want to write about, say, corporate law, and there are only one or two corporate law professors, your options are pretty limited. At HLS, though, there's probably six or more corporate law professors. You see what I'm getting at.

To play devil's advocate for a second, although the real difference might only be in expectations: There is an obvious inverse correlation between popularity and accessibility. This is more frustrating when the professors are both rock stars in their field and also good teacher/mentors. I would say that in the end, on balance, you can meet regularly with, research for, and write under the guidance of almost any professor. But for some, it will take significant and consistent effort. You might find it more fulfilling to reach out to professors who fly under the radar for some reason; either because they are young, or old, or awkward in class, etc.

I imagine that this is pretty universal at all law schools. I wonder how many people want to work for/with Akhil Amar or Pam Karlan? It's not connected to the large faculty size.

ph14 wrote:

delusional wrote:

ph14 wrote:

sonyvaio18 wrote:How hard is it at HLS to get mentorship from faculty, given it's large faculty-student ratio. How did you make it work?

Probably easier than you would think, with the caveat that you have to make the initial reach out. I have been really pleasantly surprised in this respect. Faculty are very accessible for the most part, as long as you initiate contact.

What's HLS's "large faculty-student ratio"? We have so many professors that I can't believe the ratio is that high. Actually, the large faculty size is a hidden plus that people on TLS don't really think or talk about. More faculty means more likely that there is someone available in the field or precise area of a field that you are interested in. And moreover, it means there is a greater chance you will connect with a professor and develop a professional relationship. Think about it: 100+ people, your odds of finding someone you connect with is much higher. If your faculty is 20 people, you might just not connect or really enjoy working for/with any of the faculty. If you want to write about, say, corporate law, and there are only one or two corporate law professors, your options are pretty limited. At HLS, though, there's probably six or more corporate law professors. You see what I'm getting at.

To play devil's advocate for a second, although the real difference might only be in expectations: There is an obvious inverse correlation between popularity and accessibility. This is more frustrating when the professors are both rock stars in their field and also good teacher/mentors. I would say that in the end, on balance, you can meet regularly with, research for, and write under the guidance of almost any professor. But for some, it will take significant and consistent effort. You might find it more fulfilling to reach out to professors who fly under the radar for some reason; either because they are young, or old, or awkward in class, etc.

I imagine that this is pretty universal at all law schools. I wonder how many people want to work for/with Akhil Amar or Pam Karlan? It's not connected to the large faculty size.

Absolutely; no disagreement there. I just wanted to suggest that people expand their thought processes about this.

delusional wrote:

ph14 wrote:

delusional wrote:

ph14 wrote:
Probably easier than you would think, with the caveat that you have to make the initial reach out. I have been really pleasantly surprised in this respect. Faculty are very accessible for the most part, as long as you initiate contact.

What's HLS's "large faculty-student ratio"? We have so many professors that I can't believe the ratio is that high. Actually, the large faculty size is a hidden plus that people on TLS don't really think or talk about. More faculty means more likely that there is someone available in the field or precise area of a field that you are interested in. And moreover, it means there is a greater chance you will connect with a professor and develop a professional relationship. Think about it: 100+ people, your odds of finding someone you connect with is much higher. If your faculty is 20 people, you might just not connect or really enjoy working for/with any of the faculty. If you want to write about, say, corporate law, and there are only one or two corporate law professors, your options are pretty limited. At HLS, though, there's probably six or more corporate law professors. You see what I'm getting at.

To play devil's advocate for a second, although the real difference might only be in expectations: There is an obvious inverse correlation between popularity and accessibility. This is more frustrating when the professors are both rock stars in their field and also good teacher/mentors. I would say that in the end, on balance, you can meet regularly with, research for, and write under the guidance of almost any professor. But for some, it will take significant and consistent effort. You might find it more fulfilling to reach out to professors who fly under the radar for some reason; either because they are young, or old, or awkward in class, etc.

I imagine that this is pretty universal at all law schools. I wonder how many people want to work for/with Akhil Amar or Pam Karlan? It's not connected to the large faculty size.

Absolutely; no disagreement there. I just wanted to suggest that people expand their thought processes about this.

Fair enough. I just wanted to respond to the poster's question of whether HLS's large size made it more difficult to develop a professional relationship with a professor. And I want to emphasize that, in my experience, no it does not. In fact, prospective students should probably treat it as a plus, not a minus, at least with respect to working with faculty.

delusional wrote:

ph14 wrote:

sonyvaio18 wrote:How hard is it at HLS to get mentorship from faculty, given it's large faculty-student ratio. How did you make it work?

Probably easier than you would think, with the caveat that you have to make the initial reach out. I have been really pleasantly surprised in this respect. Faculty are very accessible for the most part, as long as you initiate contact.

What's HLS's "large faculty-student ratio"? We have so many professors that I can't believe the ratio is that high. Actually, the large faculty size is a hidden plus that people on TLS don't really think or talk about. More faculty means more likely that there is someone available in the field or precise area of a field that you are interested in. And moreover, it means there is a greater chance you will connect with a professor and develop a professional relationship. Think about it: 100+ people, your odds of finding someone you connect with is much higher. If your faculty is 20 people, you might just not connect or really enjoy working for/with any of the faculty. If you want to write about, say, corporate law, and there are only one or two corporate law professors, your options are pretty limited. At HLS, though, there's probably six or more corporate law professors. You see what I'm getting at.

To play devil's advocate for a second, although the real difference might only be in expectations: There is an obvious inverse correlation between popularity and accessibility. This is more frustrating when the professors are both rock stars in their field and also good teacher/mentors. I would say that in the end, on balance, you can meet regularly with, research for, and write under the guidance of almost any professor. But for some, it will take significant and consistent effort. You might find it more fulfilling to reach out to professors who fly under the radar for some reason; either because they are young, or old, or awkward in class, etc.

This is not inherently true. I'm working with two "rockstars" and all it took was taking their class + making the initial push to go to office hours to become close with both of them. The professors with whom it would be difficult to get to know at HLS are in the single digits. Meanwhile, this is a constant problem from my friends who go to smaller schools. Everyone tries to become besties with the 1-2 famous con law professors and the "losers" get fucked over with mentorship.

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When is the "ideal" time to find an apartment in Cambridge? I am going to be up for the April ASW, and my future roommate already lives in Boston and can view apartments at any other time. Is mid-April too soon to find something? I'd like to move in on August 1st.

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gb47 wrote:When is the "ideal" time to find an apartment in Cambridge? I am going to be up for the April ASW, and my future roommate already lives in Boston and can view apartments at any other time. Is mid-April too soon to find something? I'd like to move in on August 1st.

Mid-April is not too soon. I know at least 10 apartment listings went up in December/January for the building I'll be living in (all with June-September start dates). Not sure how many are left

FWIW, I didn't find housing, or even start looking, until well in the summer and there was still plenty of places available.

What's the stance on having a car? Is public transportation good enough in Cambridge to get by?

stmichael91 wrote:What's the stance on having a car? Is public transportation good enough in Cambridge to get by?

Don't bring a car to Cambridge.

The parking is terrible, there's very few places to drive to, and maintaining the vehicle is expensive when compared to how little use you'll get out of it. For any driving you do want to do, there's ZipCar.