Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[Lovely Ludwig Van]

Leaning heavily towards William Alford for Chinese Comparative Law. Anybody have any info on the course?

[tomwatts]

Leaning heavily towards William Alford for Chinese Comparative Law. Anybody have any info on the course?

I took the China class with Alford for the international req. I was way out of my depth (it was not my top choice), but if you're into China, it's a really good class.

From back a few pages.

It's not doctrinal in any real way. You do a bunch of historical stuff in the first third or so of the class, looking at the Confucian (and other) origins of Chinese law and the imperial codes prior to the 1910's collapse, and the 20th century philosophical/legal movements that led to the reform era. Then you look at the general principles of law and the state and the legal profession since the reform era. Then you survey a few topics of recent importance.

It's a really good class, especially if you have some interest in China (which I did not, prior to the class). You will learn a ton. He's also really well connected in the Chinese legal world, if you have any professional interests along those lines, either practical or academic. Be prepared to study hard for the final, though, because as far as I can tell, he wants something fairly specific that even generally good students don't typically give him. You'll need to look at top-scoring exams (which are available, but you may need to dig to find them) to figure it out.

I created a massive (86-page) readings outline a couple of years ago. PM me with your email address if you'd like it.

EDIT: I keep getting PMs about this, so for future reference, I subsequently put everything I had for every class I've ever take on hlsdope. So go there for any outlines I've ever made.

[Person1111]

Does anyone have experience with Separation of Powers for the winter term in terms of workload, and class environment? I'm like #2 on the waitlist and debating whether to switch into it if I can get in. I'm interested in the topic, but worried that it might be a pretty stressful experience, all things considered.

It's like 80% law review gunners IIRC.

[jbs17]

Anyone had Christopher Robertson and want to comment on how he might be for Health Law?

[wert3813]

Can someone do me a massive favor and tell me what day EIP orientation was last year? I know EIP started on 12th. Family wants to take a vacation as some point over the summer. Is there a week between jobs and EIP? Even if there is a week is that an absurdly stupid idea and I should just shut down the idea that I go now? Thanks.

Edit what about right before school starts? The first week of September? Could I structure CBs in a way to be done by then? Thanks 2Ls and 3Ls of TLS.

[ph14]

Can someone do me a massive favor and tell me what day EIP orientation was last year? I know EIP started on 12th. Family wants to take a vacation as some point over the summer. Is there a week between jobs and EIP? Even if there is a week is that an absurdly stupid idea and I should just shut down the idea that I go now? Thanks.

Edit what about right before school starts? The first week of September? Could I structure CBs in a way to be done by then? Thanks 2Ls and 3Ls of TLS.

3L here, so I don't know when EIP started last year. I don't think the EIP orientation is really important though, and I think a lot of people skip it.

There might be time between finishing your 1L job and EIP, but that depends entirely on you and your employer. If there is a week between finishing your 1L job, I don't think it would be a stupid idea at all to go on vacation before EIP. Just as long as you have your resume, transcript, writing sample, and references ready to go by the time EIP rolls around, and do some basic interview prep, there is no reason you can't take a vacation.

[KaNa1986]

Can someone do me a massive favor and tell me what day EIP orientation was last year? I know EIP started on 12th. Family wants to take a vacation as some point over the summer. Is there a week between jobs and EIP? Even if there is a week is that an absurdly stupid idea and I should just shut down the idea that I go now? Thanks.

Edit what about right before school starts? The first week of September? Could I structure CBs in a way to be done by then? Thanks 2Ls and 3Ls of TLS.

EIP orientation was the Friday before EIP. It's not essential. A lot of people skipped it. Callbacks are now extended over three weeks, so you might have more than enough time to secure a job. I know someone who got his first choice firm (S&C/Cravath) the Monday after EIP, so he went on a vacation and then went home for almost three weeks before classes started.

[iThwl]

Anyone willing to share with me outlines for Professor Elizabeth Bartholet's family law class?

PM me please, thank you.

[KaNa1986]

Why do BSA's (of the current 3L BSA's) tend to summer at Cravath, S&C, W&C? Is BSA selection made on grades?

[Searchparty]

Anyone in HLAB?

Is it hard to get in? How much flexibility do you have in scheduling (i.e., being able to schedule a couple days to go out of town)

[Pancakes12]

Do you know anyone who is unhappy with their decision to attend HLS? Either during or after law school?

[AllTheLawz]

Do you guys have any experience with summer associate money and it affecting your grant package? How severe is the package hit i.e dollar for dollar?

It wasn't dollar for dollar. I think I got maybe 6-000-8,000 or so less that year IIRC. It will vary from person to person though, depending on how much aid you're getting in the first place.

also depends on age. in some cases, the SA money increase will be matched by an increase in aid because you are older. I forget the exact ages but for like 24-27 or something, the grant aid ratches up 25% each year.

This isn't really correct. They don't ratchet up grant aid, they reduce how much they account for estimated parental contribution. If you are below 25(?) it is 100% applied but after it is reduced to 75% then 50% and so on. Essentially, for the younger group they consider your parents full income available to you but then reduce this assumption as you get older. This is helpful for people who have parents with a high income/high parental contribution but if your parental contribution is already low or zero it doesn't actually help you at all since the max grant aid remains stagnant.

[tomwatts]

Do you know anyone who is unhappy with their decision to attend HLS? Either during or after law school?

I know a few, but it's not about HLS. It's about deciding to attend law school at all. I've never heard anyone say that they think they should've gone somewhere else.

[Mista Bojangles]

Why do BSA's (of the current 3L BSA's) tend to summer at Cravath, S&C, W&C? Is BSA selection made on grades?

Yeah in part. My impression is that having above median grades is probably necessary (most important are LRW grades - I think having Hs in LRW is actually an unstated requirement)

[Pancakes12]

Do you know anyone who is unhappy with their decision to attend HLS? Either during or after law school?

I know a few, but it's not about HLS. It's about deciding to attend law school at all. I've never heard anyone say that they think they should've gone somewhere else.

What kinds of people are unhappy attending law school?

[Searchparty]

Do you know anyone who is unhappy with their decision to attend HLS? Either during or after law school?

I don't think anyone goes: wow, I wish I had gone to X law school. Unless you're in a close relationship with someone who goes to another school and you perceive their situation as better than yours... I have no idea how you would even be able to actively compare which situation would be better. However, there's so much variability that the factors that cause "unhappiness" will be more pertaining to your classmates, professors, and your social life.

Better question would be is anyone unhappy with their decision to go to law school...

[Stinson]

Do you know anyone who is unhappy with their decision to attend HLS? Either during or after law school?

I know a few, but it's not about HLS. It's about deciding to attend law school at all. I've never heard anyone say that they think they should've gone somewhere else.

What kinds of people are unhappy attending law school?

There were maybe one or two people in my section who did not choose to continue after 1L year. The one case with which I'm familiar was someone who had a mostly academic, rather than professional, interest in law, and who I think found law school too focused on cases and doctrines and such and not academic enough. (I know, I know, there are few people who complain about law school being far too practical, but there you have it.) I think that person had been choosing between a couple of PhD programs and HLS before law school, and I think that person returned to a PhD after.

[despina]

I've only met one person who said s/he regretted choosing HLS over another school. That person had a specific substantive interest that wasn't covered thoroughly in the HLS curriculum / clinics.

I agree with others above that some people regret going to law school in general. I know one person who left during the first semester of 1L, and several others who soldiered on because of the debt but don't intend to practice law. From my limited experience I'm guessing that these folks came in with a pretty unrealistic idea of what career prospects would look like (Public interest jobs are easy to get and pay well! Big law is big fun!).

[domino]

Do you know anyone who is unhappy with their decision to attend HLS? Either during or after law school?

I know a guy who thought he should have gone somewhere else when we last talked about this a while ago. He thought HLS wasn't a good fit for him culturally, which does seem like it was an issue, but I think the bigger problem was that he wasn't doing as well as he wanted to until recently. He might be happier about his choice now.

[Pancakes12]

Do you know any HLS graduates who are struggling financially within a couple years after graduation?

[ph14]

Do you know any HLS graduates who are struggling financially within a couple years after graduation?

HLS isn't fool proof. No law school is. That said, you shouldn't base your decision on low probability outcomes, either in terms of success or struggles.

[Lovely Ludwig Van]

Apologies if these have already been asked, but...

1) From reading course evaluations, it seems there are rarely any 1Ls who take seminars. Is it in fact very uncommon for 1Ls to do seminars? If so, is there a reason for that?

2) Are seminars graded on the same DS/H/P/LP basis as other courses? Are curves generally more lenient in seminars?

[ph14]

Apologies if these have already been asked, but...

1) From reading course evaluations, it seems there are rarely any 1Ls who take seminars. Is it in fact very uncommon for 1Ls to do seminars? If so, is there a reason for that?

2) Are seminars graded on the same DS/H/P/LP basis as other courses? Are curves generally more lenient in seminars?

1) Not sure, I thought that a good percentage of 1Ls took seminars in spring semester. I thought it was more common for a 1L to take a seminar than to take a doctrinal class in 1L spring.
2) Yes, as long as you have more than 10 students I think, because that is the minimum to award a DS. Classes with under 30 people are not curved, so I think that they are viewed as easier to get a H in, but as with a lot of things HLS, we don't know for sure.

[4for44]

Why do BSA's (of the current 3L BSA's) tend to summer at Cravath, S&C, W&C? Is BSA selection made on grades?

Yeah in part. My impression is that having above median grades is probably necessary (most important are LRW grades - I think having Hs in LRW is actually an unstated requirement)

Based on the number of BSAs who clerk and where they work, I imagine grades are likely important. That and having to interview screens for people who can talk to others. Since grades are not taken into consideration for most people getting on HLR, and because there is definitely no screening based on personality (ha!), it makes sense that BSAs have similar outcomes at EIP.

[despina]

A lot of 1Ls take spring seminars. Many of those spring seminars will only have a few 1Ls in them, which is what you're seeing if you look at the course evals one at a time, but there are a lot of seminars.