Recently Graduated UT Law Student taking questions Forum

[BVest]

I'm not entirely sure what to tell you. It's a curve, and the profs have to adhere to it, just like at UCLA (and everywhere else). It looks like UT's is a little more generous than UCLA's, but that just pushes up the High Honors / Coif / Honors target GPAs.

UT: https://law.utexas.edu/student-affairs/ ... -policies/

UCLA (see p.7): https://law.ucla.edu/~/media/Assets/Cur ... dards.ashx

[oliv8518]

Does anyone have any advice for taking bar classes during 3L? Is it really necessary? Which classes should you probably take while in law school and not just rely on a bar prep course?

[BVest]

For bar classes beyond 1L, I took:

Tex Civ Pro
Secured Credit
O&G
FIT
BA
Crim Pro (Investigation)

And here are the various topics covered by the MBE and Texas essays and P/E exam:
MBE:
Fed Civ Pro (5.7%)
Real Property (5.7%)
Contracts (5.7%)
Crim Law / Pro (5.7%)
Torts (5.7%)
Evidence (5.7%)

Texas:
Texas Civ & Crim Pro (P/E exam) (5%)
Texas Evidence (P/E exam) (5%)
Family Law (6.67%)
UCC (UCC-2 Contracts; UCC-3 Commercial Paper (aka payment systems); UCC-9 Secured Credit) (6.67%)
Business Associations (6.67%)
Wills & Estates (6.67%)
Real Property (6.67%)
DTPA/Consumer Law (3.33%)
Trusts or Guardianship (3.33%)

Crossover topics (That may appear as small parts of other topics):
Tax
Bankruptcy

(The remaining 10% is the MPT, which you can prepare for but requires no substantive law)

Of what I took:
+/- Tex Civ Pro obviously helped with the procedure & evidence part of the exam, but it was by no means necessary.
+/- Crim Pro that you can take for the Con Law requirement helps with the MBE, but does basically nothing for Texas P/E. That exam is more focused on non-Constitutional procedure.
+ Secured credit was helpful both for the UCC essay question and for all the mortgage questions on the MBE.
+/- O&G is invariably one of the two Texas real property essays. That said, they keep those questions very basic, so it would be easy to learn what you need during bar prep.
- FIT is definitely not necessary. Tax doesn't tend to appear at all, despite being listed as a crossover.

Of what I didn't take:
+ Evidence would be good to take.
+ Wills & Estates would cover two to three essay questions (so 6.7-10% of the exam total), depending on whether the whether its a Trusts (Wills and estates) or Guardianship (family law) question. In that respect, probably not the worst idea. Family law would likewise cover the same amount. (I'm actually not sure family law includes guardianship, but it follows family law doctrine very closely, so you'd be pretty far along.)
- Payment systems: UCC-3 is pretty difficult to pick up, but (a) it's doable, (b) it's only one question, and (c) they keep their questions pretty basic here because so few people have actually taken this.
- DTPA is very easy to pick up in bar prep.
- Bankruptcy is unnecessary. Just know that when someone files for bankruptcy, there is an automatic stay placed on their finances, and that a creditor can request that the bankruptcy court lift the automatic stay for good cause.

[ojala]

Anyone have any experience going through OCI as a rising 3L?

[Hikikomorist]

What should rising 2Ls be doing over the summer to prepare for OCI/when should we start mass-mailing?

[cannibal ox]

Anyone have any experience going through OCI as a rising 3L?

Yes, and I'm willing to answer questions here or via PM if you have them.

What should rising 2Ls be doing over the summer to prepare for OCI/when should we start mass-mailing?

The first batch I sent last year was the last week of June. After the first week of July I had hit every major market. By the second week of July I had hit every secondary market with a significant amount of firms (Philly, Atlanta, etc.)

Tip: keep a spreadsheet of where you've mass mailed. I followed up with firms who didn't reject me (or give me an interview) and got several interviews this way. I emailed some firms 3 and 4 times until I made them reject me. Don't stop blasting until you have a job.

[Hikikomorist]

What should rising 2Ls be doing over the summer to prepare for OCI/when should we start mass-mailing?

The first batch I sent last year was the last week of June. After the first week of July I had hit every major market. By the second week of July I had hit every secondary market with a significant amount of firms (Philly, Atlanta, etc.)

Tip: keep a spreadsheet of where you've mass mailed. I followed up with firms who didn't reject me (or give me an interview) and got several interviews this way. I emailed some firms 3 and 4 times until I made them reject me. Don't stop blasting until you have a job.

Thanks for the timeline! How many did you send out in total? Should I be worried about mailing places where I don't have any connections? Mailing to different offices of the same firm (undercutting my OCI sales pitch for "why X city," basically)?

[cannibal ox]

What should rising 2Ls be doing over the summer to prepare for OCI/when should we start mass-mailing?

The first batch I sent last year was the last week of June. After the first week of July I had hit every major market. By the second week of July I had hit every secondary market with a significant amount of firms (Philly, Atlanta, etc.)

Tip: keep a spreadsheet of where you've mass mailed. I followed up with firms who didn't reject me (or give me an interview) and got several interviews this way. I emailed some firms 3 and 4 times until I made them reject me. Don't stop blasting until you have a job.

Thanks for the timeline! How many did you send out in total? Should I be worried about mailing places where I don't have any connections? Mailing to different offices of the same firm (undercutting my OCI sales pitch for "why X city," basically)?

I sent out between 300 and 400, which doesn't include the Texas firms coming to OCI that didn't give me interviews. As soon as the OCI schedule was released I emailed anyone who didn't preselect me and tried to get an interview. Of course they won't schedule you right then, but you're laying the groundwork. The day before the firm came (firms come for 1 day) I emailed the recruiter, replying to the original email I sent, asking if there were open slots I could snag (don't give them your open times, just ask and see if they have openings).

I emailed every market with a significant amount of firms, regardless of whether I had ties. What's the worst that happens? You get an interview and need to stretch your story for ties, or work hard on your Why X City pitch? Mass blast now, think later.

There are different schools of thought with respect to mailing different offices of the same firm. Some firms that's a (supposed) auto ding. Unless you're in recruiting it's all speculation. I mass mailed (and bid on) different offices of the same firm and didn't see any difference in results from when I only applied to 1 office of a firm (when they had other offices).

[freddiemac]

Does anyone have info into the gpa required for high honors/order of the coif for class of 2016?

I see that the top 25%=3.69; top 50%=3.50. Talk about grade inflation. It's never been that high before.

[BigZuck]

Does anyone have info into the gpa required for high honors/order of the coif for class of 2016?

I see that the top 25%=3.69; top 50%=3.50. Talk about grade inflation. It's never been that high before.

I like to think the reason is that the C/O 2016 was a gunner minetrap more than grade inflation

Makes me feel better about my GPA

[timmyd]

Jesus. Class of 16 chill out. I'm not sure how it could get that high unless the grades at the top are super close together. I mean, they're still giving out the same grades at the same distribution as my class I think.

[Hikikomorist]

Any chance people could provide a breakdown of the different journals wrt to workload and food?

[BigZuck]

Any chance people could provide a breakdown of the different journals wrt to workload and food?

What are the options?

[Hikikomorist]

Any chance people could provide a breakdown of the different journals wrt to workload and food?

What are the options?

Kind of interested in those stats for all of them.

[BasilHallward]

Not to highjack, but I have the same question.

Options thus far:

TROL
Environmental
International

[unlicensedpotato]

I wouldn't turn down law review if you have the option. It really isn't that much work to do the 2L stuff and then AE as a 3L.

I didn't get the impression that there was a big difference amongst the others. Pick what interests you or what your friends are doing. The big choice is do you want to do ed board. If you do, that's a lot of work regardless of the journal.

[Hikikomorist]

Not in a position to turn down TLR, so no worries there.

[dizzydg]

I wouldn't turn down law review if you have the option. It really isn't that much work to do the 2L stuff and then AE as a 3L.

I didn't get the impression that there was a big difference amongst the others. Pick what interests you or what your friends are doing. The big choice is do you want to do ed board. If you do, that's a lot of work regardless of the journal.

Is it a bad idea to do TLR and another journal you are interested in?

[BigZuck]

I wouldn't turn down law review if you have the option. It really isn't that much work to do the 2L stuff and then AE as a 3L.

I didn't get the impression that there was a big difference amongst the others. Pick what interests you or what your friends are doing. The big choice is do you want to do ed board. If you do, that's a lot of work regardless of the journal.

Is it a bad idea to do TLR and another journal you are interested in?

Choosing to do TLR and another journal would likely be on the shortlist for "Worst decisions dizzdg made in 2016."

I implore you, please, please, please, please, please do not do TLR and another journal (or two journals at once regardless of what they are, for that matter)

[dizzydg]

I wouldn't turn down law review if you have the option. It really isn't that much work to do the 2L stuff and then AE as a 3L.

I didn't get the impression that there was a big difference amongst the others. Pick what interests you or what your friends are doing. The big choice is do you want to do ed board. If you do, that's a lot of work regardless of the journal.

Is it a bad idea to do TLR and another journal you are interested in?

Choosing to do TLR and another journal would likely be on the shortlist for "Worst decisions dizzdg made in 2016."

I implore you, please, please, please, please, please do not do TLR and another journal (or two journals at once regardless of what they are, for that matter)

lol alright I'm convinced.

[unlicensedpotato]

I wouldn't turn down law review if you have the option. It really isn't that much work to do the 2L stuff and then AE as a 3L.

I didn't get the impression that there was a big difference amongst the others. Pick what interests you or what your friends are doing. The big choice is do you want to do ed board. If you do, that's a lot of work regardless of the journal.

Is it a bad idea to do TLR and another journal you are interested in?

Plenty of people did two and liked it. TLR is good for networking with students but bad for networking with firms. Journals are really not a big deal. People freak out about it, as evidenced in the above response.

[cannibal ox]

Anyone who did 2 journals and liked it is a sick fuck and shouldn't be trusted.

Journals like TJOGEL, TRESL, TIPLJ are among the ones with the least amount of work, according to anecdotes.

[BigZuck]

I wouldn't turn down law review if you have the option. It really isn't that much work to do the 2L stuff and then AE as a 3L.

I didn't get the impression that there was a big difference amongst the others. Pick what interests you or what your friends are doing. The big choice is do you want to do ed board. If you do, that's a lot of work regardless of the journal.

Is it a bad idea to do TLR and another journal you are interested in?

Plenty of people did two and liked it. TLR is good for networking with students but bad for networking with firms. Journals are really not a big deal. People freak out about it, as evidenced in the above response.

Nah man life is too short

You do you though my bro

[unlicensedpotato]

Anyone who did 2 journals and liked it is a sick fuck and shouldn't be trusted.

Journals like TJOGEL, TRESL, TIPLJ are among the ones with the least amount of work, according to anecdotes.

Plenty of people did two and liked it. TLR is good for networking with students but bad for networking with firms. Journals are really not a big deal. People freak out about it, as evidenced in the above response.

Nah man life is too short

You do you though my bro

Lol honestly was not talking about me, just other people I knew on TLR. The people who did two did one off of the above list and I think it's accurate from what I've heard in terms of journals with less work. I don't think it's that crazy to do TIPLJ, for example, if you're on TLR but want to work in IP. But I would definitely agree that it's unlikely to "pay off," so there's no reason to do it if you don't want to.

[rnoodles]

After much consideration, I've decided to join all the journals. It ain't crazy fam, so don't freak out about it.