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I am planning on attending Thomas M. Cooley Law School in May. I am being straight up when I say that I realize Cooley is not a prestigious school, and it is deservingly a tier 4 school. I had too good of a time during undergrad and graduated from UNC Charlotte with a 2.9, and I did ABSOLUTELY nothing to prepare myself for the LSAT but sign up to take it... Went in to the test with the least clue on what the test was about, etc... I managed to score a 145... I did score an 1100 on the SAT with a few hours preparation the week before the test... So I know I would have scored at least ten points higher had I taken the time to prepare myself... However, is it really THAT bad to attend? I mean, all I want to do is have my own small criminal and civil practice. I want to focus on being a criminal defense attorney, but also do trusts, wills, personal injury and other torts... EVEN IF all I get is court appointed cases, I BILL THE STATE OUT @ 75 HOUR!!! Do the math, (75x40)x52 = 150 some thousand! Haha, that is more or equal to the money balling ass law firms pay first year harvard students... AND THAT IS NOT EVEN COUNTING ANY PRIVATE CLIENTS I MIGHT OBTAIN... Think about it, 1500 for a DUI here, 1500 for some weed charges there... I could very well be making 200 k within 5 years out of school.. AND IM MY OWN BOSS... I don't have to answer to any high power partners, etc. I set my own hours, I tell myself what to do, when to do, and how to do... ALL U NEED IS TO PASS THE BAR! Soooo... what is wrong with going to cooley if this can be achieved, and, in turn, make more money than a top 5 LS grad? PLEASE, I'm begging to hear some responses in rebuttal

Ran here, popcorn in hand.

we can live like kings!!!

romothesavior wrote:Ran here, popcorn in hand.

Damn, I forgot the popcorn... I wonder if I have time to make some...

oh god...

lol, will ferrell dude... can you tell me how that can't be achieved? Im ready and willing for the heat baby! bring that shit! but really, it is a fact that NC pays attorneys 75/hour for misdemeanor cases! and the average caseload is five per day... There are 6 lawyers from Cooley in my hometown that are in their mid 30's and are members of country clubs, have 500k houses, etc... I just want to hear how going to Cooley would somehow hinder me establishing my own hole in the wall practice, but billing the state out at 75 an hour for 40 hours a week

um...........

Okay, while I can't wait for some of the real big dogs of TLS to rip you a new one, I guess I'll post something in response (assuming you are not a flame).

If it is so easy to do what you say, then why aren't more people doing it? Wouldn't everyone be flocking to solo practice and make all this bank?

The problem is attracting clients, especially enough to warrant a full 40 hour work week. Think of it this way... if you got a DUI, would you be more inclined to call the big established DUI lawyer in the area, or some no-name solo practitioner? Chances are most people won't even know who the hell you are once you graduate. You will get drowned out by the flood of attorneys with a reputable name (and a reputable degree).

Finding clients (especially enough to make 6 figures) is damn near impossible for most solo acts straight out of LS. Trust me, you aren't onto some golden nugget of wisdom. Many have tried what you suggest, and many have failed.

Are you giving your SAT score to show a pattern of low standardized test scores after insufficient preparation? Because I don't think that actually proves very much.

is anyone gonna actually tell me how I cannot get court appointed cases my first year out of law school? if so, please do tell... you might then discourage me from going to the shit hole known as cooley... if you can't convince me why this isn't possible, however, i will realize that you are just virgins that don't have a life outside of academia... and I have a 1.2 million trust fund... so i got the funds for law school without having to take loans out like you poor schlubs.. and ill have plenty of capital to open a business

FUCKING READ U POOR MIDDLE CLASS IDIOTS... I SAID COURT APPOINTED CASES, AND THEN GET A PRIVATE OBTAINED CLIENT EVERY NOW AND THEN.. U REALIZE COURT APPOINTED PAYS 75 AN HOUR U FUCKSHIT... 75X40 = 150 PLUS K

The sheer number of people viewing this thread just waiting for the storm is hilarious.

First page

yes but not a one has told me how I cannot get court appointed cases... and bill the state at 75/hour for 40 hours a week... the courts are OVERFLOWING with poor people like you that have to borrow money for school... there will be plenty of clients that i can bill 75 an hour for.. PLUS, I MAKE UP HOW MANY HOURS I WORK ON EACH CASE

Hackson_McJackson wrote:is anyone gonna actually tell me how I cannot get court appointed cases my first year out of law school? if so, please do tell... you might then discourage me from going to the shit hole known as cooley... if you can't convince me why this isn't possible, however, i will realize that you are just virgins that don't have a life outside of academia... and I have a 1.2 million trust fund... so i got the funds for law school without having to take loans out like you poor schlubs.. and ill have plenty of capital to open a business

FUCKING READ U POOR MIDDLE CLASS IDIOTS... I SAID COURT APPOINTED CASES, AND THEN GET A PRIVATE OBTAINED CLIENT EVERY NOW AND THEN.. U REALIZE COURT APPOINTED PAYS 75 AN HOUR U FUCKSHIT... 75X40 = 150 PLUS K

Flame+Douchebag= Banhammer

Hackson_McJackson wrote:yes but not a one has told me how I cannot get court appointed cases... and bill the state at 75/hour for 40 hours a week... the courts are OVERFLOWING with poor people like you that have to borrow money for school... there will be plenty of clients that i can bill 75 an hour for.. PLUS, I MAKE UP HOW MANY HOURS I WORK ON EACH CASE

This is totally how it works.

what about overhead?

jack duluoz wrote:we can live like kings!!!

Damn hell ass kings or the regular variety?

JPU wrote:what about overhead?

Yea, those Mexican made suits and that double wide trailer office are going to eat into your profits.

OP:
The trick to a really great flame is to be able to convince at least one person that it is not a flame. Nice try, but you came on a little strong.

You could try logging on as a different account and arguing with yourself.

Just did a quick Google search and found an article regarding state appointed attorneys in Wisconsin. Have a read Mr. McJackson:

June 2, 2009 – A bill introduced in the Wisconsin Assembly aims to raise the hourly rate paid to private attorneys who accept cases from the State Public Defender from $40 to $70 an hour.

Lawyers lined up at the state capitol June 2 to offer testimony in support of Assembly Bill 224 before the Committee on Judiciary and Ethics. A law firm is a small business with overhead costs that continue to rise whereas the rate for indigent defense has been frozen by statute since 1995, the committee learned.

“I sit before you today as a solo practitioner able to tell you that in a streamlined operation with one part-time paralegal, my overhead costs run roughly $70 an hour,” said State Bar President Diane Diel. “You can do the math on where that leaves me $30 in the hole if I were to take $40 an hour appointment cases.”

NewtonLied wrote:The sheer number of people viewing this thread just waiting for the storm is hilarious.

Dude. When it's all said and done, I just want to be able to look back, smile, and know that I was IBTL. It's the little things that make life worth living.

Snuffie wrote:

jack duluoz wrote:we can live like kings!!!

Damn hell ass kings or the regular variety?

the kind in "freddie got fingered," when tom green's character pulled soap on a rope out of a toilet king.

Snuffie wrote:

NewtonLied wrote:The sheer number of people viewing this thread just waiting for the storm is hilarious.

Dude. When it's all said and done, I just want to be able to look back, smile, and know that I was IBTL. It's the little things that make life worth living.

+1. Watching these threads unfold is hilarious. I'm glad I got here first, I feel honored.

Your plan is absolutely solid. I mean you were able to get a 1100 on the SAT with only a couple hours prep? You obviously have the intellectual muscle to suceed in law school. Plus, your gpa would have been higher if you hadn't partied so much in undergrad, so you obviously have a good reason for the GPA. Go to cooley, live as large as possible whilein school, think about getting a joint jd/MBA since you are so rich you can afford it, then live the rich life afteryou graduate. I mean 75 an hour!? And you can make your own schedule! Who needs top 10 when you have such a solid plan!

ok... just riddle me this... flame and talk shit too, i think it is funny... BUT< PLEASE JUST RIDDLE ME THIS!

NC pays 75 an hour for court appointed cases.... 75 an hour times 40 hours a week times 52 weeks is 150 some odd thousand dollars... so let's just say i dont get a single privately obtained client... I still make 150 for COURT APPOINTED CASES ALONE... this is all I want to know...

WILL FERREL DUDE = FAIL of the most epic kind... even more epic than your baby nuts...

that is anecdotal evidence and DOES NOT apply to the NC court system... Did you also miss the part where I have 1.2 million trust fund? SO, unlike you and the rest of you middle class knobs that will be 150 in debt, I will have over one million dollars for overhead... hahahah, sucks for ya'll! hahah god that must suck to be so poor you can't afford to go to law school... law school was meant for those that can afford it... that's all, thanks.