IOWA 2011 Forum

[typ3]

Basically just integrated legal software that can be accessed via cloud- aka the future of legal case management software. Q&A is normally run for conflict of interest checks when new clients pay a retainer. Firms usually then have Quicken, TimeSlips or some other billing software along with a calendaring program like outlook/GCal etc and a contacts managing program (or they just have all their client information on Rolodex *facepalm*).

The new software out there like TM11 and FM from LexisNexis and others is all about integrating all of these databases. It really sucks to make multiple client entries in 4 different programs to track the amount of $ they have in the trust, file invoices, track time, and keep track of their current address phone number #. Plus, the awesomeness of being able to pull up your entire firm's documents / calendar and make changes anywhere there is an internet connection on multiple devices (ipad, smartphone, laptop) is god mode.

[chrisbru]

Welp, guys, I called it. Didn't even last through the summer.

So hide yo kids, hide yo wives...

...words...

Nerd.

[typ3]

Welp, guys, I called it. Didn't even last through the summer.

So hide yo kids, hide yo wives...

...words...

Nerd.

I guess your girlfriend found out about those sexts I sent you. Dang.

[chrisbru]

It's a tragedy really... But now we're free to not hide in private.

Er, wait. You still have that woman thing.

[typ3]

It's a tragedy really... But now we're free to not hide in private.

Er, wait. You still have that woman thing.

Who? Sam? Nah, she's just a fluffer.

[smiller1]

Who? Sam? Nah, she's just a fluffer.

Siiiiigh. Story of my life.

[chrisbru]

Who? Sam? Nah, she's just a fluffer.

Siiiiigh. Story of my life.

I guess I could dip below my standards for a rebound girl. Sam?

[chrisbru]

Wake up hawkeyes! Who's going going to the DSM lunch tomorrow? I know me, kara, and mike for sure. Anyone else?

[maahs07]

Anybody know what the orientation week entails? (besides pouring alcohol into our heads every night)

From the looks of it I might have to drink something a lil more classy than my Natty Light next year. Or y'all need to embrace the cheap beer lifestyle!

P.S. I am currently accepting applications for a karaoke duet partner for "All or Nothing" by O-Town . I would prefer someone who will drown out my voice. I'm more about stage presence and working a crowd.

[chrisbru]

Anybody know what the orientation week entails? (besides pouring alcohol into our heads every night)

From the looks of it I might have to drink something a lil more classy than my Natty Light next year. Or y'all need to embrace the cheap beer lifestyle!

P.S. I am currently accepting applications for a karaoke duet partner for "All or Nothing" by O-Town . I would prefer someone who will drown out my voice. I'm more about stage presence and working a crowd.

I'm all about cheep beer... But I typically go for at least Mich Golden or Bud Light. PBR if I feel like being extra classy.

I'm also all about karaoke. Count me in.

[maahs07]

Anybody know what the orientation week entails? (besides pouring alcohol into our heads every night)

From the looks of it I might have to drink something a lil more classy than my Natty Light next year. Or y'all need to embrace the cheap beer lifestyle!

P.S. I am currently accepting applications for a karaoke duet partner for "All or Nothing" by O-Town . I would prefer someone who will drown out my voice. I'm more about stage presence and working a crowd.

I'm all about cheep beer... But I typically go for at least Mich Golden or Bud Light. PBR if I feel like being extra classy.

I'm also all about karaoke. Count me in.

Looks like you're all about anything that is a good time!

Anybody know the cab/transportation situation in IC? I know there are some cab lines that run downtown but are they pretty reasonable? I'm living on the west side so will most likely not be walking downtown. Here at UNI they have a "SafeRide" aka Drunk Bus that runs on weekends...does Iowa have anything like that?

[JOThompson]

The school touts the ease of obtaining an R.A. job ("Everyone who wants a job gets one"), but in my experience, it's not so straightforward. Just an FYI if your decision to matriculate to Iowa hinges on the instate tuition rate.

[chrisbru]

Anybody know what the orientation week entails? (besides pouring alcohol into our heads every night)

From the looks of it I might have to drink something a lil more classy than my Natty Light next year. Or y'all need to embrace the cheap beer lifestyle!

P.S. I am currently accepting applications for a karaoke duet partner for "All or Nothing" by O-Town . I would prefer someone who will drown out my voice. I'm more about stage presence and working a crowd.

I'm all about cheep beer... But I typically go for at least Mich Golden or Bud Light. PBR if I feel like being extra classy.

I'm also all about karaoke. Count me in.

Looks like you're all about anything that is a good time!

Anybody know the cab/transportation situation in IC? I know there are some cab lines that run downtown but are they pretty reasonable? I'm living on the west side so will most likely not be walking downtown. Here at UNI they have a "SafeRide" aka Drunk Bus that runs on weekends...does Iowa have anything like that?

Cabs are reasonable, especially if you share. A cab from the bars to my house in coralville is less than $20.

Edit: Something screwy happened.

[DocHawkeye]

Anybody know what the orientation week entails? (besides pouring alcohol into our heads every night)

From the looks of it I might have to drink something a lil more classy than my Natty Light next year. Or y'all need to embrace the cheap beer lifestyle!

P.S. I am currently accepting applications for a karaoke duet partner for "All or Nothing" by O-Town . I would prefer someone who will drown out my voice. I'm more about stage presence and working a crowd.

I'm all about cheep beer... But I typically go for at least Mich Golden or Bud Light. PBR if I feel like being extra classy.

I'm also all about karaoke. Count me in.

Cabs are reasonable, especially if you share. A cab from the bars to my house in coralville is less than $20.

Looks like you're all about anything that is a good time!

Anybody know the cab/transportation situation in IC? I know there are some cab lines that run downtown but are they pretty reasonable? I'm living on the west side so will most likely not be walking downtown. Here at UNI they have a "SafeRide" aka Drunk Bus that runs on weekends...does Iowa have anything like that?

Its been a while since I've ridden a cab in IC, but after I got nabbed for a DWI in 2004, they became my best friend. Look for them to live up on Dubuque St. starting about midnight or so. The industry is pretty competitve, so the rates are pretty fair. $15 should get you just about anywhere in town. Most cab companies don't charge for other riders, if I recall. The Cambus (university-run campus bus) runs a saferide, but probably only during academic sessions.

[typ3]

JOT does ease of Ra differ if one has a scholarship ie LOF? I mean part of their scholarship to oos students rests on the Ra and or journal position.

[JOThompson]

JOT does ease of Ra differ if one has a scholarship ie LOF? I mean part of their scholarship to oos students rests on the Ra and or journal position.

Out of state LOF students supposedly receive preference because the school sets aside extra funding for them. I know a handful of LOF and sticker students who still don't have an R.A. job. Not really enough to draw a conclusion as to the size of the boost you might receive as an out of state LOF 1L.

I just reread my LOF award letter. R.A. is a "component" of the offer, but it is not clear if the burden to secure/provide a job falls on the school or the student. If it's the latter, and you fail to find a research assistant position despite your best efforts, your debt could easily double. The administration hasn't been willing to discuss their interpretation of the LOF letter with me yet, but I'll keep you updated.

[typ3]

JOT does ease of Ra differ if one has a scholarship ie LOF? I mean part of their scholarship to oos students rests on the Ra and or journal position.

Out of state LOF students supposedly receive preference because the school sets aside extra funding for them. I know a handful of LOF and sticker students who still don't have an R.A. job. Not really enough to draw a conclusion as to the size of the boost you might receive as an out of state LOF 1L.

I just reread my LOF award letter. R.A. is a "component" of the offer, but it is not clear if the burden to secure/provide a job falls on the school or the student. If it's the latter, and you fail to find a research assistant position despite your best efforts, your debt could easily double. The administration hasn't been willing to discuss their interpretation of the LOF letter with me yet, but I'll keep you updated.

Matt, were you able to land an ra position? Do the positions open up mythically if one is higher ranked in ones class or is this all random? Moreover, if you don't land an ra position, what happens to your scholly?

[typ3]

Hmm found this posted on a different TLS thread and it is taken from a blog.

"There don't really seem to be any current Iowa Law students posting, so I thought I'd give it a go.


I'm Class of 2011, and wow. I'm not happy. If any prospective law students are looking at Iowa, ignore anyone who graduated in '09 or '08, and listen up:


If you want to have a prayer of landing a BigLaw job on either coast, do not come here. Want to know how many firms from New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. were at our OCI this fall? Zero. Zero firms. We had Chicago firms and Minneapolis firms dropping out like flies. On average, students had about seven interviews through OCI. And on average, they probably had about zero callbacks. I know several people in the top 30% or so, on Law Review, who have absolutely no job prospects for next summer, paying or otherwise.


I had two flybacks, gleaned through a massive letter-writing campaign - my only alternative, since no firms I was remotely interested in visited campus. I sent out roughly 150 applications. Two flybacks. One was Fried Frank in New York, which - as anyone who interviewed there this fall knows - was conducting cattle calls. They probably gave callbacks to 300 law students, for about 30 positions. You do the math. It's not great. I had to pay for my own plane ticket, lodging, etc. The other was Latham in L.A., which had already extended offers to 13 people, and only had 6 positions left. Again, do the math. Rejected at both firms.


Absent a BigLaw miracle, I'll be working at the DOJ Antitrust Div. in D.C. next summer. Not a terrible job, but no guarantees of employment after graduation, and I'll be making a pro-rated salary of about $40k/yr. for the summer. Wow.


And if you're thinking, "Well, this guy doesn't have the grades - I could do better," you're probably wrong. I'm number two in the class, and on Law Review.


I would be a lot more bitter if (1) I didn't have to watch my friends completely strike out - they're scared, confused, and disillusioned, and it makes me grateful to have any sort of employment - and (2) I have a full-ride scholarship. I can't even imagine being saddled with $80k plus in student loans, and still graduating unemployed.


As to the posters who said you're guaranteed in-state tuition your 2L and 3L years, they're wrong. I know at least one person who's stuck paying out-of-state, and a few more who transferred to different schools b/c they couldn't find R.A. jobs (no in-state tuition).


People have commented on Iowa's problems as an institution; I'll leave that alone. Our geographical isolation is our worst downfall - I imagine it's why our OCI got decimated even worse than a lot of other schools. Fordham, hell, Howard, American - much better options if you have even an inkling that you don't want to open a solo practice in a small town in Iowa.


We can't even place in Chicago or Minneapolis anymore, and that leaves nothing. I imagine things will look better in the future, but they look pretty bad right now.
"

[chrisbru]

Hmm found this posted on a different TLS thread and it is taken from a blog.

Quote
"

I, for one, am not going to Iowa looking for biglaw on the coasts... Or anywhere for that matter. Small practice in Iowa sounds great to me. Chicago or Minneapolis would be cool, but I'm an Iowa boy... If I really wanted to practice somewhere else, I would have gone to Denver, or William Mitchell, or DePaul, or WUSTL. Just my thoughts.

[klm4634]

I agree with Chris. Iowa is where I wanted to be. BigLaw is not at all on my to-do list. I think if you go to Iowa with hopes of a BigLaw job on the coast, you were misled from the very beginning.

[smiller1]

Hmm found this posted on a different TLS thread and it is taken from a blog.

What previous post/do you have a link to the blog? I'm interested in checking it out.

[maahs07]

Hmm found this posted on a different TLS thread and it is taken from a blog.

Quote
"

I, for one, am not going to Iowa looking for biglaw on the coasts... Or anywhere for that matter. Small practice in Iowa sounds great to me. Chicago or Minneapolis would be cool, but I'm an Iowa boy... If I really wanted to practice somewhere else, I would have gone to Denver, or William Mitchell, or DePaul, or WUSTL. Just my thoughts.

I feel the exact same way as well. I decided to go to Iowa BECAUSE I want to stay in Iowa.

It is a little unnerving that a student at the top of the class struggled to land a job though. More of a testament to the current legal employment conditions than it is to the quality of Iowa as an institution and its career placement.

[chrisbru]

Hmm found this posted on a different TLS thread and it is taken from a blog.

Quote
"

I, for one, am not going to Iowa looking for biglaw on the coasts... Or anywhere for that matter. Small practice in Iowa sounds great to me. Chicago or Minneapolis would be cool, but I'm an Iowa boy... If I really wanted to practice somewhere else, I would have gone to Denver, or William Mitchell, or DePaul, or WUSTL. Just my thoughts.

I feel the exact same way as well. I decided to go to Iowa BECAUSE I want to stay in Iowa.

It is a little unnerving that a student at the top of the class struggled to land a job though. More of a testament to the current legal employment conditions than it is to the quality of Iowa as an institution and its career placement.

I hope (and expect) that this is very true.

[JOThompson]

Hmm found this posted on a different TLS thread and it is taken from a blog.

Quote
"

I, for one, am not going to Iowa looking for biglaw on the coasts... Or anywhere for that matter. Small practice in Iowa sounds great to me. Chicago or Minneapolis would be cool, but I'm an Iowa boy... If I really wanted to practice somewhere else, I would have gone to Denver, or William Mitchell, or DePaul, or WUSTL. Just my thoughts.

I feel the exact same way as well. I decided to go to Iowa BECAUSE I want to stay in Iowa.

It is a little unnerving that a student at the top of the class struggled to land a job though. More of a testament to the current legal employment conditions than it is to the quality of Iowa as an institution and its career placement.

I hope (and expect) that this is very true.

An Iowa grad might struggle to find even small firm work in Iowa without connections ITE. The OCI and Career Services at Iowa are pretty lacking, which only makes an already difficult job hunt even tougher. If you find a job, it will most likely be without any assistance from the school. I know several 3Ls who didn't have any job offers by graduation despite mass mailing and the emaciated OCI process. That's mainly a product of a horrible legal market and our geography though. We don't have a large home market to rely on and the other markets, i.e. Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, etc. are increasingly competitive. Iowa is a good school for the immediate region, but I'd advise people to limit their optimism for mobility and/or type of practice.

[maahs07]

An Iowa grad might struggle to find even small firm work in Iowa without connections ITE. The OCI and Career Services at Iowa are pretty lacking, which only makes an already difficult job hunt even tougher. If you find a job, it will most likely be without any assistance from the school. I know several 3Ls who didn't have any job offers by graduation despite mass mailing and the emaciated OCI process. That's mainly a product of a horrible legal market and our geography though. We don't have a large home market to rely on and the other markets, i.e. Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, etc. are increasingly competitive. Iowa is a good school for the immediate region, but I'd advise people to limit their optimism for mobility and/or type of practice.

It is ironic that a selling point during admitted students day was that Iowa has an advantage geographically as a midwestern hub between Chi, Mpls, Stl, KC, and DSM. Is this still the case or does it seem that less students are finding jobs throughout the bigger midwestern cities? Obviously the market is affecting placement everywhere so it is difficult to distinguish between geography and economy.