Columbia students taking questions Forum

[smaug_]

Laptops in class: Wu, Lynch, Briffault, and Powell?

Wu doesn't allow laptops, I don't think. Don't know about the others.

[Tekrul]

Laptops in class: Wu, Lynch, Briffault, and Powell?

Why do we have no classes together again? Whyyyyyyy!?

[MCFC]

Any 3Ls have K. Thomas for ConLaw? His course evaluations are pretty negative, don't want to read too much into it though.

[Tiago Splitter]

Lynch allows laptops.

[ph5354a]

Laptops in class: Wu, Lynch, Briffault, and Powell?

Why do we have no classes together again? Whyyyyyyy!?

CLS is conspiring to keep us apart.

Thanks Tiago and Smaug!

[MCFC]

Surprisingly, all my grades are in. Public shaming will not be required.

[starrydreamz3]

Surprisingly, all my grades are in. Public shaming will not be required.

I'm grasping onto my lpw grade wondering when the eff the real ones are coming in.

[Tekrul]

Surprisingly, all my grades are in. Public shaming will not be required.

I've only got 1 back so far. Unrelated, does Home Depot sell tar and feathers? Perhaps red sew-on alphabet sets?

[girlmonster]

I read the posts about OCS, but how helpful is SJI? I know most of the people in this thread (and at CLS) aren't shooting for PI, but are the PI people you know generally happy with SJI? Thanks!

I'm a 2L doing PI and I have a number of friends doing different sorts of PI. I think it rather depends on what you're interested in, but generally I'd suggest being a little more proactive than the big law folks are about the job search. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

Thank you! If it's okay, I'll probably PM you with questions after ASW, when I have a better idea of what specific questions to ask (as I wade through the info) and which ones are left unanswered.

[ph5354a]

While we're all in the midst of 1L grades panic: is there any common wisdom about how firms view first semester grades during EIP? i.e. is it pretty typical for first semester to be lower, so they don't really care and just look at overall performance, or is it looked at less favorably than someone with more consistent performance (but similar overall gpa) between the first two semesters?

[welkertexasranger]

While we're all in the midst of 1L grades panic: is there any common wisdom about how firms view first semester grades during EIP? i.e. is it pretty typical for first semester to be lower, so they don't really care and just look at overall performance, or is it looked at less favorably than someone with more consistent performance (but similar overall gpa) between the first two semesters?

If you do better second semester, you can explain to them how you "figured out" how to do law school (right). If you do worse second semester, you can explain how you "overthought things and changed your study habits." (also lulz). In reality, though, it doesn't really matter how your grades are distributed. The way EIP works is that, although some firms are more grade conscious than others, most firms have a grade cutoff (for example, a bunch of V10 firms seem to have a cutoff around stone). If you're below it, it's tough but may still be possible to get a callback with a strong interview / other resume stuff. If you're above it, they aren't really drawing distinctions between someone with a 3.56 and someone with a 3.62 or between someone who was more consistent or less so.

Also, just to point something out: it can't really be typical for first semester grades to be lower because everyone is on a curve. For every person who does worse the second semester than the first, there has to be someone who does better.

[ph5354a]

Thanks, welker!

Looking for hornbook recommendations for Crim Law (Lynch using Kadish), Property (Briffault using Merrill, I heard the Gilbert law summary was good), Con Law (Powell using course packet), and Antitrust (Wu using Pitofsky). Any suggestions?

[jbagelboy]

Corporations w/ Goldschmid as a 1L? Good idea , bad idea?

[starrydreamz3]

Corporations w/ Goldschmid as a 1L? Good idea , bad idea?

I'm taking it this semester! Go big or go home. =D

[smaug_]

Antitrust (Wu using Pitofsky). Any suggestions?

There's a supplement that gives you briefs for the book. It is popular but not really necessary.

Corporations w/ Goldschmid as a 1L? Good idea , bad idea?

Probably a very bad idea. Not a dig at Goldschmid, just a comment on taking a difficult, important course on top of your 1L load. You don't get more points for killing yourself with a worse course load.

You have time to take the hard classes as 2L when your grades don't matter and your peers don't care.

[jbagelboy]

Antitrust (Wu using Pitofsky). Any suggestions?

There's a supplement that gives you briefs for the book. It is popular but not really necessary.

Corporations w/ Goldschmid as a 1L? Good idea , bad idea?

Probably a very bad idea. Not a dig at Goldschmid, just a comment on taking a difficult, important course on top of your 1L load. You don't get more points for killing yourself with a worse course load.

You have time to take the hard classes as 2L when your grades don't matter and your peers don't care.

Thanks! Just one more question:

Between Critical Legal thought, Law and Development, and Legislation & Regulation, where would you go?

[smaug_]

Thanks! Just one more question:

Between Critical Legal thought, Law and Development, and Legislation & Regulation, where would you go?

Depends on what you want. I'd probably take Law and Development because it is an upper year class but not a scary one. There are good arguments for the others, though. Some people adore Franke and some people are less positive. She seems pretty awesome, but I'd be less confident in the class. Halligan is supposed to be wonderful but I'd be kinda terrified and terrified of the group that would self select into that course. (and you're only with other 1Ls)

[jbagelboy]

Thanks! Just one more question:

Between Critical Legal thought, Law and Development, and Legislation & Regulation, where would you go?

Depends on what you want. I'd probably take Law and Development because it is an upper year class but not a scary one. There are good arguments for the others, though. Some people adore Franke and some people are less positive. She seems pretty awesome, but I'd be less confident in the class. Halligan is supposed to be wonderful but I'd be kinda terrified and terrified of the group that would self select into that course. (and you're only with other 1Ls)

Thanks! Halligan looks awesome, but I went with Law & Development per your counsel. Ty

[Tiago Splitter]

Thanks, welker!

Looking for hornbook recommendations for Crim Law (Lynch using Kadish), Property (Briffault using Merrill, I heard the Gilbert law summary was good), Con Law (Powell using course packet), and Antitrust (Wu using Pitofsky). Any suggestions?

Dressler for crim and Chemerinsky for con law are always safe bets. Understanding property by Sprankling is great for property but I had Merrill and that didn't seem to work quite as well. Maybe if you have a different prof and are only using the Merrill textbook that supplement is the way to go. Many others on TLS seem to think so.

[smaug_]

I think the property profs are all pretty different in terms of what they look for, so the supplements are less helpful, at least at CLS. Heller has his own ideas. I've heard that Sprankling isn't totally useful for Merrill (and he has a bit of a constitutional bent?). Liebman loves the common law/a supplement isn't necessary.

See if you can talk to people who have had Briffault (you'd need to look for 3Ls, yeah?) and see what they say.

[djwjddl]

What kind of gpa/ranking is needed to even consider applying for 1L SA positions?

[starrydreamz3]

What kind of gpa/ranking is needed to even consider applying for 1L SA positions?

Related, what's the cut-off for Stone/Kent?

[jbagelboy]

What kind of gpa/ranking is needed to even consider applying for 1L SA positions?

Related, what's the cut-off for Stone?

3.410. But your not technically a Stone scholar until June, so I don't think you can say you are to firms now.

[smaug_]

What kind of gpa/ranking is needed to even consider applying for 1L SA positions?

Related, what's the cut-off for Stone?

Stone is a 3.41 at the end of the year. If you're not a diversity candidate or applying for an international position, you would likely need a GPA that put you closer to the Kent (3.8 ) range than the Stone range to even have a shot. I could be wrong, but I don't think many people had 1L SA positions at all. Your best bet would be to talk to someone who had one and ask how they got the position.

Almost everyone ends up either with a GSF position, an HRIP position or doing a summer judicial internship. I think the caveat to this is if you're from certain secondary markets.

[Tiago Splitter]

I know a white dude below median after one semester who got a 1L SA outside of NYC. I think if you are looking in NYC it will be extremely difficult without diversity, and outside of NYC in markets that actually hire 1L's grades may not be all that big of a deal