2 BLL Rule Forum

[lost3039]

On this sub there is sort of this oft-mentioned rule of taking at minimum 2 BLL courses a semester. I took three last semester and am now in fed courts as a 3L. Having some trouble finding a second BLL course I'd be interested in and wondering if that is fine or if I should bite the bullet and take a BLL course in something like idk copyright that isn't full. I mention my prior semester just in case that 2 BLL courses a semester can be collapsed into 4 BLL courses a year.

[Anonymous User]

On this sub there is sort of this oft-mentioned rule of taking at minimum 2 BLL courses a semester. I took three last semester and am now in fed courts as a 3L. Having some trouble finding a second BLL course I'd be interested in and wondering if that is fine or if I should bite the bullet and take a BLL course in something like idk copyright that isn't full. I mention my prior semester just in case that 2 BLL courses a semester can be collapsed into 4 BLL courses a year.

I only took 3 doctrinals my 2L year and 3 doctrinals my 3L year and was fine for clerkships

and this was at a school with quarter systems where we took like 1/3 more classes

[lost3039]

Oh hmmm. Maybe I've given more weight to this rule than I should have.

[Anonymous User]

Oh hmmm. Maybe I've given more weight to this rule than I should have.

yeah I really don't think doing a clinic or advanced legal writing class instead of a second doctrinal will look bad to judges

[nixy]

I don’t think the 2 BLL rule is really a thing (and have never seen it stated that way) - it’s more holistic than counting by semester.

Also, if there’s something you actually want to take that will be relevant to what you want to do - or even just interesting to you - I don’t think it’s worth passing on that for a hypothetical judge’s possible judgment.

[Anonymous User]

There are no "rules" here. Each judge has a different opinion on what he or she likes to see. Generally speaking, taking and doing well in BLL classes (especially Fed Courts, and also things like Admin, Evidence, Crim Pro, etc.) will be seen as a positive while taking fluff courses won't really move the needle. But it's not like a judge is going to pass on a great candidate because they had a semester without BLL, or you're going to get rewarded for taking BLL classes and not doing well.

[Anonymous User]

There are no "rules" here. Each judge has a different opinion on what he or she likes to see. Generally speaking, taking and doing well in BLL classes (especially Fed Courts, and also things like Admin, Evidence, Crim Pro, etc.) will be seen as a positive while taking fluff courses won't really move the needle. But it's not like a judge is going to pass on a great candidate because they had a semester without BLL, or you're going to get rewarded for taking BLL classes and not doing well.

While I'm here, what about credit load. So long as the classes are not fluff is there a real difference between like 12 credits versus 14 credits etc...?

[Anonymous User]

There are no "rules" here. Each judge has a different opinion on what he or she likes to see. Generally speaking, taking and doing well in BLL classes (especially Fed Courts, and also things like Admin, Evidence, Crim Pro, etc.) will be seen as a positive while taking fluff courses won't really move the needle. But it's not like a judge is going to pass on a great candidate because they had a semester without BLL, or you're going to get rewarded for taking BLL classes and not doing well.

While I'm here, what about credit load. So long as the classes are not fluff is there a real difference between like 12 credits versus 14 credits etc...?

This kind of analysis is getting overwrought, IMO. Most judges/clerks don’t have time to calculate details out at this level and are engaging in more holistic review, barring specific preferences like “must have taken fed courts” or “must have taken evidence” etc. Take a full-time load and don’t worry about it. Yes, if *overall* your transcript looks kind of lean *compared to other people who apply,* that might possibly be an issue. There are going to be some maniacs who load up on 18 credits every semester. But taking fewer classes and getting As is better than taking more classes and not getting As. And connections/recommendations will generally matter more than number of credits. There’s no perfect formula to this.

[Anonymous User]

There are no "rules" here. Each judge has a different opinion on what he or she likes to see. Generally speaking, taking and doing well in BLL classes (especially Fed Courts, and also things like Admin, Evidence, Crim Pro, etc.) will be seen as a positive while taking fluff courses won't really move the needle. But it's not like a judge is going to pass on a great candidate because they had a semester without BLL, or you're going to get rewarded for taking BLL classes and not doing well.

While I'm here, what about credit load. So long as the classes are not fluff is there a real difference between like 12 credits versus 14 credits etc...?

This kind of analysis is getting overwrought, IMO. Most judges/clerks don’t have time to calculate details out at this level and are engaging in more holistic review, barring specific preferences like “must have taken fed courts” or “must have taken evidence” etc. Take a full-time load and don’t worry about it. Yes, if *overall* your transcript looks kind of lean *compared to other people who apply,* that might possibly be an issue. There are going to be some maniacs who load up on 18 credits every semester. But taking fewer classes and getting As is better than taking more classes and not getting As. And connections/recommendations will generally matter more than number of credits. There’s no perfect formula to this.

100% agree that OP is overthinking it - there's no "rule" for taking X number of black letter classes or Y number of credits. Having reviewed applications, I've noticed that the issue is that so many of the applicants end up looking the same: good school, decent GPA, 1L public interest/firm/corporate job, 2L big law firm job - it's more important to stand out somehow (which is why judges filter by ties to the local region, calls from recommenders, etc.). There may be judges who filter by what classes you took and when or how many classes you took a semester, but this is such a small number of judges that it shouldn't factor into your decision-making. It's better to spend your time building a strong connection with a professor by being a TA/RA (even if not for credit/pay), taking a more interesting clinic/externship, or doing something that fits your "story" of why you want to clerk at all (beyond somebody said I should/I want that clerkship bonus/etc).